People need to get smart about their smartphones. Every day in the U.S. nine lives are lost as a result of distracted driving.
Yet people don’t seem to be taking heed. They often aren’t listening to others about the dangers of being on the phone while behind the wheel.
So for this commercial, GEICO tapped into a non-person who might get the message through to people–namely “Smart Dogs,” the first dogs trained to train humans.
Spoiler alert: the experiment doesn’t go too well. The good news: GEICO has a simple tip that’s highly effective–turning on “Do Not Disturb While Driving Mode” on your smartphone.
Directorial duo Terri Timely of Park Pictures helmed “Smart Dogs” for The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. The spot debuted in April, which appropriately enough is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Credits
Client GEICO Agency The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Karen Costello, chief creative officer; Jerry Hoak, executive creative director; Steve Bassett, SVP, group creative director; Neel Williams, Justin Harris, VPs/creative directors; Dave Ashton, sr. copywriter; Rushil Nadkarni, art director; Kerry Ayers, SVP, executive producer; Tasha Dean, head of integrated production. Production Park Pictures Terri Timely, director; Donavan Sell, DP; Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Dinah Rodriguez, exec producers; Anne Bobroff, head of production; David Lambert, line producer. Editorial Cut+Run Frank Effron, editor; Kelly Henson, assistant editor; Amburr Farls, exec producer; Brian Mulvey, producer. VFX & Finishing Artjail John Skeffington, head of production; Perry Tate, producer; Clinton Homuth, colorist. Audio Post Heard City Mike Vitacco, sound designer/mixer; Jackie James, exec producer. Music Butter Music & Sound Ian Jeffreys, exec producer; Kristin Kuraishi, producer.
Dancer turned director Ezra Hurwitz collaborates with Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper, featuring movement as museum pieces against the Whitney Museum of American Art’s striking architecture for this short film titled Echoes of Ailey. Commissioned to celebrate “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney Museum, the film accompanies the first large-scale exhibition on the life and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. “Edges of Ailey” is currently on view at the Whitney until February 9.
Animating iconic images from Alvin Ailey’s 20th-century repertory, the film expands on the exhibition by constructing a visual narrative around his storytelling and influences. Set to Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place,” dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School capture the emotional core of the company’s history--physically situating Ailey’s masterworks amongst the Whitney’s collection.
“As a child, my grandmother took me to Ailey’s Revelations once a year,” said Hurwitz. “No matter how often I saw it, the work captivated me. There isn’t one specific thing I hope viewers take away from the film--or one way to interpret its images. It’s meant to be an abstract work, like Ailey’s creations.”
Turning to his archive, Hurwitz and Harper illuminate key sequences symbolic of Ailey’s profound legacy, closing on an uninterrupted sequence from "I’ve Been Buked," the opening movement of Ailey’s legendary "Revelations." Carrying a watershed moment back to its own medium, Echoes of Ailey captures the multigenerational impact of Ailey’s work, continued by his organization. The short film first premiered on Nowness.
