General Magic
Synopsis
Spun out from Apple in 1990 to create the ‘next big thing’, the ideas that now dominate the tech industry and our day-to-day lives were born at General Magic. The first smartphones. Social media. E-commerce. Even the beloved emoji. But this was before the web, before 3G, before Google, before everyone had a mobile phone in their pocket. The world was not ready in 1994 to hold the world in its hands. And though General Magic died, those concepts and the people who pioneered them went on to change almost everything.
Combining rare archive footage with contemporary stories of the Magicians today, this documentary tracks the progress of anytime, anywhere communication from a thing of sci-fi fiction in 1994 to a reality in our pockets and on our wrists today.
With members of the original Mac team and the creators of the iPhone, Android, eBay and more, this is the story of one of history’s most talented teams and what happens when those who dream big fail, fail again, fail better and ultimately succeed.
Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2018 - Spotlight Documentary - World premiere
Details
- Year
- 2018
- Type of film
- Features
- Running time
- 90 mins
- Format
- Digital
- Director
-
Sarah Kerruish, Matt Maude 1st Feature
- Producer
- Sarah Kerruish, Matt Maude
- Executive Producer
- Reynold D'Silva, John Giannadrea, Michael Stern
- Editor
- Claire Ferguson, Anna Meller
- Screenwriter
- Sarah Kerruish, Jonathan Key, Matt Maude, Michael Stern, Ceri Tallett
- Director of Photography
- Jay Maude, Matt Maude
- Sound
- Alastair Sirkitt
- Composer
- Benji Merrison, Martin Phipps
- Principal cast
- Tony Fadell, Marc Porat, Megan Smith
- Film Image
- © Spellbound II Productions
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
US, UK coproduction
Spellbound II Productions (US), Left Eye Blind Productions (UK)
Left Eye Blind Productions
Matt Maude113 Hackney Downs Studios
London
E8 2BT
Sales Company
Cinetic Media
555 W. 25th Street, 4th FloorNew York
NY 10001
Page updates
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