"How do you say cry in English?"
This week's most interesting videos, made by and for organisations.
When Andrew Scott played Hamlet, the director installed a “famous play buzzer” in the rehearsal room. The idea, the actor explained to the Fresh Air podcast, was to make the cast aware when they were performing the play, rather than staying true to their characters.
Because the characters have no idea they’re in a play, famous or otherwise. So the challenge for the actors is to act and react as if they’re living through the action for the first time.
That’s why Scott’s version of the “To be or not to be” speech is full of agonising pauses. Because in that moment, it’s a man grappling with suicide, not the “To be or not to be” speech.
Videos, hmmmmm?
The Pudding explains the extreme influence of our early years (6 mins)
The Pudding is known for its beautiful and informative interactive data stories, but it’s not always been able to translate that magic into video. So it’s splendid to see it do such a great job of bringing this to life.
The film is based on a long-term study of teenagers, which tracked how their early experiences went onto shape their later lives, from health and salaries to happiness.
There’s a dense amount of information to process here, but The Pudding team are masters at making that easy to follow, through a series of smart, striking visualisations. (Watch on YouTube)
PUMA shows us sport on another level (1m 30s)
Blue Boy’s Remember Me is so perfectly chosen for this PUMA spot, I sort of wonder which came first – the concept of the ad, or someone hearing this BANGER and setting out to make something with it.
Either way it’s good, slick stuff, with a rhythm that makes it more interesting than it might otherwise have been. (Watch on YouTube)
A heartwarming story about jigsaws, libraries and kindness (1min)
Many organisations don’t need to look too hard to find stories worth telling. They just need to appreciate what’s in front of them, and capture it in a compelling way.
So it is with this short film from the LA Public Libraries, about a man who donates jigsaws to his local library. It’s a sweet story which they haven’t overcomplicated, and they’ve let the mediative pleasure of jigsaws shine through. (Watch on Instagram)
It’s Taku time, thanks to YETI’s fascinating fishing doc (8 mins)
Who’s your favourite Japanese bass angler? Mine is now Takumi Ito, thanks to this short film from YETI (for whom Ito is an ambassador).
It’s fascinating to follow Ito’s story, from a computer game-loving kid to a bona fide bass celebrity, but I also learned a lot about fishing, about lure design and bait marinades and the competitive Japanese lakes. A joyfully left field treat. (Watch on YouTube)
A funny, silly way to launch a serious mental health initiative (1m 10s)
Beavertown brewery partnered with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to produce packs of crisps which encourage honest conversations about mental health in the pub.
It’s a smart idea to tackle a real problem, but I love how the launch video doesn’t take itself at all seriously. From the crisp-smash-cuts (you’ll see) to its self-aware script, this is how to make mental health feel very accessible. (Watch on Instagram)
The charity that turns weapons into community spaces (7ms 40s)
Steel Warriors is a charity that melts down knives seized by the UK police and turns them into outdoor gyms in areas affected by violent crime. Spencer Murphy’s film combines nuanced storytelling with incredible visuals of people using the bars, juxtaposing balletic beauty with the grim realities of a knife crime epidemic that seems to be getting worse.
There’s hope here, but no naivety. (Watch on Vimeo)
Give Cheetos a big hand for its new spot (30s)
So many brands, especially in B2B, fixate on an eye-catching stat which turns out to be essential meaningless, and/or very spuriously sourced. I hope that’s what Cheetos is satirising here, with its “99% of people eat Cheetos with their dominant hand” insight.
They run with idea in a few fun ways, and although some of the jokes seem too familiar, the high points, like the kids screaming at the grotesque birthday cake, make up for it. (Watch on YouTube)
The legendary New York dosa man profiled in exemplary Munchies doc (8 mins)
This film is five years old, but was reshared by Munchies on Instagram this week. Amid many post-mortems of Vice, and what its demise means for media, this is a reminder that so much good stuff came out of the Vice stable over the years.
The film, part of Munchies’ Street Food Icons series, introduces us to New York’s famous dosa man and the eight minutes fly by, so perfectly-paced is the storytelling. (Watch on YouTube)
Oh haha a dog airline. Wait, is this, real? No. But… (1 min)
Ok, this has really got into my head. When I first saw it, I assumed it was a clever parody, and the tagline – “a 100% totally real airline for dogs” confirmed my suspicions.
But then I started to question myself. One thing led to another, and I found myself trying to book a flight on the Bark Air website for a dog (which I don’t have) from New York (where I don’t live) to LA (where I also don’t live).
I’m still pretty sure it’s a joke, but I’ve come to enjoy the confusion. (Watch on YouTube)
“Leading with beauty means rising above what is merely necessary.”
Tim Lebrecht