Do you own a small business? Research shows that if you advertise it via facebook or other social media, video greatly increases the number of responses. You can, of course, hire a video production company to make a commercial. But youll save moneyand probably have a lot more satisfactionby doing it yourself. The following tips can help even a novice achieve solid results.
Tip 1. Decide what kind of commercial you want to make. Here are four proven options:
- Straight pitch: You or your representative looks right into the camera and states the virtues of your product, store, or services. This may seem uncinematic, but Alfred Hitchcock used this talking head approach to sell many of his movies.
- Voice-over pitch: Show clips of your product while you or another person narratives the scenes. Hint: Do not put into words what viewers can see. Rather, the narration should add hidden or behind-the-scenes information.
- Testimonials: Interview a few satisfied customers. This is the easiest approach, but you do want people who are confidant when facing the camera. Good if you can get varietymale, female, young old.
- Story: Create a short narrative in which one or a few characters have success using your product or services. Think of the famous 1984 Apple Commercial. This can be the most effective kind of commercial, but its also the most difficult to pull off.
Tip 2. Write a script. You dont need fancy software. The easiestand often most effectiveapproach is to make a shot list. Almost all movies are made of separate pieces of video. A shot is the video taken from the time you hit Start to when you hit Stop. Here, for example, is a shot list for a 30-second commercial for a hair salon.
Shot 1. Child with long, out-of-control hair enters the salon.
Shot 2. Close-up of scissors cutting the hair.
Shot 3. Close-up of hair on the floor.
Shot 4. Child looking in mirror at well-cut hair.
Shot 5. Text giving the name of the shop and contact info
If your commercial is going to include narration, write it out in simple, short sentences.
Tip 3. Cast your commercial. If its going to be you pitching to the camera, thats easy. But if youre going to feature staff members and/or customers, you need to choose the people and make sure theyre enthusiastic about the project.
Tip 4. Collect props and costumes. Often, you wont need any, but its frustrating if your script calls for something and you dont have it.
Tip 5. Location scout. This is easy if youre shooting in your place of business. But sometimes, a script will require other places. For example, if you sell sporting equipment, you might want to show customers using the equipment at a playground.
Tip 6. Shoot the commercial. Inside, make sure the lighting is adequate. Outside, choose a place where you can avoid having people in the background interferee.g., by waving or making gestures. Professionals budget for crowd-control, but those working on limited budgets need to be creative. You might do this by shooting early on a weekend. Hint: Try to limit the amount of takes that you shoot. If you shoot too much video, editing becomes time consuming.
Tip 7. Edit your visuals. This means putting the shots into the best orderoften not in the order you shoot. Then trimming so that each shot begins and ends where you want it.
Tip 8. Add titles if required. For example, in the haircutting commercial, you could insert a title card with the price. Or you could imitate old-fashioned movies and put in a card that represents what a character says. Adding titles is very easy to do. (Tutorial)
Tip 9. Add narration and music as required. To avoid problems, use copyright clear music. You can often find it free or at a very small cost.
Tip 10. Test your commercial. This step is often overlooked but it is extremely important. Show it to honest friends. Dont ask if they like it. Rather, ask: How can I improve this? Write down everything they say even if you disagree. Then, later, look at the commercial while reviewing the comments. Is a scene too long? Too dark. Confusing? Make fixes as needed.
I am thinking about shooting a commercial for my friend sometime this summer, so thanks for the tips. We don’t have a huge budget, so shooting inside might be our best bet. I can see how limiting the crowds and lighting might be for the best.
I like how you mentioned that when casting your commercial, you need to choose the people and make sure they’re enthusiastic about the project. My uncle is thinking about producing commercials but doesn’t know what to do. I will definitely pass on these tips to my uncle about how to produce a good commercial in case this is the path he decides to take.