Beats Music created a short documentary film to honor the 25th anniversary of Spike Lee’s hit movie “Do The Right Thing.” The production revisits the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant that served as the movie’s setting. It follows Lee, cast member Danny Aiello, and production designer Wynn Thomas around the area as they talk about the making of the film. The movie, subtitled “A Beats Music Experience,” does double-duty as an innovative marketing vehicle. The second half centers on a block party thrown by the company to celebrate the original movie’s anniversary. The 22-minute documentary is available in full on YouTube.
It’s a great tie-in with music, history, and culture that positions Beats as more than a maker of headphones. Especially now that it’s under Apple’s wing, it seems likely that Beats will focus on finding ways to retain its connections to the greater hip-hop community and position itself as a lifestyle brand as much as a music one. The company also made another short film about soccer to coincide with the World Cup, so we can expect to see further videos that aim for more artistic and cultural value than a traditional ad.