How to Do Cable TV Commercial Production

The price charged for prime-time commercial slots can be in the millions of dollars.

Cable televison networks cover a large area and reach millions of consumers. These networks make the bulk of their money selling advertising on their programming. Because of the potential to reach a large audience at one time, cable television commercials are an attractive marketing option for many companies. The prices for these ads vary greatly depending on the market, channel and time slot in which they run. Producing a commercial for cable is just like producing any other type of commercial. The important thing is to make sure the commercial is up to technical standards.

Things You'll Need

• Script
• Shot list
• Film cameras
• Sound equipment
• Lighting equipment

Instructions

1. To set your budget, determine how long you want your commercial to be and which network and time slot the commercial will run in and research the costs. Decide how much money you will have left for production.

2. Formulate a concept for your commercial then write a script to show how the action will play out.

3. Write out a schedule for all the shots that need to be filmed; this is called a shot list. Create a story board; this is a set of sketches showing how each scene should be set up.

4. Put out a casting call on casting websites or use a casting agency to find actors for your commercial.

5. Hire camera operators, lighting technicians and sound technicians. You can find these professionals in film trade magazines or on classified websites like Craigslist.

6. If you do not own film equipment, rent it. Check the phone book for local film equipment rental companies or use online providers like ATS Rentals or VER Equipment Rentals. The cameras should be capable of shooting at 3.5MHz video bandwidth with a frame rate of 30Hz or 25Hz for standard definition and 1920 by 1080 pixels for HD.

7. Get permission to use all the locations you plan to utilize during the shoot. Get permits for any public locations you plan to use.

8. Shoot the commercial based on the script you wrote out. Direct the camera operators and lighting technicians to get the results you want.

9. Cut the footage together using a professional editing platform such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro.

References

• Broadcast Engineering; Broadcast Quality; Paul McGoldrick; March 2006
• Catalyst Marketers: Shoot a Commercial for Your Small Business
• Conway Corporation: Cable Advertising Rate Card