Applejack

Bad Apple! First Lugz, now Apple's new spot rips off the Postal Service. Guess you're not more creative on Mac after all. View them FIGHTING EACH OTHER side by side.View the Original Apple Ad. View the indie-dancerific Postal Service video.   via and via. Cardboardmonsters will eat them both.

UPDATE: (via) Josh Melnick and Xander Charity directed both videos. "However,  Sarah Moody of Sub Pop Records, The Postal Service's Seattle record company, writes: "... the Apple commercial is indeed very similar, it wasn't licensed in any form, and was made by the same directors as the Postal Service video. We weren't alerted to the fact that it existed until the day it came out."...Apple's ad agency, TBWA\Chiat\Day, didn't respond to a request for comment." But they will have to soon!

Comments

[ChrisJM]

Check out the original site to post this video, link below, along with several screen-shots from the videos, showing just how similar they are. The Postal Service's record label has since reported that they were unaware of the Apple Ad, and The Postal Service has now piped in, saying that they're "disappointed" with Apple and the ad agency that made both videos, because they weren't involved in the decision.
http://www.ELITEproductionsWI.com/apple-ps.htm

[Travis]

it's all very much the same way that the postal service used the napolean dynamite director for their "we will become silhouttes" video. of course the postal service wasn't complain about using similar imagery from a film to sell their cd.

kettle calling pot black.

[bernie]

Rip off: I'm sold.
But it seems all is well in synergy land. I was on the itunes store today and the such great heights video is PROMINENTLY displayed at the top of the front page (Canadian store). This is not a coincidence. The album has been out for almost 2 years.

So if they didn't buy the rights, at least they are promoting the video.

It is weird however, that they do this AGAIN. I mean they ripped off Eminem and then instead of paying him back, they promoted him in another rip off [of lugz]. And now this. I guess they and/or their ad agencies can do what they damn well please. They are the creative mothership afterall. And what the mothership giveth the mothership can taketh away.

[Mr eel]

All this rip-off shit is missing the point. The question here is did Apple or their ad agancy ask for the directors to do a shot for shot remake of The Postal Service clip, or did the directors do this of their own accord?

If Apple asked for it, they're foolish. If directors reproduced the clip without telling anyone, Apple have a right to be pissed off. Problem is, we don't know any of this. So just chill uleh.

[Erik]

Quite inane that most of the trackbacks here mistake The Postal Service music video for an ad for the U.S. Postal Service. Haha. You can edit your mistakes on your respective pages, but you can't edit your trackbacks!

[Ben Popken]

Assuming your information is correct and its the same director team, Todd, my answer is yes, it's still a ripoff. Though, the onus is on TBWA (the ad agency) and Apple, not the directors. Hey that thing you did was great, do it again but for us. That's unoriginal thinking and that's a crime when your brand position is "Think Different."

[todd heyman]

It' the same director team. Is it a rip off if they ripped themselves off?

[werm]

Wow, some people's definition of what's a rip-off is pretty "skewed" (to be polite). Some of these apologists are almost at the "well, they used a camera to shoot it, and people have used cameras before, so it's not a rip-off...". Sheesh!

It's pretty clear that either Apple bought or licensed the rights to the PS footage, or the same director shot both. It's just too similar. There are thousands of ways the same facility could have been shot and edited and post-processed, but it's exactly the same - same lighting, same camera moves, same framing, same editing style, same suited techs handing off disks, and exactly the same framing on many shots (which leads me to believe that Apple licensed it). What's up with apologists, anyway? DO you work in the Apple ad dept?

[dooky]

Well this alone doesnt constitute a cry of RIPOFF! When u look back at ALL of Apples recent ads and realized they were all ripoffs then u see that something is fishy with apples ad department. the famous black ipod ads being ripped were well crhonicled online as well were the Eminem ads.

[grubs]

This "Same subject matter" or "Just inspired by" is really lame apologist junk.

The shots are framed the same. They have nothing to do with powers of ten. I can't see a single frame that has the same lighting, angles, wardrobe and framing as either of these pieces to powers of ten. Next to each, they aren't reminiscent of each other or even video of the same type of action as they are a reproduction of specific shots to the greatest detail possible.

These frames that are pulled out side by side are nearly identical shots. Watch the side by side.

Although I have to say the plaigarism isn't nearly as bad as the mac apologists attitude. "You should be proud to have a great company like Apple take your shots."

[shriki]

I <3 Postal Service.

[manuel]

who is not seeking for inspiration in other ppl's work? not saying this because i am a mac evangelist, but because it is so normal. most of us do, and i would be honored if such a great company would get its inspiration for such a clip out of my work. and what the others said: chip facilities do look all very similiar.

and it was kinda obvious that the ad-theme for the intelchip introduction would have something to do with chips. so whats the fuzz? :)

[ckawalek]

Definitely not as much of a rip-off as the Apple Eminem ad vs. the Lugz ad. And hey it's great advertising for Postal Service, everybody wants to see the video.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/11/07/lugz/index.php

-Chris

[ckawalek]

Definitely not as much of a rip-off as the Apple Eminem ad vs. the Lugz ad.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/11/07/lugz/index.php

-Chris

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Yeah, it looks like they both got access to a chip plant and two dramatists (directors) went at it in a similar fashion. I attribute this more to the same production being captured and not a rip off. The angles are different :P

[Majken]

I wouldn't say it's a rip-off. Rip-off is meant to denote someone that passed someone else's work off as their own. This looks completely intentional, listen to the words of the song, the name of the song is "Such Great Heights" this seems to be the entire message of the apple ad. The reproduced shots are too perfect to be anything other than an intentional 'reference' to the music video. Too perfect for someone trying to "rip-off" someone else's work. Perhaps there is a long version that uses this song as the soundtrack to the commercial?

[Ed Knittel]

I think "rip-off" is a rather harsh term to use especially if you do not know the arrangement and the agreement that was made with Apple and the director of the Intel ads in regards to the "Such Great Heights" video. Until we know everything I think we should save judgement for later. But, if you'd rather play the game your way, the Postal Service video has ripped off Charles and Ray Eames' "Powers of Ten" http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5555313278261147278&q=powers+of+ten or maybe you think they were just "influenced". How do you tell the difference again?

[Duncan]

For all we know it could be the same director!

[alfie]

not a rip off? What? Timing and design aesthetic alone is enough to show this as a pretty direct rip-off, what is interesting is whether that can be proved in a copyright case.

[Total Rip off]

Yes, but if you've ever worked in video editing and cinema you would know that camera angles are well thought out and planned. For some of these angles to be EXACTLY the same is a total rip off.

[Rezmason]

It's too bad that originality is such a difficult thing to gauge these days. Is there any way to guarantee that the makers of the Apple ad were or weren't "inspired" by the music video? And even if they were, how do we measure the amount of creativity that they *did* have?

[Spencer Parker]

I wouldn't say it is a direct rip-off they both cover the same concept...they are pretty similar...

[Not Really]

If you've ever worked in a facility producing silicon wafers, you would know that they all appear very similiar.

[Kool]

Far fetched to say that this is a rip-off!!