TV Advert Production
From Script to Screen
We produce television and cinema adverts from first concept through to the finished file, and cut the same material down for web and social. Because we buy the airtime too, every version is delivered at the right length and specification for the channel it runs on.
Tell us what your advert needs to do, and our team will come back with ideas, a shoot plan and costs.
Built for the Slot It Was Bought For
A television advert is made to a duration bought in advance, usually 10, 20 or 30 seconds. That constraint shapes everything upstream of it: how many scenes the script can carry, how much dialogue fits, how long an offer stays legible on screen. Working back from the slot length at the concept stage avoids the far more expensive problem of cutting a finished film down afterwards.
Because we also buy the airtime, the duration, delivery format and deadline reach us from the broadcaster rather than second-hand. The advert is built to that specification from the first conversation rather than adjusted to fit it at the end.
How an Advert Gets Made
Concept & Script
The idea, the script and the storyboard, written to the slot length the airtime buys.
Pre-Production
Casting, location, scheduling and the shot list agreed before anyone arrives on set.
Shoot
Filming, with coverage captured for the other formats the campaign will need later.
Post-Production
Edit, grade, graphics, voice and music brought together into the delivered file.
Versions & Cut-Downs
Shorter edits, vertical formats and updated end frames produced from the same footage.
TV Commercial Production from Concept to Delivery
Production runs in four stages. Concept and scripting establish what the advert says and shows. Pre-production covers casting, location, scheduling and the shot list. The shoot captures the material. Post-production is where edit, grade, graphics, voice and music come together into the finished film.
Not every brief needs all four in full. An advert assembled from existing footage, stills and motion graphics can work well for a retail offer or an event, and costs a fraction of a full shoot. We scope the approach against the budget and the airtime behind it rather than proposing the same process for every project.
How Can Our TV Production Services Help?
Our TV advert production services can help you:
- Turn a campaign idea into a script that fits the slot
- Plan casting, locations and schedules around your on-air date
- Capture footage that works across TV, cinema and social
- Bring edit, graphics, voiceover and music together in one place
- Produce cost-effective adverts from existing footage and stills
- Get your advert cleared and delivered to broadcast specification
- Keep production and airtime planning under one roof
Whether it is your first television campaign or you advertise on screen regularly, we’ll scope a production that suits your budget, your audience and the airtime behind it.
Our TV Production Services
At CMe Media, we handle every part of making your television advert, from the first idea through to the finished file ready for broadcast. We keep you updated throughout, so you can review the work at each stage and always know where your advert stands.
- Creative Concepts
- Script Writing & Storyboarding
- Casting & Location Scouting
- Production Planning
- Filming & Crew
- Studio & Location Shoots
- Motion Graphics & Animation
- Voiceover & Music
- Editing & Colour Grading
- Clearcast Approval Support
- Broadcast Delivery
- Cinema Advert Production
- Adverts From Existing Footage
- Social & Online Cut-Downs
- Multiple Slot Length Versions
- TV Media Planning & Buying
One Shoot, Several Channels
Material filmed for television rarely stays on television. The same footage supports shorter cuts for social, vertical versions for mobile feeds, a longer film for the website and stills pulled from the video for print and display.
Planning for that on the day rather than afterwards is what makes the difference. Framing for both landscape and vertical, capturing extra takes without dialogue, and shooting enough coverage to build several edits all cost very little during the shoot and a great deal to add once the crew has gone home.
Watch the Work
Adverts produced for clients across education, automotive, retail and local business.
Planning the Shoot Day
Most of what makes a shoot run smoothly happens before anyone arrives on set. Pre-production covers casting, locations, props, permissions, crew and the shot list, all scheduled backwards from the date the advert needs to be on air.
On the day, the crew works through that plan so every scene in the storyboard is captured, along with the extra coverage the edit will need. A well-prepared shoot keeps costs predictable, avoids return visits and gives the edit plenty of options, which matters when an offer or end frame needs to change late in the campaign.
Edit, Grade and Finishing
Post-production is where the footage becomes an advert. The edit sets the pace and structure, the grade gives every shot a consistent look, and graphics add the logo, offer and end frame that viewers need to act on.
Voiceover, music and sound design are mixed to broadcast loudness standards, and the finished film is checked against the delivery specification before it leaves us. We also produce the alternative versions a campaign usually needs, such as shorter cut-downs, updated offers or regional end frames, so a single production can keep working across several bursts of airtime.
Adverts Without a Full Shoot
Not every television advert needs a film crew. For a retail offer, a seasonal sale or an event, an advert assembled from existing footage, product photography, stock video and motion graphics can be just as effective, and it can be produced far more quickly.
This approach suits businesses testing television for the first time, or brands that need to refresh an offer regularly without paying for a new shoot each time. We look at the material you already have, fill any gaps with licensed footage or animation, and build an advert that still meets broadcast standards and sits comfortably alongside bigger brands in the break.
Cinema Adverts for the Big Screen
Cinema gives an advert a captive audience, a large screen and full surround sound, so production standards need to hold up at that scale. Footage, graphics and audio that look fine on a television can show their limits in an auditorium.
We plan cinema versions from the start of a project, shooting and finishing at a resolution and sound mix suited to the big screen, and delivering in the format cinema advertising networks require. Many advertisers run the same advert on television and in cinemas, often with a longer cinema cut that gives the story more room, so one production supports both.
Working in TV Production
Most people searching for TV production jobs are looking at the television and film industry, where roles sit with broadcasters and programme production companies. Advert production works differently. It is shorter-form, it sits inside a marketing agency, and the roles run alongside media planning, design and account management rather than separately from them.
Openings across the agency, including creative and production roles, are listed on our careers page.
Our TV Production Process
1. Brief
We learn about your business, your audience, your budget and the airtime the advert will run in.
2. Concept and script
We develop the idea, write the script and storyboard it to the slot length for your approval.
3. Planning
We arrange casting, locations, crew and the shot list, scheduled back from your on-air date.
4. Production
We film the advert, or gather existing footage, photography and graphics where a shoot is not needed.
5. Edit and review
We edit, grade and add voice, music and graphics, then refine the cut with your feedback.
6. Clearance and delivery
We take the advert through clearance and deliver every version to the broadcaster, cinema network and platforms on time.
Why Choose CMe Media for Your TV Advert Production?
Since 2014, CMe Media has helped businesses of every size reach new customers through marketing that delivers real results. We’re a family-run, full-service agency working with clients right across the UK.
Our TV advert production sits alongside our media buying, so the team writing and filming your advert also knows the slot it has been bought for, the delivery requirements and the deadline. Nothing gets lost between the creative and the airtime, and the finished advert is made to run where it has been booked.
We’re honest about what each approach costs and what it can achieve, and we’ll tell you when an advert built from existing footage will do the job better than a full shoot. Most importantly, we take the time to understand your business, your audience and what you need viewers to do once the advert has finished.
Explore Our Other Design & Production Services
Radio adverts scripted and voiced.
Copy for websites, ads and print.
Logos and brand identities.
Artwork made to every media spec.
See every design & production service we offer.
FAQs
What is TV production?
TV production is the process of making content for television, which covers two quite different things. Programme production makes the shows themselves, while advert production makes the commercials that run between them. This page covers the second: producing television and cinema adverts for businesses buying airtime.
How long does it take to produce a TV advert?
Timescales depend on whether the advert needs a shoot. An advert built from existing footage and motion graphics can move quickly, while one requiring casting, locations and a filming day needs the schedule built backwards from the on-air date. Booking the airtime usually sets the deadline, so the earlier the brief arrives the more options stay open.
How do you get into TV production?
Routes into the industry differ depending on whether you want to work on programmes or on advertising. Programme production is largely freelance and entered through runner and assistant roles, while advert production more often sits within agencies alongside creative and media teams. Our current vacancies are listed on the careers page.
How much does it cost to produce a TV advert?
Production costs depend on the approach. An advert built from existing footage, photography and motion graphics costs considerably less than one that needs a crew, cast and location. We scope each production against your budget and the airtime behind it, and explain where the money goes before anything is booked.
Do TV adverts need to be approved before they air?
Yes. In the UK, television adverts are cleared before broadcast to confirm they meet the advertising codes. Scripts are usually checked before filming and the finished advert is reviewed again before it goes on air. We build clearance into the production schedule so it doesn’t put your on-air date at risk.
Can we use our TV advert online and on social media?
Yes. We plan for this on the shoot by framing for landscape and vertical and capturing extra coverage, so the same footage can be cut into shorter versions for social media, video on demand and your website. Each version is delivered at the length and specification the platform needs.
Brief Us on Your Advert
Tell us the campaign, the slot length and the on-air date and we will scope the production against it, including whether a shoot is the right approach for the budget. Get in touch or call the team on 02380 170 955.