HomePod ad directed by Spike Jonze wins industry award

The Jonze-directed short starring British performer FKA Twigs won in the Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial category at AICP's show, presented Thursday at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, reports AdAge. Jonze was the most decorated director this year with a total of five wins, while Apple's in-house agency took home three awards.

The four-minute short, which aired in March, features Twigs as a glum office worker who takes respite in music. At the center of her listening experience is HomePod that, with a little help from Siri, plays back a custom curated tune by Anderson .Paak.

As the melody swells, Twigs' small apartment is transformed into a playground of surreal delights, with Twigs able to bend, stretch and morph walls and objects at will.

In a behind-the-scenes look at the film, Apple revealed most of the ad's effects were practical, with the use of CGI restricted in large part to duplicating Twigs for the spot's dance scene finale.

Aside from Jonze, the production's crew members included big names like cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, who received an Oscar nomination for his work on Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk." Editor Jeff Buchanon, who performed a good portion of his tasks on set, is a frequent Jonze collaborator and worked with the director on indie hit "Her."

Apple's commercials consistently garner praise from ad industry groups, the most recent being the iPhone 7 Plus ad "Barbers," which won an ADC award in May.