Laurence Thrush, who is repped by Splendid & Co. in the U.S., directed, wrote and edited this spot for Blindsquare, a GPS navigation app for the blind. Shot in Finland, the :60 was shot in Finland and produced through Helsinki-based Directors Guild and Thrush’s own company, Growth Films.
The spot shows a blind lad on a lengthy commute to meet up with friends–a trip he is easily able to navigate thanks to Blindsquare.
The commercial came about due to a feature documentary Thrush has been working on for the past couple of years titled A Different Light which is based on the design and construction of a school for visually impaired and hearing impaired students in Finland.
“In the process of making this documentary I noticed just how many of the blind students relied on this iPhone app–Blindsquare–to navigate and get around. It was one of those products that I saw truly make a huge difference to these children’s lives. I was really impressed with the app and found out that, coincidentally, the designer of the app – Ilkka Pirttimaa, was also based in Finland. So I contacted the designer and wrote this commercial for Blindsquare, and one of the students that I met while shooting the documentary appears in the spot.”
The spot aired in Finland.