WHO MOVED MY SHRIMP? By Philip Butta
That would be Ed Fountain, the 60-year-old mechanics guru who has made food fly—and bounce and explode and collide—in hundreds of TV commercials. Here's how he does it. CHALLENGE: Collide shrimp in midair SOLUTION: Catapult When shrimps collide midair, Fountain says, "It's beautiful. They spin and show their texture, which has a lot of appetite appeal." To make that happen just right—typically within a 6-inch shooting window—he built a pair of wooden catapults, whose launch angle and pressure can be changed on a whim. "There's no math involved," he says. "I just keep adjusting it, and when it works, it works." PAST CLIENT: Long John Silver's TAKES TO GET THE MONEY SHOT: 6 to 12
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