Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Jumping Frog Scene From The Brady Bunch
by: Nina Ross
April 27, 2023
source: MeTV
One of the most memorable scenes in the series is the “jumping frog” scene from the episode titled “The Impractical Joker,” which aired in 1970. The scene takes place in season three, episode 12, titled “The Winner.” In this episode, the Brady family prepares for the annual Greenfield Frog Jumping Contest. However, their frog, Hopper, is not very good at jumping. To improve Hopper’s chances, the family enlists the help of a frog expert named Matt Harmon.
The production team behind The Brady Bunch used a real frogs for the jumping frog scene. To ensure the safety and welfare of the frog, animal welfare officers were present on set at all times. The frogs were obtained from an animal supplier, and the production team took great care to ensure that it was not harmed in any way.
To make the frogs appear to jump higher than they actually could, the production team used several tricks. They built a small platform for the frog to jump off, and the camera was positioned at a low angle to make it appear as though the frog was jumping higher. The shot was also slowed down to make the jump appear more dramatic.
To create the illusion of the frog’s sudden burst of energy after swallowing a vitamin pill, the production team used a small explosive charge to launch the frog into the air. The charge was carefully controlled to ensure that the frog was not harmed in any way.
One of the biggest challenges of the jumping frogs scene was getting the frogs to jump in the right direction. To solve this problem, the production team built a small mechanical arm to gently guide the frog in the desired direction. The arm was controlled by a crew member who was off-camera.
Another technique used to create the slow-motion effect was over-cranking, which involves filming at a higher frame rate than usual and then slowing down the footage in post-production. This technique was used to make the frog appear to be moving in slow motion.
