
The sun was warm and the coffee was robust as Connie and Kevin geared up for the first day of shooting on location.

At Mechaniks in Venice, director Wayne took pre-production photos of Shayna and Cole, who were a lot happier together than were the Sister and Brother they played in the spot.

On location in Hancock Park (L.A.), Cammie and Kris (both of TaxACT) greeted the sunny So-Cal morning with enthusiasm.
We did a little round-the-table Q/A recently, with the TaxACT creative team to discuss a little of the backstory to making the spot. Here are some highlights.
Were you surprised by anything you saw or felt in the final cut?
No matter how many commercials I help to create, it still never fails to surprise me how quickly 30 seconds goes by and how little fits in the final edit.
– Kim Ketelsen, Writer/Producer
Not so much surprised, but I’m reminded how much we rely on sound design to drive the spot.
– Kevin Northway, Senior Art Director
The only surprise to me – and it’s this way on every spot I work on – was the blink-of-an-eye lightning speed that passes as 30 seconds!
– Connie Collins, Senior Art Director
We didn’t end up on the product payoff and closing shot where I thought we would. It’s perfect, but it’s not what I expected. Funny how that works sometimes.
– David Morton, Creative Director