IB English B Course Book 2nd edition © Oxford University Press

102
IB English B Course Book 2nd edition © Oxford University Press

103
Samsung Straps A Smartphone To A CGI (Computered Generated Image) Bird
And Films One Of 2017’s Best Tech Ads

If you thought Ostriches couldn’t fly, think again. Leo Burnett created this spot “Ostrich” for
Samsung, promoting their Gear VR headset. It was played during the Samsung event in NYC,
introducing the new Galaxy S8 and S8 plus. Samsung had previously promoted their VR
headsets, but never like this.
The minute-and-a-half long ad begins with the cute creature finding a VR headset mislaid
by a foolish human.
After accidentally hooking the headset over its beak, our ostrich is suddenly confronted with
something it could never have possible imagined: unencumbered flight through the cloud.
Or, more accurately, a flight simulator. The ostrich is understandably astonished.
What follows is a big-hearted story about dreaming big, even when your dreams seem
physically impossible. Inspired by its VR visions to try and actually fly, the ostrich fails to
achieve take-off. However, after one of the few inspiring avian-based training montages, it
spreads it wings and achieves the impossible, soaring high above its landlocked pals. It’s
also worth mentioning that ‘Ostrich’ is brilliantly set to Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’, which
provides an ideal backdrop to such a silly but sweet premise.
Rather than focusing on technical specs or services offered, Samsung succeeds with
‘Ostrich’ by making a joyous, straightforward, emotional story.
The ads closing text sums up this attitude perfect, “We make what can’t be made, so you
can do what can’t be done”. The message is pretty clear. The Gear VR doesn’t just work by
itself. It needs a phone inside, like the Galaxy S8 that Samsung just unveiled, to help you do
the unthinkable.
Samsung makes clear that joy and enjoyment is at the heart of their VR experience, rather
than just gadgetry. Whether you already own a VR headset, are thinking about taking the
plunge or wish we could all go back to using rotary phones, there is no denying the simple
fact that one of 2017’s best tech adverts stars a CGI bird with a smartphone strapped to its
face. Isn’t the future great?
Overall, the ad is very entertaining. If you haven’t yet, you should definitely see it as it
catches your attention and its effective. Samsung needed this after the whole Note debacle.
I hope the S8 doesn’t blow up…

Samsung Straps A Smartphone To A CGI (Computered Generated Image) Bird

And Films One Of 2017’s Best Tech Ads
If you thought Ostriches couldn’t fly, think again. Leo Burnett (director/producer) created
this spot “Ostrich” (what? Name) for Samsung, promoting their Gear VR headset (purpose).
It was played during the Samsung event in NYC (when?), introducing (purpose) the new
Galaxy S8 and S8 plus. Samsung had previously promoted their VR headsets, but never like
this. (Judgement)
Rather than taking obvious hits at Apple’s iPhone, or just running through the main features
(expectations) of the Galaxy S8 phone, Samsung chose a different approach for this ostrich
commercial: animals. And who doesn’t love silly animal clips?
The minute-and-a-half long ad (length) begins with the cute creature finding a VR headset
mislaid by a foolish human. (main events/description of plot)
After accidentally hooking the headset over its beak, our ostrich is suddenly confronted with
something it could never have possible imagined: unencumbered flight through the cloud.
Or, more accurately, a flight simulator. The ostrich is understandably astonished.
What follows is a big-hearted story about dreaming big, even when your dreams seem
physically impossible. Inspired by its VR visions to try and actually fly, the ostrich fails to
achieve take-off. However, after one of the few inspiring avian-based training montages, it
spreads it wings and achieves the impossible, soaring high above its landlocked pals.
It’s also worth mentioning that ‘Ostrich’ is brilliantly set to Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’, which
provides an ideal backdrop to such a silly but sweet premise (music, images).
Rather than focusing on technical specs or services offered, Samsung succeeds with
‘Ostrich’ by making a joyous, straightforward, emotional story.
The ads closing text sums up this attitude perfect, “We make what can’t be made, so you
can do what can’t be done”. (slogan) The message is pretty clear (message). The Gear VR
doesn’t just work by itself. It needs a phone inside, like the Galaxy S8 that Samsung just
unveiled, to help you do the unthinkable.
Samsung makes clear that joy and enjoyment is at the heart of their VR experience, rather
than just gadgetry. Whether you already own a VR headset, are thinking about taking the
plunge or wish we could all go back to using rotary phones, there is no denying the simple
fact that one of 2017’s best tech adverts (opinion) stars a CGI bird with a smartphone
strapped to its face. Isn’t the future great?
Overall, the ad is very entertaining (opinion). If you haven’t yet, you should definitely see it
as it catches your attention and its effective (opinion/ recommendation). Samsung needed
this after the whole Note debacle. I hope the S8 doesn’t blow up…
 Useful Words and Phrases for Writing: REVIEWS
TITLE
Use a title that either describes the content or catches the reader’s attention, e.g.
State the name of the book/film/etc.: ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell: A Review
Let the reader know your opinion: The Best Restaurant in Town!
Catch the reader’s attention: A Holiday to Remember?

Paragraph 1
In the first paragraph, you can give a description of the thing being reviewed:

Book Review: The book is written by… It is set in…the future/the 19th century/the Wild West
It’s a … science fiction/romance/adventure/crime/mystery/fantasy/historical … novel
It’s a … classic/best-seller The main character is…

Film Review: The film stars… It is directed by…

It’s part of the … franchise He/She plays a ….
It’s a … science fiction/romance/adventure/crime/mystery/fantasy/historical … film
It’s set in … the past/the 25th century/a fictional country

Concert Review: The concert took place in … a stadium/a concert hall/a small venue/an auditorium
On the stage, there was … the lead singer/the lead guitarist/the bass guitarist/backing
singers/the drummer/an orchestra/a solo artist/a band

Restaurant/ The hotel/restaurant is located…in the centre of town/on the seafront/in the country
Hotel Review: It’s owned by/run by… Its facilities include … a swimming pool/various bars

Paragraphs 2 & 3
Give your opinion and the positive and negative aspects:

Positives:
What I liked most was… The thing I liked most was… I was particularly pleased with…
I was pleasantly surprised by the… The … appealed to me.
The film/book/story was… fascinating/unforgettable/riveting/hard-hitting/hilarious
The staff were…helpful/attentive The facilities were…amazing/fantastic/spotless

Negatives:
The worst thing was… The part I disliked most was… I was disappointed by…
I found the film/book/story…unbelievable/far-fetched/unfunny/disappointing/boring/infantile
The food was…tasteless/under-cooked/over-cooked/overpriced
The facilities were…dirty/in need of renovation/not worth the money

Paragraph 4 Conclusion
The conclusion summarises the information and offers the writer’s overall opinion:
To sum up.../To conclude…/In conclusion…
…if you like… you’ll love…!
…although it’s not perfect, the film is still worth a watch!/the book is still worth a read!
…you really should watch/read/buy/visit this…!
…I would definitely recommend seeing/visiting/reading/watching this…!
…I would say you should give this… a miss.
…I wouldn’t recommend this…
…I don’t think it’s worth the money.

© Copyright EFLMaterials.com