Guide to Pre Production Meetings for TV Commercials
Television commercials, like shows and movies, will typically have a surprisingly large crew. These crew members will be brought together during the preproduction meeting. The meetings are designed to make sure everyone is on the same page, as well as organize the shoot, solidify the script and purchase all the props and other material needed for production of the television commercial.
Other People Are Reading
-
Introduction
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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.
-
