What is Answerbag?

Ask questions and share your knowledge with the world here on Answerbag. Get the best answers where there are no duplicate questions and questions are always open - our community of over 1,142,000 will find your answer!

Join For Free!
 

Guide to Pre Production Meetings for TV Commercials

Saturday, September 12, 2009
Related Tags: script | budget | schedule | commercial | scenes
 

Instructions

Introduction

  • Step 1:
    When meeting for the first time, it is important to introduce everyone. This way everyone will know everyone's name, as well as their position on the crew. There is no need of going into further detail about every person on the crew; the name and position should suffice.

Script

  • Step 1:
    Go over the script. Because the television commercial is only thirty seconds, the script will not be longer than a page. Make sure everyone understands the script. Any problems need to be brought up immediately. Once you move further on in the production process it may be too late to change certain aspects of it.

Shooting Schedule

  • Step 1:
    Once you have the script down, it will be time to create the shooting schedule. If there is only one location, it shouldn't be difficult to create, especially if the location is inside. If there are multiple locations you will want to shoot the outside scenes first. This is because if it rains on the days you were to shoot outside you can move inside and shoot those scenes. If you schedule the opposite way and film all the inside scenes first and it rains when you would have filmed the outside scenes, you will have to scrap the day, which will cost you or your client money, which no one will like.

Budget the Commercial

  • Step 1:
    Once you have the script and the shooting schedule all set up you will need to budget the project. If you already have a specific amount of money you will need to see if you can fit everyone into the budget. If you don't, you will need to remove certain shots and special effects. If you are slightly over budget you may have to remove that fly-by shot or the extended crane shot. These are expensive and are often not necessary to the actual story of the television commercial. The cast and crew payments can generally not be adjusted because of the unions they work in. Once you have the budget in place as well as the shooting schedule and everything else, it will be time to move into the production phase of the television commercial.

Related Content
How to Schedule a Film Production
Planning a movie shoot takes a lot of effort, but it is the most important part of the filmmaking process. A successful and well-structured plan sets the stage for a good movie. Scheduling a film...
How To Shoot a Movie
Have you ever watched a film and thought to yourself, "I can do that"? Believe it or not, it's not just dusting off your camcorder and pressing record. However, with the advancement of digital...
How to Create a TV Commercial
So you're looking to create your own TV commercial. First, what is your goal with this commercial? Will it be for regular television or Internet TV? Who is it supposed to reach? How long will it...
How to Make Low Budget Movies
Lots of people have great ideas for films and want to become the next Steven Spielberg but don't have the opportunity to direct just handed to them. In fact, virtually no one does. Hence the rise...