New York: A new 30-second spot for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, produced by Charged Studios, challenges the phrase “Guns don’t kill people, people do.” Delivering a no-holds-barred message against those slippery semantics, the spot asserts a strong opening argument: “A magazine that allows a gun to fire 32 shots in 16 seconds is only good for one thing: killing a lot of people – fast."

Charged Studios’ team took the spot from script to final ad in five-days. They designed and built the set in studio and worked as a collaborative unit to meet the tight deadline and still deliver an innovative, compelling spot.

The commercial features a man firing a handgun with an extended clip down a firing range, however the generic target traditionally used has been replaced with silhouettes of a little girl, a college student, a postman, and representations of innocent bystanders also killed by guns each year.

The compelling ad calls upon President Obama to come out more forcefully in support of a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips. Featured during segments of numerous national news outlets, including CBS, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, ABC, MSNBC, CNN and Fox, the spot has further maximized its impact.

“Our biggest challenge was to create a dynamic spot centered around one simple message,” explains Charged Studios’ director and executive producer, Adam Pierce. “We needed to convey undertones of violence by depicting the extended clip as the true villain.”

Charged worked with Fenton and copywriter Josh Gold. on the project. “The Fenton-Charged partnership worked great. We were impressed by their speed and skill at every turn,” said Jenn Lindenauer, senior vice president at Fenton.  

“Bringing a full crew to a gun range on such short notice would have been problematic. Instead, we pulled details from real gun ranges and replicated the look in-house over two days, from the mechanism of the targets to the signage posted on the walls,” said Pierce.

DP Paul Kloss shot the spot on Charged Studios’ Canon 5D, and then, working on a tight schedule, Charged editor Andy Harmon made maximum use of the post process. Using Final Cut Pro and After Effects he fine-tuned subtle details and elevated the intensity and impact of the spot to the next level. Daron Murphy composed the dark score, which he mixed with VO, gunshots and ambient tone with Apple Logic Pro.

“The editing process benefitted from the fluidity between the client and our team,” says Pierce.  “And it was a message worth hammering home.”

“Fenton and producer Jenn Lindenauer brought a genuine passion about this issue to the project,” adds producer Mike Landry. “Their level of conviction really comes through in the agency’s concept and was key to creating a strong point of view that not only makes it an effective commercial, but integrates into broadcast news media coverage to represent the heart of this issue.”

“Being that close to a gun firing long bursts of rounds from an extended clip really makes it clear why they should be banned,” sums up Pierce. “We’re proud to have the opportunity to contribute to this cause.” 

About Charged Studios: Charged Studios has been bringing originality and punch to the art of visual storytelling—through a mix of animation, puppetry, live-action and visual effects—for over 10 years. Our open-architecture design, CGI, live-action production, editorial, music and sound studio is a creative haven for a diverse team of collaborative artists with a shared passion for creating fresh, compelling spots that exceed client expectations and push the envelope.    For additional information contact Charged at 718.855.0216, or visit www.charged.com.

 (Equipment Used: Canon 5D, Adobe Illustrator, Final Cut pro, Adobe After Effects, Apple Logic Pro)

CREDITS

PROJECT: :30 National TV Spot, The Brady Campaign Targeting The Prevention Of Gun Violence 

AGENCY: Fenton/NY

Producer: Jenn Lindenauer

Writer: Josh Gold

PRODUCTION COMPANY: CHARGED STUDIOS/NY

Director: Adam Pierce           

DP: Paul Kloss          

Producer: Mike Landry           

Grip/Electric: Adam Miller

Art Director: Will Pike           

Art Assistant: Peter Blank          

EDITORIAL COMPANY: CHARGED STUDIOS           

Editor: Andy Harmon          

AUDIO POST COMPANY: CHARGED STUDIOS

Composer: Daron Murphy