Com 240: Intro to Radio and Television

Dr. Janet McMullen

P-4 Assignment: Television Commercial

Due: ______________________

For this assignment, students will produce a straight-sell, stand-up, pitch-type commercial. Your tasks are as follows:

Write a TV commercial for the product of your choice. It must be straight-sell and involve only one spokesperson and require two cameras.
Camera shots will include:

an opening cover shot
a cut to MS of announcer
cut to CU of product
optional cut back to announcer holding product

You will be talent for your production, serving as producer/talent. That means assembling all props, duplicating script for director and professor, discussing script and shots with director.
Each person will rotate through all production positions

Since each class and section of this course has a different number of students from semester to semester, the rotation charts will be different at times. If more than one section is being taught by Dr. McMullen, be sure to find your section on the rotation chart she will provide. Than find your name on the chart, determine which group you are in and the production number assigned to you. Each student is assigned a number within the production group, and if yo follow your number through the rotation, you will be able to tell what job you have in each production.

Jobs for the P-4 Assignment:

Director: Will work with producer talent to decide what shots will be taken; responsible for calling all shots to TD; makes sure all visual and audio elements come together properly; make sure program is in and out on time. Uses command system based on "ready;" "hold;" and "take."

Example: Ready, Camera 1; Hold 1 (means the camera is NOT to move from that specific shot); 1 Take (means TD will push the appropriate button to take the camera and put the shot on the air. )

Technical Director: Operates the switcher ONLY at the command of the director. Place finger on the appropriate button at the "hold" command and push the button on the "take" command.

Assistant Director: Responsible for watching time and calling time cues (time remaining) prior to and during the program. During the sacred minute, time should be called every 10 seconds until -:30 seconds and then every 5 seconds after that. During the commercial, time should be called every 5 seconds. The assistant director is also responsible for coordinating levels with the audio person, making sure levels on the VTR are at appropriate levels. The AD should also check the monitor to make sure VTR monitor matches the program monitor.

Audio: Opens microphone and sets appropriate levels, monitors levels throughout the commercial and cuts mics at the conclusion of the production.

Floor Director: Makes sure all is in order on the floor. Coordinates levels with audio/ad/director and talent. Conveys time cues to talent and indicates which camera is operative. ** In cases of small production groups, the floor director may be tapped from outside the active production group. Floor directors need to help with displays if necessary and should position themselves so that the talent can see you for time cues as necessary.

Camera 1: Operates camera 1 (this camera should manage the shot of talent) Camera people should get into position as quickly as possible and get the appropriate shot as quickly as possible. Remember when the director says, "hold" you are NOT to move the camera. Hold means the shot is ready to take and will be taken shortly. When the director says, "Take" the shot will go "on the air" and you MUST NOT move the camera unless specifically directed to do so.

Camera 2: Operates camera 2 (this camera should the shot of product display) Note directions as above.

Producer/Talent: Does all pre-production, writes script, prepares copy disk for prompter, collects props, provides script to director, performs as talent for the production. You should dress the part on the day of production. In other words, how you look should reflect your product and what you're trying to say about it. THINK about your choices. In addition, hair and make up need to be appropriate for television. Props for your display should be placed along the studio side of the control room wall, in order of the production. That way they can be easily identified. Make sure your script is IN the control room in the hands of your director BEFORE you leave the control room for the studio.

INACTIVE: People not currently assigned to one of the above job, may be asked to fill in as needed.

Commands for P-4 Production:

Time	Director	AD
-1:00	One minute; places everybody; quiet on the set (cameras should have their first shots; camera one should be in black)	One minute
-:30 seconds	30 seconds, ready camera 1, ready camera 2, ready audio, ready to cue talent, ready to roll tape	30 seconds
-:17 seconds		Tape is Rolling
-:15 seconds	Fifteen seconds, roll tape	15 seconds
-:10 seconds	Stand by
-:02 seconds	Open mic, fade in cue talent
Time now shifts to time remaining in program		From this point the AD will call time cues every 5 seconds...25 sec; 20 sec. Etc.
-:27	Hold 2
-:20 (approx)	2 take: Hold 1	20 seconds
-:15 seconds		15 seconds
-:10 seconds	1 take, ready to cut mic and fade to black	10 seconds, 9....8.....7......
-:5 seconds	wrap it up	5....4....3....2..
-:2 seconds	cut mics, fade to black,
:00	Stop VTR. We're clear. Thank you cast and crew.	(Stop VTR)

Directors, it is your responsibility to keep the program on time. You must be able to hear the AD call time. You may need to speed talent up or slow them down, in which case, you tell the floor director and the floor director will communicate that to talent.

At the conclusion of the production, each member of the production group is required to make a "Production Report". This report assesses your performance and the performance of the members of your group during the rotation cycle on this project. Provide specific information about the program for which you are producer - director, including who was doing what jobs on that production. You should also assess your performance in each production position . At the end of the report, please indicate the grade you believe you should receive on this assignment, and tell me why you believe you show have that grade. You may type or hand-write the report but be sure to attach the Production Report Cover Sheet to the front of it.

Production reports are due the class day AFTER your production group completes its production.

You will find the production report cover sheet at the following link: Production Report Cover Sheet

Dr. Janet McMullen

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