IBM was pulling out all the stops. Apple was perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apple was developing the Macintosh, a first. To maintain secrecy, the project’s staff had to relocate. The team named the building after one of Steve Jobs’ quotes, “It’s better to be a pirate than join the navy.” The team christened the structure by flying a pirate flag from the roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Apple decided to make a commercial for the Macintosh, it turned to Chiat\/Day, its go-to ad agency. They had previously done some low-budget ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStop the world in its tracks\u201d That was Steve Jobs\u2019 six-word brief to Steven Hayden of Chiat\/ Day<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jobs also didn’t limit the Chiat\/Day team. He didn’t say anything about the Super Bowl because he was unaware of it. He was just interested in making an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the days of C: prompts and blue screens, the Macintosh had a graphical user interface, a mouse, and a high price tag. “This computer will revolutionize everything,” Jobs told Hayden. If you put your grandmother in front of the computer, she’ll figure it out. Bold!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1984 was a tumultuous year. . There was an arms race and the Star Wars missile shield when Ronald Reagan was in the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a feeling that things were about to change, but there was no agreement on how, and George Orwell’s novel was widely regarded as prescient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayden, and his art director, Brent Thomas, well versed on politics and foreign policy, quickly recognized the Macintosh in political terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt occurred to us that the advent of Xerography had a tremendous impact on closed societies like the Soviet Union. The Samiztat, the underground press where people were passing around manuscripts, all that was made possible by the Xerox machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider what a computer that anybody could use could do. It will alter the world in ways we cannot predict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shuffle pile\u2014a collection of phrases, ideas, thoughts, and images created to inspire\u2014was the starting point for the ad’s brainstorming. One of the phrases in the Chiat\/Day Apple shuffle pile (which had previously been rejected) came from writer Gary Gussick: Why 1984 Won’t Be Like 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brent pulled out that line and thought \u2018There\u2019s got to be something we can do with that line.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a powerful global message and they feared another agency or brand would beat them to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The narrative didn’t just start with that memorable tag line. Gussick had simply coupled it with a simple image of an Apple Mac at first. It worked, but it wasn’t going to stop the world from moving on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee Clow remarked after Hayden and Thomas presented the idea: It’s not enough to say that. You have to shatter the image that\u2019s in people\u2019s minds.\u201d He also had the idea of a young woman storming the set and hurling a baseball bat at The Dictator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They soon met Ridley Scott, who was filming Blade Runner in Los Angeles. \u201cA baseball bat is far too American,’ Scott commented. \u201cGive her a sledgehammer to smash the screen.\u201d 1984 took on a dystopian twist when Scott showed them Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A film rather than a commercial, Scott’s commitment to authenticity began with the production design like a Vulcan nuclear bomber; Skinheads were the poor extras. They added character to the shoot and worked for only $25 per day, including food and beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A major snag arose. The women they brought in to audition for the ad’s protagonist couldn’t swing the sledgehammer above their heads and chuck it at the screen like they were supposed to. Anya Major, a British discus thrower, was cast in the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scott’s contribution didn’t end there. The Chiat\/Day team decided not to soundtrack the commercial because the director’s version included small aural accents like a coal whistle which was spot on<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visuals, were perfect. He did a 60-second director\u2019s cut that was frame-for-frame what went on the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which doesn\u2019t mean that it went off without a hitch. Because of Scott\u2019s high standards, the production got behind schedule and over budget. \u201cIt became clear we wouldn\u2019t have a 60-second version of 1984 if we didn\u2019t have an extra day of shooting,\u201d Hayden explains. \u201cAnd the client absolutely refused to sign the estimate for an extra day of shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That doesn’t mean it went smoothly. Scott’s exacting standards pushed the production schedule and budget. . \u201cIt became clear we wouldn\u2019t have a 60-second version of 1984 if we didn\u2019t have an extra day of shooting,\u201d Hayden explains. And Apple refused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This put Hayden in a tight spot. \u201cI’m now an officer of the company, and I guess I could sign the estimate,\u201d he told producer Richard O’Neill after being promoted to VP at Chiat\/Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou could,\u201d O\u2019Neill replied. \u201cBut if it doesn\u2019t work out, you\u2019re fired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayden signed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n