Our work with the United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Channel paved the way for a spot we did for Sacramento-based The Glass Agency, who was producing a television commercial for the California Department of Boating and Waterways. The concept of the spot is, even heroes wear life jackets, so you should, too. We provided them with rescue footage that we have in our archives from almost 20 years of work with and for the Coast Guard. But the final commercial needed more than just the rescue footage. It called for close-ups of rescue personnel putting on their personal flotation devices (PFDs), shots of hands closing the buckles, to be intercut with the rescue footage. If it wasn’t in our library, it was still no problem. We got in touch with Coast Guard’s District 11 Public Affairs in Alameda and they coordinated the details so that we could head down to Station Monterey to shoot the crew performing these shots for us.We worked with the crew at the Station shooting multiple takes of them putting on their PFDs at different angles and focal lengths. It was a win-win for the Coast Guard where boating safety including life jackets is part of their message.
The final product is a hot and edgy, well-edited and produced 30-second commercial (also some :15 were made from it) that will appeal to a young audience of boaters. Check it out!