The audition for the unnamed commercial called for a family. Six or more people would be ideal. Calgary-based actor Chris Ippolito brought 23.
The merry clan – two sets of grandparents, his two-year old daughter and siblings and cousins – did not know which brand they would be promoting. They did not know the TV commercial would become the cornerstone of Apple Inc.’s marketing during the crucial holiday season. And no one knew the work they were doing would be Emmy-worthy.
“It was all top secret,” Mr. Ippolito recalls of the audition in a Calgary hotel in November.
Within a couple of weeks, they were let in on the secret and the whole corps was off to Edmonton for filming. It was only after they arrived that they were told the ad was for one of the world’s biggest technology companies.
On Saturday, the ad, “Misunderstood,” beat out competitors including Budweiser and General Electric to win the award for “outstanding commercial” at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Conceived by U.S. ad agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab, “Misunderstood” featured an extended family celebrating a snowy, idyllic Christmas together while a sullen teenager remained glued to his iPhone. The twist at the end of the ad, which won it widespread attention, was that the teen had been capturing holiday moments all along in videos shot with his phone. He surprises the family with an emotional film tribute on Christmas morning.
Seeking out the setting for the Christmas tale, Apple went to Alberta.
“Their primary concern was to be able to sell that dream that [viewers] saw in the commercial,” Mr. Ippolito said. “For them, that meant lots and lots of snow, and Canada’s pretty good for that. The house itself was not too dissimilar to my grandmother’s house – we’re from rural Saskatchewan originally – so there was a sentimental essence to it.”
The only one who was not a real member of the family was the teenager. All players except for Mr. Ippolito and his wife Karen MacKenzie were non-professionals.
So what is shooting an Apple ad like? Just weeks before Christmas, the family spent four days tobogganing, ice skating, building a snowman, decorating a tree and making gingerbread cookies.
While professional cameras were used for establishing shots, Mr. Ippolito says many of the shots were taken on iPhones.
To capture reactions to the fictional son’s film, the production team put together a 20-minute movie with shots such as Mr. Ippolito and Ms. MacKenzie’s daughter Clara-Anne touching her nose to a tree ornament, and her cousins playing together in the snow. The family’s emotional reactions, including his mother Joanne Ippolito’s tears, were real, he said.
“You know those moments where you say, ‘I wish I had a video camera for that?’ We got an all-expenses paid Christmas vacation with cameras all around us,” he said.
“Everyone was paid very well,” Ms. MacKenzie added.
The family was astounded to find their home movie viewed by millions.
When it aired, the Apple holiday ad received some conflicting reviews. A piece in Forbes called it"depressing," and argued that"what would have had more impact was if Apple made a commercial that said, 'put down the iPhone this holiday season and actually look at, talk with, be with your family and friends.'" Advertising Age, however, said the ad was a tearjerker that hit all the right notes and proved"Apple is regaining its creative stride.
After the nomination, the director, Lance Acord, encouraged the family to keep their expectations in check. After all, it was up against heavyweights: General Electric, Nike, and two Budweiser Super Bowl ads, one featuring a friendship between a labrador puppy and a Clydesdale. Mr. Acord is a cinematographer who was director of photography for movies including Being John Malkovich, Where the Wild Things Are, and Lost in Translation.
His advertising credentials including directing the much-loved Volkswagen Super Bowl ad, “The Force,” featuring a mini Darth Vader, and the “jogger” ad for Nike that won awards for its portrayal of an overweight child struggling through a jog as an example of greatness.
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“He was being cautious. He was saying, ‘Look, we’re up against puppies,’” Mr. Ippolito recalls.
The Creative Arts Emmys, usually held the week before the big Emmy award show, gives prizes for the more technical aspects of television production.
Mr. Ippolito was invited to Los Angeles to attend the ceremony, but instead celebrated the win in Calgary. He was reluctant to fly. Clara-Anne’s baby brother is due in just a couple of weeks, a happy by-product of the trip.
“It was very cold and snowy in Edmonton,” he said. “As a result, Karen and I sprouted our own little apple.”
Here are the other nominees the Apple ad beat for the Emmy award:
Budweiser – “Hero’s Welcome”
Ad agency: Anomaly
Budweiser – “Puppy Love”
Ad agency: Anomaly
General Electric – “Childlike Imagination”
Ad agency: BBDO
Nike “Possibilities”
MJZ (production company)
Ad agency: Wieden & Kennedy