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commercials specifications
I’ve got a freelance job coming up which may (or may not) need me to work on a commercial or two. Now, I’ve been working as an editor for a few years doing broadcast work, but up until now I’ve not been called on to do a commercial.
Are there any pitfalls I need to watch out for in regards to specifications etc? Obviously there’s the normal title/action safe issues, 10 sec still at the end etc. But any other little oddities I should know about?
By the way, I’m in the UK. 🙂
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12 Replies
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[JamieWorsfold] “10 sec still at the end etc.”
Nothing like this in the USA.
Do you mean a 10 sec. FREEZE-FRAME of the last shot, or 10 sec. of BLACK following the spot? (The latter might be useful, the former, not so much.
I also understand that there’s a tradition of a 30-second COUNTDOWN before the spot.
I can’t understand why a COMMERCIAL would need a 30 SECOND PRE-ROLL… EVER!
A program that was rolling down a network feed might use a long countdown, but WHO would CUE at TV spot 30 seconds before the first audio/video?
OK,I’m done. 😉
As Dave said, just ask someone where the spot will be played, as our opinions don’t count. -
Thanks Dave
I thought it’d be more along the lines of each broadcaster having a slightly different spec. The guys at the ad agency where the job is seem a decent bunch and said to me “Just ask”, but you know how it is – you like to go in prepared as much as possible 🙂
Most stuff is gonna be pretty much set up already as I’m filling in someone’s shoes while they’re away for a couple of weeks, so a lot of things are templates already made up in AE that just need compositing and outputting from FCP, so all should be good.
Thanks!
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[Matte] “I can’t understand why a COMMERCIAL would need a 30 SECOND PRE-ROLL… EVER!”
Whoa. Chill!
“Back in the day…” a 5 or even 10 sec preroll was not uncommon, what with those coal-fired machines needing some lockup time. Not a problem now, of course. A reason for a 15 or 30 sec long slate, usually a fullscreen billboard with the actual countdown from 10, was to assist the operators who had to cue up spots on tape. The longer slate was helpful when fast forwarding and rewinding as it provided a short few seconds of readable information as it zipped by.
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[Chuck Reti] “”Back in the day…” a 5 or even 10 sec preroll was not uncommon, what with those coal-fired machines needing some lockup time. Not a problem now, of course. A reason for a 15 or 30 sec long slate, usually a fullscreen billboard with the actual countdown from 10, was to assist the operators who had to cue up spots on tape. The longer slate was helpful when fast forwarding and rewinding as it provided a short few seconds of readable information as it zipped by.”
Not quite.
I was an editor of 2″ Quad videotape even before the days of Ampex “Editec”.
A) I didn’t say there was no need for a 10-sec pre-roll countdown/slate (we used 7-sec lock-up pre-roll). I said there was no need for a 30-second pre-roll slate.
B) In the days before 1″ and 3/4″ tape, there was no way to SEE ANYTHING as it “zipped by”.
The only clue you had was listening to the audio during FF and RW.THIS is why I can’t see why anyone EVER needed a 30-secound COUNTDOWN on a COMMERCIAL, even back in the day on “ancient” commercials.
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[Matte] “I was an editor of 2” Quad videotape even before the days of Ampex “Editec”.”
Me too, though didn’t use the Smith block but once or twice. I do have a screwtop can with dried up Edivue in it.
[Matte] “I said there was no need for a 30-second pre-roll slate.”
Yes, You are Correct, sir. I failed to pick up on the distinction.
[Matte] “In the days before 1″ and 3/4” tape, there was no way to SEE ANYTHING as it “zipped by”.
The only clue you had was listening to the audio during FF and RW.”I was trying to forget about Quad spot reels 🙂
That’s why we used to put a LF, 50cycle (Hz, for the kids) or so tone under the slate. To HEAR it as it zipped by.[Matte] “30-secound COUNTDOWN on a COMMERCIAL, even back in the day on “ancient” commercials.”
The on-air directors drank more back then?
C,
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[Chuck Reti] “The on-air directors drank more back then?”
I’ve seen some guys in “Master”, even today, who could make short work of a bottle.
😉
War stories of the good-old, bad-old days!
Why, some day we could talk about needing to THREAD a 16mm FILM CHAIN for playing the “Million Dollar Movie”, or the “Creature Feature” or…
Oh heck, now its time for my NAP! -
Ask any editor under the age of 45 what an “A-B Roll” was used for.
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Actually, I am 30 and at one point I edited on 3/4″ with an Amiga CG. Gues I am an old guy now.
Cheers
-D-Dave Cohen
Motion Graphics * Digital Design
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[David Cohen] “Actually, I am 30 and at one point I edited on 3/4″ with an Amiga CG. Gues I am an old guy now.”
No, but you sure had old GEAR!
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Got that beat. I’m 26 and edited on 1″, switched on an Ampex 4100, and aired spots off of Quad. Before you say that’s impossible…I started early and I’m in a tiny market. Now someone else can come along and talk about film chains 🙂
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