GE frames its recent corporate transformation as a story about energy transfer in a cinematic campaign from BBDO New York that broke this past weekend.

A 60-second spot was inspired in part by the first law of thermodynamics, as it introduces GE Aerospace and the energy-focused GE Vernova—two of the three new companies that GE is dividing itself into. The third company, GE Healthcare, was heralded in a separate campaign, “Care That Can,” which launched back in January.

The new spot, “Beautiful Law,” features a young woman studying law in a library who experiences a reverie of more than a century of ideas coming to life, with energy flowing from innovation to innovation. In the end, she awakens—ready to carry that energy into the future.

BBDO told Ad Age that the agency landed on the idea of telling a story about energy transfer early on.

“We loved how that immutable law of physics related so well to how GE has changed over the years but never lost that spark of innovation—and it was the only thing any of us remembered from high school physics,” the agency said in an email. “The problem is that textbooks don’t make for great film—so we crafted this story of a young student studying in a library and falling into a dream, one where energy is flowing from one state to the next. The young woman also happened to be a not-so-subtle nod to the next generation of GE innovators.” 

Frederic Planchon of Anonymous shot the film. A grand, classical library seemed like a place where the laws of physics and GE’s physical inventions could collide.

“What’s so special about Frederic is that he is an amazing visual artist who can create these massive, almost painterly visuals. But he always grounds everything in the human story first,” the agency said. “We’ve worked with Frederic a number of times over the years, and every time he creates something visually incredible but also deeply emotional.” 

The :60 broke during Sunday Night Football on NBC, supported by a :30 cut.

“​​The GE brand is born out of innovation, built on Thomas Edison’s can-do legacy, and thanks to generations of GE employees, is trusted worldwide,” said Linda Boff, chief marketing officer of General Electric. “As we look toward the future and our historic transformation into separate GE companies, we wanted to take a collective moment to pay homage to 132 years of innovation and celebrate the infinite possibilities of GE’s next chapter.”