Correct, all it takes is the right tools and a bit of elbow grease. With a bit of practice anyone can have great results.
Basically he used fine grit sandpaper to remove the orange peel in the clearcoat, and used Tamiya compound applied to a soft cloth to polish out the sanding marks. The sandpaper is to level off the surface finish so that it's completely flat, but not sanding through to the paint underneath. Practice will keep you from sanding through edges. I like using the soft polishing cloths in the 2400-12000 grit range, and have found that I can even get away with using only 3600 on a good clearcoat, and finishing it off w/compound.
It's not magic, it's just a bit of work...the results of which are worth the effort.