Apple is at it again — making TV ads that bear an uncanny resemblance to music videos.
Apple’s latest TV advert, touting Intel chips inside its new Macs, is remarkably similar to a music video from The Postal Service for the song “Such Great Heights.”
Here is the apple ad and here is the Postal Service video.
oops…
Technorati Tags: apple, intel, thepostalservice
Comments
35 responses to “Apple goes Postal”
They might have hired the same director…I hope so anyways, otherwise that Director could have a very good copyright case.
Yes, and anyone who ever does a movie with astronauts in outer space better have a full metal jacket, because Kubrick’s estate will make the killing on a copyright suit.
I posted the same thing on my blog yesterday, then found it later at the cult of mac. So, not just me that noticed : ) I don’t mind the similarity, and if it gets The Postal Service more exposure and maybe another album, I’m all for it : )
(Comment take 2: didn’t seem to work the first time)
Maybe they did hire the same director…
There is no question a lot of the visuals are nearly exact in the ad and the video.
The song (by The Postal Service) was good. I had never heard of them before.
I think it’s just the fact that postal service used the inside of a chip factory for the theme of their video. It’s a little too similar to be a direct copy.
http://www.intel.com/ireland/education/taps/planar.htm
Its the same director.
the truly ironic thing here, is that the Postal Service who’s video was repurposed were actually sued a year or so ago but USPS for using the name Postal Service. Is anyone original anymore?
is it the same director? hes plagiarizing himself then! haha
I’ve posted a frames comparative and the two videos on YouTube also, please play both videos at same time…. and you’ll see the plagiarism…
The directos of the PostalService clip are Josh Melnick and Xander Charity and i think they don’t have relation with the apple’s ad… but I’m not sure.
Here you’ve got it.
http://popcorn.euniceproductions.com/archives/2006/01/12/%c2%bfapple-copia-a-postal-service/
To be fair, I seem to remember that when the Pentium chips first came out there was an advert almost entirely the same as these…
Oh Dear, Two movies in a wafer production plant.
How narrow minded to call this “plagiarizing”. I’m sure you can find 100 similar looking movies, with a skier, a beach, publicity for drinks, beer, paint, flatscreen television, etc…
I’m sure if you start editing these, you can make them look exactly the same.
Postal Service is the one that’s the copy cat here… that scene is right out of THX guys.
http://www.thx1138movie.com/
Max is correct. This video isnt being ripped from the Postal Service. Its all footage from THX. Amazing footage by the way. I recently visited one of Motorola’s CPU plants. Its just amazing how much work and how everything has that clean look. Either way. Enjoy everyone.
What about Chris Cunninghams Bjork video All is Full of Love? The subtle mix of technology and sex in the Postal Service video is a rip-off of Chis’ work… or? And they all share the aesthetics of Kubricks 2001 – and THX1138…
I agree with Nathan “Kubrick’s estate will make the killing on a copyright suit.”
Stanley was first! Stanley ROCKS!
Or what about the original Solaris, or…
Fuck it! APPLE ROCKS!!! End of story…
What about Chris Cunninghams Bjork video All is Full of Love? The subtle mix of technology and sex in the Postal Service video is a rip-off of Chis’ work… or? And they all share the aesthetics of Kubricks 2001 – and THX1138…
I agree with Nathan “Kubrick’s estate will make the killing on a copyright suit.â€
Stanley was first! Stanley ROCKS!
Or what about the original Solaris, or…
APPLE ROCKS!!! End of story…
I composed a single video with a side-by-side comparison of the 2, with Apple’s ad playing in its entirety on the left, and clips from the Postal Service video synced on the right, so you can see all the similarities between them in full motion. There’s no denying that it’s more than coincidence. I also posted a bunch of side-by-side stills to go along with it. Check ’em out: http://www.eliteproductionswi.com/apple-ps.htm
Imagine having an imagination? Imagine not ripping off some one else’s work. It’s a shocking shot by shot swipe. Those boys at Chiat Day should be ashamed of themselves. But maybe that’s why they got into advertising in the first place.
And yet, isn’t it uncanny how much more emotional the Apple ad is? Which makes you think the Postal Service MTV video is — after all — a failure. The visuals are beautiful, but paired with that song don’t develop or sustain an emotion. Try playing the song with the volume down and iTunes open to almost any random ballad. Works amazingly well, hunh?
–Sam
I liked that song until E started using it for their GG award show promos killing any coolness that song and video had. Now I can only think of a golden Ryan Seacrest plastic smiling his way down the red carpet. Teh gay.
fyi, here are the banner ads supporting this offline campaign:
http://adverlicio.us/tags/292
Apple: Think different.
Hmmm.. funny, that banner-comment was left on my blog too. tssk tssk.
The story was boingboinged today, for shame that they didn’t link you – but they have added cultofmac links now.
come on, they were both filmed in a chip fab. an INTEL chip fab. just how much originality do you think is POSSIBLE in such a place? there’s, like, a dozen interesting shots to make, so its not surprising that they both hit them.
Even more ironic, Jimmy Tamborello – one of the members of The Postal Service – has another band named Dntel
i’ve watched both video’s, and have to say I do love apple computers, but man, this is a rip off of the postal services video. too much similar. and after ChrisJM posted his side by side comparisons, its very clear. apple ripped off this video style. but apple did a better job at it :)
It’s the SAME DIRECTOR — there is no copy issue here
http://applexnet.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1709
In my opinion, most of the comments miss the point. Using the same directors or shooting in a place where others have shot before does not make this “okay.” The Apple spot and the Post Office video have too many identical parts — far more than would result from just filming in a place where other people have made videos before: the facial expressions through the helmets, the use of slow-motion, etc. So by creative standards only, this is not acceptable. But, coming immediately after a time when Apple was publicly flogged for ripping off the Lugz TV spot, it’s not just uncreative — it’s stupid. It’s fine to be inspired by something, but if you have creative talent you normally go out and do your own version of the thing that inspired you. There are a ton of TV spots shot in a chip factory that don’t have this identical “look and feel.” To go out and just duplicate something because you think it’s cool is un-original and NOT the normal practice in advertising — whether you use the same directors or not. The directors should be ashamed for repeating themselves, and Apple should be ashamed for allowing it to happen. Apple is the world’s most original company. They don’t allow their engineers and designers to copy other people’s work, and they should demand the same of their advertising people.
Has anyone noticed that since this discussion started, the music video for Such Great Heights has been added to iTunes? It’s the only Postal Service Video offered. So it looks like this is just a bit of a publicity stunt by Apple, to get all those familiar with the band riled up. Looks like it worked. Now, if they’d only used an actual Postal Service song in the ad, I think it would have been a more appropriate reference.
Ben from the Postal Service has put a message on their website.
http://www.postalservicemusic.net/
It appears the version of the ‘Such Great Heights’ video that Apple released on iTunes has been censored. All signs of the name “Skyworks” have been blurred out. They are visible in previous versions of the video. Several screenshots are available. Can we add anything else to this Apple vs. Postal Service saga?
http://www.eliteproductionswi.com/apple-ps-censored.htm
What is the song used in the Mac\intel ad?
How funny.. Working in a Fab is not romantic, nor particularly glorious. Amazing what Hollywood can do for ANY segment of society.. Wait a minute, I forgot the point to this thread.. OH yeah – here we go – same actors, same theme, different fab.. (300mm Vs. 100mm wafers – didn’t anyone else notice..? sheesh!) LOL
Duncan, thanks for allowing me to link to the video. Apologies for not giving you credit earlier.
What is the SONG in the advert?? the one thats playing.
thanks X
The song in the ad is MOBY, GOD MOVING OVER THE FACE OF THE WATER