It’s been six months at the new job now. New job is not so new anymore. Probation period has been successfully completed. ‘Success’ continues being a relative term.
Much has transpired in these six months. Politics. Mudslinging. Group reshuffles. Insipid speeches of motivation. The works.
But for me, the most notable thing to have happened in the first six months was to have my first TVC approved, produced, edited and aired. This may not seem like a big deal (because it really isn’t), but my heart still skips a beat or two when I see an ad I worked on in the papers or on a billboard, so the TVC was a big deal. Some say the lack of a love life is to blame for this. I sort of agree. But I digress.
The point is, it was my first TVC and it was a pretty awesome feeling to think I could point at it someday and say, “I worked on it!” I was, however, gravely mistaken.
The final edit was nothing like I thought it was supposed to be. This, despite my being involved in the film from start to finish.
But I’m still pretty glad it happened. Because there are some Priceless Things I Learnt from My First TVC (A.k.a. Things Don Draper Won’t Tell You), which I hope to put to use with the next (whenever that is).
- Everyone Has a Vision: The truth is, TVCs are a big deal with agencies, primarily because they’re so few and far between (compared to all the brochures and emailers and menu cards and whatnot you churn out on a daily basis). And so when one gets approved, everyone who’s involved with the brand will have something to say. This is a universal truth. Commit it to memory. Because when you work on your TVC, you will notice how EVERYONE has a vision for the film. The NCD has a vision. The ECD has a vision. The CD has a vision. The AE has a vision. The film’s guy has a vision. The client has a vision. The director sure as hell has a vision. You, however, are the only one with a script. Hold on to it. Tight.
- Waving the Script Works: Now when everyone is sharing their vision for the film, it’s easy to get swayed. Everything. Sounds. Awesome. Especially when you don’t know better, because it is your first film. If you’re like me, you’ll probably look at everyone large-eyed and soak it all up and nod along and trust everyone will do what’s best. If you’re like me, you’ll also end up kicking yourself in the ass later. To avoid this, it may be a good idea to pin the script up in front of everyone and cough phlegmatically or emit other unseemly noises. When you have everyone’s attention, wave the script around frantically and say, “It’s not in the script”. At this time, the client is most likely to be your best bet. They’re often scared of taking on anything that wasn’t agreed upon in front of their entire board of directors and their wives. This is not to say the director shouldn’t be given any freedom and won’t add anything to the film. Just that, it’s a nice idea to say “No” when you’re not comfortable with something and you can’t expect someone else to do it for you.
- Luke Sullivan Was Right: There’s a chapter on TVCs in Luke Sullivan’s ‘Hey Whipple, Squeeze This.’ where Sullivan talks about how you always write a film thrice. The first, when you actually write it. The second, when you shoot it. And the third, when you edit it. I would say the estimated number is much higher, considering the number of times you actually write the script, but you get the picture. The point is, he was right. Which means, it’s nice to have a tight spot with no room for ambiguity, it’s nice to have enough good takes because they won’t all be good on the editing table, and it’s nice to have your edit come out exactly as you’d imagined because no one likes surprises.
- 30 Seconds is VERY LITTLE TIME: 30-second spots can be great fun. But they can also be a great pain in the ass. And while you may be expected to say everything in 30 seconds, the fact of the matter is, you can’t. No two ways about it. This may piss the client off in the beginning, but better that than when they’ve spent lakhs on the film and then have to make do with a shoddy 30-second edit. The “tight spot”, as they say, comes into play here. Yes, there will be the director’s cut, which can be 60 seconds long and have no product window. But your 30-second spot will actually be a 20-second spot, with a 10-second product window. Which means you need to write for a 15-second spot. 15 seconds to tell you story. That’s very little time to waste being irrelevant. Or stupid.
- It’s Better To Have Tried and Failed Than To Have Won and Failed: Everyone wants a TVC in their book. This first TVC was also my first assignment at the new job, so in addition to the lure of ‘My First TVC’ there was also the additional ‘Need to Please the New CD’ for motivation. The selected script was about my 17th scripted attempt (not counting all the narratives I’d narrated verbally). There were scripts I much rather preferred but didn’t tick all the boxes. And then there was this, the one that did and the one we knew the client would buy, but just wasn’t great. And as tempting as it will be to just get something, anything out at that moment, the fact is, there is no undoing it once it’s on air and a million people have watched it. Yes, it sucks to not have a winning script. Yes, it sucks to think, “What am I doing with my life? Why am I in this field?” on a regular basis. But it sucks so much worse to have a sucky spot, not having one may actually be better. Hard to believe, but true.
Featured image from here.
Related articles
- Learning on the Job: 22-04-2011 (betweenthebriefs.wordpress.com)
- Luke Sullivan soon chair of ad dept at Savannah College of Art & Design. (adland.tv)
- Luke Sullivan, Now Savannah-bound (adpulp.com)
- Screenwriter Zak Penn Talks (Sort of) About ‘The Avengers’ (slashfilm.com)
- Script is ‘getting there’. (theoraclemachine.wordpress.com)
