This holiday video shows people connecting with other people via social media. Our assumption is that they are all passengers on airplanes, a notion which is reinforced when a woman, presumed to be a flight attendant, tells folks to put their mobile devices in “airplane mode.”

It turns out, she made this request so everyone would come to the dinner table and share some personal face-to-face time with family and friends. A super reads,  “Celebrate the joy of presence this season,” a holiday message from American Airlines.

Jefferson Stein of 3008 directed this piece for agency The Marketing Arm. Stein gained inclusion earlier this year into SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase.

Titled Airplane Mode, this short went online and was emailed to American AAdvantage users worldwide. 

Director Stein shared, “One of the biggest challenges in figuring out how to make this spot work was in convincing the audience that we were on an airplane, without ‘cheating.’ We were not going to shoot on an airplane because the characters you see before the reveal aren’t on an airplane, but rather in a house. With this in mind, we had to think through the entire opening in terms of lighting, framing, character actions, etc. that would convince people that the characters were on a plane, but were in fact, in a house. We designed much of the lighting to emulate the small source overhead lighting found on a commercial airplane to make them double as overhead lamps or lights in the house or around the dinner table.

“We approached the camera positioning by asking ourselves with each shot, ‘is this possible to shoot inside an airplane cabin?’ We wanted to put the audience in the space, so we didn’t shoot any shots in the house that wouldn’t be feasible in an airplane cabin. The character’s actions were considered as well. We needed them to be doing things with their devices that (1) couldn’t be done once you switch to airplane mode (i.e. most communication stuff). This was in emphasis of the concept of switching your phone off and being present with your family during the holidays. And (2) actions that give the sense that each character is about to take off on an airplane, but is really about to eat a holiday dinner.” 

Credits

Client American Airlines Agency The Marketing Arm Rob Neatherlin, creative director; Ed Johnson, copywriter; Ashley Colunga, digital director. Production/Post 3008 Jefferson Stein, director; Brent Herrington, editor/partner; Anne Strock, executive producer; Brian Hwang, executive producer, live action; Jennifer Brannon, sr. producer; Marc Stone, editor; Mark Sullivan, Flame artist; Tim Howe, graphics; Greg Carlson, audio

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