This document provides guidance and examples for creating effective television and video content in 3 sentences or less: Television and video content should engage and reward viewers by being interesting, respecting their time, and leaving an impression. Effective content follows a strategic process beginning with the client's goals and target audience. Finally, the document outlines five approaches to video content: manifesto, telling a story, using powerful visuals, creating dialog/drama, or sharing a first-person monolog.

1. CM417.15
Five ways to do
TV and video
Edward Boches, Professor of Advertising

2. Thoughts on TV/Video

3. Television offers endless opportunities to tell a story,
feature a product, bring a user to life.
You can be serious, provocative, funny.
You can convey a feeling, leave an impression or educate the viewer.
But the one thing you have to remember is that every person sitting in front of the
TV set has a remote control within reach.

4. What makes great?

5. Are you interesting enough to watch?
Are you respecting your viewer?
Are you rewarding them for their time?
Would you want to watch it yourself?
Would you share it with a friend?

6. What come first?

7. Strategy
Audience
Message
Concept
Execution

8. Strategy: client, planner, account team, CD
Audience: client, planner, media
Message: planner, account team, CD
Concept: writer, art director
Execution: CD, writer, art director, producer, director, editor,

9. Where do you start?

10. What do you want to say?

11. How can you dramatize it?

12. Five ways to do video

13. All are concepts that
you can remember
and tell someone about.
(Stories)

14. Manifesto: say it brilliantly in words
Tell a story: beginning, middle, end -- classic dramatic structure
Visual: bring a powerful image to life to convey a feeling
Dialog/drama: create a mini drama with characters and dialog
Monolog: personal story or recollection

15. The Manifesto

19. If you let me play sports
I will like myself more;
I will have more self-confidence,
I will be 60 percent less likely to get breast cancer;
I will suffer less depression.
I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me.
I will be less likely to get pregnant
I will learn what it means to be strong.
If you let me play sports.

21. Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world -are the ones who do.

23. When I grow up, I want to file all day.
I want to claw my way up to middle management.
Be replaced on a whim.
I want to have a brown nose.
I want to be a yes man.
Yes woman.
Yes sir. Coming Sir.
Anything for a raise sir.
When I grow up I want to be under appreciated.
Be paid less for doing the same job.
I want to be forced into early retirement.

26. Plain was the same as it ever was.
Plainly plain.
Samely same.
But then, someone lit the flame.
Plain rode away on lion’s mane.
Where plain met fruits with strangely names.
Such wonderful things they did contain.
A shot of life to a hungry vein.
That kept a beast who broke the chain.
And there upon that fruited plane
Is where plain became what plain became.
So much more than more than plain.
Plain will never be the same.

29. What does the product stand for and believe?
What do you want me to know about its vision?
Tell a story with words that resonate.
Write it. Write it again. Write it again. And again.

30. Visual story telling

31. VW’s handles great in the snow.
Mercedes Benz handles great in the snow.
Levi’s is for rebels
VW has useful features like the remote key.
Google search has all the answers

32. How can I convey that in a story?
Is there tension and drama?
Character development?
Is there a protagonist?
What makes me remember it?
How is time manipulated?

39. How can I demonstrate the feature?
Come up with 100 answers.
Evaluate them based on relevance to brand, target, category convention.
Presuming they are original, fresh, unexpected.

40. One Powerful Visual

49. What is the one thing you want to say?
Joy and happiness. Amazing color. Women’s independence. Ultimate desire.
Come up with 100 visual ways to say it.

50. Dialog / Scene

57. Is there a metaphor?
Is there a mini-drama?
Is there a simple encounter?

58. First person monolog
story

62. Express a virtue that is connected to the product (VW)
Relate an experience that celebrates the user of the brand (Bud)
Share a sentiment, a wish, a regret that a product promises to address (Axe)
Sometimes you are just creating a connection
But you are always telling a story, a narrative, that is interesting

63. inform:
persuade:
inspire:
entertain:
tell me about new product or feature or benefit
convince me you’re better than the alternative
make me feel good, connect around shared beliefs
make me laugh and like your brand

64. Idea first, but then the
details matter.

65. Shot list
Casting
Location
Music
Editing

68. Elements of a script

69. An idea
If you can’t explain your idea in a sentence you probably don’t have an idea.

70. There was a ________ that __________ it figured why not _________.

74. There was a bear rug that watched so many Canal + movies it figured why not
direct one itself.
(Show Canal +’s passion about and commitment to, cinema.)

75. Sequence of shots
Description/explanation of action
Dialog/VO
SFX/Music

80. Anthem
TV: 60
Till all books are read
and all the pens put down
and stories stop being told
and everything there is to learn is learned
till tears are no longer shed
and zingers have all zinged
and the irony is all ironed out
till the heroes retire
and monsters return to their dens
and ships are all beached
and all the plots are wrapped up
till there are no more twists or turns
no more guns in drawers
no more shaggy dogs
till rhymes stop rhyming
and pots stop boiling
and everyone is happy
and there is nothing more to say
till that day
by hook or by crook
by book or by NOOK
I will read.
SUPER: Barnes & Noble

81. FAGE
:45 Launch Television
“PLAIN”
VO: Plain was the same as it ever was the same.
Plain went against the grain of plain old plain.
Plainly plain...
It rode away...
Samely same...
...on a lion’s mane.
But then, someone lit the flame.
Where plain met fruits with strangely names.

82. Boards