This :30 opens at night, as little girls in flowing nightgowns and party hats run through the expansive backyard of a rural house, letting their imaginations go wild. Each child carries a flashlight, and is laughing joyously.
During this simple, dreamlike sequence, which captures the sheer delight of children having fun, a female voiceover tells us, "These flashlights aren’t run by batteries. You simply wind them up."
The voiceover continues: "The user is the power. To recharge them, just give the kids a good night’s sleep."
Supered across a black screen the phrase "Eco-Friendly Ideas" fades in. A male voice relates: "The eco-store, another step toward an energy-efficient tomorrow—available online today, at portlandgeneral.com."
We return to the scene of the girls running through the darkness, flashlights illuminating their path. The youngsters resemble fireflies flitting about the great outdoors. The male voiceover concludes—with an accompanying super depicting his words—"Let the future begin."
"Flashlights" was part of a three-spot campaign for Portland General Electric, a public utilities company. The :30 was directed by Nancy Bardawil of Santa Monica-based Crash Films for agency Johnson/Sheen, Portland, Ore. Her support team included executive producer Bill Fortney and producer Eric Stoft. The DP was James Whittaker.
The Johnson/Sheen creative ensemble consisted of creative director Mike Sheen, copywriter Jim Carey, art director Mark Slotemaker and freelance agency producer Gina Bevilacqua.
The contingent from Portland-based postproduction house DownStream included offline editor Kelly McClean, online editor Jennifer Quinn, assistant online editor Jason Thomas, motion graphics artist Tim Thiessen, Inferno artist Michael Nicholas and post producer Shawn Gerspach.
Sound designer/audio mixer was Lance Limbocker of DownStream Sound, Portland. John Smith and Rick Waritz, also of DownStream Sound, teamed to produce and compose original music for "Flashlights."
All three spots—including "Downed Lines," which promotes safety, and "Whirlgig," advancing a message about wind power—are currently airing in the Portland market.
