3 Post-Production Advertising Tips for Editors
Commercial television production is a big investment. Once you’ve hired a crew to help you capture footage, the next steps are to engage in syncing footage and editing. The post-production editing of any television advertising project requires extensive effort.
Your editing team will use various programs to ensure the success of the project. We’ve put together a few post-production advertising tips for success to guide the way.
1. Pay Close Attention to Dialogue Speed
You may not think that it’s a big deal, but the dialogue speed matters immensely. When it comes to producing a marketing video, you have to realize how quickly an audience member can get bored and turn their head. A great commercial that’s 30 seconds long should have fast cuts between dialogue to ensure that the viewer stays interested and engaged.
Think About This
Consider the following post-production advertising tips for success with dialogue:
- Begin audio between two people in succession. As audio from the first person ends, begin the audio for the second immediately.
- Use quick cuts to show how the individual reacts to the conversation.
- Speed verbal conversations up.
- Keep the momentum going.
2. Focus on the First Couple Seconds
If you have limited time for post-production editing, and you’re working on a television advertisement, the best thing you can do is focus your efforts on the first few seconds. Make the hook capture the attention of your audience in the first 5 seconds. They’ll be more likely to watch the entire commercial if you do this.
Hook, Line, and Sinker!
Bait the viewer. This works best when you offer something totally amazing in the first few seconds and then do what you can to keep them around till the end before you deliver. Watch any commercial–it works!
3. Deliver the Punch Line
Whatever it is, your post-production advertising should deliver the punch line so that your audience feels like they got what they were here for. As the Director, you might think that your video ideas are the best of the best. In editing, this is when the truth comes out. This is where the punch line either works, or doesn’t.
Less Can Be More
Post-production editing should recognize when cutting something or otherwise removing scenes or shots makes sense. Take steps to reduce the message down so that the punch-line is maximized. Ask yourself, what will it take to get to the punch-line most quickly–and then do it!