Golley Slater Cardiff has unveiled a new campaign for the Welsh Assembly Government to raise awareness of carbon emissions. See it here.

The TV, online and outdoor campaign, for the Welsh Assembly Government/COI, breaks on Wednesday (October 1). The 40 second and three 10 second TV commercials feature the voice of Welsh comedy actor Rob Brydon and were directed by Simon Cracknell, who has previously shot ads and online content for Coca Cola, Playstation and Nokia as well as idents for ITV.

Martin Bush, creative head at Golley Slater Cardiff, said: “Our intention was to produce a dramatic and interesting film rather than a mockumentary so we created a tone that was more unusual than alarming.”

Explaining the concept behind the ad, Bush added: “What struck us as the most fascinating thing is although CO2 is a gas, it is in fact measured in tonnes. This gave us an original and distinctive direction in which to take the creative."

Bush said the solution the creatives arrived at was to transpose the weight of carbon emissions on to the very items that produce them. "We then applied this thought to a very ordinary family home to see what would happen."

He went on to reveal that the sets were constructed so that much of the special effects could be shot in camera for authenticity. “As the ads were about saving energy it also meant we could keep waste to a minimum. Therefore the props were designed so we could shoot and reconstruct them time and time again rather than using multiple builds.”

The TV ads conclude with a bespoke website address where you can calculate your own carbon footprint and get advice on how to reduce it.