PHOTOBOOTHS IN MOVIES & TV

Arch Card

A commercial for McDonald's

Aired 2005, US

In this 30-second spot for the new McDonald's rechargeable gift card, a woman who receives this card is seen having fun in a variety of situations, only one of them actually McDonald's-related.

In voiceover, she says, "I've never gotten a gift card like this. It's the new Arch Card, and it's only at McDonald's. I can load it up for great food, and great times."

As soon as the voiceover says "great times," the scene shifts to a photobooth, with two people inside and a third standing nearby. As the camera pans by, the woman, our narrator, runs to a grab another woman, sitting nearby, to join in their photobooth fun.

The ad seems to imply that the Arch Card is good for use in the photobooth, a classic Superman III-style Canadian booth that costs either $1 or $2, depending on which side of the booth you believe. I doubt McDonald's is outfitting their franchise locations with Arch Card-enabled old-style photobooths, but you never know.

Contributed by Brian

We pass to the other side of the giant arch that has suddenly appeared and see people gathered in and around a photobooth.
We see our heroine, beckoning to her friend, the wet blanket who's not participating in the fun, sitting on a chair nearby. This setup reminds me a of shoe store for some reason, as though the woman in the foreground is waiting to try on a pair of new shoes.
We zoom in for a close-up on the extraction technique. Notice the price: $1.
Off to the photobooth where they'll all try to fit inside.
Hurry up, the flash is about to go off.
The flash flashes, and the friend sticks out her leg in the international symbol for frolicsome fun. Note the price on the side of the booth: $2.
As we prepare to pass beyond the other side of the arch, we see a little of both worlds: the photobooth on one side and the rooftop party we're about to see on the other.