I have a flawless, hero-like obsession with Spike Jonze. In my mind, the man has a track-record of perfection with everything he’s ever touched. At first I intended to write a post about his old Adidas ad – potentially my favorite commercial of all time. But in stumbling around Youtube, I came across this Ikea ad from 2006 that I had never seen before. It’s 60 seconds of what now ranks in my Top 5 Jonze moments of all time.
The ad utilizes the art of framing. The same scenes in this short film would have been completely meaningless if taken from other angles. And while there are a couple pov shots, the majority of this ad utilizes nothing more than the angle of framing on the subject to instill a strong sense of personification on the lamp. At first you expect the lamp to move or show some sign of artificial life, but that bending of reality becomes completely unnecessary – I think it’s brilliant. Of course the full genius of the production comes at the end, when the fourth wall is dropped and the viewer is mocked for falling for the illusion of instilled emotion. This video is incredibly inspiring in its emphasis on not what you’re shooting, but how you’re shooting it.