GLOBAL – Although the invitation to the Academy Awards is probably stuck in the post, Nokia has a long history with the movies. From The Saint to The Matrix Nokia devices have cropped up in all sorts of places on screen. Some worked well, whilst some worked not so well. Not ones to focus on the negative, we hooked up with the people responsible to find out which ones came out on top. Giles Pocock, Entertainment Partnerships and Product Integration works closely with Ruben Igielko-Herrlich from Propaganda Gem to make the appearances happen so we asked them to pick their top five. In no particular order, here they are. Enjoy…

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Nokia 7610 was still in prototype stage when it was delivered to production. The scene of the phone floating in space was so big, that in order to make it clear Nokia had to provide CAD data to the special effects company who was rendering that shot. Important use of a prop, as the phone contained the only photo of our hero with his love interest…
Photo copyright © Buena Vista Pictures

MI:3
The production team wanted cutting edge technology to ensure that the products were the ultimate when the film released. Nokia provided a prototype of the N92, but Tom Cruise didn’t like the original lacquer black – he wanted a metallic look. The device was duly resprayed and it ended up looking so good, the product managers decided to release the phone commercially in silver. Ethan Hunt is running through the streets of Shanghai to save his love interest and is guided over the phone by an IMF operative half way around the world.
Photo copyright © Paramount Pictures

Live Free or Die Hard/Die Hard 4.0
Every telecommunication device in the film is from Nokia. From the bluetooth headsets used by the villains, to the E61 and E9500 used by Bruce Willis’ sidekick Justin Long. Nokia’s product breadth came to play here as a wide range of devices were required for the production.
Photo copyright © Twentieth Centure Fox Film Corporation

The Matrix

Probably the coolest integration ever. The Nokia 8110 was provided to feature as Neo’s phone. The art department wanted to add some drama to this product and asked if Nokia would allow for an automatic sliding option to be added so that the phone snapped open when used. At the same time this was being requested, Nokia Design was developing a similar function on the next generation of that line, the Nokia 7110. Similar creative thoughts at the same time in different parts of the World !
Photo copyright © Warner Bros

The Saint

There was a scene where Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) needed to check his bank account from a taxi. The original script called for him to open his laptop, connect to a cell phone, and then access the internet. At the same time, Nokia was actually working on a top-secret cutting-edge product which combined PC functionality in a mobile device – the 9000 Communicator. When we showed the prototype to the director, Philip Noyce, he was so jazzed that he kept it on him all the time. The film release coincided with the release of the Nokia 9000 in 1997.
Photo copyright © Paramount Pictures

Find out how Nokia ends up in movies.

Nokia and Batman team up for The Dark Knight Promotion

Find out more about Giles Pocock, Nokia’s Entertainment and Partnerships manager

What’s your favourite Nokia movie appearance? Comment below.

Main image from ppdigital