Каннские львы 2015. Short List. STRINGS

Title – STRINGS
advertiser/client – TRANSPORT ACCIDENT COMMISSION
Agencies – CLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE
product/service – Public Health & Safety

As this film begins, we open on a tight shot of an innocent looking boy’s face. We slowly zoom out and see that he’s sitting in a single car seat on a dark stage. Mysterious strings are attached to his arms and legs, and he appears to be driving an imaginary car. We continue zooming out and panning around him as he pretends to drive, even flipping on an imaginary indicator light and letting in another driver. As he continues driving, we see him pull out an imaginary mobile phone and read a text message. Suddenly he drops the phone and swerves around another driver, shaking his fist angrily as he passes. We continue zooming out, and finally see that the strings attached to him are also attached to a father figure in a car seat in front of him, like puppet and its master. The little boy’s movements mimic his father’s exactly. The words “What kind of driver are you raising?” then appear on screen.