Apple shot its TV intro with real glass, not CGI

Apple's latest streaming service intro wasn't crafted on a computer—it was filmed in a studio using actual glass and practical lighting effects. The rebrand comes a month after Apple dropped "Plus" from its streaming service, simplifying it to just Apple TV.The company teamed up with longtime creative partner TBWA\Media Arts Lab to produce the new Apple TV bumper entirely in-camera. Oversized glass cutouts spelling out the Apple logo and "tv" were mounted on rigs while cameras circled around them. Crew members physically moved lighting equipment to create the signature shimmers and color shifts that play across the letters. No digital shortcuts, no computer-generated effects—just glass, lights, and cameras.It's a surprisingly analog approach for a tech company, but it aligns with Apple's recent messaging about valuing human creativity. Tor Myhren, Apple's VP of marketing communications, made this point clear at Cannes Lions last year, emphasising that Apple would champion artistry even while adopting AI tools.Three versions of the intro now exist: a quick one-second hit for trailers, a five-second version before TV episodes, and an extended 12-second opener for theatrical releases.

Composer Finneas, better known as Billie Eilish's brother and producer, created the accompanying soundmark. "If you're bingeing a whole season, you're going to hear it 10 times in one day," he told Variety. "So it's gotta be something palatable, like ginger between sushi rolls.

"The company even designed a custom typeface called SF TV specifically for the new identity. Behind-the-scenes footage reveals the painstaking process of capturing those light reflections and prismatic colors through purely physical means—a refreshing throwback to pre-digital techniques.