Nick Morrison
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 9,141
- Reaction score
- 50
- Points
- 48
- Location
- Brooklyn
- Website
- www.smallgiant.tv
As many of you know, I've been a promo producer for years - over a decade. It's a little known medium I love, and until recently it's been overshadowed by commercials, music videos, and premium content. However as TV matures, so have promos. It's an art form (and craft) that's come into it's own, and earned it's place.
However, it remains a relatively small, and insular industry.
I thought with this thread, I'd pierce the bubble, and shed some light on what we do, and how we do it.
History Channel has been one of my best clients over the years, so I've used them in many of my examples.
Here are some basic types of promo styles:
VO DRIVEN APPROACH (2009)
https://vimeo.com/128222155
This is a classic example of a VO driven spot. Why? Because on this particular show, the bites often weren't strong enough to carry a trailer. So we used VO to drive a lot of the information, and drama.
When History was dominated by more "talking head" doc series, this was a popular technique. :30s and :20s had wall to wall VO, with small drop outs for tight, dramatic bites from "the experts".
BITE DRIVEN APPROACH (2008)
https://vimeo.com/80348621
However with the emergence of Reality, VO started getting replaced...with bites. Teaming with action and danger, reality stars had a lot to say, and we were happy to let them say it. Series launches were often augmented with elaborate promo shoots on location with talent. On this trailer we spent 9 days in Oregon shooting B-Roll on HVX's with Letus adapters and Zeiss B-Speeds. The interviews though were the backbone of the launch. Still unjaded and inexperienced in front of the camera, these loggers gave some truly unvarnished bites...that gave the whole series a lift.
MUSIC DRIVEN APPROACH (2013)
https://vimeo.com/128331259
As reality shows became the norm, bites started to feel old. We'd heard too many. The reaction to this has been sizzle pieces and signature spots that have NO bites, and are just music driven.
Sometimes saying less, says more. You know?
TITLE CARD DRIVEN APPROACH (2015)
https://vimeo.com/130175725
This is a great example of a title card driven spot. We didn't want to use bites (there weren't many), and didn't want to use too many shots (how many disasters can we show before it gets old?). So we layered the spot with title cards you have to read...driven by dynamic music.
This is one of my favorite techniques when a show needs help, and we need to overcome weak source material.
When all else fails, find a great music track. And write some fun cards.
SEE AND SAY APPROACH (2015)
https://vimeo.com/128414693
See and say is the ultimate combo of VO and GFX! The audience READS what they HEAR, and the effect can be powerful. For event spots like this combo spot, it's super fun.
VIRAL APPROACH (2015)
https://vimeo.com/128413930
As LIVE TV transitions to multi-platform viewing, a new form of promo is emerging - a viral spot that speaks to a digital audience (say on Facebook), not an on-air audience. When you're making a promo JUST for Facebook fans of a show, you can get away with a lot more, and have a lot more fun. These highly targeted spots are in their infancy, but may soon start to reshape the entire industry...as it goes digital.
If you guys like this, I can keep updating this with more examples as they hit me, or as we make them!
Best
However, it remains a relatively small, and insular industry.
I thought with this thread, I'd pierce the bubble, and shed some light on what we do, and how we do it.
History Channel has been one of my best clients over the years, so I've used them in many of my examples.
Here are some basic types of promo styles:
VO DRIVEN APPROACH (2009)
This is a classic example of a VO driven spot. Why? Because on this particular show, the bites often weren't strong enough to carry a trailer. So we used VO to drive a lot of the information, and drama.
When History was dominated by more "talking head" doc series, this was a popular technique. :30s and :20s had wall to wall VO, with small drop outs for tight, dramatic bites from "the experts".
BITE DRIVEN APPROACH (2008)
However with the emergence of Reality, VO started getting replaced...with bites. Teaming with action and danger, reality stars had a lot to say, and we were happy to let them say it. Series launches were often augmented with elaborate promo shoots on location with talent. On this trailer we spent 9 days in Oregon shooting B-Roll on HVX's with Letus adapters and Zeiss B-Speeds. The interviews though were the backbone of the launch. Still unjaded and inexperienced in front of the camera, these loggers gave some truly unvarnished bites...that gave the whole series a lift.
MUSIC DRIVEN APPROACH (2013)
As reality shows became the norm, bites started to feel old. We'd heard too many. The reaction to this has been sizzle pieces and signature spots that have NO bites, and are just music driven.
Sometimes saying less, says more. You know?
TITLE CARD DRIVEN APPROACH (2015)
This is a great example of a title card driven spot. We didn't want to use bites (there weren't many), and didn't want to use too many shots (how many disasters can we show before it gets old?). So we layered the spot with title cards you have to read...driven by dynamic music.
This is one of my favorite techniques when a show needs help, and we need to overcome weak source material.
When all else fails, find a great music track. And write some fun cards.
SEE AND SAY APPROACH (2015)
See and say is the ultimate combo of VO and GFX! The audience READS what they HEAR, and the effect can be powerful. For event spots like this combo spot, it's super fun.
VIRAL APPROACH (2015)
As LIVE TV transitions to multi-platform viewing, a new form of promo is emerging - a viral spot that speaks to a digital audience (say on Facebook), not an on-air audience. When you're making a promo JUST for Facebook fans of a show, you can get away with a lot more, and have a lot more fun. These highly targeted spots are in their infancy, but may soon start to reshape the entire industry...as it goes digital.
If you guys like this, I can keep updating this with more examples as they hit me, or as we make them!
Best
Last edited:
