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Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Ace on November 26, 2002, 12:49:43 PM
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Some opinions would be appreciated.
My company is in the process of putting together a set of commercials for a client of ours. The client is a general contracting firm that wanted us to create three commercials using comedy as a theme.
This cut here (http://www.reprovideo.com/testx.wmv) of the first spot dealing with heating is just about done. *56k\'ers beware!
Can you take a look at it tell me if you find it amusing. I hope you get a chuckle. We\'ve never put together spots in a comedic way before and I want to see if this is funny. I\'ve watched it a hundred times and I am numb to it now.
Btw, the actors are all professional comedians.
Thanks for any comments good or bad.
Ace
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How about at least one "you suck and your work sucks" to let me know that someone watched the movie.
Ace
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Its funny, but doesn\'t look very professional. It should be the other way around, stupid husband, not stupid wife. Kinda like Home Improvement with Tim Allen.
I dunno, its just not that attention grabbing.
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Sorry, I tried to watch it but couldn\'t get the streaming to work very well.
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Originally posted by ##RaCeR##
Its funny, but doesn\'t look very professional. It should be the other way around, stupid husband, not stupid wife. Kinda like Home Improvement with Tim Allen.
I dunno, its just not that attention grabbing.
yeah add more Profanity & Nudity that will get Joe Public’s Attention
Remember SEX SELLS
;)
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Originally posted by ##RaCeR##
Its funny, but doesn\'t look very professional. It should be the other way around, stupid husband, not stupid wife. Kinda like Home Improvement with Tim Allen.
I dunno, its just not that attention grabbing.
When you say it\'s funny but does not look professional, do you mean the quality of the footage or the idea.
Just so you know, we purposely switched the roles around.
Thanks for being honest.
Ace
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Originally posted by ooseven
yeah add more Profanity & Nudity that will get Joe Public’s Attention
Remember SEX SELLS
;)
I know what you mean. We initially had the wife nude in our first version. Worked for me, but my partner was unsure. :)
Ace
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Ace, when I say \'professional\' not necessarily the quality of the footage, but the actual acting, editing, screenplay etc.
Doesn\'t seem like something you would see on TV.
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Since you asked for honest..
I didn\'t find it remotely funny. I see you\'re going for simplicity but even I can make up something funnier. And I see a lot of things in it that is out of whack. Even if it\'s the very first take.
I\'m sure with your proffession you can handly this kind of criticism. Specially since mine don\'t matter really.
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Originally posted by ##RaCeR##
Doesn\'t seem like something you would see on TV.
man you should see some of the local commercials they play in wisconsin some of the worst shit you\'ve ever seen and they\'re all done by the same production company i cant remember thye name luke would know but they play that crap constantly
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Couple comments:
I also agree the acting is off, but I understand this is low budget so it\'s actually not bad for low budget.
now for the spot itself.
The first sequence is too short. You need a couple shots of the guy freezing his ass off in the house and the chick struggling to fix it. Fast paced montage since you have a short spot here.
This would give us a reason to go to the marriage counselor. Right now you have no reason to get counseled.
And another thing that is bad, I have no clue what you are advertising. Either a heating company or a counseling service.
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You guys are rough.
First off, criticism is a good thing. I also realize that I will get a thousand different opinions from a thousand different people.
The spot is done except the VO which will make it clear that the spot is for a general contracting company that can fix your heat.
One thing to remember it is a 30 second spot and Vid is right, the budget is low for a TV commercial.
Now you may all go screw yourselves! J/K!
Thanks! I now must sleep off what will be an incredible hangover in the morning.
Ace
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It was kinda funny. How about getting the guy to do the cooking. He flips an omellet up and it lands on his wife\'s face. He says "I can fix that!" and whacks her with a pan.
Okay...too Bugs Bunny like.
But the clip you showed....you need to stay on the "door" scene a little longer. I was paying attention to the shadows on the door window and didn\'t have time to see that the sign read "Marriage Counselor". Had to watch it twice. I like it for the most part. :)
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And instead of "I can\'t get warm." have him say "I feel no warmth!" Sorta like a rocky marriage. :p
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Oh I like that line Gman. THat would be good.
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sorry, maybe it\'s because I\'m from New York and used to high budget commercials. But even the low low budget ones that have just a guy standing there promoting his product seems of better quality.
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My crappy dial up won\'t let me see it i\'m afraid.
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Yeah, you should really switch the dumb wife with the dumb husband. Woman find that stuff offensive when they\'re "insulted" and men just don\'t give a ****. The laughs make it sound even more unprofesional than it already was.
"Don\'t touch it" is a great slogan however.
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The whole idea is to give it a old sitcom look in the style of Lucy or maybe Your Show of Shows.
I guess it depends on the age of the viewer because it seems older viewers that I have showed it to have liked it a lot.
I personally think the laugh track (cheesy as it is) gives it the feel of an old TV show like Leave it to Beaver etc.
I really don\'t get the comments about it being of low quality. I have had one successful producer tell me it is very funny.
By the way, the role reversal is on purpose. To each his own I guess.
Thanks for being (brutally) honest! :)
Ace
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I like the role reversal and I also like the laugh track. It\'s obvious what you guys are trying to do and it was fine with me. My only problem was that you didn\'t push long enough the begining with her trying to fix it while he was freezing. three shots and you are getting counceling.
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IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!11111
J/k. You should have it like the office depot commericals. Me likey those ones. Have some music in the background, and dont fade into the phone number and stuff. Roles are fine. I guess it will work. As long as the company likes it, and your making money :D
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Agreed Videoholic!
The day of shooting started out as something totally different. This little idea came to us at the end of the day and we were happy with the idea. I think I might recommend some more shooting to establish the counseling since it will play a major role in the other spots.
We are planning a whole slew of Fixerton commercials. I am tired of doing the standard here\'s my product now go buy it style of local commercial.
Thanks!
Ace
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What if you make a commercial with her trying to fix it and he is freezing. Lots of shots of him freezing and her trying her hardest. He wants to call someone but she won\'t let him. Then end it with a tag line and a graphic promoting your client.
Then another commercial she\'s still trying and then he finally goes against her and calls for help. She gets mad and as she gets mad she\'s twisting a pipe or something and it bursts on her. Tag line and graphic of client.
Another commercial of them at the marriage councelor. She\'s bitching that she could have fixed it, but she looks like a wreck.
Well, this is all off the top of my head with 10 relatives, a football game, cooking, and a screaming 2 year old. Sorry.
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Ace, can I ask how much a person like you makes a year? I think I can skill that job to perfection
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You can I ask but I will not tell. Anyone ever tell you it\'s not polite to ask someone how much they make?
If you want to send me a resume\' look me up in the yellow pages.
My boss thinks I do really great work. Wait a minute, I am the boss.
Ace
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Too bad you can\'t get Archie Bunker...
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Originally posted by Ace
You can I ask but I will not tell. Anyone ever tell you it\'s not polite to ask someone how much they make?
If you want to send me a resume\' look me up in the yellow pages.
My boss thinks I do really great work. Wait a minute, I am the boss.
Ace
Sorry for the double post, it won\'t let me delete it.
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Originally posted by Ace
You can I ask but I will not tell. Anyone ever tell you it\'s not polite to ask someone how much they make?
If you want to send me a resume\' look me up in the yellow pages.
My boss thinks I do really great work. Wait a minute, I am the boss.
Ace
It\'s one thing when someone your age asks you for mere comparisson between his and your salary. It\'s different when someone in college that doesn\'t know what he wants to do yet asks you.
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Originally posted by Magoo
It\'s one thing when someone your age asks you for mere comparisson between his and your salary. It\'s different when someone in college that doesn\'t know what he wants to do yet asks you.
Alright Magoo,
Maybe the turkey is starting to get to me. Plus, you guys are hitting pretty hard on this spot. :) I apologize.
Put it this way, it\'s a tough business trying to sell video in a so-so economy. It\'s not like retail. I have to sell myself and my company every time I am looking for a new client.
I could probably make a hell of a lot more money working for a big company shooting, editing and doing 3D work but there is a lot of benefits to being your own boss.
Ace
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Sheesh its not that bad. I like the overall look and what you are trying to accomplish with it. Our local commercials here are TERRIBLE - a spot like the one you have there would be light years ahead of anything here.
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Originally posted by GigaShadow
Too bad you can\'t get Archie Bunker...
Hey,
An Archie character would be great. I really wanted to do the spot with a lot of swearing in it that I would beep out for airing. I always find cussing funny. I don\'t think my client would have been receptive to the idea, though.
Ace
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Originally posted by Ace
Hey,
An Archie character would be great. I really wanted to do the spot with a lot of swearing in it that I would beep out for airing. I always find cussing funny. I don\'t think my client would have been receptive to the idea, though.
Ace
You are probably right seeing as how everything is so politcally correct now a days. An Archie character would have been great though - then instead of the wife you could have gotten a son in law aka Meathead! :laughing:
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How about one little suggestion that may make a world of difference. Camera view.. if this is changed it can make the whole commercial less confusing and more focused on the entire situation. It might even solve the length issue. Try making the camera view into one that you would expect out of a sit-com which is what you said you are shooting for
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What are you talking about "Camera view"?
And Ace, I didn\'t think people were really bashing you. I actually complimented it. It\'s not bad at all. I just didn\'t know who it was advertising.
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you kno damn right!
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I liked it. The quality is fine. Like I said before, maybe changing the lines to insinuate a troubled marriage.
Girl "I can fix this!"
Man "We\'ve tried to fix this before and it\'s not working!"
Girl "Make me a sandwich!"
*laugh track*
At the marriage counsler\'s office.
Man "I told her, \'Things still aren\'t working, call Robert L Pann!\' "
(but don\'t make him shiver too much, some people may find it hard to understand him)
Girl "I can get the heat back, I just need a little more time."
(note the innuendo) ;)
Man in a more effeminite tone "Look at me, I feel cold. No matter what we do, I feel NO WARMTH!"...or "I CAN\'T FEEL THE WARMTH!"
Girl *crosses her legs and arms* She looks degected.
Logo shot:
ROBERT L. PANN Co.
Garranteed service in hours not days
DON\'T TOUCH ANYTHING!
Man "Hold me!"
:D
***************
I want more innuendo! IT\'S FOR GROWN UPS! Make it seem like "Friends" meets "The Honey Mooners!" :D
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I still haven\'t seen the spot (I\'ll try again this afternoon), but I have a general statement about commercials - I think humor is the key. I loathe those commercials where some guy stands with his product and and tries to convince the audience to buy it (in TV shop style). I don\'t know how common they are anymore, but I\'ve only seen them in/from America. :)
Humor is your friend.