Directed by David Dobkin of RSA and Black Dog Films, this Maroon 5 music video, “Middle Ground,” features lead singer and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, the band and their families recording the reflective acoustic song at a country house and adjacent barn.
Dobkin deployed a softly lit, observational style to convey the kinship of the day.
“When Adam first sent me the song, I told him we couldn’t put imagery to it. The lyrics are too good,” Dobkin recounted. “But then we kept talking and borrowed a page from Exile On Main Street, and decided to take a documentary-like approach and film the song being recorded at a house in the country…including the families hanging out. I’ve known Adam for over 20 years and the work together is always special to me. It’s been a great run!”
“Middle Ground” is Dobkin’s sixth video for Maroon 5. He also directed the viral smash “Sugar,” the video featuring the band crashing weddings all over the city as the wedding band, which amassed over 3.8 billion views. More recently, Dobkin directed “Girls Like You” featuring Cardi B and packed with female celebs, everyone from Ellen to Millie Bobby Brown, Tiffany Haddish, Sarah Silverman, Behati Prinsloo and many more.
CreditsClient Maroon 5, Interscope Production Company Black Dog Films David Dobkin, director; Jeff Pantaleo, Molly Bohas, Megan Dobkin, exec producers; Melissa Larsen, producer; Giles Dunning, DP; Christian Zollenkopf, production designer. Editorial Bill Yukich, editor. Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More