8.25.2008

uni-ball's fake beijing

I've been meaning to mention this for a while. One Olympics-related commercial that I can't stand is Uni-Ball's Jetstream to Beijing ad. Yes, a pen commercial. It features an American tourist trying to make his way around Beijing. But what really bugs me is that the commercial was clearly shot in Los Angeles' Chinatown, and does such a cruddy job of hiding it.

Anyone who is familiar with that part of the city should recognize it right away. I know, productions do it all time, often quite convincingly, masking one location for another. But this one just makes me laugh. Some strategically placed hanging lanterns and a guy with a funny hat walking by in the background—and voila! Instant Beijing.

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