Review- “Set Yourself Free” Hilariously fake PSA- But some great film making!

It’s a clip featuring beach, surf, sunsets, happy times…oh and disembodied limbs.

It’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea but it has gone massively viral, about 10 million views  now in under 7 days.

Why? Well mostly because people (including news blogs internationally) think it’s a genuine public service announcement.  Some people are even pretty angry about it.

I have been really intrigued watching it’s progress online as they are local WA guys and graduates of the same film school I went too. Represent.

I first discovered Henry & Aaron when googling them after they beat my ass at a local film festival back in 2011 (Rottofest) **Craig looks up at a pin up board photo shrine dedicated to revenge on Henry & Aaron**

I’m a fan though, I have watched almost all their work (Make sure you also check out “It’s a snap” (Still my fav) & their web series “Henry & Aaron’s 7 Steps to Superstardom” )

Work attached to their name generally does have a darker edge to it. When over hearing me watching the clip for the first time  my wife basically called the dark twist based on just hearing the music and me saying “I’m watching a Henry and Aaron Clip”. My response to her “No, I don’t know, this one kind of looks kind of…..Oh…woah…omg…yes there it is”

So how do you know it’s a fake public service announcement?

Among a stack of reasons – No sane marketing person in a non profit organisation signs off on a high budget commercial, intended to go viral unless they have a complete, ready to go website!

The site itself  is a bit of a laugh. When I looked up the URL, I actually LOLed louder at the site than I did when watching the video.  They are definitely pulling the piss haha,

It’s basically a holding page with some tacked together stock education images and features only their video.  I reckon they whipped it up over a couple of quiet beers one evening.

A behind the scenes shot from their facebook page featuring the moment that s*#t gets real for a bunch of school wagging teens.

So why did they make it?

My though – It’s a brilliant piece of cinematic film making and think about it… They just put some of their best work in the face of 10 million people -Boom (Literally)

Final thoughts:

1. Awesome production work yet again by Henry Inglis and Aaron McCann

2. My desire to buy a Kombi has been reignited.

3. Why do I actively, literally go to a beach in my area that is mapped as having a WW2 UXO (Unexploded Ordnance)

Don’t worry, only three of the four actors were actually killed during the making.

 

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