There hadn’t been a brilliantly inventive airline safety video for a very long time. And now there has. Uncommon Creative Studio has created A British Original Period Drama, a five-minute drama safety video inspired by some of Britain’s famous period literature, TV and film and starring more than 40 of the airline’s colleagues, from pilots and cabin crew to engineers and airport colleagues, who play themselves in the film, as well as period drama characters. The popularity of British dramas overseas was a deciding factor in the video’s theme.
The British Airways safety video will now be refreshed regularly so that British Airways can even have frequent flyers’ attention.
Exquisitely ornate and beautifully cinematic as all good period dramas need to be, the film cleverly shows ladies and lords of the manor, as well as housekeepers and butlers going about their everyday lives in period Britain, before being abruptly interrupted by present day British Airways colleagues demonstrating the safety briefing.
The video was filmed in a selection of grand British country estates, including Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and Englefield House Estate in Berkshire.
Sharon Maguire, most widely known for her work on Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones’s Baby, was chosen to direct the five-minute video because of her ability to demonstrate British comedy in a way that would engage with the airline’s customers.
Calum Laming, British Airways chief customer officer, commented, “We know that these videos deliver vital safety information, and it is so important that we keep our customers engaged, so we have created a video that captures the audience’s attention, using humour to do so. Of course, we’ve always said it’s our people who make us who we are, and we are so proud to feature more than 40 colleagues as the stars of this film. With the help of our incredible people in front of, and behind, the cameras, we believe we’ve created something really original and entertaining that celebrates what makes Britain — and British Airways — unique while communicating the importance of safety on board.”
Sharon Maguire added, “We put together a dream team of industry legends, from Jenny Beavan to Kave Quinn and Erik Wilson to Jack Ravenscroft. We definitely wouldn’t have pulled it off without them. They just loved the idea created by the talented and lovely creative teams at Uncommon and British Airways. Even though it felt like six shoot days crammed into three, we got some really excellent performances from all the cast, most of whom were BA staff.”
Helen Lau, a British Airways First Officer who plays herself, stated, “As a First Officer, my job means I am in the flight deck during the safety briefing, so to know that I will be appearing on the video in the cabins feels very surreal. I love the closing line which says stay safe, look after one another and never change, which featured in the previous video and I hope is carried onto the next. It’s such a touching and uniting phrase.”
In a nod to other British talent, the costumes worn by colleagues and actors throughout the video were designed by three-time Oscar winning British costume designer, Jenny Beavan, known for her work on Mad Max: Fury Road, The King’s Speech and Cruella. Co
Dialect coach, Jill McCullough, worked with each colleague to help hone their 19th-century accents. McCullough has helped actors for more than 30 years on blockbuster productions such as Star Wars, Chernobyl and Mamma Mia!
The British Original safety video will feature on board British Airways’ long-haul flights from August 1.
Credits:
Client: British Airways
Creative Studio: Uncommon
Director: Sharon Maguire
Production Company: Bang TV
Producers: Jeremy McWilliams & Tom Whitehead
Production Manager: Luke Tilbury
Casting Director: Kharmel Cochrane
Location Manager: Jacques Groenwald
1st Assistant Director: Jack Ravenscroft
DoP: Erik Wilson BSC
2nd Unit DoP: Ole Birkeland BSC
Costume Designer: Jenny Beavan
Production Designer: Kave Quinn
Hair & Make-up Designer: Erica Okvist
Dialogue Coach: Jill McCullough
Gaffer: Andy Lowe
Key Grip: Mike Wacker
Sound Recordist: Tom Redhead
Editors: Joe Guest & Leah Burton
Assistant Editor: Maud Barry
Edit Producer: Nikki Porter
Edit House: Final Cut Ltd
Music & Sound: Soundtree Music
Music title: Serenade for the Skyward
Music by Luke Fabia & Benjamin Jones
Sound Design & Mix by Henning Knoepfel
Soundtree Managing Director & Executive Producer: Jay James
Colourist: Yoomin Lee
Colour Executive Producer: Ellora Soret
Colour Producer: Kerri Aungle
Colour: Company 3 London
Instagram: unit.work – Here
Executive Producer: Phil McCluney
Producer : Jenn Sanders
Compositor: Leire Eatock
Online: Fraser Cleland, Alec Eves, Dave Rose & Rob Ellis
Offline (end credits): Bryan Farrar
