"Great science can also be great fun"
This week's most interesting videos, made by and for organisations.
Two things tend to kill good ideas.
One is the peck, peck, peck of pessimism – people raising doubts, picking holes and pointing out all the potential problems.
Jony Ive had it right when he said, "These problems are known, they are quantifiable and understood. But you have to focus on the actual idea, which is partial, tentative and unproven."
In this context, the challenge is to protect the idea.
But the other common killer is indecision. Committing to a new idea involves an element of risk. This risk can be reduced, but never completely removed. So people prevaricate. Stasis sets in.
In this context, the challenge is to smash the idea through the sluggishness.
Now bring us your finest videos barkeeper!
A man, a dog and a redemption story that will move you (3m 30s)
I'm suspicious of sentimentality, but I'm not immune to its bewitching power.
This film for London's famous Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is more than it first appears – the story of a rescue dog, its carer, and how their relationship rebuilds them both. I started off wary, got totally hooked, and realised I was holding my breath during the operation scene (you'll see).
Done badly, or cynically, this sort of thing sucks. Done this well, it's a delight. (Watch on YouTube)
Oceana UK highlights trawler destruction in epic trailer (1m 15s)
Oceana UK is an environmental charity "fighting for UK seas to get the protection they deserve." They produced this clever film to raise awareness about the huge damage done by bottom trawling, where massive nets are scraped along the seabed for miles.
It's presented as a sci-fi trailer – all explosive visuals and a thumping, ominous soundtrack – and makes the point that this sort of blunt destruction should only exist in dystopian fiction.
Perfectly pitched and slickly edited, I'm surprised this hasn't had more attention. (Watch on Instagram)
The dehumanising cost of asylum seekers having their stuff taken (2m 45s)
There are many ways in which our asylum systems strip people of their humanity. One of the most simple is to take away someone's belongings, which has devastating consequences on their sense of self.
This moving animation for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), tells the story of V, a Congoloese queer woman who fled to the US to escape persecution for her sexuality. After crossing the border she is separated from her bag, losing her passport, her family photos and her phone.
I like the nuance of the storytelling – V is very relieved to have found asylum in the States. But the price for this new future should never have to be giving up the few precious things that connect her to the past. (Watch on YouTube)
A lovely time-lapse from an Aussie homeware brand that just gets it (10s)
If a good content strategy is built around consistency (which it is), then Australian ceramics brand Ghost Wares is crushing it. Its videos follow a familiar formula – a time-lapse of something organic (a flower, a mushroom) growing out of one of their beautiful pieces (a mug, a vase, a teapot).
These posts always grab my attention and speak to the value of carefully crafting even very short, simple videos. (Watch on Instagram)
David Beckham and Thierry Henry hunt for crisps in a huge football crowd (1m 45s)
Just good bloody fun this. Take David Beckham and Thierry Henry. Stick them in a football stadium before a big European game. Engineer an audaciously contrived set-up to try and find a packet of crips in the crowd. Run the cameras and capture everyone's reactions.
Part live contest, part stadium-cam high jinks, this is a useful reminder that not everything needs a big idea. (Watch on YouTube)
The Royal Society paints a vivid portrait of a strange genius (4 mins)
It's rare to see storytelling in the second person, but it's a powerful tool to really pull you into the action (best exemplified by the first line of Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City: "You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning.")
Kudos then to the Royal Society, who begin this fascinating portrait of the influential and eccentric palaeontologist, William Buckland, with a second-person intro that walks you into his chaotic house and sits you at his dining table.
There's a lot of information here but it never feels overwhelming, thanks to the accessible script and the fun animation style. (Watch on YouTube)
Apple cores become high fashion in new Stella McCartney pieces (1min)
I got into a heated discussion recently about what the main fruits are – for the record, it's apple, orange, banana, thank you for coming to my TED talk. Imagine then how thrilling it was to see one of that imperious trio pop up on Stella McCartney's Instagram.
Uppeal is a vegan alternative to animal leather made from apple waste, like cores and skins. This short explainer captures its brilliant sustainable credentials and ends on a punchy promise – "this is the future of fashion." (Watch on Instagram)
How Stanley’s big cup became a cultural phenomenon (1min)
Explainers were once heralded as a route through which journalism could reimagine its role – we didn't need more new stuff, we needed to better understand what was happening.
This Wall Street Journal Reel is a good example, breaking down how Stanley's Quencher cup became one of the most sought-after objects in North America (something I have often wondered about).
It's actually a trailer for a podcast, but as I've said before, trailers should look to add value on their own terms, which this does. (Watch on Instagram)
Diptyque Paris conjures the spirit of Vietnam in charming animation (3 mins)
This is a beguiling few minutes – dreamlike imagery, set to a soundtrack by James Blake, created to launch the Do Son fragrance. Inspired by, "the landscapes and atmosphere of Vietnam," there are lots of striking visuals and a hypnotic surrealism to which it's easy to submit.
One note – the film itself runs for three minutes, with nearly two minutes of credits. (Watch on YouTube)
“Why isn't AI doing the tedious shit for creative people, rather than the creative shit for tedious people?”
Isaac Schankler asks the big question