Time to change

A friend of mine threw a house warming party to show off her new home. It was a massive renovation and looked fantastic. There were lots of people to admire the work and most of the building team were invited too. As the drinks flowed I got talking to the electrician. I commented on the number of small halogen lights and asked was it tricky to get them all in the right place and working properly.

He checked to make sure my friend wasn’t listening, then told me the lighting had been very difficult and cost twice what it should have. It turned out my friend had approved a plan for positioning the halogens then changed her mind after they were in. This meant that the lights had to be put in different positions and rewired accordingly. It also meant the plasterer had to put in a new ceiling, as the original was now full of holes. Then the painter had to return to paint the new ceiling.

This story reminds me a lot of what happens in some TV productions. We will never know exactly how a production will turn out. But by following a step-by-step approval process marketers can have maximum input for minimum cost.

The TVC approval process is simple and actually works very well in helping clients see and approve each stage before more money is spent on the next.

For want of a better term let’s call it the ‘Feedback Cascade’. (I might have to copyright that one)

Script/board stage – You can change anything here – within the bounds of your budget and the rules of physics. Generally you can fit 60 spoken words in 30 seconds. Good creatives will be supplying boards and scripts in combination to make understanding of the idea as clear as possible. You should expect your commercial to remain ‘structurally’ fairly close to the board and script.

Pre production stage – This is a week or two where the production house prepares to turn the Script/board into reality. You should be seeing, commenting on and approving cast, location, wardrobe, props and directors treatment. In the past these elements were dumped on the poor client at one long pre production meeting. A better way is to email each element as it becomes available and to have a final face-to-face pre-pro meeting a day or so before the shoot. This usually gives the client time to concentrate on each element and make changes if necessary. The best pre-pro meetings should be a confirmation of earlier discussions.

The shoot day (or days) – Now the serious money is being spent. Last minute prop and wardrobe decisions can be made. The director has a million things on his/her mind so client and agency should be focussed on
1. The packs or product. Are they perfect and correct? If not speak up now.
2. Wardrobe and set. Make sure you are happy before the shooting starts.
3. The talent’s performance. Is it as scripted? Shoot etiquette can be tricky. Actors and directors often need a few takes to start getting it right, so I tend to let them go for a while before interjecting. Client comments are best made to the agency who will speak to the director. Speaking directly to the talent confuses things and is a bit of a no-no.

Offline stage – So called because this stage used to be carried out manually, literally hand cutting lengths of film, rather than online on an expensive computer. Sometimes called a Rough Cut, which is a more descriptive name. This is the edit that can be fiddled with. At this stage shot choices, overall edit, and super placement can be discussed. The edit should be pretty close to the original board. Sometimes the director will have a suggestion that improves the flow. Always worth considering but now is the time to agree how all the pieces fit together. If senior management or other parties need to have a say, get their input/approval now. Changes made to edits after this stage are very expensive – and needless.

Online stage – This stage consists of grading, which means making the colour perfect, and compile, which means putting all the bits together. There may also be some Flame work. Flame, also known as Fire, Smoke and similar hot names, is a separate machine that creates special effects. Supers, logos, glows, soft focus, travelling effects, even rebuilding bits of background can be achieved on Flame. Agency and client input here is limited to checking correct logos, colours and satisfaction with special effects.

Dispatch stage – CAD (Commercials Advice Pty Limited) approval is sought and a number given – mostly. Sometimes CAD will ask for substantiation of a claim made in the TVC. Usually all they want is a signed letter on Client letterhead to the effect that the claims are true. Without a CAD number your ad will not run!

Material instructions. Often a bit of an orphan task or left to the most junior person in the media agency. Unclear or incomplete material (or dispatch) instructions are common. Red-hot urgent dispatches cost up to 10 times a normal 2 day dispatch. If you check them before giving to your creative agency to carry out, you could save thousands.

Each stage should be a natural progression from the last. While lots of questions and approvals arise, there should be no surprises.

I know we don’t live in a perfect world, but changes made at the wrong stage of the production process are costing marketers thousands of dollars every day.
And those costs could often be avoided.

If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit Tony Richardson Advertising

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