Ad of the Day: Facebook Captures the Tumult of 2015 in Its Year in Review Video

It must be tough for Facebook, a social network built around the "liking" of things, to sum up a year like 2015, when there was so much in the world to dislike. But it gives it a shot in the video below, from agency/production company Whirled, which rolled out Wednesday morning. The Nepal earthquake, the Charlie Hebdo attack, the refugee crisis, the Charleston killings, the racial unrest in Missouri. One bleak scene after another takes up a good chunk of the early part of the video—an admirably honest assessment of many of the world's ills in 2015. (There's no direct reference to ISIS, but then, that would never happen in a video like this.) On the flip side, there was plenty to celebrate in 2015, too—notably in the area of diversity. The landmark Supreme Court decision on gay marriage gets airtime here, obviously, as does Caitlyn Jenner's speech at the ESPYs. We also get a welcome snippet of Viola Davis' Emmy speech. All the while, Whirled—which works on a lot of Google videos, too—nicely adds some Facebook frames to some scenes, reminding the viewer that Facebook is where so much of the world's discussion of current events happens today. There are plenty of other airy pop-culture references here, too, from Mars and Pluto to various hit movies and TV shows. There are also shots of the presidential debates, though the Democrats are much more easily recognized, mostly because there are so many Republicans—and the wide shot makes them look tiny. (Trump is little more than a spec on screen—not commensurate to his share of headlines, perhaps, but Facebook probably just liked it better this way.) At the end, the video turns dark again, returning—as it probably must—to scenes of the most recent Paris attacks. "Let's stand together in 2016," says the end line. After a year filled with so much hate, that's a line that's easy to like. Also: Compare and contrast this with Twitter's 2015 year in review video. CREDITS Client: Facebook Managing Editor: Allie Townsend Editor: Brittany Darwell Agency, Production Company: Whirled Creative Director, Director: Scott T. Chan Producer: Steffi Binder Assistant Producer: Michelle Saikali Uncreative Director: Wilson Meng Music Supervisor: Matt Mugford Rights, Clearances: Stephan Michaels Editorial: jUMP Editor: Erwin Fraterman Executive Producer: Betsy Beale Post Producer: Callie Beckmann Assistant Editor: Krystal Shuang Hao Animation, Effects: Imagination at Play Creative Director: Paul K. Lee Producer: Patrick S. Lee Color Grading: Apache Digital Colorist: Steven Rodriguez Executive Producer: LaRue Anderson Post Producer: Caitlin Forrest Sound: Margarita Mix Mixer: Paul Hurtubise General Manager: Michele Millard Music by Vancouver Sleep Clinic, "Someone to Stay"

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Ad of the Day: Facebook Captures the Tumult of 2015 in Its Year in Review Video

Some bright spots, but lots of pain

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd