Let’s face it, how many of you had your heads down and already buried in a book when it came time to listen to the flight attendant give the ‘in case of’ safety spiel on an airplane?

Now the airlines have figured out a way to engage their passengers on an important piece of information – by creating safety instruction videos that are amusing and cutting edge, to say the least.

Two weeks ago it was Air New Zealand debuting its safety video featuring models from the 50th-anniversary edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

This week? Virgin Atlantic goes to the movies for its movie.

VA this morning debuted its newest safety video as the airline plays homage to film history with a five-minute-plus instructional vignette that takes inspiration from the current movie awards season, and shows off a nod to such iconic titles as ‘Brief Encounter’ and ‘2001, A Space Odyssey’.

Created by design agency Art & Graft, animated characters take the viewer on a theatrical journey through different movie genres, including film noir and western, to capture the attention of passengers and inform them of the aircraft’s emergency procedures. 

“This video will be watched thousands of times a week, so it was vital it had the cheeky Virgin Atlantic edge we’re known and loved for,” said Leon Trigg, Production Manager at Virgin Atlantic. “Art & Graft have embraced our focus on films, which runs throughout our marketing and advertising campaigns, to create a video which should amuse and engage customer, whilst demonstrating the airline’s key safety messages.” 

British comedienne Morgana Robinson complements the video with her quirky voiceovers, setting the tone with different accents and impressions for each movie genre.