The Best Commercial Ever

[Mark M]

Subject: Fw: You may like this commercial

New Honda commercial in the UK. Very important that you understand: There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in the film. Everything you see really happened in real time exactly as you see it.

The film took 606 takes. On the first 605 takes, something, usually very minor, didn't work. They would then have to set the whole thing up again. The crew spent weeks shooting night and day. By the time it was over, they were ready to change professions. The film cost six million dollars and took three months to complete including a full engineering the sequence. In addition, it's two minutes long so every time Honda airs the film on British television, they're shelling out enough dough to keep any one of us in clover for a lifetime. However, it is fast becoming the most downloaded advertisement in Internet history. Honda executives figure the ad will soon pay for itself simply in "free" viewings (Honda isn't paying a dime to have you watch this commercial!). When the ad was pitched to senior executives, they signed off on it immediately without any hesitation -- including the costs.

There are six and only six hand-made Accords in the world. To the horror of Honda engineers, the filmmakers disassembled two of them to make the film. Everything you see in the film (aside from the walls, floor, ramp, and complete Honda Accord) are parts from those two cars.

The voiceover is Garrison Keillor. When the ad was shown to Honda executives, they liked it and commented on how amazing computer graphics have gotten. They fell off their chairs when they found out it was for real.

Oh. And about those funky windshield wipers. On the new Accords, the windshield wipers have water sensors and are designed to start doing their thing automatically as soon as they become wet. It looks a bit weird in the commercial.



http://home.attbi.com/~bernhard36/honda-ad.html

[Tom]

some of that stuff looked like it wasn't going to make it.  I was on the edge of my chair cheering the dumb thing on.  I like domino-falling stuff like that.   This advertisement reminds me of the days when Volkswagen used to kid about the Bug and the Thing.

VW had some great advertisements.

[Jeff]

Pretty cool, but I cant figure out how they defeated gravity with the tires rolling up hill.

[woodmills1]

The first tire was already rolling and it transferred energy and momentum when it collided to the tire that begins to move up, then it transfers again to the smaller etc.  If you have ever seen a tire bounce you get the idea of how much energy is transfered during a collision.

[Jeff]

There is more to it then that. I think whatwe have here is top weights in the tires. If you watch tire 3, afiter its impact. it rolls back, but then rolls AGAIN up hill a little. I am sure thats what it is, if each tire has a top weight, the forward motion would pull it uphill a little.

[Tom]

.....and maybe those kinds of little tricks are what had me sitting on the edge of my chair acting like a bowler who was performing body english on an already released ball. :D

[woodmills1]

If you remember that click clack ball contraption i think it is called newtons cradle that many have seen.  You drop the first steel ball and the end one flies up and then down and it repeats for ever.  it is an example of energy can be transferred during a collision.


CLICK HERE

[beenthere]

Very interesting, thanks for the link.

[Jeff]

I understand that, but there are some unequal and not opposite reactions going on in the tire sequence. Its not simply a transfer of the obvious energy from the motion of the tires. that 3rd tire had no business stopping on its downward return and making a motion back up hill unless thier was stored kinetic energy that could be released in that direction. obviously a weight on one side of the tire.