HOW TO CREATE A COMMERCIAL

1. 
   Decide on one simple message to communicate. Commercials are short , usually between 30-60 seconds. This message needs to be simple.
   

   • Ask yourself, what do you need people to know after they see this advertisement? What are you hoping to gain from the commercial?
   • For professional advertisers, this is called "the brief." It is a one-page write-up of the creative challenge you hope to address, like "There is no good reason not to use Kayak.com" or "Drink more Ovaltine."
2. 
   Come up with a simple story. All advertisements, in some way, tell a story. You want the story to be memorable. The best commercials are funny, catchy, unique, or have an interesting character. When deciding your story, you have only a few limitations:
   

   • Know how much ad time you want.
   • Does the story fit your message? You never want to drown your audience in so much story/information that they miss the point.
3. 
   Develop a shooting script. Commercials, like any movie, need to be well thought out, planned, and designed to be successful. Once you have your idea you should map out everything needed to tell your story -- video, dialog, sound, and text. This shooting script will be your road map for filming and will help your cast and crew know what to do, so take the time to make it perfect.
   • A shooting in school script does not have to be a screenplay. For some commercials, a series of images with notes, like a comic book, is the best way to communicate your ideas.
4. 
   Scout locations to film at. Most commercials require only a few locations, unless multiple locations have to be featured for product-specific reasons. Locations will have to be arranged ahead of time. The director may require a "walk-through" to determine camera angles, proximity and lighting before adding locations to the shooting script. Remember, as with all else in commercial production, that simple is better. 
   
   

   

   5. Decide your cast and crew.
   

   • Director of Photography/Camera Operator.
   • Actors.
   • Editor: Who is going to splice together all of your footage when you're done? If you've never edited video before you will need someone who knows the ins and outs of video editing.