North Sydney Council launches ‘Take a Look Around’ campaign via Engine Room Productions
A thriving commercial hub, North Sydney sees 62,000 pedestrians rush to negotiate its streets and crossings every day. With the aim to promote improved street safety in the busy business district, North Sydney Council has launched ‘Take A Look Around’, a public safety social media awareness campaign.
Created by Engine Room Productions, the brief from North Sydney Council was to maximise cut-through and craft a memorable message in an effort to reduce accidents and injuries in the bustling area, using humour and music to convey a serious message with lasting impact.
To deliver on the brief, Engine Room was able to draw on the Red Engine Group, which also includes agency Red Engine SCC and sound house Red Note. The creative seed originated around the form of a tongue-in-cheek power ballad. The campaign took
shape as an original composition merging the genres of kitschy pop ballad and cautionary urban rap.
Engine Room Productions’ own Damien Cassar, director and lead creative, penned the lyrics with verses crooned by Steve Peach, music composer and creative director at sound house Red Note. Shot in and
around North Sydney, the film features comedienne Fran Middleton’s rap stylings and the acting talents of Jon Vontolken as ‘power ballad guy’.
A playful song with a serious message, the creative theme centres around the idea of “take a look around”, encouraging people to be more aware of their surroundings and the
hazards inherent in the modern urban landscape.
Says Cassar: “Respect to North Sydney Council for daring to be different in the communication of an important message. The Red Engine Group was located in North Sydney for four years and witness to dangerous pedestrian behaviour on its streets. This is an important campaign and although we’ve used music, nostalgia and laughter as a vehicle, we hope the message cuts through.
“This campaign is a great example of what the Red Engine Group does best – working together in a harmonised collaboration between production, music, strategy and creative.”
Client: North Sydney Council
Production Agency: Engine Room Productions
Lead Creative and Director: Damien Cassar
Executive Producer: Adrian Hyde
Senior Producer: Georgia Mappin
DOP: Dan Freene
2nd Unit Camera: Patrick Mazzolo
Camera Assistant: Pim Kulk
Hair & Make Up: Jamilla Hall Editor: Tristan Beacroft
Special VFX: Rob Peters
Actors: Jon Vontolken & Fran Middleton
Agency: Red Engine SCC
Senior Creative: Rob Peters
Strategy and Social Media Director: Paul Isbell
Senior Social Media Manager: Clare Moyna
Sound House: Red Note
Music & Vocals: Steve Peach
Rapper: Fran Middleton
Red Engine Group
Group Creative Director: Daniel Saunders & Duncan Shields
30 Comments
wow..this is the crappest piece of content that’s come out of Australia this year.
But this is so so so so bad
This is a genius strategy to reduce the strain on the council. Nobody I’ve shown it to makes it even half way through so it’s perfect for their call waiting music.
My mate was watching this ad on his phone while crossing Walker Street and unfortunately got hit by a car. Crazy coincidence.
Great job North Sydney council – rap and power ballads are wonderful! Great strategy!
I think I need to spew.
I’m sure someone will generate data to show how effective this.. er… communication is, in a similar way as Dumb Ways To Die was shown to …work.
“This campaign is a great example of what the Red Engine Group does best”
Clients run to North Sydney to be knocked down so they no longer have to work with Red Engine Group. Everyone involved in this hang your heads.
Councils should stick to collecting the garbage, wait, it’s exactly what they’ve done here.
Lunacy at Metropolis on Wednesdays.
Does not surprise me one bit the North Sydney Council approved this shit.
They have destroyed that place.
PS: Anyone remember Blueberrys?
bwhaaaa hahahah
This is so daft
If this was a campaign taking the piss out of an existing campaign for pedestrian safety in North Sydney this would still fall short.
What’s the logic here? Sorry but this is Absolutely weird / lame. No one will watch or ‘stumble across this’ no matter how much they hate North Sydney.
Further proof that councils need to be abolished. Not even constitutional.
Try hard…..America fuck yeah
This is f’n hilarious.
wtf
What an absolute waste of public money! Truely better ways to convey this important message. You should be ashamed of yourself North Sydney Council.
Seriously this is garbage.
You guys need some proper help from the guys on the ground floor.
This has to be the WORST – I repeat WORST – piece of content I have ever seen in my life. Surely this is a joke, right? If not, North Sydney Council has a lot to answer for. How on earth does a so-called creative shop deliver such shit? Their work is a blight on the whole industry. Engine Room – or whatever the agency is called – needs to be shut down immediately. For the sake of all of us!
Not good
There should be an inquiry into how much ratepayers money was wasted on this.
Not a single creative agency up there anymore.
Innocean?
Their last ad was a fart joke. Nuff said.
About as out of touch as the very government that runs NSW.
https://media.giphy.com/media/l41lFSzc9uzAxJyLK/giphy.gif
I like it.
Aside from the obvious turd of a video- the credits show these guys don’t even know the difference between special effects and visual effects.