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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?"
From 606 to 404 in under 6 seconds.
That green slime had it coming.
...suitable for mirroring: http://www.honda.co.uk/newcars/300k.swf (4.1 meg or so)
('course, it's slashdotted now.)
The record number of takes for a single shot in any movie is 125 in The Shining.
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I know that as of 2001, the world's record for the most retakes of a particular scene was held by Stanley Kubrick -- 160 retakes of one scene in The Shining. If car commercial film retakes count for this as well, these guys have set a new world record by far!
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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)
Not so impressive. It's full of holes.
I searched throughout the entire Rube Goldberg site and couldn't find ONE SINGLE MENTION of his more-famous daughter, Whoopi.
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Man, how things have changed. I can still remember when Cadillacs had a 500 cu. in. (over 8L) displacement engine with enough weight and torque to affect the earths spin if you stomped on the gas. Then again, recalling the old ways of the Detroit assemply lines which built these things, Rube Goldberg would have been proud.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Hmm. I thought the real Cadillac of autos was the ... err ... what's it called? Cadisomething.
Mirror
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.
£750,000 for an ad which will run for 7 1/2 weeks - I'm sure it's not unusual; just don't forget what you're really paying for when you buy a car - a big chunk of the cost of autos is just covering advertising - it's the same with many consumer items.
I wonder what the math is on the idea of lowering advertising costs to bring down end price of the product which might increase sales, balanced against the decreased exposure which might decrease sales. As long as people are willing to pay what they are currently paying, I guess it doesn't matter.
RTFM; please, I beg you.
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I'd say Robinson was more about social commentary than Goldberg. His typical drawing would be an overall look at a machine, sure, but there was usually something dilapidated about the workings of it, and there was something sort of comic-tragic about the people in the figure -- they're seriously working to maintain the thing despite its ludicrously overcomplex design, and it's running down despite them.
Goldberg is more of an engineer's taste -- he was an engineer to start with, wasn't he? -- and the idea is really to play with the idea of the machine to make it as ridiculous as possible. His machines aren't attended by a bunch of sadly intent factory workers, they're what my Great Uncle would call "flights of fancy." You hear about contests in the U.S., for fun, to build elaborate "Rube Goldberg contraptions" to perform simple actions.
Heath Robinson would have appreciated Metropolis more when it came out.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
There is only one cheat. And he lives with strongbad. The Cheat!
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).
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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
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
Thanks, but soon all Americans will know about Tyre. After all, war is god's way of teaching Americans geography.
Contrast this with Russian Ark. You really have to watch the trailer for an idea of its scale and majesty, but for those of you without Quicktime:
single
continuous
shot
--Dan
Are doomed to watch it in car ads.
---- "If we have to go on with these damned quantum jumps, then I'm sorry that I ever got involved" - Erwin Schrodinger
So, how many of you are now driving new Honda Station Wagons?
"Derp de derp."
They'll probably make millions selling the out-takes to obsessive geeks.
Most people here must not ever drive in big cities. Especially in the parts of big cities that are frequently used for 'cruising'. With cars that shock and awe using incredibly loud volumes (especially bass).
Is it so hard to believe that a spring could be kept from rolling off a slightly curved surface by, say, a single grain of sand? And that 16 speakers might serve to shift that grain of sand and start the spring rolling?
For that matter, the spring appears to be in the center of the glass initially, so it could just be balanced really well.
If I could change one thing about the commercial, it would be the end: In mine, the car would roll to a stop, and just as it did so, it would bump against a small cog on a wooden plank...
-Elentar
The wheel it turns, around and around, with an ancient rumbling sound.