TV Commercial Production: Terms and Procedures

• Posted on 23rd February 2016
• in Entertainment, entertainment books, film production book, TV Commercial Production
• by Ben

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Here’s an excerpt from Circumstances Beyond My Control, about

TV commercial production.

“I need to define some terms and procedures that are used in motion picture production, particularly in TV commercial production where I spent most of my career. This is a production world unto itself and, although the same skill sets are used, it is different in many ways from the making of movies and TV shows. The term “producer” is among the most ambiguous words in the film business lexicon. This is especially true in TV commercial production.

“Commercials are initially created by advertising agencies for their clients but the agencies don’t actually make them. Once a client (IBM, Chevrolet, MacDonald’s for example) approves the concept, a production company, such as Wakford/Orloff is hired.

“These companies are built around directors. Kent Wakeford and John Orloff were commercial directors [in 1972]. Agencies look at directors’ demo reels and select several whose work and style seems to fit the requirements and their companies are asked to bid on the job. The lowest bid doesn’t always get the contract. The agency’s relationship with the companies and their preference for certain directors are important factors.

“Ad agencies all have their own structures but generally the team consists of an account executive (who basically kisses the clients’ asses), writers, an art director and a producer who oversees the whole shebang for the agency and deals with the production and editing companies. In almost all cases the editing (aka post production) is handled by a company specializing in this. Once the film is processed and screened the production company is done.

“The production company team centers around the director. These companies have an executive producer whose main job is either doing the bids or overseeing an assistant who does the actual calculations. These are staff jobs. In some companies the title of executive producer is given to the primary sales representative but this is honorific since she or he doesn’t actually produce anything but sales. This is another example of the ambiguity of the title “producer”. Many companies have line producers (in reality more like production managers) on staff who actually produce the jobs while some companies use freelance producers to do this. If it’s a really big job there will often be a staff and a freelance producer on board. In these cases the staff producer handles the politics and the freelancer does the real producing. And what, exactly, is that?

“Line producers hire the crew (virtually all of whom are freelancers), rent the stage or secure the location, arrange for rental of the equipment, including props, wardrobe and special effects if needed, and oversee casting. If it’s a distant location the producer arranges for all the travel, lodging and other logistics. Basically the producer (here and henceforth I’m talking about the production company line producer, freelance or staff) makes it all happen. They provide the director with all the stuff and people he or she needs to put the thing on film. That’s now an archaic term but until the fairly recent digital revolution it was nearly always film (but occasionally  videotape – now virtually obsolete too). The producer is also responsible for bringing the job in on, or preferably under, budget. Equally important, the producer serves as liaison between the ad agency and the production company in matters of budget overages, scheduling and other logistical and political considerations.

“I had done all these things in my brief experience except for dealing with the delicate politics of commercial production so Chuck [Sloan, W/O executive producer] couldn’t hire me as a producer until I had some experience in this specialized field. I took a job with W/O as a freelance PA and worked at odd jobs around the office under the studio manager for $35 a day, less than a quarter of what I’d earned on my previous jobs. As humbling as this was it was a good thing for me. Even though I was doing menial labor, building shelves, cleaning the studio etc. I was meeting people and observing the operation of the company.”

Read lots more TV commercial production stuff, nearly all of it funnier than this, when you click here and get Circumstances Beyond My Control.