Q. Why would anyone want to do this?
i) A campaign’s creative elements, such as Talent and set/ location may be shared across media. ii) To take advantage of Talent availability iii) Advertisers are looking to make savings, create more ‘content’ with less money or simply be more efficient with their budget, a combined Tv and photography shoot can do this.

It can be done with great results, it just requires cooperation from all involved, from client through Ad Agency and Tv Production Company, to Photographer’s Agent and Photographer. It’s cost effective and can be without pain and drama and what’s more I’m going to tell you 3 different ways of approaching it. Although I cannot cover the many scenarios that a TV commercial can be filmed, I hope to include the ‘typical’ situations. My use of the word ‘Talent’ is to include models, actors and subjects, both male and female.

My experience:
Eighteen years ago I was given an opportunity by a multinational advertiser to trial the idea of shooting stills on their Tv commercials. The pictures were to be used in print, P.O.S. and direct mail. After 6 weeks the idea was given the green light and there began a journey for me that takes in international travel, working alongside some of the film industry’s superstars and celebrities and a learning curve that I could only have dreamed of. I got to know many of the crew, production companies and ad agencies in Europe and South Africa who make Tv commercials. Importantly, I learnt how TVC production works, from the production company to the Ad agency and client.
Eventually, as someone now on the inside, I was able to discuss, experiment and advise agencies and clients on the best ways to achieve their ad campaigns in conjunction with the making of a TVC.

Here are three ways to consider approaching the task:

Add an extra day for the print photography
If the budget is available, this approach comes with the most guarantees. There is a huge advantage to the Photographer having the complete focus of the Talent and control over the day. If a set was built in the studio for the TVC and it is to be used for the photography, then the film lighting and a lot of the crew won’t be needed as the Photographer will most likely re-light the scene himself. If relevant, it may be helpful to bring the Photographer into the final day of the Tv shoot to see how the Director/ DoP are dealing with things.

This approach, on paper and in my experience, should produce the best results however, it does mean another studio/ location day with Stylist, Make-up, Hair Stylist, assistants, hotels, catering, Talent fees etc…

Tag-teaming with the Tv crew
A more cost effective way to achieve similar results is to shoot the Photography on the same day as the shooting of the TVC. This can work very well, especially if there are multiple Talent in the commercial and they are not required by the Director at all times.
One way is to hire a studio that is big enough to divide off part of it to create a photography ‘section/ studio’. Alternatively, there may be the option of hiring the studio next door.
When the Talent are not needed in the scenes by the Director they are rotated to the Photographer. The Photographer then has full control over the lighting and the direction.
Backgrounds: A set can be built in the photography section/ studio or a popular solution is to shoot a plate of the film set, possibly on the pre-light day or even after the shoot and then shoot the Talent against a plain background and composite them later.
The Stylist, Make-up artist, Hair Stylist and their Assistants should be briefed to give the photography shoot the same cover as they are giving to the Tv commercial and make sure that there is always someone present while shooting. (This may be asking too much for a beauty or fashion shoot but generally this is worth considering.)

For a location shoot this is still a possible approach, if the space that the Photographer will be working in is carefully thought through. Often the location for the commercial is not the most spacious and film crews have a tendency to spread out. With some creative/ lateral thinking, a photography studio can be created anywhere that there is enough space and where the ambient light can be controlled.
With cooperation, the Director and Photographer can both achieve their desired results without impacting negatively on each other. And by utilising as much of the common production elements as possible, it can save their client money.

Shooting alongside the Cameraman:
Pros: This is going to have the least impact on the budget because it’s a photographer and maybe an assistant and a bag of cameras, shadowing the Cameraman, picking up shots in between takes. The scenes are already lit and the Talent are dressed with hair and make-up done. There’s always some time while the agency and the Director are discussing the last take and with the help of the 1st Assistant Director, the wily Photographer should be able to pick his moment and nail the shot. If the client/ agency are happy with a brief of ‘Get What Shots You Can’ then this is a possible route.
Cons: The lack of control that the Photographer has on set makes it difficult for him to guarantee shots. He can only photograph what is there on the day and if changes are made to the storyboard, which they often are, it can be very difficult to pull the scenes back into line with the photography brief.
The lighting can also throw up challenges. For instance, for a moving image, a subject can tolerate much more contrast and brightness as it moves through a light than a still image can and adjusting lights and asking for crew cooperation takes up valuable time.
Be aware that Tv commercial shoots often go over time, at which point stress levels start to rise and people start to work quicker. Talent may want to rest in between takes and not have their photograph taken or a Director may not want the direction he has given to the Talent interrupted between takes.
Some DoP’s object to their lighting being used for still photography when they are not benefitting financially.
Once the scene is shot, the lights and the set may disappear very quickly unless the photographer is able to assert his requirements on the whole crew.

Most Tv production companies will now provide a production service for stills, at a price. Some even represent Photographers and will give you a cost for your Tv commercial and photography campaign.

This article covers options where you have decided you will need a photographer. There is are two more options which I haven’t gone into here and they are;
- Hiring a Director who is also a Photographer
- Taking the still from a frame of the commercial
I may write about them if demand is high enough, let me know. PW