Seeing spots Spinning dots from storyboards to air A long-form vacuum cleaner spot sent for a spin in a land of color dots.

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Director/Cameraman Michael Neumann tapped Martin's editorial and animation abilities to create a world of swirling dots for this :120 spot that aired nationally. Michael shot a combination of practical locations and green-screen elements that Martin wove together into a unified whole. The client's initial reaction was, "Wow! I never thought a vacuum cleaner could be sexy!" We'll take that as a compliment.

Martin created some simple 3D animations to illustrate the little unit's unique HEPA filter and powerful motor. Liz Sung spent countless hours cutting very precise mattes on some of the more problematic green-screen shots.

Keeping the astral plane spic and span.



A tip of the hat to the early iMac commercials.



One thing we learned from this spot is that demos sell vacuum cleaners.



A traveling shot that leaves a skeleton behind.



The live-action locations were styled with the same dot motif.