A Kid's True Story Inspires NMDOT's PSA Campaign

Wanting to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) decided to reveal the consequences of this type of behavior from a kid’s point of view. Helped by multidisciplinary design studio Brigade and agency RK Venture, the governmental organization came up with three animated videos part of a campaign inspired by a six-year-old child’s story, who helped the police in the German city of Hamm track down a rogue driver by sketching the assailant he witnessed.

“When I learned of the news report about this boy, I could instantly visualize a PSA around the narrative point-of-view of a child,” says Sean Broughton, director of the campaign. “Not only would it drive home our message with honesty and authenticity, but it also felt similar in tone to the campaigns we’ve done for the NMDOT in the past.”

Through three short spots, narrated by kids, NMDOT hopes to make drivers learn about the repercussions of bad driving decisions and how these can affect the others around. Each video follows a different story but what makes them similar to each other is the message they convey. Plus, the films are animated in the same way, with illustrations that seem hand-drawn by kids.

Working closely with RK Venture Principal / Executive Creative Director Richard Kuhn and Broadcast Creative Director Nick Tauro Jr., Broughton commenced on the initiative in the scripting stage. To contour it, the director focused on the three main hazardous driving issues currently faced by New Mexico. The next phase saw the team articulating the campaign’s visual language. The illustrations had to capture the essence of each story and also resonate perfectly with the animation.

Led by Creative Managing Director David Dimeola, the design studio designed each spot’s storyboard, interpreting the scripts alongside Broughton. “Sean is an ideal director with his exceptional ability to describe in great detail how every aspect of a scene should perform and look,” says Dimeola. “It just gets the entire team to the heart of the story by providing our motivation, which is what you need in a fast-paced production line.”

Brigade’s art director then worked on illustrating the entire cast and supporting artwork, which means iconography such as flowers, trees, clouds, insects, vehicles, people, and buildings, following an aesthetic that feels very childlike. “We arrived at a very specific look for all three films,” continues Broughton. “The illustration elements had to be drawn in a style that remained childlike, yet legible, relatable, and animated.”

In creating the stories’ motion language, the studio combined CGI and 2D Cel animation. For the characters to come to life, Brigade tapped Lead 2D Animator Masa Nakamura. Leading the CG team was Leomar Esteves, while HalfLife Digital handled the edit, foley bed, sound design, VO, music, and mastering.

The ENDWI spot stars a little girl, a victim of a drunk driver. JUST DRIVE focuses on another girl who narrates an accident that happened because of her mother who was distracted by her phone. SLODWN / BKLUP is about a boy narrating how his father makes sure that the little one has his seatbelt on while the “rule” doesn’t apply to the dad. Although the stories are short, the message they send is a very strong one, emphasizing the importance of disciplined and safe behavior while in traffic.