Intel's new Meet the Makers campaign, meant as a cheerleader for innovation, launches this week with an unexpectedly moving short film.
The first in a series of four directed by Josh Soskin, the clip highlights 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee, who invented a comparatively inexpensive Braille printer, and is planning to bring it to market with the help of Intel.
As the clip explains, Banerjee started down that path when a letter asking for donations to the blind arrived at his house. After taking a moment to imagine how his life would change—and what he would miss—if his eyesight were gone, he did some research on Braille, and decided to try his hand at making a printer more accessible than the $2,000 standard. Now, he's turned his $350 Lego robotics prototype into a company, Braigo Labs, with backing from Intel. The second iteration of the product is the one that includes Intel's Edison technology (normally used for wearable devices). The target price for a final manufactured version is less than $500.
In short, it's a beautiful, well-told story. Most people don't have Banerjee's clear affinity for technology—but there's also a lot of genuine empathy in him, and you don't hear or see much of that in modern discussions about innovation. It's good to remind people that for every insufferably vain tech startup whose business plan ends at "getting bought by Google," there are people like Banerjee, who have the means to reach out to others—and actually do.
Three more spots directed by Soskin are slated for release this month.
CREDITS
Agency: Inside (Intel)
Executive Creative Director: Teresa Herd
Executive Producer: Yogiraj Graham
Producer: Thomas Green,
Creative Strategist: Jenille Winder
Creative Directors: Caspian Michalowski, David Williams
Sound Design: Jody Scott
Production Company: Houseblend Media
Director: Josh Soskin, Station Film
Producer: Grace Jackson
Director of Photography: Rob Hauer
Editing Company: Whitehouse Post
Editor: Zach Vandlik
Executive Producer: Joni Williamson
Producer: Jonlyn Williams
Music: SCORE A SCORE, Matt Abeysekera
Colorist: Gregory Reese, The Mill
