New Commercial Concept for Microsoft: Rockford’s Universal Hovercraft originally constructed a professional model hovercraft, which then had the cockpit cut off and substituted with a plywood and trash can cockpit to fit the “homebuilder/gearhead/geek” theme of the Microsoft commercial shot in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 27. Bill Zang, co-owner of Universal Hovercraft, said they even took off the headlights and replaced them with flashlights from Home Depot to give the home-made effect. He said Microsoft’s special effects department contacted his firm and two other firms to put in bids on the commercial. Zang won the bid and had only one week to prepare and trailer the craft out to California. The commercial will air in mid February, and Zang believes it will promote better picture sharing on Outlook.com, formerly Hotmail. (Photo by Bill Zang)

Jim Gill, the owner of Reel EFX, the special effect firm hired by Microsoft to produce a new Outlook.com commercial, is seated in Rockford’s Universal Hovercraft (UH) modified to fit the “One Up/You Can Do it Yourself” theme of the commercial. Preparing to shoot into the “Garage” set, is an assistant cameraman for Director of Photography Paul Cameron, known for his work on Collateral, Man on Fire, Gone in Sixty Seconds and Swordfish. Zang and his two-man crew were also allowed to watch another filming for a commercial in the new series at Disney Golden Oaks Ranch, Newhall, Calif., featuring a speeding van that flips onto its side and catches fire. Zang said the ranch has a city of storefronts, just a few feet deep, that was just finished. Segments featuring UH for Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet show, will be filmed in Rockford later this week. (Photo by Bill Zang)