Josh Miller of B-Reel directed this PSA in which two couples at a booth in a Mexican restaurant are having some social drinks, chatting about another couple’s break-up, and possibly getting a puppy.
All of a sudden the action turns slow motion and it’s if the booth and its occupants are in a car crash, with broken margarita and beer glasses and salsa and chips sent flying. The scene transitions to one couple in the front seat of a car, their air bags activated as their car has crashed into a street pole.
A voiceover relates, “Just a drink or two can impair you. Buzzed driving is drunk driving.”
The Texas Department of Transportation website for the program SoberRides.org then appears on screen.
This casual social encounter that turns into a violent slow-mo crash scene came out of agency Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing.
“This was a great concept for an important cause,” said Miller. “More than anything, it’s a reminder that sometimes all it takes is a single drink to impair your judgement. We each have our own personal threshold, and a casual dinner and drinks with friends can end in disaster. That’s what I wanted to capture in the most simple, visceral and visual compelling way.”
Miller and his team went to some extraordinary lengths to create the effect he calls “beautifully violent.” After shooting the wider shots in an actual Mexican restaurant, Miller built a small set that matched the scene from the restaurant, and then mounted the set on dolly tracks. By making the set movable, the B-Reel team was able to capture the entire crash moment in camera, and at 600 frames per second.
The camera itself was locked to the moving set, so the viewer can’t detect the movement before the moment of impact. So when the crash happens, it feels abrupt and real. Miller captured everything in camera, including the smashing beer glasses and food and drinks flying through the air.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More