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"
