We get clear on the message first. Then we either open up a range of possibilities or commit to one central idea and build it. Every decision is made against the finished film, so the money goes into what appears on screen and the craft that makes it land.
From 30-second spots to longer brand and campaign films, talk to us about your:
- TV campaign
- Web campaign
- Social media campaign
- Cinema, radio or point of sale campaign
What a commercial is
A commercial is a short advertising film made to sell a product, a service or an idea. Length is set by where it runs. Broadcast spots are usually 30 seconds with 20 and 10 second cutdowns, paid social favours shorter edits built to work with the sound off, and brand or campaign films made for a website or cinema can run longer. The destination changes the job, because a broadcast master has to clear compliance and hit an exact duration, while a social cut has to earn attention in the first two seconds.
What drives the logistics
Three things shape the size of a production: how many locations are involved, how many people appear on camera, and how much has to be built or controlled. A single-location shoot with one presenter is a different job from a multi-location campaign with cast, art department and a shooting board. Talent brings its own logistics, because usage rights, buyouts and territory need agreeing before anyone is booked, and music works the same way whether it is composed, licensed or taken from a library.
Versions, usage and delivery
A commercial is rarely one film. Most campaigns deliver a hero edit plus cutdowns, aspect ratio variants for social, subtitled versions, and sometimes regional or language variants. Agreeing that deliverables list early is what keeps a post-production schedule honest and stops the budget drifting.
Frequently asked questions
What is a TV commercial, and how is it different from a brand film?
A commercial is built to advertise. It is usually made to a fixed duration and a media buy, and it is judged on whether it drives a response. A brand film is longer, less constrained by broadcast rules, and usually made to explain who an organisation is rather than to sell one product. Floating Harbour produces both, and the same crew and post-production team can cover either.
How long does it take to produce a commercial?
A straightforward single-location commercial can run from brief to delivery in a few weeks. A campaign with casting, a set build, multiple locations or animation takes longer. You can tell us your deadline early and we will plan the schedule backwards from it, because the delivery date usually dictates how much concept work can happen up front.
What does a commercial cost?
Cost is driven by the number of shoot days, locations and cast, and by how much has to be built or animated, rather than by the finished length. Floating Harbour works across a wide range of budgets. You can tell us what you are working with and we will recommend the approach that gets the strongest result within it.
Do you develop the concept and write the script, or do we?
Either works. You can bring a finished script, an agency brief, or nothing more than a business objective. Floating Harbour develops concepts from scratch, responds to agency briefs, and sharpens ideas brands already have, working in partnership with your brand strategists or external agency.
Do we need actors, and who handles usage rights?
It depends on the idea. Some commercials use professional cast, some use real customers or staff, and some carry no people at all. Where cast are involved, usage rights, buyouts and territory need agreeing before anyone is booked, because they affect both the cost and how long you can run the advert. Casting and logistics are part of the production service.
What will we actually receive at the end?
You receive the agreed deliverables. That is ordinarily a master film, together with any cutdowns, alternative aspect ratios and captioned or subtitled versions specified at the outset. Where a commercial is destined for broadcast, a compliant master is prepared to the required delivery specification. The full list is confirmed before the edit begins, so that both the schedule and the budget account for it.
Do you handle CLEARCAST clearance and broadcast delivery?
Yes. Floating Harbour handles CLEARCAST clearance and network delivery for commercials going to UK broadcast, alongside web, social and cinema cuts.
Can you work with our agency or in-house team?
Collaboration is central to how we work. You can involve your in-house team or agency as much as you like, and we fit into existing approvals, brand guidelines and workflows.
