Director Kevin Fitzgerald of Rabbit documents a life in rapid-fire reverse in a new :75 for the South African market, “Memories” for Tracker, with Egg Films, Cape Town and agency Joe Public, Johannesburg. Employing a blend of stop-frame and animated stills, the spot documents one woman’s colorful life in a car from infancy to old age, told in reverse. The affecting visuals are supported by Brandi Carlile’s hit song, “The Story.”
“Memories” opens on an elderly lady knitting alone in a car, captured in stop-frame. We cut to the woman in the same car, dressed in black and mourning the loss of a loved one. Then we see the loved one, her husband, as they drive down a country road. Growing increasingly younger, the woman and man are next in a city, then delivering their firstborn.
Younger still, we see the couple elated on their wedding day. Next is the pre-marriage phase, in which we see the woman and a young man party and go to prom together. Now the woman is no longer a woman, but a child playing with toys in the car and stealing a bite of birthday cake. We cut to an infant speeding away in a car, then to the Tracker agent reaching in to save the baby from a stolen car. A super appears, “She won’t remember him, but he’s given her a lifetime of memories.” The Tracker logo and tag, “Taking Back Tomorrow” close out the spot.
The stills were shot using the Canon 5D, with select elements animated to give the imagery life. “The high-res processing speed isn’t super fast with the 5D, so we actually had to slow the performances down,” said Fitzgerald. “This was a challenge with the child actors; kids rarely sit still.” Fitzgerald formed the narrative by piecing together emotional bullet points in one woman’s life. The director added, “I included big life events that every South African can relate to. We also wanted a mix of happiness, anger, awkwardness and tragedy, so the spot represented real life.”
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More