Apple recently released a new advertising campaign designed to show PC users all of the interesting things that can be with a Macintosh. And while this promotion proved to be even more successful than the folks at Cupertino had ever envisioned, it also spawned a movement that I think does a better job of promoting Apple’s computer line than the switch ads themselves.

Since the first switch commercials aired nationally, the web has seen an unprecedented cascade of homemade switch ads and parodies. People from all over the country— even the world, have released their own brand of homegrown switch presentations. Most of these have actually been created on the Mac, further illustrating the very technologies that Apple originally set out to promote.

Apple has provided powerful tools with each computer system that it ships. These tools let even the inexperienced user mange their music collection, publish photo albums, even make home movies and burn DVD’s. And this software, provided free of charge, has given even the novice user the ability to express themselves in ways that have never before been possible.

The most time consuming part of the preparation process had been deciding how to shoot our commercial on the ceremonial white background that Apple had used in all of its ads. As many of the switch parodies illustrate, there are many ways to achieve this look— and some worked better than others.

I spent a great deal of time researching different ways to mask the background of our commercial to the necessary whitewash. Since the first parody ads first hit the web, OWC’s Jamie Dresser has dedicated himself to archiving them into an impressive collection of works from around the world (visit OWC’s “Switch Archive” here). Several of these people were more than willing to share their experiences with me as I researched alternative ways to film our switch ad. I met people from all over the world who shared my interest in digital video, and they were kind enough to share their experiences as I prepared to shoot this ad.

I looked at a number of possible locations for the shoot, but in the end found the most suitable site to be the basement of an old friends house. Paul Roesner, one of OWC’s talented graphic artists, was in the middle of renovating his basement. At the time, he was putting up a new wall that would serve as a low-tech but very practical backdrop for the shoot. We had looked at different masking technologies and even expensive Chroma-Key backdrops to help us drop the background of the ad to the proper white effect. In the end, a nice bare wall and a bucket of primer saved us hundreds of dollars.

Once we had the location, it was time to look at the way to light the set. As I had found in my research, this was the key component to achieving the desired background effect and the key to making the ad look as professional as possible.

After a quick trip to the hardware store, Jamie and I had gathered the necessary parts to assemble five custom lighting rigs that we would use to suitably light our shoot. Sixty dollars in materials and an hour and a half later, Jamie had finished the necessary assemblies. Two lights projecting up from the floor combined with three more from the ceiling and we had the proper lighting setup.

Then came the moment of truth. Rob and I had laughed hysterically when we came up with the idea of the twisted switch parody a few months earlier. And from its inception, the spoof called for Rob to put on a party dress and a ratty old wig for the punch line of the joke. The situation was funny in theory, but in practice, few men are willing to go to such lengths for a laugh. True to his word, Rob went the distance and made all of the preparation for this ad worthwhile.

I spent several hours editing the footage and color correcting the background. Most of the time was due to the enormous amount of video we shot. I gathered the necessary clips for the commercial, as well as some hysterical outtakes and bloopers that I hope to assemble on DVD in the near future.

Shooting this commercial was a blast. We laughed until we couldn’t breathe. And after three hours of shooting take after take, in the end we emerged with 45 seconds of video that we could be proud of. We learned a great deal from the experience and had a great time doing it.

Apple may have designed the hardware and authored the software, but it was our creativity and humor that made our little ad take form. I believe the experience itself is a true testament to the powerful tools Apple had put in the hands of the average user. That is what Apple is all about.