The Honda Cog Advertisement

Honda’s “Cog” commercial was an instant classic when it aired in Britain in 2003. Filmed to market the European Accord, the intricate ad involves no trick photography. There is one moment of computer-enhanced graphics, seen when the muffler rolls across the screen at roughly the one-minute mark. However, CGI is used in this instance only because of both the running time of the commercial and the distance the entire ad would need to reach its conclusion; the ad agency, Wieden & Kennedy, couldn’t find a studio large enough to accommodate the length of the ad, so the same space was used twice. Splitting the commercial into two one-minute pieces greatly increased the odds of an error-free take


The Amazing Work

One moment seems to defy gravity: at roughly the 25-second mark, three wheels roll uphill. Again, the effect was managed without the use of computer graphics. Rather, each wheel contained a counterweight that, when displaced, forced the wheel to roll forward in an effort to correct itself. A simple solution, but as this commercial shows, simple can be beautiful. As Garrison Keillor says at the end of the ad, “Isn’t it nice when things work?”

The Making of the the Video