Air New Zealand is to focus on climate change in its next safety video, which has been filmed in Antarctica and is due out in March.
The airline is known for its unusual safety videos, which have racked up 110 million views online.
Previous videos have featured Bear Grylls, scenes from Lord of the Rings and a parody of the film Men in Black.
“Air New Zealand’s safety videos have a phenomenal worldwide following,” said Air New Zealand’s general manager global brand and content marketing, Jodi Williams.
“We hope this video, together with the educational content we’ve filmed, will draw attention to the important research underway to better understand and prepare for a warming world.”
Antarctica New Zealand chief executive officer Peter Beggs said: “Rather than shying away from issues, Air New Zealand is working to minimise the impact of its operations. Part of this includes its long-running support of the New Zealand scientific community in Antarctica and using this safety video to share our research with new audiences.”
The upcoming video, and associated content profiling the work of scientists on the frozen continent, has been curated in partnership with Antarctica New Zealand, which has supported climate and environmental research in the Ross Sea area since 2012.
Director Kevin Denholm, who was behind Air New Zealand’s first feature safety video, the Bare Essentials of Safety in 2009, featuring body-painted Air New Zealand staff, and The Bear Essentials of Safety starring British adventurer Bear Grylls in 2013, says filming on the ice had its challenges.
“One of our non-negotiables was to take all possible steps to minimise the environmental impact of filming on our stunning location, and we were careful to only take the minimum of equipment with us,” he said.
“Where usually a crew of around 40 would be involved, we restricted our team to just six people, including celebrity talent. The amazing staff from Scott Base provided the logistical support we needed to pull this off, and many of them stepped outside their comfort zone into roles as supporting talent.”
The Antarctica themed safety video will be rolled out across the airline’s fleet from March this year.