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.

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.