SOURCE: Sony Europe

 

Foam surges through downtown Miami

WEYBRIDGE, UK--(Marketwire - April 14, 2008) - Sony has set out to captivate the advertising world once again with a new commercial designed to showcase the capabilities of its award-winning range of digital imaging products -- including the latest models from its Alpha, Handycam and Cyber-shot ranges.

Shot in Miami, Florida, the advert, entitled 'Foam City', involves the Downtown area of the city being transformed into a foam-filled wonderland -- with whole streets full of foam and bubbles. The world's largest foam machine has been built especially for the ad, with over two million litres of foam being produced every minute.

The 'stars' of the shoot are genuine Miami citizens who have been invited to enter the 'Foam City' whilst the cameras capture their every reaction to their new surroundings -- especially when scooters, bikes and even a truck are driven through the foam-filled landscape!

The inhabitants of Foam City are able to capture every single moment using a selection of Sony's range of Cyber-shot digital stills cameras, Handycam camcorders and DSLR Alpha cameras, and all the images taken over the course of the shoot will be uploaded to an online database -- allowing people to not only re-live their own experiences but also share them with others.

To provide further insight into the uniqueness of the Sony Foam City experience, a documentary team has picked a variety of different groups and individuals to follow -- including a Miami family -- recording their time at the shoot and their responses to the extraordinary environment.

Sony has turned to the same creative team behind the popular series of BRAVIA Sony adverts -- the 'Balls,' 'Paint' and 'Play-Doh' trilogy -- advertising agency Fallon London, for the shoot, which is being helmed by renowned director Simon Ratigan.

The foam theme is being used across all digital imaging advertising activity, and, there will be product specific ads appearing in addition to the main advert -- focusing on the different technologies of the new ranges. The Alpha advert, for example, will focus on the challenge of capturing the perfect bubble.

"We wanted this to be a magical event where people would be able to have a truly unique photographic experience, where they could actually take images like no other," says James Kennedy, General Manager, Marketing Communications, Sony Europe. "A place where we could show just how our products are designed to capture real life moments as they happen, in perfect detail. With Foam City, we have created somewhere you just can't put your camera down, even for a moment, as something totally unexpected and wonderful happens every second."

"A lot of my work to date has focused on people's honest experiences and emotions," says Director Simon Ratigan. "Having the citizens of Miami involved, with their free spirited nature and willingness to interact with this new and exciting environment, without any guidance other than to go and explore, has been a wonderful experience. The final ad will show natural, real life emotions and reactions to a city full of foam."

Fun facts about the shoot

--  There are 200 Miami inhabitants all recording their 'Foam City'
    experiences
    
--  The ad uses the world's biggest foam machine -- 2.8m in diameter
    
--  1,000 litres of water are being used to create 2,000,000 litres of
    foam per minute
    
--  The rate at which the foam is produced would fill an Olympic swimming
    pool in 24 seconds
    
--  By the end of the shoot it is estimated 460 million litres of foam
    will have been produced
    
--  To create the perfect bubbles, Allan the Bubble Professor was hired --
    with over 15 years experience in the bubble business
    
--  The ad uses custom built bubble machines -- made to produce odd shaped
    bubbles
    
--  18 people are tasked with creating the foam out of a crew of 150
    
--  The advert uses 3 cameras running 80,000 feet of film. This means 16
    hours of running time to produce the 90 second commercial
    

NOTES TO EDITORS

Environmental Info

Sony is engaged in a constant review of its manufacturing, operational and business practices to ensure that its products are developed in an environmentally responsible way. This approach can broadly be divided into three areas:

Environmental Information: 3Ps

Product:

--  The foam produced for foam city is non toxic and biodegradable.
    

Process:

--  Foam created is broken down quickly using a special spray (used in
    catering processes) to ensure minimal impact on local environment.
--  Street cleaning machines used to remove any remaining foam and bubble
    residue at the end of each shoot day.
    

Planet:

--  All drains in Foam City are sealed off to prevent foam and bubble
    product passing into the main water supply -- ensuring environment is
    protected
    

Sony is determined to lead the way as a responsible manufacturer, and as a result we are focusing on three key areas of investment:

1. Reducing CO2 gas emissions

2. Increasing the percentage of renewable energy used in manufacturing facilities

3. Minimising the resources used by our factories in manufacturing

About Sony:

Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be one of the world's leading digital entertainment brands. Sony recorded consolidated global annual sales of EUR 55.83 billion (yen 8,296 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 148.6 to the EUR. It employs approximately 163,000 people worldwide.

In Europe, the Sony Group recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 13.71 billion (yen 2,038 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company's European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 9.12 billion for the same period.

For more information on Sony Europe, please visit http://www.sony-europe.com and http://www.sony-europe.com/presscenter.