In honor of Independence Day, creative director Mike Lawrence looked at the biggest “Independence Day” of them all. The 1996 movie starring Will Smith and Ben Brugler doppelganger, Jeff Goldblum.
What he found hidden among the explosions and exposition was that it’s also a kind of treatise on the way we work today. And he managed to sneak in links to seven of our past Akhia blogs too. Enjoy and have a safe and happy 4th!
It’s almost July 4.
A big day for America.
The day we celebrate the release of the 1996 blockbuster “Independence Day,” starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Mary Mcdonnell, the guy who played Data from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and many others!
I remember first seeing the teaser trailer and thinking, “This is the peak of everything.” (I also thought, “This kind of reminds me of ‘V: The Miniseries’”, but I digress.)
It’s a tradition to watch “Independence Day” (and “Jaws”) in our house as a July 4 double feature. I’ve seen it many, many times and it never fails to deliver the goods. “Today… is our Independence Day!”
(Excuse me, I just ran through a wall for Bill Pullman, but I’m back now.)
But 30 years and at least 30 viewings later, I’ve looked beyond the ships, the explosions and Harry Connick Jr.’s impression of Jesse Jackson Jr. and have discovered lessons this film gives all of us in marketing and communications. Because at its core, “Independence Day” is not about aliens, freedom, unity, hope and coming together for a common goal. It’s about how we work. And how we work when the end of the world happens. It ain’t much different than now.
Here are those observations, without the oops.
The ships arrive… and we still go to the office.
David (Jeff Goldblum), after taking time to play chess with Dad, rides his bike to work. His job somehow involves watching radio waves or something and apparently includes tracking the occasional alien signal (It’s called multi-tasking). So he really can’t take a day off, especially not this one. Meanwhile, Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) goes work as an exotic dancer and actually has customers. “Might as well get rid of these singles somehow, not gonna need ‘em in two days.” Russell (Randy Quaid) still crops some dust (or dusts some crops, semantics) from his old plane. Diners are still open. Cops are still walking the beat. Cabbies are still picking up fares. Hot dog vendors are still vending hot dogs. It may not be safe or good for their well-being, but this is the American work ethic! In film anyway. In real life if there’s even a thunderstorm watch, I consider taking PTO. If I see a 15-mile-wide alien ship over my house, I’m turning in my two weeks’ notice. “To whom it may concern, Aliens have arrived. I quit in peace. Thank you.”
PowerPoint always prevails.
In the Oval Office as high-ranking officials, generals and the president’s four-year-old daughter gather, teams rapidly put together a presentation detailing––in full graphics and VIDEO–– the potential casualties and expected total destruction. The news isn’t good. But big ups to the team who put that presentation together, not just for their speed, but for avoiding any slowdowns by saying, “Oh My God, this is terrible––but not terribly written––content!” or “I’m not sure this is the latest PPT template.” or “Did we talk to an SME?” or “Has this been proofed? You know how Whitmore hates typos!”
Aliens aren’t using AI, apparently. But maybe they should?
All those ships? No AI there. They’re all manned, or rather aliened. Flown by aliens, not Anthropic. And in the Mothership, we have an actual alien––not some GPT agent––at a kind of desk tracking ships as they come in. They understood the importance of the “alien in the loop.” But that decision did lead to some abrupt rightsizing later on.
And their cybersecurity left a lot to be desired. Cybersecurity is ALWAYS important.
David sends a virus to the mothership, which I imagine led to an awkward alien encounter with HR back home. “TAK-431, why did you open an email from an unknown sender, and click on the link? Did you ignore your Huntress training?”
If not now, when? “Let’s go around and introduce ourselves” is NEVER going away.
Aliens have already destroyed much of the planet. They are mere hours from finishing the job. They’re destroying cities as we speak. Millions and maybe billions have perished. Time is of the absolute essence, there’s not a second to waste. So when the ragtag bunch of pilots––including Russell––are gathered to get briefed and onboarded on the final mission, Major Mitchell (Adam Baldwin, no relation to the other Baldwins) has everyone go around the room and introduce themselves. Russell then gives his own “fun fact.” “I’m a crop duster. I was abducted by aliens 10 years ago. I’m excited to be a part of this mission and to hear more about it.” And in that time, we just lost Detroit.
For any kind of business travel like to a trade show or Area 51, pack more than you think you’ll need even if you’re in a hurry.
Who among us hasn’t been in a rush to get out of town? In Los Angeles, Jasmine and her son Dylan are trying to outrace an alien-triggered explosion. They get stuck in traffic because A), L.A. roads are always gridlocked, and B), the demolishing of the city is making vehicular travel even more snarled. They get out of the car, and before running from a rapidly-approaching raging inferno, Jasmine has the presence of mind to STOP AND GET THEIR LUGGAGE. You never know if you might spill something on a shirt and need a backup. She then slings it all over her back, carries Dylan into a little alcove, and calls to Boomer their emotional support dog to join them on the trip. That’s smart packing. And not bad for someone who just finished her shift at work.
Small pranks are good for office morale.
As Hiller and David begin their journey to space from the launchpad in Area 51 (We knew it!), Hiller inadvertently sends the alien ship into reverse rather than forward, to hilarious results! The ship nearly crashes, almost kills some bystanders, and comes close to sustaining damage that would prevent it from nuking the mothership and saving the world. Why did Hiller get it wrong? Because some unknown miscreant co-worker (“Some jerk,” according to Hiller) stuck a “how-to-fly” diagram on the control stick upside down for fun. David isn’t amused, but his “Without the oops,” wisecrack breaks the tension, calms everyone down, and they succeed in their mission!
After a job well done, time for happy hour.
“Independence Day” ends with global cheers, a victorious cigar-smoking strut across the desert by our two heroes, and hugs all around. But the movie’s conclusion is open-ended. What happened the next day?
Everybody went back to work.
Want to talk movies in general? Want to discuss ways to get creative? Want to know why someone thought Ben looked like Jeff Goldblum? Email me!