Our Cooking Channel Bento Commercials!

Cooking Channel Promo with the Happy Little Bento family (long version) a video by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Remember that interview and video shoot we did for the Cooking Channel back in the spring? Well, guess what? Our clip didn't end up on the cutting room floor after all. They ended up using it for a series of commercials that started airing a few weeks ago. If you get the Cooking Channel, you might have seen it - maybe without realizing it was us! We don't get that channel, so I had to get the DVD copy. I posted it here and on my flickr so you can see it too. After three hours of filming, bento-making, and talking, I was surprised to see a coherent 1-minute segment that made us look pretty poised and respectable. What a great editing job! I have immense respect for all the folks responsible for the work and production that goes into making an interesting and cool-looking promo. We found it amazing that it looks like a beautiful sunny day when in actuality it was around 8pm. All those hot spotlights really make a difference. I wish I had a setup that like to shoot my bentos at night and have it look like the brightest naturally sunny day ever. Also, if you have a 4-year old like mine, you know that after 3 hours of ANYthing they're usually either bouncing off the walls or having a meltdown or (yikes) both. But as you can see, my TinySprite was a perfect ANGEL. Hahahaha! (see previous comment about stellar editing job). Besides the solo 1-minute ad, there are also two other ads we're in which are comprised of two 30-second segments. Our segment is the same in both of these short versions but I've included them both so you can see the interesting other pieces (one's with a BBQ dude and the other is with a couple that runs a bowling alley restaurant). The cool thing about the Cooking Channel that makes it different from the Food Network is that it seems to focus more on the "everyday" regular person rather than celebrity chefs or reality contests. Folks like you and me. Thanks for taking a look! ^_^

Cooking Channel Bentos

Cooking Channel Bentos, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Here are two of the bentos I made for the shoot on Sunday. (See the finished commecial here!) There was another one but that was the one TinySprite grabbed and scarfed up in addition to the heaping one she made herself. Each kid made their own bento and then ate it. There wasn't any way I could take a picture of theirs. I should have taken a photo of these bentos before all the activity, but I didn't think of it, which is why these had to be shot in bad (artificial) light. Both feature Korean chicken in a lettuce leaf along with steamed broccoli, carrots and carved cucumbers; and varied berries for dessert. I added steamed corn and a shoyu bear egg to one, and a rice section (which I rarely do but which provides a very nice backdrop for a charaben design) with a matryoshka made of Okinawan purple potatoes, cheese, sweet potato and nori to the other. Some cute picks add color and whimsy.

I was surprised to find that making three bento at once wasn't much more work than one (or two, which is the most I ever make at a time for my two kids). And even though the third bento contained totally different ingredients (rollups), it still was pretty manageable. The key is to be prepared and have everything you need at hand, which saves time. MisterMan and TinySprite took these to school the next day, with furikake sprinkled on the rice. I'm thinking in addition to making their own bento, they can soon begin to cook the food for me too... ^_^

Added to What's For Lunch!

Cooking Channel Promo Shoot

Cooking Channel Promo Shoot, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Yesterday we had a bit of excitement over here: The Cooking Channel sent over a crew to film an interview and bento-making session with me and the kids. They're interested in using it for a promotional spot to be aired sometime in the summer (I think). About 15 people came to the house and set up a bunch of lights and cameras both inside and out in the backyard. They spent 3 hours filming us making bentos and then interviewing us about our passion for bento. It was quite an experience! Everyone was very friendly and warm, and made us feel as comfortable as we could under the blazing lights. After our photo shoot experience for the New York Times article a year and a half ago, I was a bit nervous about how the kids would react to all the attention. Can you guess how they did? MisterMan was the essence of chill: laid-back and reserved. He thought the best part was all the gear they brought in their giant trucks double-parked in front of our house, and the fact they coned off the street.

TinySprite was the exact opposite: so excited she could barely contain herself. Added to her usual -er- "enthusiastic" self, and the fact that it was nearing her bedtime, you can imagine the antics. She named some members of the group (Beautiful Lady, Makeup Lady, Brown Lady, Big Hair Man) and referred to them by those names DURING the filming; she tried grabbing the mike hanging over us several times, and she insisted upon running to the kitchen, fetching another bento and eating (again) while we were conducting the interview. Sigh. Well, I guess you can't say it was a dull shoot for them! It certainly was a fun learning experience. Stay tuned for updates! ^_^

*Edited to add: See the link to the finished commercial here!