Creating a television commercial Using persuasive tactics to drive commercial business

A public message produced and paid for by an organization What is a commercial? A public message produced and paid for by an organization Conveys a message, typically to market a product or service

History of the TV Spot 1920s – Listening to the radio became very popular and most homes had at least one radio 1940s - TV became a new medium First TV spot ran July 1, 1941 Click here to view the Bulova watch ad

Tv commercial length TV spots can be any length, from 15 seconds to hour-long infomercials

restrictions Cigarettes Federal Communications Commission (1934) Mission is to regulate interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories Cigarettes Banned in 1971 Alcohol Allowed, but no on-screen consumption

Production (30-second spot) Media cost Production (30-second spot) $350,000 - average Media $2,000 to $2.4 million

How to create a spot Yes, you will be making your own TV Commercials! But how? Concept brainstorm Word-for-word script Shoot video Edit Done!

Concept brainstorm What is your product? Why do people care about it? Why do they use it? Why don’t they? What do you want them to do with it?

Writing a word-for-word script Tells the actor/actress exactly what to say Tells videographer exactly what to shoot Creates a plan so time isn’t wasted

Script Creation Shot # Video Audio 1 Wide shot of bride and groom walking across tarmac to private plane, closing in tight as they begin to speak Bride: What an amazing day! I am so blessed. Groom: Of course you’re lucky – you have me! 2 Wide shot of bride and groom in front of private plane Bride: you’re right…how could I get so lucky? 3 Tight shot of groom in seat inside plane Groom (to flight attendant): Bring me a Coke Groom (to camera): I don’t always drink soda, but when I do, it’s always Coca-Cola 4 Coca-Cola jingle plays Tight shot of logo Fade to black

Most of your phones have nice video cameras – use them Shooting your video Most of your phones have nice video cameras – use them Take much more video than you think you will need You will need plenty of options later when you are editing

Editing your video We will be using a program called Microsoft Movie Maker Type in “Microsoft Movie Maker” into Google and download it onto your PC It’s free so I suggest you download it at home so your group can work outside of class You will have to play around with this program to figure it out, hence the reason you have two weeks for this project!

Major grade assignment Form groups of THREE – pick your partners wisely for obvious reasons Brainstorm your product and your concept The product can be real or fictional If it is an existing product, you MAY NOT copy any elements of the product’s existing marketing campaign You MAY use ideas from other product’s marketing campaigns like I did in my example Create your storyboard using the shot sheet template and submit it via Google Drive by the end of class on Friday, April 21st

Major grade assignment Be prepared to start shooting your video on Monday, April 24th Your commercial must be 30 seconds in length, so make sure you have enough copy and video planned to fill the space You are only allowed to submit ten seconds of classroom video in your final product You can shoot anywhere on campus The best videos will largely be shot outside of school Final editing should occur during the week of April 24th You will be graded on your ability to follow directions, use time wisely, creativity, and your message

Major grade assignment The best way to get your videos from your phones/camcorders to your computer is to either connect with a USB cord (you will have to bring your own) or email it to yourself Save your project in .mp4 format on your H drive as [your last name] TV Commercial [class period], and then submit it to Mr. Nigrelli via Google Drive by the end of class on Friday, April 28th MAKE SURE ALL GROUP MEMBER NAMES ARE NOTED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE