Slashdot Mirror
606 Takes To film Rube Goldberg-like car ad
wagdog writes "Many have no doubt seen the
Rube Goldberg-like multistep mechanical chain reaction
TV advert for the Honda Accord. Many thought this was yet another example of the pervasive use of computer graphics in TV commercials. Amazingly
the entire delicate set up of car parts that constitute the facinating sequence is almost 100% realtime live action
requiring an astounding 606 takes to get right
. There is one cheat however -- can you spot it?"
It has a 3.0L V6 with 240hp and 212lb torque.
...suitable for mirroring: http://www.honda.co.uk/newcars/300k.swf (4.1 meg or so)
('course, it's slashdotted now.)
here's a link to the most excellent kinetic art video:
http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/vid/thewaything
of course, if they hired the pair to do the stuff for the Commercial, then.....it's not a ripoff. (hope they made some bucks)
Err, if you RTFA you'd know the tyres had weights in them.
Sorry, but my karma just ran over your dogma.
I have it loaded and in my browser, but I'm unsure on how to extract the video segment so I can torrent it up :)
.swf file to figure this out, btw...)
It's a short (18k) flash file that then loads another flash file (called 300k.swf) that's about 4.1 meg. So, if you can figure out where your 300k.swf file is in the cache, you should be in business.
(I used flasm (http://flasm.sourceforge.net/) to disassemble the original
The video itself plays within a Flash movie.
Not only will you need Flash to watch it at all, but you'll need the latest version of the Flash player in particular (6, which can include video).
Of course, it's a moot point anyway because Honda.co.uk can't take the Slashdot burden.
Experts agree: everything is fine.
Mirror
http://torrez.org/media/movie/cog.mov
Here's a link to those who'd like a non-slashdotted .mov download of the ad.
Thanks be to widepipe.org for the link...
MORTAR COMBAT!
Anyone agree with me here?
I think everyone does. Apart from the fact that 90% of Americans have never heard of Heath Robinson, and 90% of Brits have never heard of Rube Goldberg. They certainly fill exactly the same niche in society both for the drawings, and for providing a terms used for an expresion to refer to a bizarre ad-hoc invention.
The music at the end is the opening few bars of the SugarHill Gang's Rappers Delight.
Don.
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You have the right to remain silent yadda yadda yadda.
Slashdot - The Home of the Tortured Analogy
According to Google, Rube Goldberg was inspired by Heath Robinson. Rube was American and Heath British.
Click here all you bittorrent users
Karma: SELECT `karma` FROM `users` WHERE `userid`=138474;
If I recall, they only showed in ONCE,many years ago.
here's the link to Amazon to buy it for under $20:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/63045516
By far the most elaborate & amazing Rube-Goldberg apparatus ever filmed is "Die Lauf Der Dinge (The Way Things Go) by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss (http://www.frif.com/cat97/t-z/the_way_.html).
v dcalc2?cmd =calc&tmpCart=15602
It includes not only complex mechanical agglomerations but all sorts of homemade pyrotechnical concoctions. These guys really new their inorganic chemistry.
Fischli & Weiss filled a warehouse with dozens & dozens these devices linked in series with the output of one element trigger the next one in the pipeline. The camera just keeps walking down the line following the action. You get the feeling the devices are set up in a large circle inside a huge empty building with the camera in the middle slowly turning to follow the train of activity.
The audio is quite intense, as well. Each device has its own very distinctive sound, which helps to make the video quite animated.
Most incredible of all, they appeared to do it with a minimum of subtle takes. There seem to be only 4 or 5 cuts in this 45 minute video, and some of them require repeated viewing to pick out.
Despite the fact the primary actors consist of auto tires, ladders, plywood sheets and soda bottles, DLDD is remarkably fun to watch. I highly recommend it.
You can pick it up on DVD or VHS at many spots on the net. Here's a link to DVDPriceSearch.com's comparative price listing:
http://www.dvdpricesearch.com/cgi-bin/d
750K GBP sounds like a great deal of money (and believe me, it is), but don't forget -- these are cars we're talking about. It's not like they're makin' two bucks a pop here. If they sell only about 2-5,000 automobiles, they've probably recouped all that cash right there. When you consider how huge Honda's market is, that's rediculously manageable.
If you live in the UK,
:)
Call the Honda Contact Centre on 0845 200 8000 and ask for a free DVD of THAT Honda ad. They also got it on VHS if you prefer.
They got 20,000 copies. So dont rush
The guinness records site has the following:
Most Retakes For One Scene
A sequence in Charlie Chaplin's City Lights (US 1931) took 342 takes to make. In the scene, a blind flower girl (played by Virginia Cherrill) sells a tramp a flower in the mistaken belief he is a wealthy tycoon.
WHO: City Lights (1931)
WHEN: 1931
WHERE: USA
WHAT: 342 takes
Jackie Chan's 1982 film is listed as 2900 on HK Flix and as 'hundreds' on TVGuide.com
This information was not available on this thread when I posted, so look at the bloody times before moderating -1 Redundant
"Those who cast the votes decide nothing; those who count the votes decide everything." (attrib. Joseph Stalin)
There are two good mirrors on the Distributer Mirror. And Im sure a few more will come soon.
Mouse powered Chips, Open source Processors and Lego
The windshield washer pump sprays fluid on to the glass, but what causes it to start the next stage?
The car has a rain-sensor fitted that automatically starts the wipers when the screen gets wet. And auto headlights, that light when it gets dark. Slinky.
You can easily see the break in the wood ramp. There's also an electrical contact that the cylinder makes to make the window roll down.
Here's the synopsis:
1. Transmission bearing rolls, hits second bearing.
2. Second bearing rolls, hits third.
3. Third bearing rolls, hits contration to release cam shaft.
4. Cam shaft rolls, hits tailpipe.
5. Tailpipe spins, hits valve stem on hood.
6. Valve stem hits other valve stem.
7. Second valve stem hits third valve stem.
8. Valve stem falls off hood, hits something.
9. That something hits a spring loaded mechanism mounted to engine valve cover.
10. Spring loaded mechanism hits radiator.
11. Radiator falls, hits tire.
12. Tire hits weighted tire on ramp.
13. Tire rolls uphill, hits second weighted tire.
14. Second weighted tire rolls uphill, hits third weighted tire.
15. Third weighted tire rolls uphill, hits disc brake rotor(?).
16. Rotor falls on string, pulls seat back to it's full upright position.
17. Seat triggers release of windshield wiper mechanism.
18. Mecanism trips oil can.
19. Oil can pours onto platform, weighting one end down.
20. Platform tilts, releasing bearings(?) which roll into engine head.
21. Engine head on lever causes battery to rise.
22. Battery makes electrical connection, makes fan run.
23. Fan runs, which causes it to move. It moves forward, disconnects from power source, and runs into metal wire, releasing nut.
24. Nut drops, causes muffler to roll.
***CGI CUT***
25. Muffler rolls into strange contraption.
26. Strange contraption flings nut.
27. Nut hits tire on front end of car.
28. Tire rolls onto wire.
29. Wire sets into motion contraption made mostly of connecting rods.
30. Connecting rod starts metal cylinder rolling.
31. Metal cylinder hits connecting rod contraption and stops.
32. Potential energy stored in contraption causes rod to swing and kick off the metal cylinder.
33. Cylinder hits window, makes electical contact.
34. Electrical contact rolls down window.
35. Cylinder rolls again, past window onto new ramp, then off ramp onto "oh shit" handles.
36. Cylinder rolls off "oh shit" handles, onto battery, makes electrical contact.
37. Contact causes winshield squirters to spray water on windshield.
38. Windshield sensor detects "rain", turns on wipers.
39. Wipers crawl across floor, trip emergency brake.
40. Emergency brake sets window mobile in motion.
41. Window mobile causes wind, pushing over plastic panel.
42. Plastic panel has metal cylinder on top. Cylinder rolls into shock spring.
43. Shock spring has metal rod in it, which spins down.
44. Rod makes electrical contact, starts stereo.
45. Stereo connected to woofers under windshield.
46. Vibration causes spring to roll onto clutch pedal.
47. Depression of clutch pedal activates assembly which presses "hatch close" on door key.
48. Hatch closes, unbalancing platform.
49. Platform tilts, car rolls.
50. Car hits something that causees the Accord banner to unfurl.
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