How To Make a Commerical

Have you ever wondered how much is hidden behind the 30 seconds that you have just seen in television? How long does it take before a television spot reaches the TV screen and makes you smile, or yawn? And how many people are involved in this short video? 

Let´s have a closer look at the process of making a commercial. The advertisement spot is rolling backwards and we are going back in time to the beginning of the creative process.

At the very beginning there is an assignment, also called brief. A client that needs to solve a specific problem turns to the advertising agency.

 The creative team then tries to come up with the ideal solution that´s suitable for the social group, which the commercial is aiming to address. In the spot for Komerční banka( Commercial Bank), the targeted group were businessmen and the bank wanted to show them, that the service provided by the bank is effective and doesn´t cost too much money. 

The formula 1 pit, which is where the spot takes place, is like a visual parallel of professionalism. A storyboard is created, in which the setting of the spot is described, each situation is mapped out, and the dialogs or the text, which will be heard in the spot, is written down.

When the client approves of the story board, it becomes an animated spot, also called animatic. The animatic often gets tested, people have to consider the idea and they say if the advert would appeal to them and if it gave the required information. If the tests go well, or if the client believes in the potential of the advert even if the tests go wrong, the process continues. Now the director enters the scene, in this spot the Swedish director Jakob Stróm. He goes straight to work. He and his production team choose the ideal actors for the roles, the ideal place for the shooting and everything needed for the perfect result. Now the D day has come, the shooting day. When people pass by the shooting area of a film, they get the feeling, that there are lot of people running around, but nothings is really going on, it´s usually the same with commercials. One shot after another, everything is eventually recorded and everything is coming to a victorious end. Well only for today. The commercial needs to go to the cutting room, where all the shots are arranged in the right order. When the cutting is finished, the advert goes through a process called grading, where the colours of the shots are enhanced. Then it´s time for finalisation, the logo, credits or special graphic effects are added. It´s all completed with the sound engineer, who puts the final piece in the mosaic of the new, now finished 30 seconds long spot. The advert is ready for broadcasting and you can enjoy it the same way the businessmen enjoyed his coffee in the Komerční banka spot.

You can see the advert here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfeM9ud1Ig8

by Pavel Sobek, EURO RSCG prague

Translation: Kristian Smith