This blog discusses a number of similar productions and advertisements and whether they're inspired by one-another, or they just copy.
Peter Fischli & David Weiss - Der Lauf Der Dinge (The Way Things Go)
According to a source on Amazon, this short movie was released on 1st January 1987. Directed by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, they used a number of different materials such as tyres, ladders, soap, oil and gasoline. All of these are somehow put in to the production in a certain order to make the Rube Goldberg Machine run smoothly.
Honda - The Cog (advert)
This advertisement was first launched on ITV1 on 6th April 2003. The production was actually contacted by the Fischli and Weiss, as they threatened to take legal action over the similarities between The Cog and The Way Things Go. The artists felt that the ads creators had ''obviously seen'' their film, and should have consulted them.
This Too Shall Pass - 2nd March 2010
This Too Shall Pass was originally a song, and there are actually two music videos for it. The first music video was 'Marching Band', which was released on 12th January 2010. James Frost, the director, then found time to direct another video he had ''always wanted to do''. This is when he create the video that revolved around a Rube Goldberg Machine. The video's inspiration came from the band who originally wrote the song, who wanted ''a giant machine that we dance with.''
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My personal favourite video is This Too Shall Pass by OK Go, directed my James Frost. The reason for this is because I find the whole approach to the video absolutely incredible. The main introduction to the video occurs about 10 seconds in, when a toy car knocks over a domino, starting to create the famous domino collapse that most people world wide would have seen. Throughout the video 4-minute-long video, we see a number of levers and contraptions all coinciding with each other to create a seamless production that keeps the audience engaged. I personally think this video is a lot better than The Way Things Go because in that video, the audience do a lot of waiting around for things to happen, which is quite boring. Also, the video I watched was around 10 minutes long, and I think trying to fill this time can be quite tricky. I also think that as This Too Shall Pass has better attractions within the video because it was filmed a lot more recently, and the production team and directors would've possibly had a slightly higher budget and a lot more technology and props.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Overlooking the 3 productions, they are all very similar in one way or another. I think the main comparison I can make is the fact they have all been inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine, which originally made its debut in the 1900s. There are many parts I like throughout the whole 3 productions, however there are also negatives for me in each production. My favourite part of The Way Things Go is when the chemical reaction takes place around 3.30 minutes in. The way this is designed is very clever, as like an other Rube Goldberg Machine, each sequence brings another event. The reaction then causes a foam-like substance to 'pop' 2 candles which creates yet another sequence. I really like this feature as it adds a little bit of chemistry in to the production, and it's fascinating to watch. My least favourite part is actually the start. I was watching a bin bag spin of its own accord for about 30 seconds... and ever since that point I was dreading the rest, I thought it would be incredibly boring.
As I said before, my favourite production out of the 3 was This Too Shall Pass. My favourite feature in this production is the domino-collapse at the very beginning of the film. I have always found it fascinating to watch dominoes fall, ever since I was little, so I knew that before I'd even seen the rest of the movie, this would be one of my favourite parts. It's such a simple technique to use, and so easy to design, yet it's so effective to the eye and it looks great in all productions, no matter what the theme. I actually have another section I really enjoyed watching; and this was the spoons hitting the glasses filled with water, forming a musical tune that could actually be a song. I think this part is under-estimated on how hard it could actually be, as most of us know that the design of this would've been filling different glasses up with a different amount of water, creating lower and higher tones. I have to be honest and say there isn't a 'least favourite' section in the production. I think this is because each part of the film happens so quickly, and comparing this to The Way Things Go, it is clear. In The Way Things Go, it all happens very slowly, and each contraption takes quite a long amount of time to react to the last one, which can be quite dull to watch.
The 3rd and final production I watched was The Cog which was originally made by Honda to advertise one of their cars. The concept of this production is really good as when it appears on the TV, it's fascinating to watch as it has different sections to keep people interested. It's also unique and different to any other advertising technique, and this is why people find it interesting. The design of the advert also allows the audience to see what goes in to the car and it's basic features. People will go to their friends and say ''Did you see that car advert with the different bits going in to it? It's so cool!" etc, and it could also boost Honda's profile. My favourite part of this production was the section about 18 seconds in, which consists of 3 screws on a detached bonnet working in synchronicity with each other, starting from the top of the bonnet and working their way down. I think I like this effect as it's similar to the domino effect seen in the This Too Shall Pass production; each screw moves to create the next screws' movement and so on. As for my least favourite part of the production, I don't really have one. The past two videos I have found something I'm not keen on, but this production is faultless in my eyes. The sound effects are also very good as they tend to be very crisp and clear, so they're easily recognizable. I think with this production, if you were to compare it to the previous 2, then this is very modern.
I wouldn't have straight-out said that anyone is copying. If anything, each production has been inspired by previous productions that have been launched. In this case, all 3 productions are inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine. Looking at things from the perspective of Peter Fischli & David Weiss, who produced The Way Things Go, I would say there are a couple of elements in This Too Shall Pass which are noticeably similar. I think as the Honda - The Cog advertisement has been produced with much more modern technology that the other 2 productions, it has its own unique twist in which the production announces itself to the audience. For example, the tyres going up a ramp is completely impossible, and it gives it that own value of it virtually being impossible without computer technology; whereas the other 2 productions are all hand-made with no super-imposed performances.
There's no such thing as completely original productions. Something, somewhere, and somehow, has been inspired by something in which the artist has seen.
Cheerio. :o)
- Olivia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fischli_and_David_Weiss#The_Way_Things_Go - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(advertisement) - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Too_Shall_Pass_(song)#Second_music_video:_Rube_Goldberg_Machine - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
Honda - The Cog (advert)
This advertisement was first launched on ITV1 on 6th April 2003. The production was actually contacted by the Fischli and Weiss, as they threatened to take legal action over the similarities between The Cog and The Way Things Go. The artists felt that the ads creators had ''obviously seen'' their film, and should have consulted them.
This Too Shall Pass - 2nd March 2010
This Too Shall Pass was originally a song, and there are actually two music videos for it. The first music video was 'Marching Band', which was released on 12th January 2010. James Frost, the director, then found time to direct another video he had ''always wanted to do''. This is when he create the video that revolved around a Rube Goldberg Machine. The video's inspiration came from the band who originally wrote the song, who wanted ''a giant machine that we dance with.''
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My personal favourite video is This Too Shall Pass by OK Go, directed my James Frost. The reason for this is because I find the whole approach to the video absolutely incredible. The main introduction to the video occurs about 10 seconds in, when a toy car knocks over a domino, starting to create the famous domino collapse that most people world wide would have seen. Throughout the video 4-minute-long video, we see a number of levers and contraptions all coinciding with each other to create a seamless production that keeps the audience engaged. I personally think this video is a lot better than The Way Things Go because in that video, the audience do a lot of waiting around for things to happen, which is quite boring. Also, the video I watched was around 10 minutes long, and I think trying to fill this time can be quite tricky. I also think that as This Too Shall Pass has better attractions within the video because it was filmed a lot more recently, and the production team and directors would've possibly had a slightly higher budget and a lot more technology and props.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Overlooking the 3 productions, they are all very similar in one way or another. I think the main comparison I can make is the fact they have all been inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine, which originally made its debut in the 1900s. There are many parts I like throughout the whole 3 productions, however there are also negatives for me in each production. My favourite part of The Way Things Go is when the chemical reaction takes place around 3.30 minutes in. The way this is designed is very clever, as like an other Rube Goldberg Machine, each sequence brings another event. The reaction then causes a foam-like substance to 'pop' 2 candles which creates yet another sequence. I really like this feature as it adds a little bit of chemistry in to the production, and it's fascinating to watch. My least favourite part is actually the start. I was watching a bin bag spin of its own accord for about 30 seconds... and ever since that point I was dreading the rest, I thought it would be incredibly boring.
 |
| The chemical reaction - as it happened |
As I said before, my favourite production out of the 3 was This Too Shall Pass. My favourite feature in this production is the domino-collapse at the very beginning of the film. I have always found it fascinating to watch dominoes fall, ever since I was little, so I knew that before I'd even seen the rest of the movie, this would be one of my favourite parts. It's such a simple technique to use, and so easy to design, yet it's so effective to the eye and it looks great in all productions, no matter what the theme. I actually have another section I really enjoyed watching; and this was the spoons hitting the glasses filled with water, forming a musical tune that could actually be a song. I think this part is under-estimated on how hard it could actually be, as most of us know that the design of this would've been filling different glasses up with a different amount of water, creating lower and higher tones. I have to be honest and say there isn't a 'least favourite' section in the production. I think this is because each part of the film happens so quickly, and comparing this to The Way Things Go, it is clear. In The Way Things Go, it all happens very slowly, and each contraption takes quite a long amount of time to react to the last one, which can be quite dull to watch.
 |
| Left: dominoes and Right: glasses playing tune |
The 3rd and final production I watched was The Cog which was originally made by Honda to advertise one of their cars. The concept of this production is really good as when it appears on the TV, it's fascinating to watch as it has different sections to keep people interested. It's also unique and different to any other advertising technique, and this is why people find it interesting. The design of the advert also allows the audience to see what goes in to the car and it's basic features. People will go to their friends and say ''Did you see that car advert with the different bits going in to it? It's so cool!" etc, and it could also boost Honda's profile. My favourite part of this production was the section about 18 seconds in, which consists of 3 screws on a detached bonnet working in synchronicity with each other, starting from the top of the bonnet and working their way down. I think I like this effect as it's similar to the domino effect seen in the This Too Shall Pass production; each screw moves to create the next screws' movement and so on. As for my least favourite part of the production, I don't really have one. The past two videos I have found something I'm not keen on, but this production is faultless in my eyes. The sound effects are also very good as they tend to be very crisp and clear, so they're easily recognizable. I think with this production, if you were to compare it to the previous 2, then this is very modern.
 |
| The screws creating a sequence to form an action |
I wouldn't have straight-out said that anyone is copying. If anything, each production has been inspired by previous productions that have been launched. In this case, all 3 productions are inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine. Looking at things from the perspective of Peter Fischli & David Weiss, who produced The Way Things Go, I would say there are a couple of elements in This Too Shall Pass which are noticeably similar. I think as the Honda - The Cog advertisement has been produced with much more modern technology that the other 2 productions, it has its own unique twist in which the production announces itself to the audience. For example, the tyres going up a ramp is completely impossible, and it gives it that own value of it virtually being impossible without computer technology; whereas the other 2 productions are all hand-made with no super-imposed performances.
There's no such thing as completely original productions. Something, somewhere, and somehow, has been inspired by something in which the artist has seen.
Cheerio. :o)
- Olivia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fischli_and_David_Weiss#The_Way_Things_Go - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(advertisement) - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Too_Shall_Pass_(song)#Second_music_video:_Rube_Goldberg_Machine - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
No comments:
Post a Comment