Last week, Apple made it a point to hold an anniversary for the Mac computer’s 30th year in existence. We also covered the event, which was accompanied by several special features on the official Apple website. There was an anniversary video, a heart-warming message, as well as a visual timeline of the device, and now here comes the latest installment in this Apple marketing saga: an iPhone-shot video to celebrate 30 years of Mac computers. The video, posted on Monday on the Apple website, is based on two of the most currently popular trends in advertising: user-generated materials, and multi-cultural diversity. Read on to learn more about this amazing video, how it was produced, and what all the hubbub is about.
By traditional advertising standards, the video, which clocks in at 90 seconds, is long. However, it manages to pack so many stories and so much emotion into that one minute and a half, that we probably wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The video is meant to showcase how various people of different backgrounds, living in different parts of the world, use their Macs. The computers are used both for personal, as well as for professional purposes, and they are also used in conjunction with other popular Apple products, also featured in the video, such as iPads and iPhones. There are students, designers, people of science, as well as regular children, all appearing in this very video. And the most amazing part about this clip? It was all shot during a single day, strictly by using iPhones.
On January 24, 2014, fifteen camera crews made their way around the world, armed with iPhone 5S devices. They traveled to 15 different countries on each of the five continents. It took them 36 hours across different time zones and, in the end, they had some 70 hours of footage to turn into a video. The man who was in charge of the vision and final cut of the video is none other than Jake Scott, son of Hollywood’s esteemed Ridley Scott (of Blade Runner fame, for instance), and an acclaimed video director in his own right. As an interesting bit of trivia, Ridley Scott himself was the man who shot one of the most famous Apple commercials in history: the 1984 clip, which aired during the Super Bowl, over three decades ago.
The video, the Macs, the legends
The ad that celebrates 30 years of Mac computers was directed by Jake Scott remotely, via FaceTime, an official press release from Apple states. Thanks to the iPhone’s feature, the director was able to coordinate all 15 teams, although he was obviously not there with all of them at the same time. The footage thus collected was then sent back to the production studios. The editing team consisted of 21 professionals, who managed to turn over 70 hours of video into a compressed, dynamic, and compelling 90 second short clip.
We here at Lure of Mac have covered the festive feel that accompanied the celebration of 30 years of Mac computers in a previous post. The most impressive part about the video discussed here is not how celebratory and festive it is – but rather how impressive the technology used in its production. Apple was quick to blow its own horn and celebrate its achievements by explaining that the techniques they used in the production of this clip will likely be picked up by other filmmakers, too. The innovation in this case was in the way they approached a multi-location shoot – and we’re highly looking forward to seeing other such experiments in the future, provided they garner equally impressive results.