Powerful Stuff (public information film)

Powerful Stuff is a 1988 Electrical safety film made by the Independent Business Television Limited for the Electricity Council. It was shown in schools and edited into stand-alone PIFs for television broadcast.

Plot summary

The film begins with Darren and his younger brother Tom meeting their friend Gary and his girlfriend on a motorcycle - with Darren asking Gary to let him ride it at the weekend as it's their last day at school before the half term. Heading to school, Darren and Tom meet up with Andy and continue together - causing several shenanigans including setting off a gang of teenagers who chase them all the way to an Electrical substation. After losing them, Tom spots a football inside on the roof of one of the buildings, from which Darren tries to break in through some vandalized bars to get as he believes that the warning signs are just to frighten kids away and that you can't get hurt unless you actually touch something. However, a reluctant Andy talks him out of it; instead, they play football with other friends to school.

Once they enter their Science class, their teacher introduces a visitor named Mr. Ken Jones to them. Mr. Jones explains to them that he works for the electricity board, and teaches them the dangers of electricity like touching overhead cables, messing around in disused buildings and climbing pylons; showing clips of what happened when people ignored or did not know the danger that could be present in the situation. However, Darren becomes bored during the lesson and begins to ignore all of this - including a warning from Mr Jones that you don't have to touch electrical equipment to get hurt - by listening to his Walkman and daydreaming of going on a motorcycle that his friend was using earlier in the beginning.

On the way back from school, the boys see Gary and his girlfriend with his motorcycle having some electrical problems. As the group help Gary with the repairs, Darren sees his friend's ball is punctured and remembers the football in the substation - leaving the group and taking Tom with him to act as a lookout while he breaks into the substation. Meanwhile, Andy sees the deflated ball and suddenly realizes that Darren has taken Tom to the substation to retrieve the football - noticing too late as Darren climbs onto the building roof and throws the football but is electrocuted when it hits one of cables. Tom runs in and climbs onto the building rooftop to try to help Darren as the group try to stop him, but are too late as Tom touches a cable which electrocutes him as well - much to the horror of Andy and his friends.

Later, the fire brigade, ambulance and the police arrive at the scene at night as Andy remembers Mr. Jones' lecture to the class about dangers of electricity and imagines how Darren and Tom's mother would react to what has happened, as the radio news report is heard, explaining the caused incident as Andy and his friends mourn for the deceased boys.

Television broadcasts

Scenes from the films were made into Public Information Films with their campaign: "Don't take a chance with Electricity".

1. Fishing Pole: Two boys were walking down the path next to the river, but when they move out of the way to let a moving vehicle pass by, one of the boys' long fishing pole hits the telephone wires, leaving his face and hands burned as a result.
2. Badminton: Two girls are playing badminton outside while their mother answers the phone without knowing the builder left behind a ladder. The ball ends up in a tree and the girl climbs up a ladder to get it, but hits a telephone wire by accident and gets electrocuted much to their mother's horror.
3. Building: A gang of young boys were cycling into an abandoned building where they mess around, smashing up things. A boy grabs a pipe and whacks an socket, much to his mate's amusement. The boy hits it repeatedly and then whacks it hard resulting sparks explode from the socket, killing the boy's friend much to his horror.
4. Kite: A teenage boy foolishly climbs up a pylon to rescue the girls' kite that was blown into the wires. The boy's friend tries to warn his mate about the dangers, but to no avail, the boy stupidly climbs to where the kite is. When he was that close, the wire gave out sparks, killing him and his corpse falls back to earth.
5. Football: Darren, Tom and Andy were outside the substation. Tom spots a football which Darren attempts to retrieve but Andy talks him out of it. But Darren ignores his friend's advice, breaks in and gets himself electrocuted whilst retrieving the football. Tom goes in to help but ends up electrocuted as well much to Andy's dismay. This film features excerpts from the full version, but one of the scenes were altered to show Darren's ignorance and his consequence.

Soundtrack

These are the two songs that were heard in this film.

• The Heat Is On - Gloria Gaynor (Played at the beginning where Darren and Tom meet up with Andy and run in pursuit from a gang of teenagers.)
• Yesterday's Men - Madness (Played when Andy and his friends mourn for Darren and Tom after the incident at the substation.)