Script to Screen: Navigating the Video Production Process for Commercials

You have a new product or service to share with the world. A commercial seems like the perfect opportunity. But your commercial video production schedule can quickly escalate to overwhelm when you consider all the steps you’ll need to take.

Where do you start?

Start With Your Goal

Working with a creative team will only get you so far if you don’t have your story in place. Your story is your foundation. It’s what introduces your concept, conveys your messages, and creates a call to action.

In order to get to the story, you need direction. We’ve all seen memorable commercials, ones that we recall in vivid detail for years. Equally, we’ve all seen commercials that flop. Even if we recall the visuals, maybe we never link them to the product or service. There’s a disconnect somewhere in between. Without that connection, the commercial fails to achieve your goals.

How do you solve this problem?

Start with your goals. Answer a few questions to get started:

• What story do I want to tell?
• What’s my approach?
• Who is my target audience?
• What should they take away from this?
• Why will they care?
• What’s my end result?

Dig deep. Don’t move forward until you have a solid plan in place.

Craft a Story Outline

The best stories are memorable. So are the best commercials. They provide a beginning, middle, and end, and engage the viewer throughout. Commercials may only be, on average, 30 seconds in length, but that’s ample time to convey your message if you use your time wisely.

How will you capture attention? What is your call to action? How will you move between? At this point, don’t overthink the process. Fill in the details as you move forward.

We believe the most important place to start is with your hook. An emotional hook starts with a powerful story or approaches a situation from a different perspective. In short, it captivates as quickly as possible—you only have a few seconds, so make the time count.

Then, craft a single message. Don’t overcomplicate. Everything about this story should lead to your one goal. Yes, people have different viewpoints. You won’t capture everyone with any one thing. But the more concise you are with your message, the clearer you are with your audience, the more focused that message can become.

That’s how you develop your strong takeaway.

Plan Your Call-to-Action

It seems obvious that to get your desired results, you simply have to ask. Videos with strong calls to action have been found to generate 380 percent more clicks than other CTA options.

Yet not every ad asks.

Imagine building an ad for a new restaurant. You showcase the waiters serving gorgeous meals. You share the view from the bar. It’s enticing in every way. But you forget to put the name, how to contact you, or your demographics. A viewer can’t read your mind. A call to action may seem obvious to you but might not convey well to your viewer.

Your goal as a marketer is to prepare your viewer for what comes next. You create emotion and demand. You encourage them to take action. So tell them! Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money.

Flip the Script

Think you have the perfect ad? Ready to move forward with your commercial video production? Before you move further, sit back and view your ad through your viewer’s eyes.

The success of any ad is whether or not people connect with it. You can do so by stepping back and seeing it through their eyes.

Millennials are different from Baby Boomers. A woman fresh out of college has a different perspective than a woman facing an empty nest.

When looking through their eyes, ask:

• Is this commercial relevant? Will they connect with the story and see themselves as they watch? Will they be drawn in by the emotional hook and care about what you’re saying?
• Are you speaking on their level? Use vocabulary that holds their attention.
• Are you identifying what they want or need? Even if they don’t know it, they watch for a reason.

The better you get at this process, the better your commercial will be.

With a Script in Hand, Edit

Think you have a script ready for production? Hold on, you’re not quite ready yet.

Any good writer will tell you the writing process is only as good as the editing. Because you’re first shot at anything won’t look as good as the edited version. Including a commercial script.

Have it in writing? Say it out loud. Think you have something great today? Put it down and reread it tomorrow.

This is your chance to whittle down the script and get more succinct with your ideas. Eliminate those big, bulky words people stumble over. Pull out extraneous information that really doesn’t matter. Only then will you have something good enough to take into your commercial video production process.

Get Feedback

Going through the commercial video production process once may seem monumental, but it does get easier with time. As you refine and rescript, getting a fresh set of eyes on your project from time to time is a good idea. Start with people around you—coworkers, a happy customer, or even a good friend can all offer valued input. Consider asking for help as you need it.

Ultimately, the best way to produce a great video is to start with a great story. The stronger your script, the more creative your final production. That’s where the fun truly begins.

Now it’s your turn:

• Get motivated by the work you see all around you.
• Find common video themes you enjoy yourself.
• Create a plan—even if you’ve never done it before, solidifying your ideas can help you create something great.

If you need a little help with the creation process, Pretzel Logic Productions offers a full range of commercial advertising and sales video production services to help you with everything from short videos to full-length feature films. If you are looking for help with your creative vision, you’ll receive next-level service in creating whatever story you’re hoping to tell.