I recently travelled on Ethiopian Airlines, whose safety video is a good mix between the 90s and someone's nephew who know how to edit videos.
It very literally showed everything talked about happening inside an actual airplane. Masks actually deploying and dropping from the ceiling and people putting them on, etc.
What was interesting for me was, it was the first time I saw _where_ under the seat the life jacket is and it made me realize that despite having watched 100s of these videos I actually never knew how to get the life jacket.
My favorite airline safety video of all time is ANA's "Kabuki", which (IMHO) strikes the right elements of being clear, informative, gorgeous, absurd and showcasing Japan all at the same time:
Wow, I can't believe I actually appreciate the direction and overall production value of an airline safety video.
Probably serves its function better for it too! I can't imagine nearly as many people would tune it out or just feign attention, but it's not totally sacrificing the focus on what matters.
In the United video, in many scenes, the more interesting thing is the Rube Goldberg machine distraction, not the actual safety information they're supposed to be conveying.
They even do split-screen to add in distraction, when they're trying to show something visually in the less-interesting window. (Worst lesson ever mis-learned from TikTok.)
Did they consciously decide that most people have heard the instructions many times, and the best the airline can hope for is that passengers pause and look up from their personal devices, and maybe subconsciously reactivate those neurons even the slightest bit... as better than nothing?
Or did the creatives simply get carried away, and no one reined them in?
Wow, that video is way over the top. It's almost creepy that, as the in-video flight attendant is explaining the safety of the seat buckle, the camera is actively panning away from her to focus on the motion of the ball
This is the one I remember the best, and it’s been years since I’ve seen it. Put something in a catchy song and my brain will remember it… this is how I learned like 50-some odd digits of Pi[0]
Same here, it was one that captured the vibe of the Virgin America perfectly and the only one I actually recall watching. It was directed by Jon M Chu, who subsequently directed Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights, Wicked, and more.
I've sat through numerous Air New Zealand safety videos over the years and whilst every now and then they hit the spot most of the time they're lame and overly long.
It also seems like a waste of money that presumably finds it way onto ticket prices.
The article seems to imply that it's not a waste of money which is why it's expanded in use, especially with having partners like tourism agencies chip in.
But the article goes on to say that while it succeeds at being a novel spot for new media partnerships, it ( the style presentation ) performs more poorly at communicating the safety message
I sort of assumed that Air NZ started this trend because of all the hype surrounding the first ones. There's an article covering the history of these here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/374709/feature-a-bri... (they claim the first was in 2009, so a couple of years after the earliest one mentioned in tfa).
I find them downright annoying now. The cringe factor makes them uncomfortable to watch which is not what you want from a safety video. It feels as though they jumped the shark.
In my recent experience, KLM and Swiss are the best - no actors, completely animated and informative. While delta and united were the most cringe - weird actors and special effects and why is she smiling 100% of the time during an emergency?
I have not seen KLM or Swiss, but I'm a fan of Cathay Pacific's video for the same reason. Extremely clear, animated video shows you just what you need to know.
> why is she smiling 100% of the time during an emergency?
I always assumed this was one of those American cultural things, akin to how waiters in the US always are super cheery and excited to serve you. (In an obviously artificial way)
The interesting thing is, in a real emergency something often clicks, and people become more focused and organized than otherwise. The 2009 Hudson ditching is a celebrated example, but there were numerous others over the years. (More recently, the upside-down crash landing at Toronto.) IMO the key is to have well-trained and authoritative cabin crew, but any knowledge of emergency procedures also helps, and that's where safety videos come into play.
The author of the article is a bit of a jittery flier (a go-around was their come-to-Jesus moment? come on), but fine, whatever makes people pay attention to basic safety information. It doesn't need to be much: know where the emergency exits are, how to open them if necessary, and don't take your cabin luggage, and you'll already be ahead of most.
All I an say in this section is I was most intrigued when I was travelling across Europe on a long and complicated business journey. Turkish airlines (if I recall right, maroon uniforms) had a sign language video for both Turkish sign language and international sign language. I felt so elated and welcome at that moment. I felt at home. Somebody cared for people like me. I have not come across anybody else who has done the same job.
So what I have to say, yes, the measure of the effort what pretty much sums to entertainment and pseudo-psychology, speaks to the consumer masses who are worried when they jump on a plane filled with other 150~ish strangers.
I truly wonder if there is a phenomenon where companies turning everything into an advertisment eventually backfires due to the pure saturation. It must dilute the effectiveness of ad spend and videos like this. I as a consumer on a commercial flight now expect my display to be full of junk like credit card ads before the flight gets underway so I try to tune it out.
I also wonder if the flight attendants in aisles physically demonstrating and making eye contact with passengers has something of an effect of guilting you into paying attention. There's no guilt in ignoring a screen talking at you in an obnoxious way.
Probably my biggest dislike about these safety videos is when they demonstrate safety features with fake props and "clever" representations of aircraft. If they are going to use visual aids they should try to match your environment so that you know what to look for in a real emergency.
My second biggest dislike about these videos is the cognitive overload. Sure, there's an argument that something catchy will help grab your attention so that you aren't just tuning out the safety information, but on the other hand so many of these videos turn into an incredibly high-stimulation affair. There's more of a focus on jokes and visual gags that it's hard to stay focused on the actual safety instructions on offer.
> flight attendants in aisles physically demonstrating and making eye contact with passengers has something of an effect of guilting you into paying attention.
I certainly felt that guilt the one time years ago I was the only passenger on a 737 on what was effectively a dead leg from ORD to ROC. The flight attendent just came right up to my seat and did the demo staring straight at me. It was very uncomfortable. After she did it though, she was very nice, and told me she wouldn't bother coming through the cabin but that she'd be right up front if I needed anything.
Here's an example, and this is a very critically acclaimed safety video. And, yes, I like it as a video, I just don't like it as a way to demonstrate safety.
It takes over 30 seconds before any visual instruction starts.
The business class shoulder harness isn't shown at all and is instead a tiny icon with a moving background shot taking up most of the screen.
The overhead bin animation is not taking place inside a real plane, is barely an outline of a part of a plane, and has most of the image being of a historic building in the background.
The instructions are then interrupted by dancing on the beach for about 10 seconds.
The next instructions has a set of dancers and a very colorful Kathakali dancer taking up most of the screen while the electronic devices are a tiny icon.
No smoking is again a small icon on the side of the screen with the foreground being a much more interesting and compelling visual.
Another 10 seconds of dancing...the video is interrupted constantly and made unnecessarily long.
Emergency exit doors shown as an outline again in a colorful historic building with a dancer moving around as the focal point.
Then the exit aisles are shown not in a plane but as part of an old building.
Oxygen masks aren't shown connected to the plane so it's hard to say where they're coming from.
More dance interruptions with no instructions.
The life vest is probably the first thing that's just as clear as seeing the in-person demonstration.
Then the last 30 seconds is all timewasters.
Again, great video, but it's a brand and tourism advertisement and not a safety video.
Readit News
It very literally showed everything talked about happening inside an actual airplane. Masks actually deploying and dropping from the ceiling and people putting them on, etc.
What was interesting for me was, it was the first time I saw _where_ under the seat the life jacket is and it made me realize that despite having watched 100s of these videos I actually never knew how to get the life jacket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2IZP5NhaKM
They used to have a really good "behind the scenes" video for it as well, but I can only find this shortened version on online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WCJRyHuXo4
Probably serves its function better for it too! I can't imagine nearly as many people would tune it out or just feign attention, but it's not totally sacrificing the focus on what matters.
https://youtu.be/7dGnN75oQes?feature=shared
They even do split-screen to add in distraction, when they're trying to show something visually in the less-interesting window. (Worst lesson ever mis-learned from TikTok.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jep3RR2yEXA
Did they consciously decide that most people have heard the instructions many times, and the best the airline can hope for is that passengers pause and look up from their personal devices, and maybe subconsciously reactivate those neurons even the slightest bit... as better than nothing?
Or did the creatives simply get carried away, and no one reined them in?
Seriously, a flight safety video has absolutely no right to be this catchy :D
"In the unlikely event we need to get you outside, these exits come equipped with an inflatable slide..."
[0] https://youtu.be/eDiSYp_51iY
Deleted Comment
I'm impressed that they were able to slip in a jab about the ridiculousness of having to tell you how to buckle a seatbelt.
I searched for it in the article's list of videos with greater than 1M views but the author failed to capture it.
It also seems like a waste of money that presumably finds it way onto ticket prices.
I sort of assumed that Air NZ started this trend because of all the hype surrounding the first ones. There's an article covering the history of these here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/374709/feature-a-bri... (they claim the first was in 2009, so a couple of years after the earliest one mentioned in tfa).
I find them downright annoying now. The cringe factor makes them uncomfortable to watch which is not what you want from a safety video. It feels as though they jumped the shark.
As far as I can tell, they use real crew to present the concept, so maybe that doesn't as any actors, but it is definitely not completely animated.
They have the exotic settings that the article mentions, though.
https://youtu.be/blybdzAUG9c
I always assumed this was one of those American cultural things, akin to how waiters in the US always are super cheery and excited to serve you. (In an obviously artificial way)
The author of the article is a bit of a jittery flier (a go-around was their come-to-Jesus moment? come on), but fine, whatever makes people pay attention to basic safety information. It doesn't need to be much: know where the emergency exits are, how to open them if necessary, and don't take your cabin luggage, and you'll already be ahead of most.
So what I have to say, yes, the measure of the effort what pretty much sums to entertainment and pseudo-psychology, speaks to the consumer masses who are worried when they jump on a plane filled with other 150~ish strangers.
I also wonder if the flight attendants in aisles physically demonstrating and making eye contact with passengers has something of an effect of guilting you into paying attention. There's no guilt in ignoring a screen talking at you in an obnoxious way.
Probably my biggest dislike about these safety videos is when they demonstrate safety features with fake props and "clever" representations of aircraft. If they are going to use visual aids they should try to match your environment so that you know what to look for in a real emergency.
My second biggest dislike about these videos is the cognitive overload. Sure, there's an argument that something catchy will help grab your attention so that you aren't just tuning out the safety information, but on the other hand so many of these videos turn into an incredibly high-stimulation affair. There's more of a focus on jokes and visual gags that it's hard to stay focused on the actual safety instructions on offer.
I certainly felt that guilt the one time years ago I was the only passenger on a 737 on what was effectively a dead leg from ORD to ROC. The flight attendent just came right up to my seat and did the demo staring straight at me. It was very uncomfortable. After she did it though, she was very nice, and told me she wouldn't bother coming through the cabin but that she'd be right up front if I needed anything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al51WZcN2_U
It takes over 30 seconds before any visual instruction starts.
The business class shoulder harness isn't shown at all and is instead a tiny icon with a moving background shot taking up most of the screen.
The overhead bin animation is not taking place inside a real plane, is barely an outline of a part of a plane, and has most of the image being of a historic building in the background.
The instructions are then interrupted by dancing on the beach for about 10 seconds.
The next instructions has a set of dancers and a very colorful Kathakali dancer taking up most of the screen while the electronic devices are a tiny icon.
No smoking is again a small icon on the side of the screen with the foreground being a much more interesting and compelling visual.
Another 10 seconds of dancing...the video is interrupted constantly and made unnecessarily long.
Emergency exit doors shown as an outline again in a colorful historic building with a dancer moving around as the focal point.
Then the exit aisles are shown not in a plane but as part of an old building.
Oxygen masks aren't shown connected to the plane so it's hard to say where they're coming from.
More dance interruptions with no instructions.
The life vest is probably the first thing that's just as clear as seeing the in-person demonstration.
Then the last 30 seconds is all timewasters.
Again, great video, but it's a brand and tourism advertisement and not a safety video.