TV Ad Concepting and Production

J-term 2017 Course

Faculty: Mark Kerins (FILM) and Mark Allen (ADV)

Course overview:
The class will create and develop short-form commercial ideas (for TV or web) for
predetermined clients selected by the instructors. The class will then complete all necessary
preparation for producing up to three of these concepts, shoot the necessary footage for up to five
ads (i.e., one campaign of three ads and a single one-shot for two other concepts), and create
rough cuts of each commercial. The focus is on real-world commercial-style production ,
emphasizing how to address clients’ specific needs while maintaining the creative elements of
design and production.
This course broadens the education and expertise of students majoring in Film & Media
Arts and/or Advertising by providing valuable, real-world-style opportunities not otherwise
available through SMU. For many graduating film students, their first production jobs will be on
low-budget television or web commercials, yet many of them do not have the chance to
experience the peculiar elements of commercial production, where the goal is not just to make an
engaging short movie but also to address the particular needs of a client. This course gives them a
chance to work in this fashion and understand what it takes. For advertising students, this course
is an opportunity to learn how designing and executing commercials differs from working in
print, the principal focus of their college curriculum. And since few graduating seniors have
professionally-done commercials in their portfolios, this course also helps these students stand
out from the competition post-SMU when they are seeking their first jobs in the advertising field.
While all students will come in with some experience in Advertising or Film, most of
them will have little experience working with their counterparts from the other area – despite the
fact that for most of them, their careers will require this interaction throughout their careers. This
course gives students practical experience and understanding about how commercial
collaborations work and how to bring out the best and most creative work both in concepting and
production.

Prerequisites:
In general, FILM students must have successfully completed at least Basic Video and
Audio Production (FILM 1304) to enroll; priority will be given to students who have successfully
completed higher-level production courses. ADV students must have successfully completed
Concepting (ADV 2322) or a higher-level course in the Method Creative program. Students not
meeting these requirements but wishing to enroll (particularly from other departments) may, at
the sole discretion of the instructors, be granted permission to enroll.

Benefits to students:
(bullet points, 5-7)
o Students have the unique opportunity to put their training and skills to work in a format
they will be expected to know after graduation
o All students will come out with completed commercials for their reels on which they were
key creative contributors
o Those in the class will gain a network of colleagues across advertising/film that will help
them not only while at SMU but in the professional world post-SMU
 o Advertising students will have the chance to see ad concepts turned into commercials and
executed at a high level with professional equipment and processes
o Film students will get to practice their craft and creativity on concepts created to serve a
client’s needs rather than the filmmaker’s, a crucial skill for success in the industry
o All students will gain an understanding of a different discipline and how its work relates to,
enhances, and can be enhanced by their own skills and expertise

Course Objectives:
By taking this course, students will:
o Gain experience developing concepts for television or web commercials.
o Improve teamwork and collaborative skills.
o Learn to develop ideas that match client priorities as detailed in a creative brief, and
maintain these priorities beyond the concept through the production and post-production
phases.
o Learn how to be creative in a way that still satisfies specific commercial interests.
o Learn to produce proper documentation of creative concepts in the form of taglines,
treatments, storyboards, scripts, etc.
o Understand and be able to complete all pre-production, production, and post-production
tasks required to turn concepts into finished ads. This will include learning technical
skills, overcoming logistical challenges, and effectively and efficiently documenting and
communicating ideas.
o Improve efficiency in managing time, money, and other resources.

Faculty bios:
Mark Kerins teaches all aspects of film/video production and post-production, from intro-
level videomaking through thesis films. His particular expertise is in sound design and editing.
Professionally, he has been involved in various areas of filmmaking, including directing music
videos (much like commercial production in that it requires matching the desires of the client
musician with the creative aims of the filmmaker), short films, and most recently a feature. He
has team-taught this course three times before, and was the film mentor for the student team
whose commercial for Chipotle won a national award leading to it showing on the Times Square
jumbotron and on Frontier Airlines flights.

Over the course of his career, Mark Allen has worked as an art director and designer for
clients like the History Channel, the New York Yankees, Norton/Symantec, Martha Stewart, The
Walking Dead, A&E, American Airlines, HBO, U.S. National Parks Service, the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund and the Smithsonian Channel. His work has been recognized for
creative excellence in the Print Regional Design Annual and Applied Arts magazine, as well as by
the Promotion Marketing Association, the Illustrators Society of Los Angeles and the Dallas
Society of Visual Communications. He teaches beginning and advanced advertising courses in
concepting, design, creativity, art direction and portfolio development—all of which are
important aspects of compelling commercials. Under his direction, his classes have conceived,
scripted, storyboarded and produced successful student commercials for clients like YETI, Lyft,
Old Grandad Whiskey, Orajel and others.
Schedule:
 December 2016 – pre-class preparation / meetings, schedule TBD
 12/10/16-01/09/17 – class will brainstorm, critique, and develop concepts via a course blog,
conference calls, and email communication

(course officially starts 01/09/17)

 01/09/17 – first day of class. Students will arrive ready to pitch ideas developed over the
break. Class and instructors will select a small number of concepts to pursue. Instructors
will then break class into small groups (one for each concept) to develop into specific
commercial ideas. Small groups will come back together to pitch their ideas to the whole
group.
 01/10/17 – Small group work interspersed with large group critiques will continue, with
ideas being honed down to final design. By end of day scripts and final concepts for up
to three ads will be approved by instructors.
 01/11/17 – Students rearranged into production groups, with designated students in charge
of specific tasks for each ad to be shot. By end of day, storyboards, shotlists, budgets,
and schedules will be approved by instructors.
 01/12/17 – Students rearranged into production groups, with designated students in charge
of specific tasks for each ad to be shot. By end of day, storyboards, shotlists, budgets,
and schedules will be approved by instructors.
 01/13/17-01/15/17 – Pre-production. Students and instructors scout locations, arrange for
necessary actors, food, props, equipment, etc.
 01/16/17-01/18/17 – Production. Entire class on set each day.
 01/19/17 – Last day of class. Debrief from shoots, screen footage and rough cuts of ads.
Critique rough cuts and push through to a second cut of the ads.

(course ends 01/19/17)

 early Spring 2017 semester – complete post-production work on ads (to be done in
collaboration with FILM 3308 Editing course as needed)

Grading:
o 26% - on-set work (as assigned/scheduled, all three shoots)
o 25% - quality of ideas and work (score determined by professors based partially on peer
evaluations)
o 15% - communication / contact with professors and classmates over winter break, pre-class
o 8% - documentation (concepts, copy, treatments, scripts, storyboards, etc.)
o 8% - pre-production work (budgets, shotlists, crew lists, releases, scouting, etc.)
o 10% - post-production work/effort (including work between end of J-term and competition
deadline)
o 4% - meeting deadlines for submission and approval of materials / ideas
o 4% - attendance at all required meetings / activities

University Policies
Academic Honesty and Misconduct: You are bound by the Honor Code and the SMU Student
Code of conduct. For complete details, see http://www.smu.edu/studentlife/PCL_01_ToC.asp.
Disability Accommodations: Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must
first contact Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies (DASS) at 214-768-1470 or
www.smu.edu/alec/dass.asp to verify the disability and to establish eligibility for
accommodations. They should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make
appropriate arrangements (See University Policy No. 2.4).

Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that

Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities: Students participating in an