News Archive
National “Equine Emergency” PSA
produced by POV-Rose Films
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POV-Rose Films recently completed a national public service announcement for its client, Latorra, Paul & McCann (LPM) Advertising in Syracuse, NY, for Fort Dodge Animal Health and The American Association of Equine Practitioners. Kim Parr, copywriter, and Bob Ripley, art director at LPM, engaged POV-Rose Films for the job, knowing that the company could deliver the dramatic edge the spot required. The 30 second spot, shot in HD, was a challenge on multiple levels, says Jeff Mead, who directed the PSA.
“The biggest challenge was the weather. It was March, with snow on the ground, and we had to make it look like a spring or summer rainstorm.”
“We also had to make sure that the story worked visually, so that what’s going in the spot is immediately apparent.” According to Jeff, the key was authenticity. “Everything had to ring true to the equine-educated audience. Things couldn’t look too pretty—after all, we were re-creating an emergency in the middle of the night.”
Success required close collaboration with LPM, a highly qualified crew, lots of testing in preproduction, removing snow on the ground the day of the shoot, and heating the barn between takes to prevent seeing people’s breath in the air—all of which required significant amounts of research during preproduction. Jeff made multiple visits to the location, a Webster, NY horse stable, 
and talked to the owners and to an equine veterinarian about actual emergency situations. The action, blocking, props and even the wardrobe were all researched in advance for accuracy before shooting began.
Kim Parr, who was the copywriter for the project at LPM, said Jeff added a high level of knowledge and detail to the PSA. “Jeff visited the location at least six times before we began shooting and was really focused on getting everything right—from the placement of the cars, to the rain machine, to the wood shavings from the stable floor that appear on the horse. He really knows how to ‘plus’ the storyboard.”
Also integral to the realistic look of the spot was the talent. “Kim, Bob and I agreed on casting talent that not only looked the part, but who were also real ‘horse people’—they had to be comfortable around horses and look totally natural in their actions. So I cast a real veterinarian, as well as talent with lots of riding experience,” says Jeff.
And don’t forget the horse. “The horse also had to meet with client approval in terms of its look,” says Jeff. “And it had to have the right temperament, so it would be tranquil and safe to work around cameras and crew in close quarters.”
