Home video is as ever a hit-driven and star-powered industry. In the coming weeks, the New Releases section of your video store will be dominated by a fresh batch of recycled theatrical films, including “Soul Food,” “Leave It To Beaver” and “Kull the Conqueror.”
But there is another world on video that mainstream audiences rarely get a chance to see, where the stars include Greta, a swimsuit-clad computer instructor, Jill, an expert packer (of the luggage, rather than football kind), Rocky, a professional poker player, and David Carradine.
While some independent video producers shoot for that crossover hit on the order of the best-selling “Road Construction Ahead” or the “Buns of Steel” series, others, perceiving a void in the marketplace, target a specific, niche audience. Whether you want to learn how to program your VCR, tie a necktie or decorate your Christmas tree, chances are there is a video just for you.
“Learning Windows 95 With Greta” ($19.95, 800-524-6912) for example, is for those who have despaired of not being able to find a video in which the Microsoft operating system is taught by a 22-year-old blonde in a bikini. Greta flips her luxuriant hair, flirtatiously bats her eyes and fetchingly shimmies, but this program is mostly PC (as in personal computer). There is no nudity, just the naked facts about Windows.
Some video entrepreneurs market their unique expertise. Jill McAlpine, owner of “The Travel Bag” in Carmel, Calif., has for several years conducted seminars on how to pack. In “Packing With Jill” ($19.95, 209-957-4470) she demonstrates how to get the wrinkles out of travel preparation. Among her space-saving tips are how to use scarves, belts, vests and costume jewelry to maximize the clothes you’ve packed.
Get an early start on Christmas ’98 from Bob Pranga and Debi Staron, who together are billed as “Dr. Christmas” –the pair hosts “The Complete Christmas Tree” ($14.95, 800-860- 1200, ext. 119646). “From Grandma’s house to the palatial estates of the rich and famous,” Bob and Debi discuss tree set-up (make sure there’s an accessible outlet), space considerations (measure width as well as height) and tree selection (live vs. artificial), along with decorating and clean-up tips. These two are pros. According to the video box, their services have been utilized by Bob Hope, Carrie Fisher and Robert Stack.
Is poker a game of chance? Not the way Rocky Romano plays it. “An Interview With a Poker Player” ($24.95, 818-343-8969)” is a “My Dinner With Andre” for aspiring card sharks. Romano, a retired Forest Park fireman, in the course of an informal conversation reveals how to play “solid” and win consistently. One way, he advises, is to put ego aside and play with people worse than you. Should Hollywood ever make this guy’s life story, Joe Mantegna is the best bet to play him.
Other producers take their cue from current trends. The burgeoning lounge culture no doubt inspired “Finding and Enjoying Your Favorite Cigar” ($19.95, 800-250-8760), hosted by Robert Kemp, publisher of “The Cigar Monthly” magazine.
Many independently produced videos teach necessary skills. By the time you finish the award-winning “VCR Programming Made Simple” ($24.95, 800-906-0298), you will not only be able to record “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” when you’re not at home, you’ll be able to stop that digital clock from blinking “12:00.”
You also can learn “Tie Tying and More” ($14.95, 800-383- 8811), “Winning at Bingo” ($14.95, 800-638-4397), “How To Get Your Child Into TV, Movies and Commercials ($24.95, 800-377-3739) or “How To Be the Perfect Waiter or Waitress…And Earn Great Tips” ($24.95, 800-637-3770).
Hold the green M&Ms. “Cupid’s Arrow: The Secrets of Love Potions, Aphrodisiacs and Spells” ($19.95, 800-766-5375) serves up tantalizing recipes for “Cleopatra’s Elixir of Everlasting Love” and “Casanova’s Cocktail.” These potions are much more practical than other time-honored seduction methods such as placing a crow’s eye under your lover’s bed or a teaspoon of powdered fox testical into their drink. But even these are recommended over the ancient Egyptian solution for impotence: daily dipping one’s penis into a jar of wasps for 10 days.
Other videos perform a public service. “Head Lice to Dead Lice” ($19.95, 888-DIE-LICE) is a critically acclaimed 15-minute live-action and animated program that presents a five-step olive oil treatment program to combat persistent infestation. The Better Business Bureau, too, has produced a series of consumer-education videos, including `Opportunists Knock: Fraud Against the Elderly” ($29.95, 800-597-1686).
The children’s video market is one of the industry’s most lucrative. Independent videos offer parents distinct viewing alternatives, especially for preschool-age children, a segment ill- served by Hollywood. `Water…Close Up and Very Personal” ($14.95, 800-979-6800) is the latest in the series of non-verbal programs produced by Geneva, Ill., based Stage Fright Productions. Like its previous productions (including “Farm Animals,” “Big Rigs,” “Choo Choo Trains” and “Fruit”), “Water’s” mesmerizing pictures are worth a thousand words (although the sounds and images of trickling brooks, flowing streams and rushing waterfalls could lead to steady bathroom traffic).
Another ripe choice is “The Carrot Highway,” voted one of the top 10 videos of last year, which follows a carrot’s progress from seed to the marketplace.
Fitness, too, is a major area of opportunity for independent producers, who target the disciplines not covered by Kathy Smith and Denise Austin. “Kung Fu” cult hero and B-movie legend David Carradine leads “Tai Chi Workout For Beginners” and the “Chi Kung Beginners Workout” ($19.95 each, 800-383-8811).
