Show of hands, how many of you actually listen to the important safety demonstration given just before takeoff on any given airline? The one where a bored looking flight attendant stands uncomfortably close in the aisle next to you and tells you exactly what to do in case your plane starts hurling out of the sky at alarming speeds. Besides panic and scream, that is.
Usually, I am busy trying to get in the last Facebook status before they force me to turn my phone off, as with most of the flyers around me. I’m not trying to minimize the importance of the brief pre-flight safety training and I know the importance of the information in case of emergency, but honestly, I can’t help but be a wee bit blasé about the whole thing. Until now.
[Rewind: Airline Travel Tips For Photographers]
Virgin America has rolled out their new safety video (#VXsafetydance) and it’s pretty phenomenal. The catchy, Glee-esque style music video will grab the attention of even the most indifferent traveler. Going back to their music roots, Virgin assembled their marketing, in flight and safety teams, a talented group of dancers and director, Jon M. Chu, and incorporated a smorgasbord of music genres and dance moves into one rockin’ 5 minute video. Flight attendants were on hand to make sure that they were accurate in the hairstyles, uniforms and the little details, as were FAA officials to ensure that the video met it’s compliance standards in the messages that came across in the video.
It’s really about pushing that envelope and kinda breaking molds and breaking traditions and standards. But, I think, at the end of the day we’ve achieved something really special.
With a slick production design (and what else would you expect from the Virgin Group, Ltd brand??), an original song that combines rap, classic rock, pop, and Latin-inspired tango, and even a contest with the chance to audition for their next safety video, you’ll be tempted to get up and dance around the aisle…but please refrain and keep your seat belts securely fastened.
The stats:
- 36 Total Dancers
- 26 Hours on Set
- 14 Dance Styles Used: animation, b-boy, break dancing, Broadway, contemporary, contortion, finger-tutting, jazz, lyrical, pop-and-locking, tango, and waving–just to name a few.
- 10 So You Think You Can Dance Alum
- 1 American Idol Semi Finalist: Todrick Hall
- 1 Character from the Original Safety Video: the “Nun”
- 2 Former Olympians: Tamara Campos as the “Nun” and Emilie Livingston as the “Teacher”
If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position and click below.
And if you can’t enough, here’s the behind the scenes video:
[Images via @Virgin America]
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