Raine Allen Miller’s latest ad shows kids experiencing the “side effects” of tech toys

Technology Will Save Us is a company which makes STEM toys and code kits for the next generation of geniuses. Raine Allen-Miller is a Hackney-based filmmaker and one of our 2017 Ones To Watch. Raine teamed up with Technology Will Save Us to make an ad which shows off the exciting ways kids can make tech into toys.

Briefed by London-based creative agency Isobel, Raine was asked to direct an ad from the thought: "’Warning, side effects of these toys may include…’ I thought, when do you get the chance to shoot a kids commercial that starts with a warning?” Raine laughs.

“This brief came in last minute. My producer Tarquin Glass, head of content Sarah Pearson and I just loved the idea so much we had to make it happen,” Raine explains. “Tech Will Save Us is an amazing brand. When you think that kids now will have completely different jobs to us in the future, from making dog walking robots to coding bananas, for us, TWSU felt like such an important and relevant company so it was a must make happen-er. They’re all about empowering kids to solve problems and outsmart their kits.”

The advert is composed of a set of vignettes which show what children can make with Technology Will Save Us’ code kits and STEM toys.“I love this thought because it talks about kids being smart in a cool way,” Raine says. “I wanted the kids to be empowered, which we really pushed with the styling. Instead of ‘techy/geek’ I wanted to go a bit more punky and futuristic with the styling, the same with the art department: I love colour and odd textures and props, so everything is real but with a teaspoon of absurd, this is the kid’s world. The only parent in this one, (who is actually played by my Dad!) is involved in the game wearing goggles and watching telly with the robot gang.”

Taking no heed of the oft-quoted wisdom “don’t work with children or animals”, Raine’s worked with an “amazing” crew on a set which included a cast of “non actor kids” and a one-year-old dog Grayson (“the loveliest but totally untrained for camera”). “I wanted kids that would just be themselves,” Raine explains. “It was a risk but it worked well. For the robot scene I asked them to imagine they saw a giraffe with wings, their faces just went all weird and off beat, which was perfect for this film.”