This spot thrusts us into the middle of a “Chemical Party,” which is the two-word phrase supered across the screen as we encounter different party-goers, all of whom have symbols affixed to them from chemistry’s periodic table of the elements. A woman who’s wearing the Neon symbol dances rather meekly with a guy who is identified as hydrogen. We’re then informed via a super that Neon + Hydrogen = No Attraction.
Suddenly a big burly guy walks into the room. He is the element carbon. Hydrogen looks at carbon and it’s instant chemistry. They embrace much to the chagrin of Ms. neon. As carbon and hydrogen get increasingly friendly with each other–three more Hydrogens (two gals and a guy) join the embrace. A super notes that carbon can attract four hydrogens.
Next up is the happy union of sodium (a guy) and chloride (a young woman) who are dancing to the beat. However, a man who’s electricity enters the picture and zaps them both, causing them to repel from one another. The supered formula: Sodium Chloride + Electricity = Separation.
Our next lesson comes as potassium is minding his own business at the food table only to be accosted by water (H2O). The two get into a fight, with potassium gaining the upper hand, pushing water’s face into the jello and pushing him across the food table. The supered formula in this case is Water + Potassium = Explosive Reaction.
A subsequent super advises us to “Learn more about science,” followed by a logo for the European Union’s (EU) Marie Curie Actions program which provides funding and logistical help to students who study science. The EU created the program in response to the fact that a decreasing number of higher education students in Europe are going into the field of science. The spot is tagged by an EU/Marie Curie website address.
This 90-second spot was directed by Roderick Fenske of Hungry Man, London, for agency Media Consulta TV & Film Produktion GMBH, Berlin.
Matt Buels exec produced for Hungry Man with Tim Nunn serving as head of production/exec producer and Camilla Wilson as producer. Luke Scott was the DP.
Agency producer was Till Dreier with Buels and Fenske doing the creative via the ad shop.
Editor was Mark Hunt of Hungry Man. Colorist was Paul Harrison of The Mill, London.
Soundtrack was Der Fledermaus’ “Can’t Get It” performed by the band Von Sudenfed.
Supreme Court Seems Likely To Uphold A Law That Could Force TikTok To Shut Down On Jan. 19
The Supreme Court on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company.
Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States.
Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified his main concern: TikTok's ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company's requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government's intelligence operations.
If left in place, the law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April will require TikTok to "go dark" on Jan. 19, lawyer Noel Francisco told the justices on behalf of TikTok.
At the very least, Francisco urged, the justices should enter a temporary pause that would allow TikTok to keep operating. "We might be in a different world again" after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump, who has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, also has called for the deadline to be pushed back to give him time to negotiate a "political resolution." Francisco served as Trump's solicitor general in his first presidential term.
But it was not clear whether any justices would choose such a course. And only Justice Neil Gorsuch sounded like he would side with TikTok to find that the ban violates the Constitution.
Gorsuch labeled arguments advanced by the Biden administration' in defense of the law a... Read More