Situation:

Russia is a very tech-savvy country. People have high expectations of what technology can do for them. It’s also a nation where science and tech are so revered, that they are elevated to an art form.

Brief:

Create a unique cultural impact in Russia, whilst showcasing iPhone’s camera capabilities and extreme battery life.

Objectives:

1. Make a cultural impact: as the first bespoke launch piece for the market, embed Apple and iPhone in Russian culture, by achieving broad awareness of the campaign, and becoming a topic of conversation, getting Russians excited about the new iPhone.

2. Reinforce the new iPhone 11 Pro’s technical capabilities: as the smartphone category matured, and with innovation ever more incremental, it was getting harder to make the case to upgrade.

Using just one charge and one take, Russian director Axinya Gog on a five-hour-and-19-minute cinematic odyssey throughout the museum’s public collections, past artworks by Rembrandt, Raphael, Caravaggio, Canova and others, featuring live dance, performances and music along the way. The film culminates with a 30-minute musical finale from Russian pianist and composer, Kirill Richter.

Take cues from online product tests (a popular part of Russian YouTube culture) to epic proportions. Build a sense of jeopardy and pushing the limits of iPhone’s camera and battery in a unique way.

Set out to achieve a world first: The longest ever one-take film, shot on an iPhone, on a single battery charge.

Combined with an icon of Russia, The Hermitage.

A 5hr19min, single-take film on a single battery charge featuring 513 masterpieces within one of the world’s greatest museums - Hermitage in Russia.

Not just a visual walk through each gallery, but a beautifully choreographed piece of film making - complex contemporary dance, ballet, music and acting performances, complimented with 5hrs+ worth of uninterrupted scored music.

All shot on iPhone, using different lighting to compliment each painting (including works by Rembrandt, Raphael and Caravaggio), new camera techniques and experiencing the Hermitage and its collections like never before.

Emerging female filmmaker Axinya Gog was selected to take on this challenging task, bringing her unique interpretation and storytelling to the piece.

From sweeping camera movement showing the grandeur of the buildings, through to ultra close-ups with lowlight on artworks, every detail’s considered.

The entire film climaxes in a live performance by one of Russia’s leading pianists, accompanied by a choreographed dance piece.

Despite falling during one of the hottest news periods in Russia in 2020, the campaign received mass coverage by both mainstream and niche publications, driving coverage from 65+ Russian media titles.

Sentiment was overwhelmingly positive, driving wide scale cultural impact, with many titles applauding Apple for its inaugural project in Russia.

Headlines praised the iPhone’s camera and battery capabilities, with Russia’s largest news agency TASS labelling the project as a “must watch…visual masterpiece.”

In total, overall campaign content views reached over 16.93 million views, and with an average watch time on 5 hour film that was 10x longer than average viewing.