Apple iPad Scorsese-Voiced Oscars Ad Inspires Filmmakers

Apple’s commercial in ABC’s Academy Awards telecast positioned its iPad as the ultimate tool for independent filmmakers with an inspirational ‘Male A Film With iPad’ spot voiced by none other than Oscar winner Martin Scorsese.

Built on the message that the product is changing film by enabling young movie makers to work hard on chasing ambitions and passions, the creative focuses on how students at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts use the iPad to write, produce, shoot, score, and edit their films (all in just a few days).

Part of a wider ‘Changing Film’ initiative, the inclusion of the legendary director in the spot ensures the ad will score high with Hollywood types and serious film fans,

There is some genuine authenticity in his words as they are drawn from a commencement speech Scorsese made to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2014.

‘I’m not talking about following your dream. I never like the inspirational value of that phrase. Dreaming is a way of trivializing the process, the obsession that carries you through the failure as well as the successes, which could be harder to get through. If you’re dreaming, you’re sleeping. It’s important and imperative to always be awake to your feelings, your possibilities, your ambitions.’

Comment

This approach to a film-relevant IT product activating around The Oscars is not dissimilar from that taken by Adobe for Photoshop for this year’s Academy Awards (see case study).

The master’s voice (Scorsese) dovetails neatly as it shadows the imagery of the novices (the LA arts students) honing their film-making skills.

With 1.5 million views (and 10,000 likes) in its first two days, clearly the spot is resonating.

And, in a neat touch, the spot itself was filmed entirely on an iPad.

Nice!

Links

Apple Changing Film

http://www.apple.com/ipad/changing-film/

Apple Film Making Apps

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewFeature?id=968187748&mt=8

Apple YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/user/Apple

The Oscars Website: