How to Make a Cinematic Commercial Spot?

The creation of any audiovisual production follows a set of common, standardized steps that production companies use daily. However, cinematic commercial spots possess their own peculiarities, granting them a distinct approach.

In general terms, the stages of producing a video or audiovisual content are divided into pre-production, production (or shooting), and post-production (although in our experience, we’ve standardized them as Input, Operations, and Output)..

Pre-production involves aspects like analysis, structural design, scriptwriting, among others. Production, meanwhile, can be broken down into ground shots, aerial recordings, and filming with specialized cameras. Finally, post-production encompasses both image editing and sound design, among other processes.

Preliminary Steps Before Producing a Cinematic Commercial Spot

In the case of cinematic commercials or branded videos, the pre-production phase takes on special importance. While a general audiovisual production might prepare a basic script and a shot list, a cinematic spot delves much deeper into creative concept development and visual direction. This is due to the many creative options available—using actors, staging scenarios, exploring various viewpoints, etc.—whereas a typical corporate video is usually more conventional.

As a result, a cinematic video spot requires a fully detailed script outlining the visual approach, core idea, story structure, along with dialogue (if actors are involved) or voice‑over narration. The visual plan must also be meticulously specified, providing a comprehensive shot list, and ideally a frame-by-frame storyboard.

All these design, scripting, and pre-production activities take significantly more time and involve more people when producing a cinematic spot.

Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Commercial Spot

Generally, we can break it down into the following stages:

• Analyze the video’s communication objective.

  
  

• Evaluate the characteristics of the product/service/company being advertised.

  
  

• Consider the medium where the advertisement will be shown: television, streaming platforms, internet, social media, etc.

  
  

• Analyze the target audience for the spot (e.g., young people, seniors, homemakers, technical profiles, recreational users, etc.).

  
  

• Design an overall style or creative concept, considering whether it will be a dramatized scenario with actors and a playful message, for example.

  
  

• Develop the narrative script (actor dialogue or voice‑over) and the technical script (camera types, filming style, color-grading style, etc.).

  
  

• Create a storyboard on paper or an animatic in video form. An animatic is a rough version of the final video using stock images, photos, graphics, music, etc., allowing the client to visualize the general idea.

  
  

• Hire actors, secure locations, props/backdrops, etc.

  
  

• Conduct the shoot with necessary resources (drones, Steadicams, cranes, professional cinema cameras, technical crew, etc.).

  
  

• Edit a preliminary or rough cut. Multiple editing versions may be produced to determine what works best. Long and short versions of the ad can also be created in this phase.

  
  

• Perform sound editing, incorporating music, dialogue, voice‑overs, sound effects, etc., and ensuring each audio track is properly balanced.

  
  

• Carry out color grading. This phase involves adjusting exposure, color, and image texture, since professional cameras record in log (flat) formats. Each shot is color‑corrected individually.

  
  

• Make final tweaks during post-production.

  
  

• Deliver to the client and reserve time for possible revisions.
  

Conclusions:

The key to producing a high-quality cinematic commercial video—or any type of video—lies in thorough planning. It’s essential to have each step fully devised and considered, with special attention given to the script and creative concept. Detailed planning of shoot requirements, schedules, personnel, and locations is crucial.

Additionally, having a skilled human and technical team who truly know what they’re doing is vital. A commercial spot is a high-level, high-budget production that can’t be entrusted to just anyone. In fact, the cost of a cinematic commercial spot can reach $40,000 USD or more, making it wise to work with a reputable audiovisual production company.

At Cuadro24, we’ve produced numerous spots—each telling an exciting story that drives business for our clients. That is our greatest satisfaction: creating advertising that changes the world.