r/interestingasfuck • u/Ocelot859 • Jan 29 '23
Honda used every part of the Accord to make its award winning launch ad in 2003.
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
429
u/Little_Duckling Jan 29 '23
How do those tires roll UP the ramp with such a small push?
176
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
I mapped out the explanation of the commercial in my original post above ☝️(or below now)
Physics, baby...
Edit:
I know wayyyy tooo much about a damn car commercial 🤣
Had to study it in school and do a project about it.Edit 2:
If you don't mind could you leave a comment on the History & Explanations of How It Was Done to get it back the top, not sure why it fell.I think it would really help people understand the commercial, that and I also have many people DM'ing me about what I already put a lot of effort and research in to explaining it. Lol. 🙏
Ask any questions on physics related 💙
Edit 3:
You guys rock, it's back up to the top 🤘73
u/Little_Duckling Jan 29 '23
Ohhhhh! Counterweights IN the tires! Very clever.
53
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
Yup! Fighting gravity with gravity. 🌲🍎💪
7
u/Rdubya44 Jan 29 '23
How would that make them roll up hill? That part just looks so hard to believe
32
u/BumderFromDownUnder Jan 29 '23
Because the weighed part is going down, not up
17
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
☝️ this... and the force of it is overcoming the force of gravity and able to "roll up"
9
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
Lol scroll up and read my friend... the answer you shall find.
Later, I can provide a physics video for an example, but it's pretty straight forward in my explanation.
It's a simple trick manipulating weight/mass/momentum and overcoming gravity.
7
u/Dewy164 Jan 29 '23
I think it fell again lol
5
-4
u/Ok_Breakfast_5459 Jan 29 '23
Funny how the camera doesn’t show the complete moving tire. Very sketchy.
6
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
-5
u/Ok_Breakfast_5459 Jan 29 '23
Yeah, they fiddled a bit with the timing though, so it looks unnatural. It should have a pendulum-like timing to it.
5
u/gesmith5 Jan 30 '23
They put nuts and bolts inside the tires to create an offset weight so they would roll up.
4
0
u/SlaterVJ Jan 30 '23
CGI is how.
I see people saying it's not CGI, but it all looks fake as hell. Like, it looks like slightly better CGI than the G.I. Joe movie.
→ More replies-24
472
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
History & Explanations of How It Was Done.
The advert is called “The Cog" launched by Honda in 2003 during the Super Bowl.
-The advert (commercial) was created with a budget of $1.3 million dollars and a crew of over 30 people (a main crew of 8).
-It took over 100 takes to get the final cut after 5 months of set up and preparation.
-And essentially uses no CGI, but shot in real time, live-action, and relies on the Rube Goldberg theory with physics and engineering.
-The parts had to be placed within .5 mm accuracy. It was so precise that even different humidity and heat, and the amount of dust that settled on some objects gave them trouble setting it up.
The CGI (where, if any?)
CGI was only used in two circumstances and not where you think.
- It was used to enhance overall visual acuity (make it clearer) in post-production.
- However, the other circumstance it was used in the video (was surprisngly not the tires up the ramp), but during the the muffler rolling and to splice together two camera shots.
They filmed in 2 separate segments and then cropped the two together.At the very end of one segment the muffler kept losing momentum so they would have to use CGI to make it more natural.
And thus, the second segment begins just after the muffler had been given momentum artificially. If you close you can tell the muffler kind of unnaturally picks up momentum and notice the texture of the floor with where they dissolved the two takes together.
The Tires (uhhh, how?)
Many believed the tires are where the CGI was used, but shockingly it is not. The tires up the ramp were accomplished with some physics principles and simple physics tricks.
The tires were augmented with weights. They glued weights inside of them and positioned them top heavy and off center, each at different angles, so when bumped it would roll until the weight was at the bottom. They fought gravity with gravity!
It won multiple awards, is discussed in advertising courses in university all across the world til this day, and considered one of the greatest adverts of all time.
58
u/SeverusSnek2020 Jan 29 '23
The rolling muffler is when I said cgi.
45
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
Yup, yup... it's pretty seamless transition, but you can just tell, especially with the texture of the floor and how it unnaturally picks up momentum.
Remarkable, that's the only true moment it's used though.
The director wanted "zero CGI", but they just couldn't get the muffler to keep momentum.
5
71
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
Here is an attached video of “behind the scenes footage” of “The Making of The Cog”.
The Making of "The Cog" (Behind the Scenes)
Doesn’t quite explain the physics principles as above, but still some really cool footage.
2
u/Zandernator98 Jan 30 '23
I’m not understanding the window rolling down with the board going through it?
3
u/Ocelot859 Jan 30 '23
It's a commercial that took 5.5 months just to prepare for with a team of engineers. I don't have the answer for everything, but I'd imagine, as it's pretty blatantly visible, it has something to do with the part rolling over that wire/sensor which is probably the wiring/sensor to activate the window - they just ripped it out and set it there. Remember simply pushing down (applied force) a plastic button activates your cars window rolling down.
2
u/Zandernator98 Jan 30 '23
I checked the YouTube video, I’m just an idiot; it’s just two pieces of wood and the window goes in between lol
-12
u/megabulk Jan 29 '23
Cool except they ripped off the whole concept from Fischli and Weiss The Way Things Go.
19
u/Veighnerg Jan 29 '23
If you believe that then look up the name Rube Goldberg.
8
2
9
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
Man... the Internet just can't have one single day of positive vibes can it?
Who cares, I've seen that debunked, but even if they got the idea... who cares?
Does it make it any less amazing?
2
12
7
3
1
u/cuzwhat Jan 30 '23
Why would Honda make a commercial for the Super Bowl of a car that isn’t available in the US?
Because this commercial was made for the UK’s coverage of the 2003 Brazilian Gran Prix.
The USDM 03-07 accord never came in a wagon, and the coupe and sedans didn’t look anything like that. The Euro accord featured in this commercial is mostly found as an Acura TSX in the states….and it wasn’t offered as a wagon.
0
u/L4KE_ Jan 30 '23
The speakers cant be real, they wouldn't move so much in real life and everything is lit like its a game from 2002 which makes the whole video really sus
1
u/Ocelot859 Jan 30 '23
Fucking read, man.. just fucking read... watch the behind the scenes... educate yourself on basic physics. And most importantly stop using the word 'sus' and copying what the 100's of millions of others say... be original, be different, think for yourself, be creative. So tired of everything being 'sus'.
→ More replies-12
u/Peterd1900 Jan 29 '23
The advert is called “The Cog" launched by Honda in 2003 during the Super Bowl.
The Ad has nothing to do with the Super Bowl
Its a British ad made for Honda UK for the launch of the 7th generation Honda Accord
The European Honda accord being a different car to the US Honda Accord
10
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
Dude, I've literally said this, multiple times to multiple people.
I literally said it was first air'd in the US during the Super Bowl in 2003 when a person asked "how come I never saw this, was it played in the US?"
But that it was initially released in the UK. The director is a famous British ad director.
Also of course, it had nothing "directly to do with the Super Bowl or football" ... it's a dang car commercial... the Super Bowl is famous for it's commercials as its one of the most watched live events in the world year round
Edit:
Why do you keep replying the same thing?-9
u/Peterd1900 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
But that it was initially released in the UK. The director is a famous British ad director.
So it was aired first in the UK then shown at the Superbowl?
So iy was initially released in to the UK but shown at the Superbowl that happened 3 months before it was released in the UK
That meaning it was not initially released in the UK if it was shown at the Superbowl 3 months before it appeared at the UK
There is no source online that says it was on the Superbowl 2003
Doyou have a source cos everything i see says it released on 6th April 2003 which was after the Superbowl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(advertisement)#cite_note-Mark-4#cite_note-Mark-4)
The high cost of 120-second slots in televised commercial breaks meant that the full version of "Cog" was broadcast only a handful of times, and only in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden. Despite its limited run, it is regarded as one of the most groundbreaking
https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2016/jun/02/how-we-made-hondas-cog-ad-wieden-kennedy
The full two-minute advert was only aired on a handful of occasions in April 2003, appearing in premium spots during major sporting events such as the Brazilian Grand Prix
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_commercials
5
→ More replies-11
u/ElemLight Jan 29 '23
When you say CGI you mean VFX
15
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
In my research they used the term "CGI" many times, including the director and a post-production guy in an interview.
I'm not a film study guy, though, don't even really know how to explain the exact difference of VFX and CGI, in technical terms.
74
u/Regularjerry4u Jan 29 '23
I’d kill for another Honda station wagon.
24
u/Dependent_Story4961 Jan 29 '23
ughhh, yes. this looks sooo good. and our family is at the point of needing this, but i dont want an egg shaped SUV. only wagons in the US these days are from luxury brands
11
5
u/Rolling_on_the_river Jan 29 '23
Is volvo considered luxury in the us? If not, consider a V70.
8
u/Dependent_Story4961 Jan 29 '23
yea, v60 starts around 50k USD, where an Accord is more like 28k. also here in the states they only offer the AWD versions with plastic cladding etc for that rugged look you know.
5
u/Regularjerry4u Jan 29 '23
They are way to expensive to work on here in the states. Toyota and Hondas are the best for the money
3
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
3
u/Regularjerry4u Jan 29 '23
The day I got my first car (an accord) to 300k I got rear ended at a stop light. Totaled the car but somehow managed to drive it home.
1
u/Rolling_on_the_river Jan 29 '23
Expensive how? How much would an old V70 cost?
4
u/Animallover4321 Jan 29 '23
It’s the maintenance that kills you. My mom has always loved Volvos and I promise you compared to my Suburu and our old Toyota, the Volvos always cost an arm and leg to repair. It’s painful going to the mechanic.
4
u/Regularjerry4u Jan 29 '23
Like a clutch will run you 3k installed where as a Honda might set you back 1800
2
→ More replies1
3
→ More replies1
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
3
u/Regularjerry4u Jan 29 '23
Not in America. From what I gather there’s euro model
2
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
3
u/Regularjerry4u Jan 29 '23
Your guess is as good as mine
2
u/TheWrongBros Jan 30 '23
Oh I actually know this one! So station wagons are classified as passenger cars here in the US, while SUVs are classified as "light trucks". These classes have different emissions (or maybe fuel efficiency?) requirements under the CAFE standards, so since SUVs have much more lenient legal requirements most manufacturers/dealers prefer making and selling those for a US domestic audience. You'll note that station wagons were plenty common here in the 70s and 80s before the CAFE standards were a thing. In Europe, I think the car classes and requirements differ, such that SUVs don't have the light trucks loophole, and as such you see a lot more station wagons since without that, in many use cases they have a lot of intrinsic advantages over SUVs.
That is certainly one of the biggest factors, though one could also talk about the average American's desire for a "rugged" car (with or without ever taking it off road). There's also the sort of "arms race" of vehicle size/ride height — I drive a Subaru Outback, and even with the 8" of ground clearance the fact that it has a relatively lower seating position means that it's sometimes hard to see over all the egg-shaped crossover SUVs, not to mention the huge-ass pickup trucks. I couldn't imagine what it's like for someone in a normal sedan!
→ More replies
26
u/mynameisnotthom Jan 29 '23
This advert got me into Rube Goldberg machines
10
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
He's the man.
I always laugh and think of him watching this and being like...
"Man, people have too much time on their hands..."
→ More replies2
44
18
u/Hippobu2 Jan 29 '23
TIL the Accord isn't exclusively a sedan.
7
u/tldnradhd Jan 29 '23
The last non-sedan Accord for the US market was the coupe in the 2017 model year. The Civic still has multiple body styles, but the Accord is sedan-only with no hints of different offerings.
2
48
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
The demonically possessed windshield wiper crab is a bit haunting, but aside from that it’s a beautiful piece of art.
16
u/heinebold Jan 29 '23
I was watching in awe, then the wipers started crawling and I laughed my ass of and had to rewind
56
u/rbsudden Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
I saw it when it first came out and thought this is the best ad I've ever seen, this is still the best ad I've ever seen.
8
11
u/Helper_J_is_Stuck Jan 29 '23
Still to this day the first thing I think of when 'best ever TV ads' gets mentioned.
I think this was a high quality era for Honda adverts in general, though I struggle to remember any of the others from that time.
→ More replies
31
u/Theleming Jan 29 '23
I was thinking "that was definitely not every part" then I saw the entire car at the end and just facepalmed as I realized it's technically the truth.
9
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
Otherwise, it might have taken not 6 months, but a decade plus to make that commercial... Lol
→ More replies2
1
8
u/Yoguls Jan 29 '23
If you like yourself a good Rube Goldberg machine, watch the music video to This too shall pass by OK GO
16
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
Car adverts in 2003: An advert about the car.
Car adverts in 2023: A short romantic or sentimental film about a person's journey in connecting with the car that has shaped the previous generations of their family.
→ More replies2
u/EvlMinion Jan 29 '23
I read on Ars that Sony and Honda are teaming up to try and start their own EV automaker. The marketing puff was so much of that 2023 line. Some nonsense about experiencing mobility or whatever. It hurt to read.
2
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
3
u/EvlMinion Jan 29 '23
I was just taking a shot at the awkward marketing-speak, but I don't disagree with you on that either.
5
u/mrspelunx Jan 29 '23
I remember this QuickTime video circulating around back when I was in college. It is fabulous.
4
4
9
u/MightyMarf Jan 29 '23
I had not seen this before! Love it!
14
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
It's gorgeous.
Here's better footage of it in HD... I uploaded the wrong one 🤦🏻♂️
2
u/MightyMarf Jan 29 '23
Thanks! This really should be the standard by which all advertising should live.
PS: I am a dreamer, but it's free.1
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
Hence, why Future can be heard rapping in the beginning in the one I uploaded. Lol.
Guess he really was from the future...
3
u/MichelleObamasBoner6 Jan 29 '23
I've never seen this ad. Was it not played in the US?
1
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
No it was... during the 2003 Super Bowl.
But initially aired in the UK.
4
u/Peterd1900 Jan 29 '23
Not it was... during the 2003 Super Bowl.
But initially aired in the UK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(advertisement))
The 120-second final cut of "Cog" was broadcast on British television on 6 April 2003
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXVII
The game was played on January 26, 2003,
It aired initially in the UK but was shown 3 months before during the 2003 Super Bowl?
I cant seem to find a source that says it aired during the 2003 Superbowl
0
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
3
u/Peterd1900 Jan 29 '23
Do you have a source for that?
Nothing that says it was aired during the 2003 Super Bowl
Just that it first aired 6th April 2003?
Why were Honda showing an Ad for a car that they don't sell in the USA?
The European Accord is different to the US Accord?
It if it was initially aired in the UK the the word Initially meaning at first
So It first aired in the UK but was first aired during the superbowl?
0
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
5
u/Peterd1900 Jan 29 '23
Literally every source says it was initially broadcast on 6th April 2003 and was shown 10 times only that month and was only broadcast in 3 countries. None of which were the USA
If it was broadcast 3 months before hand it was released surely there would be something that says that
You said yourself it was initially released in the UK. But the super bowl happened before it was released
Unless there is another Superbowl that i have not heard of
Your statement contradicts each other it was initially shown in the UK but somehow shown 3 months before it was initially shown
2
u/JohnC53 Jan 29 '23
Did they even sell the hatchback/wagon in America at the time? I recall many years that they only sold it overseas. Thanks for all your wealth of info in all the comments!
2
3
3
3
u/raymate Jan 30 '23
I have a promotional DVD of this somewhere not sure how I got it. Think Honda dealers had them at the time.
→ More replies
3
u/darkknightbbq Jan 30 '23
I remember this ad like yesterday, it’s still one of my favourites no jokes no nothing just interesting
3
u/Just_wondering_2257 Jan 30 '23
Those cgi tires rolling up that incline just doesn’t do it for me.
→ More replies2
u/gesmith5 Jan 30 '23
They put nuts and bolts inside the tires to create an offset weight so they would roll up.
3
u/Jenetyk Jan 30 '23
This has to be one of the oldest videos I ever saw in the early days of the internet. Shit, this was on Ebaumsworld.com
2
2
2
2
u/Dittorre Jan 29 '23
I had a CL9 and a CW2 after it. Legendary cars! The k24a engine was amazing. And overall the most reliable cars ever. At the moment however Accord is no longer available in EU. And the new CRV / HRV feel underpowered (especially the latter). Not to mention the prices or the waiting times.
2
2
2
2
2
u/Recluse83 Jan 29 '23
Wow... I'd forgotten when adverts were either clever and attention-grabbing or funny, and not just pretentious, "quick, turn the volume down or change the channel" moments that they are today! 🤣
2
2
2
u/U_Arent_Special Jan 30 '23
20 years later and the overall body design and interior still look good. Honda are great engineers.
2
u/nexxai Jan 30 '23
ok that is fucken freaky. i was just thinking about this commercial the other day at yoga when i was meditating, and then to see it pop up on reddit after not seeing it in like 20 years is fucken weird.
2
2
3
1
u/K1rkl4nd Jan 29 '23
Nah, "Isn't it nice when everything comes together?" Such a missed opportunity..
1
1
Jan 29 '23
[deleted]
3
1
u/Ocelot859 Jan 29 '23
Reading this makes me want breakfast.
2
0
u/Gottapopemall Jan 29 '23
Ok that’s fucking annoying. Why didn’t he say “isn’t it nice when things just- come together?”
0
u/rosebudlightsaber Jan 29 '23
yeah, unfortunately this defies the laws of physics a few times… (wheels resting on a ramp) unless the wheels were modified or are suspended by other weights, lines or magnets.
→ More replies3
0
1
1
u/flippinecktucker Jan 29 '23
One tiny mention on the Wikipedia page of the fact that they nicked the whole thing from two artists without any credit: “Its success was blighted, however, by persistent accusations of plagiarism by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, the creators of The Way Things Go (1987).”
1
u/Doit2it42 Jan 29 '23
I hated that radio (2006 Accord). Had 2 go bad on me. Finally installed a Pioneer in the center console cubby.
1
1
1
u/New_Restaurant_6093 Jan 30 '23
Honda is the only manufacturer that is doing the car aesthetics right it seems like. I’m all for the station wagon
1
u/AggressiveQuiet7458 Jan 30 '23
Tyre's part I don't think so it works in that fashion
0
u/gesmith5 Jan 30 '23
They put nuts and bolts inside the tires to create an offset weight so they would roll up.
1
u/Tekki-chan Jan 30 '23
They did not use every part of a Honda Accord. Bare minimum, where are the airbags?
3
1
1
u/AshyWhiteGuy Jan 30 '23
I remember the first time I saw this I was blown away. Awesome advertising.
1
1
u/Novaleah88 Jan 30 '23
Did Honda do this, or did they get the Dude Perfect guys to do it?
→ More replies
1
u/nomodz4real Jan 30 '23
My partner still drives her 2003 Accord V6. It's a beautiful and reliable car
1
1
u/Enough_Appearance116 Jan 30 '23
I remember this commercial!
Wish the ads were like this nowadays. Seems like they just drive it around a bit, hit some bumps or puddles, then that's it. No creativity.
1
1
1
1
1
•
u/AutoModerator Jan 29 '23
This is a heavily moderated subreddit. Please note these rules + sidebar or get banned:
See this post for a more detailed rule list
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.