5 things that are rattling through my head that I had to put in this blog or my brains would start seeping out of my ears.

1. Well, my two teams, Syracuse (my alma mater) and Pitt (long time fan) were big disappointments in the NCAA tournament. I don't usually get too upset about college sports but having both of my teams take unexpected early exits was a a bit shocking. Pitt is a perennial disappointment, but Syracuse was expected to go pretty deep. My only hope is that Butler wins the tournament so that the Syracuse loss doesn't look so bad. Who am I kidding? Butler could win their next couple of games by a million points and that lost would still sting.

BTW, we had an office bracket pool going. I didn't win. I won't tell you who won but she's our intern and her name is Brittany.

2. It's amazing how many things you can fit into an 860 square foot house. Really, we have two adults, one dog, two cats and a baby on the way and I don't feel like we're too cramped for space. We have a whole room that no one really uses. Anyone want to buy it? We could use some more baby stuff, plus I've always wanted a house with a door that lead to nowhere.

3. I probably should talk about some advertising or design related stuff. I found a new commercial I love. It's for Charles Schwab. They are the same company that, through a rotoscoping technique, have weird animated people in their earlier commercials. I love the fact that they are using animation in their commercials. They definitely stand out, although I prefer the less creepy technique they are using now.

Charles Schwab: Enough is Enough

4. I admit it. I watch a lot of HGTV. My wife doesn't make me watch it. I choose to. I recommend it to anyone. You learn important things like which walls to knock down and that some people have horrible taste. Who tries to sell their house with a pink and purple bedroom?

Wait, where was I going with this? Oh yeah. HGTV changed their logo. I follow a few different design message boards and blogs and there has been little mention of this. People were all over the Tropicana packaging mess and the Pepsi mistake update, but nothing about HGTV. The logo is in the corner of my TV screen. I can tell that it's different. It doesn't even come up in google images when I search for "HGTV logo". So anyway, not a big fan. I mean, I wasn't in love with their old logo, but this is worse. They just typed out HGTV and put a roof on it. BAM! Genius! The way the roof sits on top makes it seem like the V is less important than the HGT. Before, the HG was highlighted, Home & Garden. That made sense. Now it's Home & Garden Tele. That doesn't make sense.


“We wanted to get viewers attention at a time when we have a lot of new original programming ready to debut,” HGTV president Jim Samples said of the work conducted by New York shop Eyeball. “It’s a refreshed look, with bold colors and mnemonics, which will help viewers navigate through different programming.”

Maybe I'm wrong. I'm wrong sometimes. Heck, I'm wrong all the time. I checked out the agency that did the logo. They do good work. I just don't see it here.

5. The Pirates start their season pretty soon. I'll post again in a month to let you know that, even with a hot start, their season is already over.

That's it. My brain is done.

On Monday morning, Route 1a headed out (with coffee in hand, of course) to a studio in Pittsburgh to shoot a commercial for Mills & Levine law firm. 

I was expecting lots of offices and just a few standard film sets but I couldn't have been more I wrong.  The inside of this building looked like a mansion with dozens of rooms, each composed in a distinct style. A cozy, candlelit living room was caddy-corner (or "kitty"-corner depending on what part of PA you're from) to a trendy bar area with silver cocktail tables. An upscale parlor room with greek columns and floor-to-ceiling mirrors was adjacent to a simple family kitchen.  We even passed one room that was completely white.  No furniture.  No decor.  Just snowy white walls and floor.  They called this room the "cove" and it is used for videos that don't have a background.  The floor actually curves up to the wall so that even a long shot of a person standing looks like they are simply floating.  

This adventure was a little different than the last shoot for a number of reasons:  

1)  We had one day to get it right (which didn't prove to be too difficult-- we were so efficient that had time to have lunch downtown at Fat Heads bar and grill!) 

2)  We hired actors/actresses that we hand picked from a talent agency (as opposed to student volunteers)

3)  The actors/actresses were interacting with each other in a scene (unlike individual interviews)

However, I'm beginning to notice a trend as those three lessons from February continue to resurface.  Having a shot list and script are critical.  Communication is key-- everyone from actors to owners needs to understand the concept (or "the big idea") for the ad in order to be on the same page.  And, be free to voice your opinion-- even if your idea isn't pursued, the exchange of ideas allows for growth within the group and most creatives know that is priceless.