Producing Advertising Commercials
Producing Advertising Commercials
Recommended procedures for cost-effective production of television
and cinema commercials from client brief to transmission
Revised and edited by ISBA/IPA/APA in May 2006
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Cannes events for APA members
Jun 28, 2009 - 01:57 PM
We are organising three great events for APA members- and for free or for a donation to Fireflies, in the case of Straight 8.
The World Producers Summit, organised by the CFPE and AICP, with the support of Kodak, takes place at 1pm Wednesday 24th and sees production company owners from around the world meet to discuss the issues effecting the business, to share learning which will enable us to build even better businesses and provide the best possible service to the clients and agencies who are clients. This is an invitation only event and thank you for those of you who rsvp’d and have a confirmed place.
The Young Directors Award, organised by the CFPE and Shots, takes place at 5pm on Wednesday 24th June at Palais Stephanie. Once again, a capacity audience of 900 is expected for what is the biggest event of the Cannes Fringe, where you can see the best work from new directors from around the world.
Straight 8, organised by Straight 8 and Rushes, takes place at 11am on Friday 26th June at the Rex cinema. A great fun event where the film makers see their three minute Super8 movies for the first time as the audience. Tickets £8 for Fireflies from http://www.justgiving.com/straight8bestofanadbunch
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APA Collection 2009- Deadline extended until Friday 26th June
Jun 28, 2009 - 01:55 PM
It is not too late to enter, to ensure your film has a chance to be screened at the APA Show, shown around the world as part of the APA Collection via the DVD with Shots and screenings around the world, but it will be soon! See below for downloadable entry guide.
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Masterclass 2009 Comes to an End!
Jun 28, 2009 - 01:50 PM
This years Masterclass has come to an end with over 70 students graduating last night at MPC Theatre.
After 5 months of lectures, study groups and demo evening the students all passed the exam and collected their certificates last night in a great evening for everyone. We would like to say a huge congratulations to all of the students for passing the exam this year, in particular Ross Curzon-Butler, Alice Haines, Hannah Davies, Lucy Clements, Henry Huang, Kate Aitkin, Jo Coombes and Andy Noble for achieving the highest mark of Outstanding for their exam.
We would also like to thank everyone who has been involved in the course and helped to make another year such a great success.
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Developing your Business through the Recession Report
Jun 28, 2009 - 01:47 PM
Our recent seminar, bringing together speakers from different disciplines to offer practical advice on marketing, business issues, making the most of your website and foreign exchange, was very well received.
For those of you who asked for a summary or missed the session, please click here for a one page summary from each of the four speakers.
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Pushing the Boundaries to Shooting in the Capital
Jun 28, 2009 - 01:40 PM
Film London was delighted to be involved in another successful London-shot ad campaign for T-Mobile. The new advert, “Sing-along”, a follow up to Liverpool Street Station’s “Dance” advert, featured 13,000 people singing karaoke in London’s Trafalgar Square.
Much like ”Dance”, the commercial was filmed with multiple cameras – to capture real reactions from the public. The mass choir brought Trafalgar Square to a standstill as commuters and passers-by belted out songs including Is This the Way to Amarillo and Summer Nights using over 2,000 microphones which were handed out as words were projected onto giant screens. An added highlight of the event was the surprise appearance of international pop star Pink, who had been hidden in the crowd.
The “Dance” campaign, which was also shot with Film London’s support, became a YouTube sensation. It generated over 11 million hits and has made its way around the world as a viral, inspiring numerous fan sites and spin-offs, as well as finally winning the Gold Clio for direction of a TV commercial at the 2009 Clio Awards last week.
Ed Sayers, Agency Producer at Saatchi, was keen to reproduce this winning formula: “Following the success of the collaboration on “Dance”, together with Partizan we again approached Film London first for our follow-up…Making the approach as the same team, to the various controlling parties, was the right thing to do. We very quickly had all the right departments take our enquiry seriously and feed back how keen they were to work with us, despite the unusually short lead-time for an event of this scale”.
The most vital part of Film London’s work was to help convince the client that “Sing-along” could be achieved in central London. As Paul Cavanagh from the Squares Management Team explained: “When T-Mobile gave the final go ahead to produce the commercial there was an intensive five week planning process which could not have been achieved without the established relationships between all of the relevant authorities and Film London. This production was a perfect example of how these relationships enabled a major coup and a unique filming event for London.”
Location Manager Charlie Somers added: “The producers initially looked to shoot the project abroad, but thanks to initial work from Film London, the project stayed in the capital. Organisations such as The Westminster Special Events Team, The GLA, and Metropolitan Police Service all worked together with Film London and my location department to resolve the huge logistical issues that a project of this size throws up, in order to create something quite remarkable. This advert really shows what can be achieved in London.
For filming enquiries at Trafalgar and Parliament Squares please contact 020 7983 4813 / 020 7983 4234 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Filming guidance for the squares can also be found at Trafalgar Square - Filming
Film London: For locations advice & support – please contact the Locations Team direct on: 020 7613 7683 / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) / http://www.filmlondon.org.uk
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Beijing London Advertising Forum 2009 hailed as the best advertising event seen in China
Jun 28, 2009 - 12:43 PM
With a brilliant line up of speakers from Chinese brands, agencies and production companies and from the APA and IPA membership, the 350 delegates who attended the Beijing London Advertising Forum in Beijing, enjoyed a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to develop new business relationships.
The Forum was launched by a reception at the British Embassy, Beijing, where the delegates from London and their guests from China were welcomed by the British Ambassador to China, Sir William Ehrman, who introduced the reception by explaining the importance of the UK’s creative industries, the Government’s commitment to promoting them and the importance of the UK’s advertising and production industries within that. That support, which was invaluable was provided by UKTI and the China Britain Business Council.
The programme, which took place at the fabulous China Club, Beijing, over the next two days, saw 26 presentations, aimed at explaining what makes London special- the first presentation from London producer, Luke Beauchamp- and what makes China special, via insights from Oliver Xu, MD, JWT Beijing.
Moray Mclennan, Worldwide Chief Executive, M&C Saatchi explained how simple ideas were effective ideas, when working across different countries and regions.
Edward Bell, Planner at Ogilvy, Beijing then looked in depth at their work for Moto, explaining effectivness and return on investment, showing the value of the campaign to the client and, in doing so, giving a detailed insight into the IPA’s effectiveness awards, which are the longest running and most sophisticated analysis of the value of advertising available.
Andrew Ruhemann from Passion and Jerry Hibbert from HRA provided an excellent overview of the power and variety of animation London offers and Carl Grinter from Rushes and Penny Verbe and Jodie Brooks from Smoke and Mirrors did the same for post production. Lifeng Want, CEO of Xing Xing, who produce content for HRA, explained how that worked and, in doing so, provided proof to the audience that cross continent production works.
Smoke and Mirrors also announced the details of their Shanghai office, to open shortly. Smoke and Mirrors follow Partizan, Stink and RSA in opening in China and other production companies, such as Home and Great Guns, in being represented there but the opening of one of London’s major post companies in London is opening in Shanghai is a big sign of London’s confidence in and commitment to the opportunities that China provides.
Polly Chu ECD, JWT China explained how the recession was effecting China and the opportunities that provided for brands, while Patty Tse and her colleagues from Cheers Films looked at service companies in China and what they could offer APA members.
Janet Hull from the IPA gave an overview of UK advertising, and what the IPA is doing, in terms of training and effectiveness awards, among other things, to add value to UK advertising.
Emily Bliss from Home and John Golley from Spank then got into the detail that the Chinese delegates had requested, in terms of how they should engage APA members and what commercials cost, showing what could be produced for different budgets.
Nick Blunden from UK agency Profero then enlightened the delegates about the latest thinking in digital advertising in London, an area in which the UK has developed an expertise of great interest to other adverting markets.
Tracey Lee from BBH Shanghai explained how BBH had taken their big idea for Johnnie Walker- Keep Walking- and made it work in China.
Axel Chaldecott, Global Creative Director HSBC, JWT, explained how they had created a successful global campaign for a brand with strong links to China.
Chien Wang, ECD, TBWA China, told the audience how the Beijing Olympics impacted on brands and agencies in China and what London should expect from 2012.
Simon Elms and Colin Smith from Eclectic then took us through music and its importance to commercials.
We looked to at brands, with Lenovo presenting on how they are developing a Chinese brand into a multinational brand.
We learnt together and began/continued building relationships with what is currently the third largest advertising market in the world: an astounding market which has become the biggest car market in the world, has the largest number of people on the internet in the world, despite only 20% of the population owning computers and which will continue to grow as more of its 1.3 billion move from a subsistence to consumer lifestyle.
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Training Programmes
The Association has a fundamental commitment to training and is a founder member of Skillset, the lead industry body for training in the broadcasting film and video and multi-media industries.
Skillset approves and funds regular training programmes to which the Association's members and affiliated freelancers have regular access. For further information about Skillset visit www.skillset.org.
The Association is a founder supporter of the Film and Television Freelance Training organisation (FT2). This organisation provides full time new entrant training courses for most technical, creative and production grades in the industry. For further information about these programmes, including details of how to apply visit the FT2 website at www.ft2.org.uk.
The Association has a regular programme of seminars and workshops for its member companies and affiliated freelance producers. For information about the latest courses visit the news page or contact us directly.
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Terrorism Addendum Guidelines
The APA / IPA guidelines on the terrorism addendum to the Agreement for the Production of TV / Cinema Commercials
Introduction
The terrorism addendum and these guidelines have been agreed between the IPA and the APA following the withdrawal of insurance cover for commercials production due to losses suffered as result of terrorism / military action.
They reflect the view of the IPA and the APA that it would be unfair for production companies to bear the burden of costs they have incurred on behalf of an agency / client on a production because it was cancelled or did not continue as a result of terrorism or military action or any action a third party takes as a result of the threat of terrorism or the threat of military action.
Clients / agencies may be able to obtain terrorism / acts of war insurance on a job by job basis. Whether or not a client elects to take out such insurance or carry the risk themselves does not affect what is agreed between the agency and production company in the terrorism addendum, though if such insurance cover is obtained, the agency should inform the production company.
Principles
The guiding principle is that the production company only seeks to safeguard its position in the event that it is engaged to make a commercial and that commercial does not happen for terrorist / military action reasons.
Agencies wish to keep cancellation costs as low as reasonably possible to safeguard the interests of their clients. In producing the terrorism addendum and these guidelines, the IPA and APA recognise that there are a number of issues which are best and most fairly determined for each production, given the circumstances of that production and there are therefore blank spaces in the terrorist addendum, which can be completed with the assistance of these guidance notes.
The guidance
A.1 Cancellation;
The figures to be included in (ii) to (vii) are to be agreed between the production company and the agency and added to the letter.
(ii) The percentage of directors / producers fees to be paid if the production is cancelled 14 days or more prior to the first shoot day will fall in the range of 25% - 50% of the total fees payable to director / producer.
They would be at the lower end of the range for a short production, for example, a topical newspaper commercial produced over the course of a few days. It would be at the higher end of the scale if it were a complicated shoot and a long pre-production period was planned involving substantial director/production company input.
(iii) The percentage of the directors / producers fees payable if the production is cancelled between 13 and 1 day(s) (inclusive) prior to the shoot would ordinarily fall within the range of 50% to 75% taking into account similar factors as in (ii) above.
(iv) The percentage of the directors / producers fees payable if production ceases during a shoot would ordinarily fall within the range of 75% to 100%. The agency and production company should always have a regard to the length of the pre-production period in determining what figure should be inserted into the terrorism addendum.
(v) (vi) (vii)
The production fee should relate to the amount of time spent on the project prior to cancellation and (v) should therefore be lower than (vi) which should be lower than (vii).
The objective here is that the payment agreed as the production fee should reflect the parties genuine estimate of the payment needed to cover production company�s costs with no profit element in the event that the production is cancelled and the fact that the production company has allocated resources to the production for the whole period of the production and been deprived of the opportunity to utilise those resources to generate revenue from them to fund their business.
2. and 3. In most circumstances it will be reasonable to state that the production is deemed to be cancelled if the production ceases/ is postponed and does not re-commence within 28 days. There are many special circumstances which could prevail where you might agree a different figure. If for example a commercial is being produced against a timetable so tight that it can only be used if delivered on or very close to completion date, then a shorter period might be more appropriate. Another factor to consider in agreeing the period of postponement is the availability of the director and key personnel.
The production company is entitled by these clauses to be reimbursed the extra expenditure it incurs in the event of postponement or extra costs occasioned by terrorism / military action. While the production company will incur additional overheads, which it would ordinarily be entitled to recover , it will waive these in these unusual circumstances.
4. Both the production company and the agency are committed to trying to find ways of completing a production. So, if for example, air travel, is not possible the parties would try and seek to find alternative methods of transportation.
B. If terrorism / military or the action of any third party which is a result of the threat of terrorism or military action means that it is not reasonably practical to continue with the shoot, the decision to cancel the shoot will be made by the agency in consultation with the production company.
C. The production company�s director must take all reasonable steps to ensure he/she is able to fulfil his duties. So if, for example, the director flew overseas on another shoot and planned to fly directly to the production governed by this contract and was prevented from doing so by terrorism / military action or the action of a third party as a result of the threat of terrorism or military action then responsibility for the delay or cancellation of the production could rest with the production company.
D. Sets out terms and conditions including the agencies rights to have confirmation from the production company�s insurers that the loss is not recoverable from them.
ADVERTISING PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION / INSTITUTE OF PRACTITIONERS IN ADVERTISING
18th October, 2001
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