Filled With Rich Detail, This Music Video Plays on a Loop to Reflect the Cycle of Gun Violence

The Rube Goldberg machine has been a staple of light-hearted music videos and ads. However, Kesha, working with her younger brother Sage Sebert and on-the-rise rapper Chika, used the technique for very different reasons—and to stunning effect— to highlight the scourge of gun violence and encourage people to vote in this year’s midterm elections. Created by McCann in partnership with the students leading March for Our Lives and Mill+, “Safe,” is an incredibly powerful way of unpacking the human toll that gun violence has in America, especially in schools. [kickout id="1"] What starts as a typical day at school suddenly turns chaotic as a hail of gunfire erupts in slow motion. The camera follows a pathway of teachers pushing students into classrooms, machines symbolizing the predictable “thoughts and prayers” that occur after shootings, memorials of victims (from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Pulse nightclub shootings, and everyday gun violence in Chicago), posters imploring change and more. What’s most interesting about the video is that it doesn’t play just once but three times. While each version is essentially the same, there are added elements that tell a more specific story. One version includes the names of victims and in each. In each iteration, posters that drop from the ceilings become more direct in demanding action by politicians and imploring people to vote. Throughout the video, the new track entitled “Safe,” written by Sebert, a high school senior at the time and in response to the Parkland shooting, provides a sobering score with powerful lyrics (shown as subtitles in the third version of the video) to open: In a mad man’s world Happens every day I don’t understand Why the rules can’t change I don’t wanna be a moment of silence I don’t wanna be an early grave When I’m walking through the halls I don’t wanna be brave I just wanna be safe According to the Brady Center, there are 96 gun-related deaths each day in America and, in one year, close to 125,000 people in the country are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, suicide attempts, unintentional shootings or by police intervention. CREDITS: Agency: McCann NY Creatives: André De Castro & Nick Larson Producer: Gaby Levy Chief Creative Officers: Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy Creative Advisor: Joyce King Thomas Chief Production Officer: Nathy Aviram Global Creative Chairman: Rob Reilly ECDs: Susan Young, Daniela Vojta President, McCann NY: Devika Bulchandani Chief Communications Officer: Jeremy Miller Senior Social Strategist: Jordan Berger Production: Mill+ Director: Ben Smith Executive Producers: Ian Bearce & Christina Thompson Producer: Tia Perkins Production Coordinators: Andrew Hollingsworth & Danika Casas Shoot Supervisor: Kyle Cody Editorial: The Mill Editor: Ryan McKenna Edit Assist: Matthew Campbell VFX Production: The Mill Executive Producer: Christina Thompson Producer: Grace Tober Line Producer: Roshni Kakas Production Coordinator: Umesh Chand Chief Creative Officer: Angus Kneale Creative Director: Ben Smith Shoot Supervisor: Kyle Cody 2D Lead Artists: Kyle Cody, Venuprasath D 3D Lead Artist: Christian Nielsen 2D Artist: Molly Intersimone, Badarinath Chinimilli, Prasanna Bhatt, Rajeshkumar K 3D Artist: Tim Kim, Ryan Federman, Todd Akita, Tighe Rzankowski, Dave Barosin, Weicheih Yu, Sudakshina Sridharan, Vittal Kuntla, Fazal Khan, Giri Prasath S, Raj Kumar M, Sunil MM, Sendil Kumar J Animation: Scott McGinley, Alex Allain, John Wilson Design: Clemens den Exter Motion Graphics: Laura Nash and Wendy Eduarte Asset Supervisor: Anish Mohan Tracking Supervisor: Senthil Murugan Balasundaram Colorist: Mikey Rossiter Audio Post Production: Sound Lounge Sound Designer: Marshall Grupp Foley: Alchemy Post Sound Audio Mixer: Tom Jucarone Senior Producer, Audio: Becca Falborn Music supervised by Rob Kaplan and Aaron Mercer from Wool & Tusk “Safe” Track: Produced and Engineered by Drew Pearson Mixed by Jon Castelli Engineer for Mix by Ingmar Carlson Mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge, NY Assisted by Chris Allgood Written by Kesha, Sage, Chika, Pebe Sebert, and Drew Pearson Chika vocals recorded by Mitch Davis at Pull Music Executive Produced by Lagan Sebert and Hampton Howerton for Vector Management Digital Marketing, Jon Romero for Vector Management. Kesha appears courtesy of Kemosabe Records/RCA Records Client (MFOL): Sarah Chadwick: March For Our Lives project strategist and coordinator Sofie Whitney : March For Our Lives project strategist and coordinator Ryan Deitsch: March For Our Lives Content Creator Jackie Corin: National Outreach Director Matt Deitsch: Chief Strategist

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Filled With Rich Detail, This Music Video Plays on a Loop to Reflect the Cycle of Gun Violence

Kesha teams with her brother and McCann to get the vote out

Doug Zanger

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Doug Zanger