The script was a collaborative effort between Stephen von Hagel of Cell Essentials, Rob Charles, the producer and myself. I did the product photography, editing and CG. My kids enjoyed helping me find ways to make an apple turn brown more quickly for a time lapse presentation of oxidation (and they enjoyed eating the rest).

When you asked me to describe my experience with your media team, the first thought that came to mind was; What a blessing! You guys shoot, write, edit, stage product photography, animate… you do it all and you do it damn good. The product video presentation for OPC Factor has been very well received. Our web sales have tripled. Rocketworks and Breakthrough productions created a high quality product video that communicates an easy to understand message on what was a not so easy to understand subject. Your ability to communicate a message the consumer understands is invaluable. It is hard to find a creative team that understands the nuisances of Direct Response Marketing communication. You guys get it!
–Stephen von Hagel

This video was produced by Rob Charles – Breakthrough Productions. Medical animations were provided by Cell Essentials.

I never got to make that video, but I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I just decided to tackle it for fun. I wasn’t in the habit of doing cartoon style animation. I started to think about how I could make a really cool 3D model of a mountain, the road, the grass, a couple of cars and do some really cool camera fly bys from the tires up to a shot from above to see the other car pass by. Then I threw all of that out the window, opened Photoshop, created each element, then animated it in After Effects. While I’m not totally pleased with the result (the tires could have been flatter and the ride should have been bumpier), I’m very pleased with what I learned. I thought outside the box that I was usually confined by and I’ve used some of the methods that I learned on many projects since then.

As with most infomercials for companies like Orange Glo, there had to be very specific examples showing how some things work. In this show, there’s a black light segment showing the dirt left behind using other methods, there’s a magnifying video camera showing the dirt trapped in a microfibre mop and there are 2 animation examples showing how typical cleaning leaves dirt behind and how that further damages your floors. I used photoshop and after effects for the animation.

This is a short sample of this show. The complete show is available on request.

This show was written and produced by Mark Olson.

This was one of my first projects to edit using Final Cut Pro. I didn’t know enough about macs to know that I could bring my PC fonts into the mac, so the font I used is an Apple provided one. I expected this project to be a real challenge, however, it actually wasn’t that hard. I had read Jerry Hoffman’s book On Final Cut Pro 4 and followed along on a rented powerbook. I had not doubt that I could “do” the job well, I just wasn’t sure how artistic it would be. In the end, there’s not a lot that I’m not happy with. I’d definitely be more creative with CG and use a different font. Now, mac is second nature and I have a rather nice collection of fonts.

In addition to editing and product photography, I consulted on set design (or simplicity in this case), props and wardrobe. I was impressed by the simplicity of the product packaging and that drove my direction in simplicity with wadrobe, set and product photography.

I was hired to work on this project by a great friend and producer/director/writer/direct response expert, Mark Olson – Totally Direct TV.

Here you’ll see part of the animated logo, a sample of the DVD menu and the video overview of their baler lineup. Enjoy!

Planning for this infomercial was a challenge. I was tasked with designing the set and given a list of requirements:

1. It needs a stage area for TJ, Tracey Gold (from Growing Pains) and Aaron Priceman (later to be the host of the Trikke Scooters infomercials) to be featured while discussing the product and drawing.
2. It needs a studio audience.
3. It needs an area to feature some incredible artsists, some of which are students of the ABCD instructional videos or students of TJ’s.
4. It needs an area to showcase some of TJ’s drawings, and some of his student’s drawings.
5. …and by the way, you have to incorporate his 8 foot tall by 240 foot long Guinness World Records 2005, “Largest Pencil Drawing by One Artist” titled One World One Song.

I planned for a 100 foot by 75 foot, 360 degree set, with the One World One Song drawing broken down to 24 foot sections placed around one side and the back of the set at staggered height. Finding the space, in the right budget, was a challenge too. Northstar Studios in Nashville, TN came to the rescue with an available space just large enough to handle it.

Shooting some scenes in the streets of Nashville was a real treat. Being from the Chattanooga area, and having Dove Award winning gospel songwriting and producing team as a sister and brother-in-law, I spent a lot of time in Nashville studios as a kid and I still love it there.

This project didn’t have the funding behind it that TaeBo or Alexis Vogel had, so it presented it’s own set of challenges and it was fulfilling to overcome those challenges.

Enjoy this short sample of the Any Body Can Draw infomercial. The entire program is available on request.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and developing new workflows. (Traveling to Hollywood was fun. I love the 3rd Street Promanade just after dark. And Muscle Beach, lots of crazies to watch.)

• Working with some of LA’s best photographers and videographers was enlightening and lots of fun too. It is a passion of mine to learn from others around me, and this project created lots of opportunities for that.
• This was a rather large project with lots of footage available and all that footage had to be managed, not only on the reel level, but the clip level, forcing me to learn and develop new project management practices.
• During this project, we spent half a day with a tripod, a jib, an extremely experienced shooter and products. After not being happy with the outcome, I started using still photography and discreet combustion to create my own moving product shots during this project. This is now (and may have been then) a common practice for a lot of editors.

Please enjoy a short sample of this infomercial. The complete program, and other versions, are available on request.