Gruesome warning: texting can kill you

When the filmmaker Peter Watkins-Hughes was commissioned to make a public safety film for Gwent Police on the dangers of texting behind the wheel he made sure to find out first what kind of message young people would respond to.

The answer? The more gruesome the better.

The video above is a four-minute clip from a half-hour film that will air on BBC Wales this autumn and which the Gwent force is planning to show on school roadshows.

The entire film was made for about $20,000 - not exactly big budget even in Wales - but the sample clip has been viewed an estimated six million times since Watkins-Hughes, a former BBC producer who lectures at Newport College of Art, posted it on YouTube two months ago.

It's hard-hitting stuff, even by British standards, but the level of gore has prompted some debate in the US, where it's been widely discussed in the media.

Young people were telling us, ‘It needs to be more shocking, it needs to be more violent, it needs to be more truthful'," Watkins-Hughes told The New York Times.

“The reality is, if we want our message, which is a lifesaving message, to cut through, we have to adopt certain strategies,” he added. “In this one, we’ve gone for grim reality.”

Comments

[Annie Hancock]

Let's hope that does the business.

It should.

[Oflife]

During the 70s, at our school, we were shown anti smoking and anti crime films. The former may be remembered by some, it featured a male smoker who turned into a transparent smoking machine after he lit up - where you could see the tar dripping from a tube onto what was supposed to be a lung. Anyway, it was, to us at the time, horrible, and it worked. I found the whole concept of smoking so repulsive, I never accepted despite peer pressure for the next 10 years. Similarly, the film designed to deter us against stealing featured a lady working on the tills at a supermarket. She accidentally drops a £5 note given by a customer. (Rather a lot of money back then!) She leans down to pick it up - and in slow motion, you get to see her make the choice, put it in the till, or into her pocket. She opts for the latter (which is witnessed by a member of staff who reports her), and the rest of the film details how this one act ruined the rest of her life. (It went on her records, effecting future employment etc.)

Both these films did their job, and this anti-text messaging one, like some of the government's other motoring related public service films will probably do its job.

[tete]

very good. my blood froze when I saw that baby. But I think that towards the end -the helicopters with the dramatic soundtrack- it gets too much like a Hollywood movie, so it loses its sense of realness.

[David]

Threat of punishment is the only thing that will stop this kind of thing, gore won't make any difference, but taking their toys, or their liberty away might.

[bill]

Wow, that hits much harder than the usual warnings. This is very effective.

I find it really hard to believe that they did the entire thing for $20,000! Maybe the MP's and others in England could take a leaf out of this book...

Whoever thought of the idea of asking teenagers themselves (the sensible ones) deserves a medal.

And the author should deserve one too, for bringing this to public attention early.

[Phil]

Brilliant ! Should be shown at peak times on major TV channels as a public information film.

[Jack]

I've had enough of the government's obsession with using "hard-hitting", deliberately gruesome health and safety advertising that can be seen everywhere at all times, and then telling the BBC when it can and can't screen Quentin Tarantino films. Gore is alright when someone wants to lecture us "for our own good", but unacceptable when adults want to watch it out of choice.

I'm not arguing with the point that is being made here. Texting while drving is moronic behaviour. But, as with anti-smoking adverts, this smacks of authority figures actually ENJOYING the sensation that they're browbeating us and trying to scare us. Which is... dangerous for our health and safety.

[Myranda Bronfman]

I live in Santa Monica,CA. Holding a cell phone while driving is supposedly a driving violation in the state of California, but, whenever I am out driving I see people holding cell phones [or mobiles as you call them]. I don't think this is too horrifying at all. They show much bloodier events on TV. They even have reality shows which have filmed actual accidents where there have been deaths. There might be trouble airing something of this length. If it were to be shown on commercial TV who would foot the bill? But I think it should be shown. Anything that would educate and perhaps scare all those idiots out there is a good thing.

[David R]

Wow. That's pretty hard. And it's a supremely well-crafted film; congratulations to Peter Watkins-Hughes . I hope it makes texting-while-driving just as socially unacceptble as drink driving.
There will of couse, still be those who believe they are 'fire-proof', such as the young lady today who rounded a left hand bend towards me today while smiling down at the mobile phone in her right hand.
This film may help to educate them. I hope.

[auldmann garcia]

I think this is by far the best spent 20K pounds ever.

[Neil Richardson]

we don't see enough of these films nowadays - we have all gone bit soft - afraid to upset people. Tell it like it is i say - people who use their mobiles whilst driving are morons..never happen to them will it!!! Sad thing is it's normally an innocent who gets killed and they get 6 months...highlights the selfish nature of the beast