"It's the best thing on TV--commercials. And here they are in all their glory, in the pages of Jonathan Price's funny, provocative, and perceptive inside look at how commercials are made, who watches them, and what they're supposed to do. ... The Best Thing on TV is illustrated with reproductions of actual storyboards and behind-the-scenes photographs, and it concludes with a Hit Parade of the best ads from thirty years of TV."--Cover.
Understanding how commercials are made is the key to doing it right. This descriptive book is a step-by-step guide on the mechanics of creating a commercial from a production perspective. Making commercials on all types of budgets is addressed. There is material describing the roles and dynamics of the key players: the producer/director, agency, and client. This book outlines the requirements of each group so that everyone can understand and appreciate each other's needs.
The Ad-Makers looks at the cinematic form where commerce and creativity collide most dramatically: the TV commercial. Featuring interviews from top professionals in the field, the book provides the kind of behind-the-scenes expertise that it usually takes a lifetime of professional practice to acquire. Gathered from the disciplines of cinematography, directing, producing, and editing, the filmmakers tell the stories behind the making of some of the world’s top commercials. Each chapter includes an overview of best practice and a host of images—stills from the spots themselves and concept visuals. Exploring the creative process from conception to post-production, The Ad-Makers also covers developments within the industry precipitated by the digital age and the new challenges placed on ad-making by the explosion of social media. With special focus on the shooting and production elements of making a television advert, this book is ideal for all filmmakers who want to build a career in advertising or even feature films. • The stories behind some of the best-known TV commercials, as told by the people who made them • Top producers, designers, storyboarders, directors, editors, and visual effects creatives reveal the secrets of the television advertising industry
Who cares about commercials? All of us, that's who. The television commercial has become a part of the American narrative, as important a signifier of our times as a great work of literature or a blockbuster motion picture. Indeed, we often care more about the commercials than we do about the programming itself (ask any Super Bowl aficionado). The ad is art . . . and some of the art is brilliant. The hundred commercials in this book are brilliant. They were selected by a team of experts at the Leo Burnett Company, creators of Tony the Tiger and the Maytag Repairman, in collaboration with dozens of advertising pros from around the globe and throughout the industry. Their choices represent the very best that the advertising world has to offer. Together, they portray a half century of human hopes, wishes, and dreams. Bernice Kanner, whose "On Madison Avenue" column in New York magazine was required reading for more than a decade, has taken each of these small masterpieces and analyzed what made them work, why they so successfully moved us, and how they broke through the clutter to become a part of the cultural landscape. From the Marlboro Man to the Energizer Bunny, The 100 Best TV Commercials provides a hundred important lessons in how we communicate and persuade today. It is vital reading for those who create our commercial culture . . . and those who live in it.
What do ad agencies look for when casting TV commercials? This insider's guide, written by a former actor turned ad agency exec, has the answers. It provides step—by—step instructions to help actors understand and master the entire process, from assessing one's looks and personality to the agency preproduction process, from reading scripts and understanding storyboards to preparing for the audition, doing the shoot, and more. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
This volume addresses the content of television -- both programs and advertisements -- and the psychological effects of the content on the audience. The author not only reports new research, but explains its practical applications without jargon. Issues are discussed and described in terms of psychological mechanisms and causal routes of influence. While primarily referring to the American television industry and American governmental regulations, the psychological principles discussed are applicable to television viewers world wide.
“A lively history” of how TV advertising became a defining force in American culture between 1946 and 1964(Technology and Culture). The two decades following World War II brought television into homes and, of course, television commercials. Those commercials, in turn, created an image of the postwar American Dream that lingers to this day. This book recounts how advertising became a part of everyday lives and national culture during this midcentury period, not only reflecting consumers’ desires but shaping them, and broadcasting a vivid portrait of comfort, abundance, ease, and happy family life and, of course, keeping up with the Joneses. As the author asserts, it’s nearly impossible to understand our culture without contemplating these visual celebrations of conformity and consumption, and this insightful, entertaining volume of social history helps us do just that.
The Ultimate Guide to Commercial Success Acting in television commercials is a highly competitive business, but it can also be very lucrative. Whether you’re looking for your first break or want to take your acting career to the next level, Squire Fridell will give you the insider’s edge. Arguably the king of TV commercials, Fridell distills four decades of experience in this comprehensive, humorously written guide that has been indispensable to aspiring TV commercial actors since the first edition hit the shelves in 1980. This fully updated fourth edition gives the lowdown on how online and digital technologies have changed the industry and tells you everything you need to know about: • Getting a terrific headshot • Writing a winning résumé • Finding (and keeping) the perfect agent • Honing the skills that every serious commercial actor should have • Auditioning well and getting the job • Using the best online services for posting your headshot, résumé, and reel You’ll learn how to launch your commercial acting career and–more important–how to sustain it and be successful.
