You know how you can tell a bad guy in a movie? There are certain things regularly associated with the characters who aspire to take over the world like dark clothes and an evil laugh. But one thing that you will never see in the hands of a bad guy is an iPhone.
Rian Johnson, the Director of Knives Out, breaks down a scene for Vanity Fair and reveals why that is the case:
“Apple lets 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,” he said.
When your brand is Apple, you’re big enough to not need the publicity of a film and to be more concerned about possibly sparking some negative associations. And so, Apple keeps tight control over its product placement on film.
The technology makes it control explicit. According to MacRumors, those who wish to show an Apple product or trademark in a film or television show, are mandated to do so only “in a manner or context that reflects favorably on the Apple products and on Apple Inc.”
That substantiates the fan theory that appeared in Wired way back in 2002, under the title “24’s Good Guys Do Use Macs” with a spoiler warning.
Of course, Johnson’s explication may be regarded as a spoiler, as well, but the solution to the problem of identifying the suspect who is not using the iPhone as the bad guy is simple: don’t have any of the suspects use Apple products.
In any case, it’s not clear that Apple’s restriction benefits the brand. Generally, product sales increase as a result of film exposure, so much so, that many brands pay substantial sums for the spot.
Go figure!