Cow (public service announcement)
Encyclopedia
Cow is a public service announcement film directed by Peter Watkins-Hughes with assistance from the Gwent Police Department and Tredegar
Comprehensive School
. The August 2008 film was a co-production by Gwent Police and Tred Films, with special effects by Zipline Creative Limited
. The film, using local drama students as actors, tells the story of 17-year old Cassie "Cow" Cowan (Jenny Davies), who texts and drives and gets into a car accident; her friends Emm and Jules (Amy Ingram and Laura Quantick) are in the vehicle with her. Four people die as a result of Cassie's actions. The Gwent Police intended for the film to be aired in British schools.
The police agency said that it took a "few thousand pounds" to make the film. 300 Welsh drama students auditioned for the making of the film.
The full PSA is shown to students in the United Kingdom. As of 2009 the PSA had not been aired on television stations in the United States. In 2010 a modified 30 second version of the public service announcement was to begin airing during certain hours in 13 television stations in central and upstate South Carolina
.
by 25 August 2009. The video received attention due to the graphic content. The film earned honors in the Advertising Age
's weekly Creativity Top 5 video. and became an overnight worldwide internet hit after being shown on the US The Today Show television show.
Donny Deutsch, an advertising executive, said "I will show this to every kid I know, and I salute the police department" and "I would really implore various local stations: Run this stuff, put this on the air. It will help." Mick Giannasi, the chief constable of Gwent, said "The messages contained in the film are as relevant to the people of Tennessee
as they are to the residents of Tredegar
." He also said "Texting and driving can have tragic consequences, and the more this film is viewed, the better."
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
Comprehensive School
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
. The August 2008 film was a co-production by Gwent Police and Tred Films, with special effects by Zipline Creative Limited
Zipline Creative Limited
Zipline Creative Limited is a BAFTA winning South Wales based film production company, famed for its contribution to the internationally successful Cow- Don't Text And Drive campaign with Gwent Police. The company, founded in 2008 by two former BBC employees, is also known for its recent BBC Two TV...
. The film, using local drama students as actors, tells the story of 17-year old Cassie "Cow" Cowan (Jenny Davies), who texts and drives and gets into a car accident; her friends Emm and Jules (Amy Ingram and Laura Quantick) are in the vehicle with her. Four people die as a result of Cassie's actions. The Gwent Police intended for the film to be aired in British schools.
The police agency said that it took a "few thousand pounds" to make the film. 300 Welsh drama students auditioned for the making of the film.
The full PSA is shown to students in the United Kingdom. As of 2009 the PSA had not been aired on television stations in the United States. In 2010 a modified 30 second version of the public service announcement was to begin airing during certain hours in 13 television stations in central and upstate South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Reception
The clip of the public service announcement received worldwide attention, and the clip received over one million views on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by 25 August 2009. The video received attention due to the graphic content. The film earned honors in the Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
's weekly Creativity Top 5 video. and became an overnight worldwide internet hit after being shown on the US The Today Show television show.
Donny Deutsch, an advertising executive, said "I will show this to every kid I know, and I salute the police department" and "I would really implore various local stations: Run this stuff, put this on the air. It will help." Mick Giannasi, the chief constable of Gwent, said "The messages contained in the film are as relevant to the people of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
as they are to the residents of Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
." He also said "Texting and driving can have tragic consequences, and the more this film is viewed, the better."
External links
- Cow - Gwent Police
- "'The Making Of' British Text and Drive Car Crash PSA - Special Effects Breakdown - Zipline Creative
- "Graphic Texting & Driving PSA." - CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
- "Shocking Video Warning To Teen Drivers." - WXII