Remember those HP ads from a while back — the ones where peoples images popped into picture frames as if by magic? These two clever guys, Ben Boutwell and Steve Alan, have revamped the idea in a super fun and endearing video that is quickly catching on around the net. Filmed in Hawaii, the duo’s version packs a lot of clever transitions into its short, one minute running time.
The original HP ad, created by Goodby Silverstein in 2005, sees a man sitting at his desk with a printer before him. As the Kinks classic song Picture Book plays in the background, he picks up a black frame and, with a flip of the wrist, captures his face within the frame. It remains fixed there, even when placed on the table.
What Ben Boutwell and Steve Alan do so well in appropriating the technique really comes down to two clever twists. One of those is how they generously trade off their large frame between the two; seamlessly transitioning between themselves at different locations around Hawaii. The other, is the way they’ve cleverly made their frame ‘predict’ their image before it is placed over their faces. This allows them to jump back into the frame, and in some cases, go right through it. If you’re interested in more fun and endearing videos from the two, head to benboutwell.com or thestevenalan.com.
In case you missed it, here’s the original HP advertisement:
