P&G "Everyday Effect"

I really enjoyed making this one.

It started a number of months ago when my new friends over at the Grey Group came to me with a very thoughtful, anthemic P&G script. As (Creative Director) Denise O'Bleness explained, the idea was to focus not on any one household product but on the overall impact these "everyday" items have on the quality of people's lives. They called it the "Everyday Effect" and wanted it to be beautiful, lyrical and real.

Some stock footage had already been sourced but when Denise began referencing Malick's Tree of Life, I started salivating at the thought of creating equally lush, naturally beautiful images. Sorry, Terrance, we cribbed you!

Supported by Denise's formidable agency producers, Todd Scheifele and Nina Roussarie, a plan began to coalesce. Together with my trusted line-producer, Jason Haymond, we assembled our team and honed in on our NJ based locations.

I was pleased to bring onboard the incredibly talented cinematographer, Andrij Parekh, who I'd been meaning to collaborate with ever since he shot my buddy John Krokidas' short film, Slo-Mo, about a hundred years ago. Working with true anamorphic primes at 48fps on an Alexa, I was not disappointed.

The images were made even more beautiful with the help of our production designer, Tyndall Arrasmith, who went above and beyond to create the right look, going so far as to build a fake nursery to get those dormers "just so".

After three days of shooting, we wrapped in the beautiful, if politically misguided, Woman's National Republican Club where ethereal floor-to-ceiling windows silhouetted a touching scene of ballet mentorship.

The shoot was invigorating, the piece turned out beautifully and I'm grateful for my new friends. I'm a fortunate man.