A knife crime PSA that uses the influence of violence in video games and real life. Directed by Ben Dawkings and animated by Glassworks.
Metropolitan Police - Knife City (2005, UK)
Description: A knife can be seen slashing the logo of Knife City, after that the animation of the logo is reversed, and then it reveals a normal city. After that it cuts to a white man wearing a black hoodie with a white hood (and cap) and some white and red stripes while not being completely zipped (revealing his white shirt), who then proceeds to carry and knife and then place it in his back pocket. After this (what looks like) a health bar increases until it is full, along with a pixlated fist and knife, with black caps under the health bar (probably resembiling lives). The man then runs across the street and then jumps over a wall and then proceeds to run into 3 people (probably a gang), the guy in the middle says (now its hard to hear through the stupid rock music, don't expect it to be really accurate):
"Get this point, he thinks he's going somewhere, I don't think you're going nowhere!"
The man loses some of his health due to the shove, and then pulls out the aforementioned knife out of his back pocket and says
"Easy bruv."
The dude in the middle from the gang also pulls out a knife and says
"You're in trouble now man!"
The dude in the middle then misses his knife swing (Stupid.) and the man then stabs the dude in the abdomen (Ouch...). It then cuts to the dude's face, however, it is now in live action, meaning what you just saw was no game at all. He appears to be losing consciousness and then falls to the ground while he squirms in pain, all in slow motion. The 2 other gang members run away from the scene, as the man (that is still in the game's graphics) continues to stare at him, police sirens can be heard and he flinches and tries to run away. We then cut to 2 police cars (that aren't in the game's graphics) driving to the scene, someone sees the body and proceeds to look into it. 2 police officers can be seen at this point, one is at the dead body, and the other is talking on their walky talky. We then cut to the dude being taken to the hospital, a woman (presumably the dude’s wife) crying while 2 officers hold her back, and the man that stabbed the dude being arrested, while he is being arrested, the game-like effects on the man begin to glitch, until it reveals him in live action. The final parts of the PSA have a black background with text that says:
"CARRYING A KNIFE."
"ITS NOT A GAME"
Then it ends with the final shot of the man behind his cell, along with the Metropolitan Police logo, with small text underneath it that says:
"Working together for a safer London."
FX/SFX: A low poly 3D game-like filter until the dude from the gang gets stabbed, then completely removed at the ending of the PSA, in which then it switches to Live Action.
Music: A really loud heavy metal rock soundtrack plays in the background
Sounds: The car alert when the man is running on the street, the man jumping over the wall, the dialogue from the man and dude from the gang, sounds of the knives being taken out of their back pockets, knife slashing sounds, and a sound of both a pain grunt and stab play at the same time when the dude gets stabbed, a bit of an ominous-wind like sound during the slowed-down stab scene, police sirens, sounds of the paramedics of taking the dude to the hospital, the quiet cries of the woman, and random screeches from the walky talkies, and mumbled police dialogue, and an ominous sound at the end of the PSA.
Availability: On Youtube.
Cheesy Factor: The graphics of the "game" look AWFUL, and speaking of the "game", the police magically arrive to the scene, and to top it all off, the goofball literally misses his swing and takes a stab to the gut as a result.
Scare Factor: Medium to High. The sudden twist at the half of the PSA can be really frightening, the fact that we even see the dude get taken to the hospital while the man gets arrested can shock viewers, even if almost no blood or gore is spotted, and everything just feels real.