Advertisements

There are tons of advertisements on television that play between each show and during the breaks, but they do not last for too long. On each advert break for a show each lasts for an average of 30 seconds. There's currently a maximum amount of minutes per hour that adverts are allowed to be shown on a channel - 12, with an average of 9 minutes.  This generally means that the channel will obviously want to try and squeeze as many adverts into that time frame as possible, so generally none are over the 1 minute mark and most are around 30 seconds long, with a lot being around the 15 - 20 second mark. So, I decided to look into them.

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http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/reviews-investigations/rada/

I saw an advert by KitKat on the TV and noticed the fast cuts, so I looked it up.

The car chase happens for about 25 seconds, and in that time features around 25-30 cuts (it's hard to count them!) What I really like about it is the use of sound. There's a slightly different tone to the car engine on each shot. Part of this is to show the difference from a shot from inside a car, and from outside (as that will sound different anyways), but a lot of the changes happen simply when a different angle of the car (from outside) is shown. I like this, as it seems to increase the pace of the film, provide a sense of continuation and create a tense feeling that goes along with the car chase. This has lead me to think about maybe using sound in my movie to create a beat/soundtrack. Each shift in tone of the engine put together builds up a rhythm/beat, and I like the idea of creating this in  my film.

From looking at other car chases I have noticed that the quick cuts/fast pace is pretty much standard, especially in more recent films (e.g. Fast & Furious, Drive etc).

This advert by Lurpak users a narrator, and a slight soundtrack but uses the diagetic sound from within the shots, and timely editing to create a beat.

This advert by Weetabix uses quick cuts to contrast with the slower, longer shots to create humour. There are 4 members of the family, who each have a short, quick cut sequence. One of the moments I noticed immediately was the sound effects at 35 seconds in, when the mother is picking up clothes from stairs. Instead of using the standing "clothes being picked up" sound (which isn't exactly loud, dramatic or exciting...) they have chosen to use a slightly "woosh" sound, which I think is really successful. It helps to strengthen her point of her constantly and quickly picking up the clothes her kids leave around and makes the advert a bit more engaging and humorous. The sound enhances the jump cut shot which shows her picking up clothing after clothing.