Nick Morrison
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 9,141
- Reaction score
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- Location
- Brooklyn
- Website
- www.smallgiant.tv
Hey all. I've noticed that a part of our industry that is rarely talked about on these boards are PROMOS. I'd like to change that. They are fast becoming a MASSIVE part of our industry, and promo shoots frequently rival commercial shoots. Large $200-500k shoots for a promo are no longer out of the question. There are also TONS of smaller promo shoots happening all the time.
For those of you that don't know, a PROMO is an AD for a TV SHOW. You've seen them 10,000 times on TV, but you may not realize what a small, and intimate industry this is. I've been a promo producer for 10 years in NY, and I feel like I know half the people in the biz in this town. We all know someone that knows someone else. It feels like a small pond.
As TV grows and grows, so are the scopes of promos. Before, you'd only do a :15 and a :30. Some networks also loved :20s. Then...with the growth of "theatrical spots" (those ones that air in movie theaters BEFORE the real trailers)...we started getting asked for 2:00 minute trailers. Then...with the explosion of the internet...60sec spots, 2min Sneak Peeks, and other longer form content also became the norm. We deliver for "social media" all the time now - for Facebook, Youtube, etc. Promos are reaching every corner of the digital universe. We do spots for On Demand now. It never ends.
Anyway. Promos are never talked about on Reduser, and I think they should. They are a vital source of work for a lot of us, and are also a fast growing market for shoots. Every department wants to figure out how to shoot more, and incorporate more materials into their campaigns. And Promo Departments are fascinating, because they are filled with very creative people with lots of practical experience. These are post people, used to cranking out tons of content in edit, and if you give them some good footage, they'll make TV gold out of it.
To get this ball rolling, lemme show you a typical campaign we'd do. Here's one I did a couple of weeks back for Lifetime. For a big original movie they rolled out, 11th Victim. We delivered a 2min Sneak Peek, a 60sec Trailer, a 30sec image, and a :15sec spot. All in about a week and a half. A lot of notes. A lot of revisions. But everyone got the job done, and the final product came out pretty strong. Here's the 60 and 30. The creative direction was to make the film feel like Hannibal...to evoke that kind of danger and intrigue.
11th Victim :60
11th Victim :30
If you have any questions about these two spots, any of the creative choices we made, feel free to ask.
For those of you that don't know, a PROMO is an AD for a TV SHOW. You've seen them 10,000 times on TV, but you may not realize what a small, and intimate industry this is. I've been a promo producer for 10 years in NY, and I feel like I know half the people in the biz in this town. We all know someone that knows someone else. It feels like a small pond.
As TV grows and grows, so are the scopes of promos. Before, you'd only do a :15 and a :30. Some networks also loved :20s. Then...with the growth of "theatrical spots" (those ones that air in movie theaters BEFORE the real trailers)...we started getting asked for 2:00 minute trailers. Then...with the explosion of the internet...60sec spots, 2min Sneak Peeks, and other longer form content also became the norm. We deliver for "social media" all the time now - for Facebook, Youtube, etc. Promos are reaching every corner of the digital universe. We do spots for On Demand now. It never ends.
Anyway. Promos are never talked about on Reduser, and I think they should. They are a vital source of work for a lot of us, and are also a fast growing market for shoots. Every department wants to figure out how to shoot more, and incorporate more materials into their campaigns. And Promo Departments are fascinating, because they are filled with very creative people with lots of practical experience. These are post people, used to cranking out tons of content in edit, and if you give them some good footage, they'll make TV gold out of it.
To get this ball rolling, lemme show you a typical campaign we'd do. Here's one I did a couple of weeks back for Lifetime. For a big original movie they rolled out, 11th Victim. We delivered a 2min Sneak Peek, a 60sec Trailer, a 30sec image, and a :15sec spot. All in about a week and a half. A lot of notes. A lot of revisions. But everyone got the job done, and the final product came out pretty strong. Here's the 60 and 30. The creative direction was to make the film feel like Hannibal...to evoke that kind of danger and intrigue.
11th Victim :60
11th Victim :30
If you have any questions about these two spots, any of the creative choices we made, feel free to ask.
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