Learn how to DESIGN a commercial with a high end feel and aesthetic. In this article, you’ll learn the 3 elements that separate a high end professional commercial, from a low budget and poorly executed commercial. Whether you are looking for higher sales, more downloads , or subscribers to an audience, if your commercial is pre designed with high concept elements you will see better end results. Read on to discover how
A BEGINNERS GUIDE
how to make a high quality COMMERCIAL VIDEO
Commercials are a staple of marketing for any brand. A good commercial can do more than increase sales and attract your target audience, it can build your brand story.
We recently were on set for a large production for the well known golf brand Taylor Made. This was a high budget shoot and required a large team to execute the vision. This commercial was shot on a sunny day at The Kingdom in Carlsbad California. The main object of the commercial was to showcase the company’s new mobile app. Our goal was to show how the app can elevate your game with ease, giving the everyday golfer the tools the pros have. The commercial came out great. It was visual , informative, and had a clear call to action.
So what makes a great commercial?
A great commercial should communicate why someone would buy or subscribe to a product or service. The message (or theme) should be crystal clear upon ending the 1-2 minute video.
To get there, It starts by preplanning.
In this article we will go over the 3 critical elements you must need to make high quality video production : All this is figured out before you shoot one frame of footage.
- Crafting a good storyline
- Use high quality images & aesthetic (telling the story visually within a specific aesthetic)
- Delivering a clear call to action
1. CRAFTING A GOOD STORYLINE
The starting point for any good commercial is the storyline. As most filmmakers will tell you, story is the most critical element to any body of work.
This is a great place to start is to ask yourself “What problem are you solving for your customer”. This is marketing 101
To create an effective commercial video, it’s critical that the video have a clear, easy to understand storyline that somehow resonates with the target audience, as well as shows them how what your offering will HELP them in their life.
In the reference of the taylor made commercial, We wanted to show how the app will make the weekend recreational golfer have the tools to elevate their game with little effort.
To make this happen ,and craft a good story, it’s important to grasp general storytelling basics.
Storytelling basics:
Let me ask you a question.
Have you ever watched a commercial and felt confused at the ending?
It’s a common problem in short form content where the story may have been hard to understand, & for commercials the story must be clear.
In a nutshell, every good story must have 3 things: A beginning, middle and end.
It may seem obvious to do this…… however many creative projects get lost in this area and leave a critical beat in the story or element out. This leaves viewers with a confused feeling at the end of the content.
Let’s avoid the confusion and keep it clear. Make sure you work out all the storyline before you film your footage. This way you’ll be ready to execute on your day of filming.
VISUALIZING YOUR STORYLINE
Once you have your storyline ready, we recommend making a shotlist to help you visualize your story. A treatment is another great way to visualize your project prior to shooting. This can be helpful to bring your story to life and make sure the editing team understands how to piece together each scene.
THE 3 BASIC ELEMENTS OF A STORYLINE
THE BEGINNING : The beginning of a storyline is often referred to as THE SETUP and should set up the story. This is usually when you will introduce the status quo of the Hero and prepare the audience for “the problem”, in which your product or service will be the solution.
THE MIDDLE : The middle is the meat of your storyline. In this section you will present some form of catalyst where the Hero of the story is changing or learning something new (preferably from the product or service that you are selling)
THE END: The end of your storyline also known as the finale will serve as the “transformation” of your Hero. In the sake of a commercial, this is where the product or service has somehow transformed the Hero’s life and will end with a call to action slide.
The call to action is the next step for those watching the commercial and its goal is to get the viewer to act . Most calls to actions (CTA’s) are links to buy, sign up forms, or any place you want the viewer to go next.
For anyone looking to understand storytelling on a deeper level here are our 2 amazing resources on screenwriting and how to design a good story.
SAVE THE CAT by Blake snyder
THE ART OF VISUAL STORYTELLING by Syd field
2. IMAGE QUALITY AND AESTHETIC
HIGH IMAGE QUALITY: High end commercials must look visually stunning . The use of top quality cameras with good lighting setups are a critical step to create amazing images that will captivate your target audience. Each shot of the story should be executed with amazing camera movement that is cohesive with the flow of the story. Other visual elements that make a commercial high end are visual effects , motion graphics and logo animations.
AESTHETIC: The aesthetic is the look and feel of the images. Do you want the commercial to look clean and colorful? Filmin and grungy? The company ethos you are making the commercial for may direct the “aesthetic” direction. You must design this look before you begin so you can edit the footage accordingly. A great way to find the aesthetic direction is to find references of other videos you’d like to emulate.
3. CALL TO ACTION
The call to action is usually the final frame of a high end commercial. It is what you might call “the answer” to the question that is being stirred up in the storyline. A good call to action can make your customer stop what they are doing and break out their credit card on the spot.
We’ve all done it.
For example in the above example of this Taylor Made commercial, it begins with the question “Ever wish you had the same support as the pros?
The call to action is what drives the customer to actually use your product. In this TaylorMade reference we see all the benefits the app gives the customer via the storyline. The call to action is “download now” , which is a link to download the app.
This commercial promises that if you download their app , you will get the same support the pros get, making your golf game more enjoyable and more successful.
FINAL NOTE: A TEAM EFFORT
Making a commercial takes a lot of effort and people to execute each small element of the creative vision. This is because more people on set can help each team member focus on their individual roles and make the production run smooth. In a nutshell this helps the director collect all necessary pieces to the vision so the end result is professional and high quality. A high end commercial has the power to electrify your company or brand growth in all directions.
CONCLUSION
Creating a high end commercial is critical for any business owner that wants to level up the perception of their products or services. If you create a piece with a good story, High quality visuals and call to action you have a high chance of growing your sales and awareness of your Brand.
Looking for high end video production? Let the team at DREAMVISION produce an amazing piece for you and your Brand! Contact us today!
