Space Invader

1982
Sound
1m

Kitsch public information filler inspired by the classic arcade game

"Play Space Invaders on the road and you play a dangerous game!" There's huge kitsch appeal to this very of-its-time road safety film, which stretches its video game analogy to breaking point and beyond. It may have seemed a good idea at the time, but the attempt to surf the zeitgeist seems misjudged: its references would have shot over the heads of most older drivers, while earning the ridicule of younger ones, for whom the Space Invaders arcade game was already old hat. Still, it's a fascinating case study for the amateur (or professional) historian of arcade culture.

Public information filler using computer graphics similar to the computer game 'Space Invaders' warning drivers to keep their distance from the vehicle ahead.

Animation Goes to Work

For those with an official message to get across, animation is the perfect messenger

Animation has an almost magical ability to charm and captivate. And those same qualities also make it a strikingly effective communication tool. It grabs attention, speaks to all ages, and can distil complex messages into simple and appealing visual metaphors. For government or other august bodies, cartoon antics have often been the perfect jam to sweeten the pill of official communications, whether to explain sweeping change or impart health and safety messages. And for the inventive animator, even the most utilitarian brief is no barrier to the most outlandish of treatments.