The leader in off-campus partnerships at BYU, the Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration has recently united with the Utah Highway Safety (UHS) office and Megaplex Theatres to inform the public of the dangers of drunk driving.
On May 1, a press conference was held at The Gateway Megaplex Theatres where Chief Chris Burbank from the Salt Lake City Police Department spoke, followed by Jeff Sheets, director of the Laycock Center; Blake Andersen, president of Megaplex Theatres and Dwayne Baird, Public Information Office. The public safety campaign has since launched in 27 Megaplex and Cinemark theatres this summer where over one million people will will see trailers that show the effects of driving while under the influence.
“Megaplex Theatres cares about the comfort and safety of all of our guests,” said Blake Andersen, president of Megaplex Theatres in a press release. “We hope the UHS movie trailer safety messages help remind Utahans of the tragic consequences of drunk driving and encourage everyone to act responsibly.”
BYU has also felt the responsibility to contribute to the cause.
'It's not everyday a stone cold sober university helps with a campaign about drunk driving,' Sheets said with a grin. 'Regardless we want to do our part in the community to prevent tragedies.'
At first, the two trailers seem to be like any other movie trailer, one a modern-day heist, the other a western crime. Pulled in by the live action, the audience is caught unawares with the consequences of drunk driving.
'After getting away with things like pulling off a heist, you can't get away with drinking and driving without severe consequences,' Sheets said.
Between 30-50 BYU students worked on the project, which included cameramen, actors and composers for the original score. They completed the project in a little over a month.
The Center, as it is informally known, is located in a corner of the Harris Fine Arts Center where students of all disciplines come together to offer their respective talents on fast-moving projects. Past projects have included collaboration with the Library of Congress, Vittana and the BYU Museum of Art.
The USH office is optimistic about their statewide campaign to inform and change the community’s perception of drunk driving with the new trailer kickoff. For more information about the media campaign, visit DriveSober.org.
Stills from the PSA trailers which will be featured in 27 Megaplex Theaters this summer./wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RandR-vault.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RandR1.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RandR4.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RandR3.jpg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RandR2.jpg