As line drawn animation unfolds before our eyes to reveal a cityscape, a voiceover poses what sounds like a mathematical problem. “Presume the average minimum temperature during winter is 34.7 degrees fahrenheit, the average rainfall 5.7 inches. Supposing cardboard boxes hae a fiber saturation point of 3.2, how desperate do you have to be to sleep in one?”
The animation of the figures and the cardboard shelter then turns to live action as we see a male teenager huddled under the box.
“Help a kid who has survived life on the street earn a college degree,” relates a voiceover, which is accompanied by a supered Web site address (seattleeducationaccess.org). “Support our scholarship programs.”
The spot is one of two in a package directed by Brian Johnson of Story, Chicago, for advertising trade group Ad2Seattle. Johnson worked on the TV campaign with a team from Seattle animation house Blank Design headed by creative director/art director/illustrator/animator Bobby Hougham.
The creative team at Ad2Seattle consisted of art director/copywriter Charles Noback, art director Andy Durr and copywriter Shannon Mead.
The mathematical word problem approach was designed to initially engage viewers on an intellectual level and set them up to become emotionally involved when the spots switch gears. “By turning the facts in otherwise detached and cold story problems [the other spot discusses hypothermia] into emotional appeals, we struck a chord with our audience,” related Noback. “They weren’t expecting it and that’s ultimately why it works.”
With essentially no budget to speak of, Johnson had to recruit collaborators, such as Hougham, who liked the idea and supported the cause. Furthermore, as a cost-saving measure, Johnson shot the live-action at the end of a day during the production of another commercial project.
Editor was Tony Fulgham of World Famous LLC, Seattle.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More