shooting commercial, what settings are suggested?

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faceless1

Active member
hello,
i'm new to the shooting commercials. i searched threads, but didn't find a decent answer. should i shoot the commercial 60i, 30p, or 24p? i'm thinking 30p is going to be the way to go, but i'm not sure. some parts of the commercial will have action, with fast motion. but majority won't, other then the camera panning. any suggestions? maybe even shutter speed? i appreciate it. i'm trying to not feel retarded here.
 
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Ive never shot a commerical either but I figured if i did i would use 24 but my question is is more than one cam that important?
 
for what i'm doing, i don't think so. one would suffice i'm sure. you just storyboard your shots and shoot the scenes, edit it all together. that works for me.
 
I think it is really dictated by the look you want to achieve, and your post workflow, to an extent. If the subject matter required to be shown in a filmic light, or do you want a gritty reality look? Is there going to be extensive post work, in this case you may want to shoot progressive for cleaner images. It all depends on suject matter and the look you're trying to achieve.
 
I've shot a couple of car commercials and always ask the client a simple question:

Do you want it to look like a movie or like the evening news.

Depending on how they answer dictates whether I shoot in 24p or 60i. I have done both. Ask your client what sort of look they are for. Furthermore, for commercial work it is best to keep your setting pretty neutral so you can have more control in post. Normally I try to do as much in camera as possible, but when you are being paid to do something it isn't like a short film where you can call your friends up and ask them to come back out to reshoot. I normally end up using the factory presets and edit in Vegas. Make sure you also check with their delivery station and find out what there delivery requirements are. Two of our local stations will not accept DVD for delivery.

The best piece of advice is to just be honest about your skill level and where you're at and move forward from there. I make it a point for my clients to know that I'm a hack and then when I deliver a good product they are really impressed. Finally, remember that it is a small world of people who do these gigs so the potential for referrals is massive. Always ask for the referral of someone they know who might also be interested in having you do a project for them. It takes one second to ask and it could turn into a client for life.

Best of luck!

-Jeremy
 
thanks yankee and oneinfinite loop. what you both said is very informative and helpful. the commercial is in the style of the peta commercials that they have on their website. kind of gritty, but not much i suppose. do you think that 30p would work? and then do the magic in post?
 
Unless I'm going for slow motion I never shoot 30p.

For me, the reason I got the DVX was to shoot 24p, therefore it is a simple thing for me, do you want the film look or do you want the nightly news look.

I have only done three commercials so far, 2 in 24p and 1 in 60i. Personally, though, I wouldn't consider 30p, but that's just me.

-Jeremy
 
i would probably go more for film look than news. so i should be aiming for 24p. what do you think about using a 35mm adapter to it?
 
I have seen a lot of discussion about shooting commercials. My questions has to do with how to deliver the product to the TV station: Do you export the commercial back to you camera and deliver the product on Mini-DV, or is there another format that will work for the TV station? Are you guys delivering your finished product on DV tape, 3\4 U-matic, DVC Pro, DVD-R or ????
Thanks
 
From my experience, you need to contact the station and find out what format they will accept. Our local Fox affiliate (who I have delivered two products to) will accept full DV or DVD as long as you have the color markers and leads set up correctly. The NBC affiliate will only accept DV or Beta for delivery, so I had to rent a deck in order to export the file for that project.

I think one of the problems with people doing commercials is they don't want their clients to know that they don't have all the answers. There is nothing wrong with saying, I don't know, so therefore you can go ahead and ask. Trust me, it is much less expensive and possibly career ending to just be honest and say that you don't know rather than make a mistake and screw up the gig for everyone. Also, and this should be obvious, make sure you are not color correcting on the computer for anything that will be broadcasted. Use a TV in order to fine tune everything since that will be your delivery method.

Regarding the 35mm adapter, the one I have has a softer image that doesn't bother me for a film project but bothers me for commercial work. I want my image to be as sharp as possible, therefore I would not use my 35mm adapter. Then again, it comes down to what your client wants, so just sit down with them, pitch your idea, get their feedback and discuss the technical aspect. One of the biggest things to always remember is that you are being hired, but people normally aren't hiring you and saying run with it on your own. Get their feedback throughout the process, or as we call it in sales, tempature checks. This gives you several opportunities to gain feedback. I like the preproduction periods with clients more than the shooting because that is where you get their feedback. I always bring a couple of 5x7 stills with me that show different looks and let them choose what look they are looking for. The fact that you can offer different looks pulls you away from the PBS stations where everything in standardized.

-Jeremy
 
What about payment do you as the shooter/editor have to pay the tv station for the spot and you charge your client accordingly or does the client handle paying you and the station?
 
Just got done shooting 2 commercials

Just got done shooting 2 commercials

faceless1 said:
hello,
i'm new to the shooting commercials. i searched threads, but didn't find a decent answer. should i shoot the commercial 60i, 30p, or 24p? i'm thinking 30p is going to be the way to go, but i'm not sure. some parts of the commercial will have action, with fast motion. but majority won't, other then the camera panning. any suggestions? maybe even shutter speed? i appreciate it. i'm trying to not feel retarded here.
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I used the 24p mode with the shutter speed set a 1/60. The setting was in a Mall, so using a 35adapter wasn't an option, too soft. In my opinion, again just my opinion, the shutter set at 1/60 takes away some of the "dv blurring" many of us know and hate.

If the piece is for PETA then you might be able to use an adapter with 35mm lens which can come across more gritty and "artsy". If you go that route, check around, borrow one if you can, do some test shots and present that to your client. I bought the cheapest one I could find and the end result was booking the jobs.
 
thanks for the advice guys! everything has been very informative. i'll do some test shots and discuss, and see what they approve. thanks again.
 
>i'll do some test shots and discuss, and see what they approve.

That's the key...

For myself, the Fox station I work for accepts only beta, betaSP and digibeta. If you don't have a deck, then add the price of transfer (call it "duplication" so the client doesn't know you don't have a deck...) from a dub house in your area to the bid to the client.
 
j said:
For myself, the Fox station I work for accepts only beta, betaSP and digibeta. If you don't have a deck, then add the price of transfer (call it "duplication" so the client doesn't know you don't have a deck...) from a dub house in your area to the bid to the client.
Click to expand...


You can rent a Beta deck @ $100/day here in Charlotte. Our rental prices are normally 10-30% higher than a major market so keep that in mind.

-Jeremy
 
TheYankee said:
You can rent a Beta deck @ $100/day here in Charlotte. Our rental prices are normally 10-30% higher than a major market so keep that in mind.

-Jeremy
Click to expand...

Why is this? I'm assuming it's because there is a lack of competition. I rented some gear down here in Jax, FL, and the prices seemed pretty good to me, but I'm not sure what major markets get.
 
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