Set to Bing Crosby’s 1943 hit “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” this film for U.K. road safety organizations the FIA Foundation and AA Charitable Trust shows a father and daughter innocently texting back and forth while he’s driving home for Christmas. She’s eager to see him and get Christmas started. The devastating effects of texting and driving are highlighted when the film shows a haunting image of the father’s fatal accident and culminates in a final, heart-breaking scene as the young girl grieves at her father’s roadside memorial.
To show the connection in time between the dad and the daughter, the actors were filmed on a rotating platform using a motion control rig to seamlessly film them going from scene to scene. The actors are the only live action element to the film and were shot on green screen with the rest of the film entirely in CGI. This was everything from the bedroom, to the car with the trees zooming by in the background and the rain hitting the window, the glow in the dark night sky, the forest with every individual tree, rock and snowflake, to the pavement and flashing lights, illuminating the roadside memorial.
Directed by Christopher Watson-Wood and Amanda Jones of Mad Ruffian, London, this short is part of FIA Foundation and AA Charitable Trust’s “Make it Home for Christmas” campaign conceived by agency M&C Saatchi, London.
The AA Charitable Trust reports that according to Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) research, reaction times are twice as long text driving as drink driving, but despite this there is still a prevalence of high profile court cases of drivers causing death and serious injuries due to texting, calling or searching for music on their mobile phones while driving.
Wayne Robinson, creative director, M&C Saatchi said: “This film can make a difference. It’s been six months in the making, but it really is a cause I, and everyone involved in feel passionate about. Too many lives are put at risk by the texting at the wheel. We hope our film will encourage drivers to turn off their phones and stay safe.”
