TV Commercial Script Help

Question

My wife (a bankruptcy attorney) needs to shoot a TV commercial.

Choices are a 30 second spot or a 60 second spot.
The cost of producing the spot is discounted with an extended run, but still represents a non-negligible expense.
The 60 second spot delivers an economy of scale and efficiency in that a lot of the mandatory language required by the Bar takes a smaller percentage of a 60 second spot than it does of a 30 second spot.

The 30 second spot offers flexibility in scheduling, as there are more spots available and an economy of saturation in that I can get more spots for less money.
Questions:
1. What is the best way to tie action to the dialog when the goal isselling trust and experience? I'm looking for something more creative than the things I see in other commercials- like an assistant handing a file for review, or a judge banging a gavel. I want to convey trust and compassion.
2. Are there any tricks to "squeezing" action plausibly into such tighttimeframes?
3. What should I ask the producer about the mechanics - location,lighting, etc.?
4. What else do I need to know about shooting a good commercial?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]My wife (a bankruptcy attorney) needs to shoot a TV commercial. Choices are a 30 second spot or a 60 ... about the mechanics - location, lighting, etc.? 4. What else do I need to know about shooting a good commercial?[/nq]
What is your role in this? Writer? Producer?

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]My wife (a bankruptcy attorney) needs to shoot a TV ... do I need to know about shooting a good commercial?[/nq]
[nq:1]What is your role in this? Writer? Producer?[/nq]
TBD.
I'm the guy in the office who pays people and who hires people. My wife has the charm (not that I'm deficient in the charm department).

I've done a couple of $1000 low-budget cable commercials for her, but this will be a five-figure, six-month commitment. That's a lot of money for us.
The TV station will do a turn-key commercial (they only charge $300 to write a script) or they will use my script.
However, I get the feeling that they focus on "talking head" dialog like every other attorney commercial I've seen, and I'd like to do anything I can to distinguish us from our competitors without getting cheezy.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]The 60 second spot delivers an economy of scale and efficiency in that a lot of the mandatory language required by the Bar takes a smaller percentage of a 60 second spot than it does of a 30 second spot.[/nq]
What is the mandatory language? Can it be fine text, or must it be said?
[nq:1]The 30 second spot offers flexibility in scheduling, as there are more spots available and an economy of saturation in that I can get more spots for less money.[/nq]
Saturation seems to be key. You want a lot of spots in local news and judge shows.
[nq:1]Questions: 1. What is the best way to tie action to the dialog when the goal is selling trust and experience? I'm looking for something more creative than the things I see in other commercials- like an assistant handing a file for review, or a judge banging a gavel. I want to convey trust and compassion.[/nq]
With bankruptcy, the two most important words are LOSE and KEEP. Lose is the threat, and the law firm is the answer to KEEP.
[nq:1]2. Are there any tricks to "squeezing" action plausibly into such tight timeframes?[/nq]
Keep it simple. Make use of your words and images. Look up Martell's tips for short film.
[nq:1]3. What should I ask the producer about the mechanics - location, lighting, etc.?[/nq]
Whatever you want. It's your money. The producers should be comfortable providing answers, and you should be comfortable with letting them do their thing.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]With bankruptcy, the two most important words are LOSE and KEEP. Lose is the threat, and the law firm is the answer to KEEP.[/nq]
This is it in a nutshell.
Thanks.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Whatever you want. It's your money. The producers should be comfortable providing answers, and you should be comfortable with letting them do their thing.[/nq]
Do not let them do their thing. They will want to make a cookie cutter commercial, cause they aren't in the creativity business, they are in the advertising sales business and they just happen to be a side business for the TV station that happens to have gear and studio space with standing props and access to hack local talent. A news videographer is gonna shoot the thing. and its gonna be lit for overall exposure. Wide, medium, close up. Turn off the lights lets go home. Some stock B-roll, some *** music, and you gotta a **** local spot that looks as bad as everything else thats shot in that system.
BD

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]My wife (a bankruptcy attorney) needs to shoot a TV commercial. Choices are a 30 second spot or a 60 ... spots available and an economy of saturation in that I can get more spots for less money. Questions: 1. [/nq]
Thirty seconds is what you want these days and as far as the mandatory language take a look at the prescription drug commercials and you can see how fast you can pack that stuff in.
You talk about selling trust and experience?
No. What you are selling is salvation/your firm's name.

People are losing everything. Their hopes, their dreams. Their future. Their children's future. Through no fault of their own. The American Dream is going up in smoke.
And there you are. They are drowning and you reach out your hand and same them.
Salvation and your firm's name.
This isn't a corporate retreat. This is a commercial. You are selling emotion. You are selling the fulfilment of a desire.

NMS

Usenet · Answer

My undergraduate degree is in advertising, and I've worked for two ad agencies. (Actually won two Addy awards for the second agency.)

Advertising is a profession. It has rules and conventions based on decades of research. It's a multi-billion-dollar industry.

You are not an advertising professional. You don't know the rules. You don't know the conventions. You don't know the research. That means you are not the right person to write or produce your commercial. Hire professionals.
If you can't afford to hire professionals, then hire professionals-in- training. Go to the largest local university and ask the chair of their advertising department to make your commercial a student project. The students will be shepherded by a professor who is a professional, and who knows the rules, conventions and research.

You'll get a professional commercial for free and the students will get produced work to use in their portfolios.
If you can't wait till November or December for them to create your commercial for you, then do this: ask the professor to recommend his star advertising student to you, and pay that person a small fee to do your spot. I got paid $500 to do spots for a local business while I was still in my senior year.
When you have your finished spot, your goal is massive repetition during prime time. You want your spot to run a zillion times during peak TV viewing hours. Whatever you do, don't let the station run your spot in the dead of night with all the infomercials. The students can help you figure out what dayparts and shows to ask the station, based on your target audience.
Bottom line: don't try to do this yourself.
.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]When you have your finished spot, your goal is massive repetition[/nq]
[nq:1]during prime time. You want your spot to run a zillion times during peak TV viewing hours. Whatever you do, ... The students can help you figure out what dayparts and shows to ask the station, based on your target audience.[/nq]
It might be a better idea to run the spot during daytime working hours in addition o prime time. When I'm at home sick during a work day, I see ads for vocational schools better yourself by learning a trade. People who are out of work might be watching tv during that time slot.

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