Marketing

Hollywood Reporter:

Given Scott’s steady productivity and workmanlike approach over a 45-year film career, it’s easy to forget that he is responsible for a remarkable string of culture-defining movies, from genre groundbreakers like Alien and Blade Runner to the intimate female buddy picture Thelma & Louise, to epics like Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and The Martian.

And, of course, that groundbreaking 1984 ad that introduced the Macintosh to the world (embedded below).

My absolute favorite bit from the linked interview:

His most famous ad is Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl spot introducing the Macintosh computer, regarded as one of the most influential ads of all time. When the agency, Chiat/Day, pitched Ridley on directing a spot for Apple, he thought they were talking about The Beatles. “They said, ‘No, no, no. Apple is this guy called Steve Jobs.’ I went, ‘Who the fuck is Steve Jobs?’

Who, indeed. Love this.

Saw this ad on TV over the weekend, video still not showing up on Apple’s YouTube channel. An old ad? New? Well, it’s new to me.

There’s this AirPods silhouettes ad from about a month ago, similar style, but definitely different. It’s on Apple’s channel. Guessing the ad below will pop up soon.

I do like the series, definitely reminds me of those original Apple iPod ads (like these), where the white EarPods stood out in stark relief, really popping.

First off is “Start Up”, a song made by A. G. Cook from 45 years of Mac startup sounds. It played at the open of yesterday’s Apple Event, and really set the stage for what was coming later in the show.

Here are the sounds used in the video:

iMac G3 Startup, MacBook Pro Startup, AirPods Case Closing, iOS Alert, HomePod Minimum Volume, iPod Click Wheel, Note Alert, Email Whoosh, MagSafe Charger, Night Owl Ringtone, HomePod Nope, HomePod PingPong, Mac 2020 Alert, Empty Trash, Message Sent, Message Received, HomePod Device Identify, iPhone Keyboard, Airdrop Invite, Mac Sosumi, Apple Pay

Next up is “Pro Apps. Pushed to the Max”. I love the complexity of the elements throughout this video. I’ve watched it a few times, just to home in on specific scenes and the powerful special effects I assume are all done on one of the new MacBook Pros. Pay special attention from. about 1:19 to 1:50. Look at all those elements and transitions. Amazing stuff.

Next up is the HomePod mini intro, with those vibrant new colors, the new AirPods video, and the real star of the show, the video showcasing the brand new MacBook Pros. And last up is the event itself, if you did not get a chance to watch it, or want to watch it again.

Start by watching the ad (embedded below).

This from the headline-linked post:

I know that when it comes to tech news, there can be somewhat of a bubble, with writers and readers thinking that certain things are more well-known to the general public than they are. But really, if you’ve walked into Best Buy’s laptop section at some point in the past decade, you probably would’ve seen some of the things the people in the ad are shell-shocked by: two-in-one laptops that fold to become a tablet have been popular since the early 2010s, Intel’s been pushing laptops with two screens since 2018, and PC gaming was a thing before the original IBM Personal Computer that popularized the term “PC.”

Exactly.

The ad has the potential to make a point about expandability and repairability. Fair issues to raise, if you indeed have a better solution. But it insults (badly) the very people it hopes to sway.

Yeesh.

One of the highlights of April’s M1-revealing Apple event was the Mission Impossible scene, with an Apple exec running on the roof of Apple Park, then breaking into HQ (for a refresher, watch the first video embedded below).

For a reveal on how the stunt was done (yup, there was actual running on the roof of Apple Park), watch the second video. Pretty great.

Intel brought Justin “I’m a Mac” Long on board to betray his long-time, adoring Mac fans and pick up a paycheck.

Five ads, all embedded below. Honestly, hard to fault Justin for cashing in here, but the ads themselves remind me of the varied Samsung ads over the years. Attacking Apple by painting a very jaundiced picture of Apple gear and an overly rosy picture of Intel gear.

I especially object to that last spot, based completely on the premise that you can only plug one display into your Mac. That one has got to come with a gigantic asterisk. Here’s Apple’s tech note on achieving more than one display. Depends on the Mac. But certainly not fair to say you can’t do it.

Side note: To borrow a phrase from my brother, there’s gotta be pictures in the attic of both Justin Long and Paul Rudd that are starting to grow crows feet.

[VIDEO] This ad (embedded in main Loop post) dropped last month, an homage to Singin’ in the Rain, but designed to sell Burberry product.

I love this ad, wonder how much of this is CGI, how much practical effects. No matter, to me, has all the feel of an Apple ad.

Side note: In the original Singing in the Rain, linked above, that’s Carrie Fisher’s mom at the beginning of the scene.

[VIDEO] Nice spotlight ad, featuring a pair of songs by Tierra Whack. Video embedded in main Loop post.

[VIDEO] These are all practical effects, not CGI, all shot on iPhone 12 Pro. Videos embedded in main Loop post.

First the video itself, then the “Behind the Scenes” showing how the shots were created. Beautiful work.