Vonage TV Commercial - Rocket

Posts: 2135 · Posted: Wed May 25, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject: Vonage TV Commercial - Rocket

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Posts: 192 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Oct 08, 2004 Posts: 192

No way this is real. It is a total fake. I had dozens of these rockets when I was a kid. They are called Estes Rockets.

The engine ignites quick and disburses all of its energy within a fraction of a second.

I conclude that at least three rockets were used and a fourth engine was used to ignite the fire on the tailgate of the pickup in this video.

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:00 pm Post subject:

This has been repeatedly discussed in Internet forums. I don't think there is anyone who, having any exposure to model rocketry, thinks this is real.

The real question is;

(a) Did Vonage stage it?
(b) Did Vonage acquire it without realizing it was fake?
(c) Did Vonage acquire it and knowing it was a hoax decide to use it because of the humor factor?

I hope it was (b).

Posts: 2135 · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:04 pm Post subject:

Oh, I am CERTAIN it is real.

That is just one crazy rocket!

Smile

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 20, 2005 Posts: 1

It's an obvious fake. Not only does the acting not sound real, but model rocket engines just don't fire for that long. The one in the commercial is firing for more than 5 seconds which is impossible. I've seen rockets freak out when fins are placed wrong, but it's immediately after launch and not after it's gone straight up like in the commercial.

I wouldn't be surprised if the initial launch in the commercial is real, but the two horizontal rocket passes are CG.

Posts: 93 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 23, 2005 Posts: 93

Fake or real, it's still cool! Cool

Posts: 13 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jul 05, 2005 Posts: 13

Posts: 17 · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:55 pm Post subject:

Thats cool... It reminds me of October Sky

Posts: 5 · Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 7:34 pm Post subject:

My dad knows rockets and there's no way a rocket could do that.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: May 31, 2007 Posts: 1

I am the cameraman on the video.

Really. I am. I can tell you all about it if you want, but that might take away some of the magic.

Here is the generic stuff that I can say without giving too much away.

This was filmed just a few hundred yards north of the Mexican Border in California east of San Diego. I filmed it. The star is my best friend, Ed, and that's his wife with the fire extinguisher.

This video origially aired on America's Funniest Home Videos in the spring of 1997, I do believe it was. It was the very last series with Bob Saget as host. Ed appeared on the show when the video first aired, and it won $10,000 as the top prize. When Bob Saget came over to talk to Ed, he asked what went wrong - if it was one of those "Estes rockets or something."

Ed explained, "No, it didn't come from a kit. It was kind of a home-built thing." Then Bob asked, "So what made it go crazy like that?"

Ed's response was, "That's what happens when you violate every rule of the Model Rocketry Safety Code."

If you want to know who I am, I appeared on the $100,000 show, seated next to Ed. We did not win; we lost to a couple of whiny kids.

Such is life, I guess.

Vonage acquired the video from AFHV. They paid us a very small royalty to gain all rights to the footage when AFHV sold it to them. A very small royalty. Just a token, really. We didn't want to force the price up or otherwise Vonage probably would have just chosen some other video. Oh, and when we agreed on a price, we did not know that it was Vonage that wanted the rights. We suspected it, but did not know they were the buyer.

Anyway, that's about all I can say without giving too much away. If you want me to lay out all the details I can certainly do so, and prove beyond any doubt that I know what I am talking about.

But I don't want to spoil it unless you want me to.

Oh, and I can add this:

That was the second take.

Very Happy