See someone using an Android phone? He’s a bad guy

Or at least, that’s what Apple seemingly wants you to believe. According to Rian Johnson (director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out) in an interview with Vanity Fair, Apple doesn’t allow for movie-makers to have “bad guys” using iPhones onscreen. The ramifications for this are obvious—the next time you see someone using an Android phone in a film, it’s a safe bet that he’s not villain of the show… right?

Johnson says that Apple’s policy on how their products are depicted in films is strict:

“They let you use iPhones in movies but—and this is very pivotal if you’re ever watching a mystery movie—bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera.”

This isn’t the first time that something like this has happened. In fact, almost 20 years ago, an article from Wired put forward a theory that all of the villains in the hit TV show, 24, used Windows PCs, while the good guys all used Macs. The show was a hit, starring Keifer Sutherland, and picked up multiple awards including a Golden Globe. But one of the recurring themes of the series was betrayal, with a traitor within Bauer’s fictional group in the show.

But, as it turns out, viewers didn’t need to watch all 9 seasons to find out who were the baddies, and who were the good guys. All they needed to do was to look for the characters’ Macs/PCs.

Apparently, Apple has strict guidelines about how their devices are portrayed in films. iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other products from the Cupertino-based company should only be shown “in the best light”. Under “Depictions of Apple Products” in their legal section, you’re only allowed to show an image of an Apple product if you comply with their regulations.

Still, I think it’s a difficult clause to enforce. While the Apple logo and whatnot are indeed intellectual properties of Apple Inc, I can’t think of another company who has gone to such lengths to control the image of their devices. For example, are car manufacturers about the cars shown in passing in films?

Regardless, this is Apple. And Apple has always done things a little differently.

[ VIA ]