The moving image was invented for moments like these. The works of Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese, and Greta Gerwig were mere stepping stones to the groundbreaking piece of art we lay at your feet today. Cancel your Netflix subscription. Boycott your local theater. Throw your wedding video in the trash. For nothing will ever compare to Prank-O’s long-awaited infomercial for the RotoWipe. How did a satirical gifting brand accomplish such a cinematic feat? Let’s dive in.
If you’re out of the RotoWipe loop, let us bring you up to speed. One of Prank-O’s best-selling prank gift boxes depicts a spinning wheel that cleans your nether region after each bowel movement. The jump from box to video is never easy, and the gross subject matter of this toilet paper alternative is certainly no exception.
It all started with a script. We wanted to capture the classic infomercial infomercial format with the “problems” presented in black and white – running out of TP, having to buy an endless amount of rolls, the leftover itch from a poor wipe – and then switching to color for the “solution.” We also wanted to let the narrator take more of a backseat in favor of dialogue-driven jokes by our on-screen talent.
Which brings us to filming. Armed with a shot list comprised of stock images that more or less captured the gist of what we had in mind, Prank-O’s co-founder Arik Nordby picked up his camera and wrangled staffers together to round out the cast. Despite only being a just-over-90-second video, the infomercial has 10 different shooting locations, so it involved a bit more “running around” than you may expect.
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The real challenge though was actually inventing the product. A lot of Photoshop went into the imagery on the RotoWipe box. But since we don’t have a Marvel-level CGI budget, we needed to find a way to create an attachable toilet wheel that spins as we claim it does. How? By rigging a bristle wheel to an electric toothbrush and then rigging that to a plastic plank with a metal dial on the end that doesn’t actually do anything when turned.
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And voilà! We had an infomercial. See the final product here and be sure to grab the Official Rotowipe Prank Gift Box for that friend or relative you know that values their bathroom time (we hear they make good Father’s Day gifts). Stay tuned for more cinematic achievements from Prank-O!