Okay, if this isn’t already all over the web it should be, and I’m posting about it anyway because Sony/the agency that did it deserve all the viral marketing they get over this ad.
No CG (well, probably in the transition at the end, but that doesn’t count). Lots of bouncy balls. The making-of featurette (on the “Behind the Scenes” page) is worth a look, too… the camera operators are wearing head gear, and there are people with those plexiglass riot shield things. All the cars were props, but in the making of you can still hear alarms going off… I imagine that could be a byproduct of the small earth tremor released by 250,000 balls pelting down a hill.
I’m not in the market for an LCD TV, but… damn. I don’t know quite how these things can be technically significantly better than anything else on the market, but I’m now interested to find out. And have a pro-Sony bias, at least for this product (definitely not for their audio equipment or their record label or digital cameras or… the list goes on).
The video is in H.264 format but even the broadband version isn’t massive. I dig the music, though.
So I take it they actually had balls bouncing everywhere?
I certainly hope they managed to pick them all up afterwards. :s
Yeah they did. And they had big nets catching them at the bottom, and people crawling through gardens trying to get them all out later. There’s a bit more about it in the Making Of feature on that site.
Watch the video! It’s really good!
I’ve just discovered it’s on the Sony Australia website (but lost the URL), so it’s possible this will be gracing a TV screen near you shortly. In which case I hope to make a nice capture of it from whatever source is available… ideally HD digital, but it probably wouldn’t be broadcast as such. Ah well.
I went to download the advertisement and its ‘documentary’, but they are in quicktime format. I am loathed to add quicktime to my computer, because the endless “You can update Quicktime NOW!” messages, amoungst others (can’t recall) drive me absolutely batty.
So no viewing for me.
I found a Flash Video version on Sony Australia’s site.
http://www.sony.com.au/article.jsp?id=3649
then click “Watch Bravia” (right side of the page).
When I first saw that ad on TV i wondered if it was real — and it is! HOW COOL!!! I want a job where I can play with 250,000 bouncy balls! imagine diving into that big blue container of them… excellent…
i get this feeling it would be alot worse than the plastic balls full of air that you see kids jump into… for one these are rubber, and smaller, therefore more densely packed OWW!
You could always work at one of those children’s play centres that have ball pits. It would satisfy your ball and maternal urges in one hit.
Josh: thank you for the link.
So I just watched it… and started crying. :s
Anyway, it’s a great advertisement. It’s a pity that the border collie didn’t make it into the final cut, though (s/he was up on a balcony).
When I first saw the street, I thought: “That’s San Fransisco!” — only to read it in the description afterwards. :p I love San Fransisco. The trolleys (read: trams) are crazy, though. People hang off the sides of them. I wonder if they still function like that, or whether its had to change because of civilians sueing the government.
Yeah. I don’t know if it’ll actually be effective, but it’s beautiful! So who cares :P More power to the aesthetically-driven marketing people, I say!
i think everyone realised it was San Crab’s Disco (old family joke) without reading so… or at least i know i did ;)
ahhh bouncing balls, the joy of it :)
Music is José Gonzales, swedish sing/songwriter. Original song, heartbeats by the Knife.