Electrified Lines Are Always On. So Always Stay Off

Cinema Advert & Branded Content for Network Rail & Midland Main Line

Working with Network Rail and 23red was an honour and a great opportunity to amplify an important message. Little did we know we would be filming on a live piece of track, dashing on and off the track with an Alexa and Movi between fast trains to and fro London! But we love a challenge and are delighted with the results.
— Ashley Cowan - CEO, East City Films

We teamed up with agency 23red, who specialise in behaviour change, to produce a cinema advert that warns people of the danger of the newly electrified lines on the Midland Main Line network. The electricity running through the lines is 100 times more powerful than the voltage used in houses, and ten times more than the electric chair. This level of power has many benefits and clears the way for quicker, quieter and greener trains to run on the lines but there will also be clear and present dangers too. The advert, voiced by Hollywood actor Mark Strong, was conceived by 23red and realised by East City Films and director Tom Palliser, running in cinemas in the Midlands alongside out of home media, print, digital and radio.

Network Rail shoot - the empty track
The camera rig for Network Rail shoot
Safety is our top priority and this campaign does a fantastic job of highlighting that you are dicing with death if you choose to trespass on the railway.

“The newly installed overhead lines carry a huge amount of electricity and can seriously injure or kill anyone who comes into contact with it. It’s so important that everyone recognises the real danger that this equipment can bring and heeds the warning.
— Vicki Beadle - Community Safety Manager, Network Rail
Ricky Patel on the train tracks
The crew leave the track - East City Films