The FDA’s agency had cast street magician and YouTube influencer Julius Dein to lead a campaign correlating the dangers of vaping to smoking, but the question was – how to pull it off? Julius had a brand of magic that was immediate and one-on-one. Could a larger production maintain that same sense of intimacy?
Demographic-heavy pedestrian intersections were identified in LA that promised the best chance for finding groups of willing participants. Julius and his team thoroughly practiced the tricks. A full dress rehearsal day at a secure stage helped guarantee success on the two shoot days. Each technical and performance element was put rigorously to the test, including all 4 cameras, video links to the director/agency command van, comms between director and the camera ops, and camera angles selected during magic trick rehearsals between Julius and a few crew volunteers.
Six spots – plus a mashup – were produced of various lengths for both TV and multiple social platforms. The FDA client was overjoyed – and an important public health message reached its targets.