Fancy Anvils

The Fancy Anvil Awards
This was a pretty enormous stunt to put together. Writers Steve Patrick, Stuart Hill and Matt Peccini put together a mock awards show for Cartoon Network. In addition to editing many segments with old TV stars, the cartoon presenters all had to be lip-flapped and composited on stage.

Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law

Birdman begins.

I can't remember precisely when I started working on Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, so I'll post it beginning in 2002. Close enough.

Here is a clip from the second season, Peanut Puberty.

[adult swim]

[adult swim] - Here's what started it all. I had the honor of working with writer/producer Matt Peccini on the launch of adult swim. Matt had some great ideas which rang true not just with the audience but critics alike. The campaign won the 2002 BDA Best of Show.



I think much of the genius behind the adult swim launch had to do with it's simplicity. A big problem for Cartoon Network at the time (and still to this day) is the desire to reach a diverse audience. Kids during the day and grown-ups at night. Matt's vision of a swimming pool that takes time out for the grown ups reminds me of my own childhood and that time at the bottom of every hour when the kids had to clear out for the grups.

For talent, Matt got various aquatic oriented everyday people in Atlanta including a senior citizen's synchronized swim team to allow filming and sound recording. Much of the background audio is taken right from the shoot. The drill instructor calling out swim formations and barking commands for swimmers to maintain their form are all real. This style reminds me very much of the work of Errol Morris.
Watch the following generic bumps.



Notice the simplicity of the second bump. The awkward framing of the large man on the bleachers. Now go watch Errol Morris's commercials for Miller High Life. Kindred spirits? You tell me.

This campaign also show wonderful use of props or "practicals" instead of relying on computer generated graphics. The idea to replace the pool depth tiles with tune-information integrates the natural environment with the intended message.

Thank You For Flying

This is the second interstitial piece I worked on with Stuart Hill.
A sequel to Thank You For Watching.

Thank You For Flying from Jon Dilling on Vimeo.

Larry Morris gives another convincing performance and the annoyed flyer.

15 Days of 007

I think that during the heady days when TBS used to air James Bond movies every night for a fortnight you could have promoted it with a black and white card telling rabid bond fans when to tune in. "If you air it...they will watch." Luckily for me, I got to edit these fun spots in the Fall of 2000 with writer/producer Brian Morrow.

15 Days of 007 from Jon Dilling on Vimeo.

A year or two after this TBS let the bond contract expire causing much angst among the Bondies.

Movies For Guys Who Like Movies

Movies For Guys Who Like Movies is a pretty self-explanatory concept.
Before TBS was "Very Funny" it was "A Guy Thing." And to that end, this franchise tried to deliver what every guy wants in a show. Killer movies, lots of action, hot chicks, guns, violence, behind the scenes how'd-they-do-that info, and more hot chicks.

MFGWLM from Jon Dilling on Vimeo.

Born from the success of "Dinner and a Movie" TBS has aired many franchises that market movies to niche demographics. In my opinion the show was the most fun to make in the early days of production. With a skeleton camera crew, producers Brendan Hamlin and Ashley Evans would return to Atlanta from the road (usually L.A.) with killer footage of some male fantasy they had just made into a reality. Hosts George and Karen would find themselves dog-fighting in real airplanes, ridding along in military hovercraft, crashing real cars and jumping off buildings. The show was really a lot of fun to work on.

The Big Game

In 1998 Cartoon Network began an annual stunt to commemorate the Super Bowl. The idea: have John Madden and Pat Summerall call play by play on classic cartoon moments. And "The Big Game" was born. Each of the 4 years the stunt grew to the point that by the year 2000 John and Pat made on screen apperances along with an unlikely cast of popular celebrities including Bubba Smith, Scott Hamilton, Joe Mantegna, Jack Hanna, and the Inside the NFL cast who added their own take on which cartoon character would win that year's "game."



The editing challenges were many on this project. I think the most challenging segments required taking pre-recorded play by play voice over and matching the script to action clips from classic cartoons. I would add freeze frames at appropriate moments in the action to accommodate a telestrator. An interesting exercise in an early form of mash-up.

The Big Game from Jon Dilling on Vimeo.