We open on a man driving his car, lackadaisically making his daily trek to work as he listens to the radio. As he comes to a stop sign, he makes his sideways glances quickly before advancing, only to incur sudden impact on his front end by an invisible force.
A voiceover relates, “Motorcycles are not invisible,” as the car is smashed to the right, forming dents and cracking the dashboard and windshield. As the driver gets out of the vehicle, the voiceover continues, “But they can seem that way to drivers who aren’t paying close attention.”
The man surveys the damage to his car before taking a wider gaze at the accident, realizing that he has actually come into contact with a motorcycle. The felled cycle now lies on its side with the rider tossed off screen. The voiceover concludes, “Look twice for motorcycles. Seeing them is saving them.” The spot concludes with the super, “Share the Road. Look Twice for Motorcycles,” along with the super, “Save a Life. Texas Department of Transportation.”
Kevin Althans of digital studio Radium/Reel FX , Santa Monica and Dallas, directed the :30 PSA for Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing in Austin, Tex.
While the spot could have taken a significantly CGI route, Althans decided to execute the sheet metal carnage almost entirely in-camera so the reactions and feelings were genuine. He worked with local car expert Jeff Milburn on this practical concept. Althans noted, “I came up with an ambitious idea for a rig that internally collapsed sections of the car using steel cables and a tow vehicle.” Althans used a Phantom Flex and RED MX to shoot the hero stunt cars on location, resulting in an in-camera visual that is almost entirely practical.
For editorial and postproduction, Radium/Reel FX editor Quan Tran worked closely with Althans to hone the message of the spot. Althans remained creative lead through post, entrusting the visual effects to VFX supervisor Dan Dixon. The clean-up and rig-removal was done in Inferno and Dixon’s team re-created the breaking glass windshield in CGI.
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More