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Resources (books etc) for creating online ‘adverts’
Hi,
I’ve been doing online showreels for customers for a while now. 2-5 minute videos. Usually with interviews to sell the brand if not a VoiceOver.
More recently I’ve been exploring the world of viral videos. Typically 30-60 seconds, based around a concept and storyboarded. The first of which I tried went horribly wrong. It wasn’t for a client luckily, but I learned an awful lot through the process, not least of which to have a clear storyboard which VERY clearly tells the story as you’ve got only seconds to do so.
Not to be deterred, I tried again with another project. To cut a long story short, the company like it and we’ve got sponsorship from the manufactorers of the tractor we used in the shoot – so they saw big value in it too.
Relief. Well, not quite. I’m still not 100% happy with it although I’ve applied everything I learned from the last shoot.
I would like to read up on the subject but have found nothing available. Maybe I’m searching for the wrong thing? Maybe there isn’t a book on creating great short online adverts.
If anyone knows of any, please let me know.
Thanks
Olly Lawer
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9 Replies
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Ogilvy on Advertising. Good ads are good ads: online, offline, any line.
I don’t believe you can “force” a viral to take off. It is either really good and unique, or it isn’t. I like to point out the failec effort Sony made for a viral about “All I want for xmas is a PS 2”.
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Thanks!
I completely agree. I suppose I’m more looking for how best to translate an idea to film. Maybe it’s learning to be successful director i’m after? Or maybe you can’t learn and it’s all experience learning through trial and error.
Olly Lawer
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“Nobody in Hollywood knows anything”-W. Goldman
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🙂 trial and error then.
Olly Lawer
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Couple of things you could look at, once you’ve read Ogilvy!
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/02/15/the-psychology-of-advertising/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practice
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marketing-Behavioural-Analysis-Peter-Chisnall/dp/0070841500
https://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/html/0071769714.html
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Thank you! Just ordered his book. Will check out those links.
Olly Lawer
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All these resources look great and will be very useful and informative.
What I’m still looking for is a book that helps to translate an idea to a finished film advert. Storyboard to end product if you like.
Olly Lawer
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Olly,
Just a dose of reality.
Advertising is one of the MOST difficult things to break into. This is because it’s an absolutely ruthless financially driven industry. ALL creative must serve the business purposes of the project. Period. Nobody smart does advertising to be cool, to be edgy or to be anything other than completely efficient.
This is a requirement because the RISK is enormous.
For every dollar spent on production (the making of any advertisement) the amount spent to EXPOSE that ad to the audience is typically orders of magnitude larger.
If YOU were risking thousands, hundreds, tens or even just one of your own, personal thousand dollar bills to run some advertising – knowing that after the campaign is done, that money will be completely and totally GONE – would you mess around hiring people who hadn’t studied, been examined, and built reputations for successful performance over time?
You wouldn’t. Because it’s simply much, MUCH too big a financial risk.
Advertising is a start VERY small and work your way up by proving yourself time, and time, and time again business.
You can’t just “watch it” and think you can do it. Because nobody will EVER trust you that way. They can’t afford to.
Just a small dose of reality.
Sorry it’s so harsh, but that’s the truth of it.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Thanks and I appreciate your bluntness, I do.
What I’m talking about is a little different. The cost to the customer would be largely the same as the testimonial or VoiceOver style informative films I currently produce, that is £800-£3,000 typically, but would centre around a concept/idea rather then the traditional style corporate video. Ok it pushes the price up dependant on what’s involved, but we’re not talking hundreds of thousands here. At least not initially. Just clever ideas translated to video for the likes of YouTube. Make you think campaigns if you like.
I do appreciate what your saying and I agree. But hopefully you see this isn’t where I’m heading with this.
Olly Lawer
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