Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

WHAT MAKES GOOD COMMERCIALS 323
erly tied in with it so that both the picture
and the announcer
are talking about the same thing at the same time. Otherwise,
the special offer which is perhaps the high point of the whole thing
is not shown in the picture and the announcer is not listened to,
so that the effort is a failure.
While it is impossible to lay down any rules for the production
of commercials since not only is the art so young but every agency
and producer has different ideas and who is to say one is wrong
there are some angles which it pays to watch and apply as a
kind of yardstick to the production in which one is interested.
The rest of this book could be filled with advice like this, but the
five following sum up the situation quite well.
One really important, significant production is more impressive
and remembrance-making than a lot of small squibs which
fizzle without a good BANG!
The television receiver owner invites your program and salesman
into his house. Behave like a guest, and while showman-
ship is the real way of selling, let it be controlled showmanship,
not an insult to your hosts 5
intelligence.
Good taste and good manners go together. That means no off-
color jokes or double talk especially if children can hear it.
Since children are always around that means never.
Demonstrations are the things which sell either in person or on
the television screen. If it can't be demonstrated very few fall
in that category since animation can always be used at least
dress it up so that it seems to have life. Never use still pictures.
Don't talk too much; follow Mr. Topps' advice "Don't talk,
chum ... !" Let the picture do the selling. If there is an item
that cannot be covered satisfactorily in the picture due to
camera limitations, etc., then and only then use words to talk
about it. If you must talk do as little as possible. Remember it's
teleVISION.
The length of the commercial depends on a number of things as
has b^en shown, but so far the different types of spot annoucements