Wake Up, Freak Out, Then Get a Grip
Don't panic! This cartoon call to action neatly illustrates the need to face up to a tipping point for the environment
As titles go, the name of this animated explainer really hits the mark. Through its clever mix of visual metaphors and diagrams, the film neatly illustrates a stark portrait of a tipping point into environmental crisis. Though filmmaker Leo Murray, who also narrates, is an amiable host, you would be forgiven any feelings of abject despair halfway through this film. But this isn't about denial, anger, depression or any other stages of acceptance - this is about action.
The film was produced as a graduation project from the animation course at the Royal College of Art, which rarely results in such directly politically statements. But it's certainly a successful demonstration of the potential of animation to explain and enlighten in unique ways, and the film's viral success online meant that it was seen by an exponentially bigger audience than the average student short. Murray's continued pursuit of innovative activism saw him help organise the 20ft 'Trump Baby' blimp, which graced many protests against the 45th US President.
Climate Challenges: Environmental Issues on Screen
How green causes have been covered and communicated on screen, from acid rain to global warming.
Issues related to climate and the environment are never far from the forefront of public debate and, from the 1990s onwards, the topic of global warming was brought very close to home by a succession of government campaigns tasked with raising awareness about the impact our everyday energy use has on the world around us.
To encourage us to use our cars less, or turn down our thermostats, or adopt a series of energy efficiency guidelines, the powers that be corralled all the ingenuity of the creative sector. And so, be they painted, celeb-filled, funny, heart-breaking or stop-motion animated, these short films appealed to our hearts (and our bank balances) in a bid to save the planet.
This collection places these public information films in dialogue with other environmentally-minded works, ranging from activism to news reports, children's programming to industrial films, to fill out a complex and wide-ranging story that has never been more relevant.
28 videos in this collection
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Are You Doing Your Bit? Campaign 1999/2000
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UNEP Conference: Ozone
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DEFRA Climate Challenge
Act on CO2: Standby & Loft
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Act on CO2: Ice Caps
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Act on CO2: Chimney
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Act on CO2: Bedtime Story
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Home Energy Efficiency: Stairs
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Home Energy Efficiency: Rug
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Home Energy Efficiency: Faint - COI/Env/I302/010
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Energy Efficiency: Dancer
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Ozone Alert
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Go Wild! [19/12/91]
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Wake Up, Freak Out, Then Get a Grip
Ash Sarkar x Extinction Rebellion: Lovebomb the Cops?
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Gaia
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Scientists Link Pollution and Climate
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Emission Impossible
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Acid Rain - The Quiet Killer
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Nationwide Study on Acid Rain
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Wind Energy
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Managing Energy: Films to Help You
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Making Tracks Without Footprints
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Eye to the Future
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Green Issues
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This Earth the Inheritance
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