Hasta La Ideas

A new ad for charity Women’s Aid harnesses 3D technology in an innovative, interactive way, making it integral to viewers’ experience of the film, and underlining its ultimate message about domestic abuse.

Created by ad agency WCRS with MPC Creative, ‘Blind Eye’ uses 3D stereoscopic technology to allow the viewer to switch between two concurrent on-screen domestic scenarios (see below stills), by closing either their left or right eye.

During the 65-second film, one storyline shows a woman happily preparing dinner, the second adds an abusive husband – and viewers can switch between both at will, before the eventual strapline asks, “Will you turn a blind eye?”

The realisation of the central idea from WCRS – using the technology to let viewers either recognise or ‘ignore’ domestic abuse – wasn’t without its challenges. As the ‘making of’ video below explains, the main sticking point was ‘ghosting’, an effect in which figures from one reel still appear dimly in the other, even when the appropriate eye is closed. The production team put a lot of effort into the set design and costume decisions to make the overall look work to reduce this.

What makes the ad particularly effective is the appropriation of the technology, positioning it as central to the campaign’s message, and inviting the viewer to interact with it. As Ross Neil, creative director at WCRS, points out, the idea and technology are so tied up together that you can’t have the one without the other.

You probably need to experience the ad in a theatre near you to appreciate its full impact – it will run in selected cinemas across the UK from 14 December. But the below clip gives you a good idea of its effectiveness.

Credits:
Agency: WCRS
Creative: Naz Nazli & Rob Welch
Creative Technology: Luke Walker, Hiren Jakison
Creative Director: Ross Neil
Production Company: MPC Creative
Director: Chris Vincze
Producer: Alan Traquair
Executive Producer: Jeremy Smith
VFX: MPC

CR In print

In our December issue we look at why carpets are the latest medium of choice for designers and illustrators. Plus, Does it matter if design projects are presented using fake images created using LiveSurface and the like? Mark Sinclair looks in to the issue of mocking-up. We have an extract from Craig Ward’s upcoming book Popular Lies About Graphic Design and ask why advertising has been so poor at preserving its past. Illustrators’ agents share their tips for getting seen and we interview maverick director Tony Kaye by means of his unique way with email. In Crit, Guardian economics leader writer Aditya Chakrabortty review’s Kalle Lasn’s Meme Wars and Gordon Comstock pities brands’ long-suffering social media managers. In a new column on art direction, Paul Belford deconstructs a Levi’s ad that was so wrong it was very right, plus, in his brand identity column, Michael Evamy looks at the work of Barcelona-based Mario Eskenazi. And Daniel Benneworth-Gray tackles every freelancer’s dilemma – getting work.

Our Monograph this month, for subscribers only, features the EnsaïmadART project in which Astrid Stavro and Pablo Martin invited designers from around the world to create stickers to go on the packaging of special edition packaging for Majorca’s distinctive pastry, the ensaïmada, with all profits going to a charity on the island (full story here)

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