Not how long it took...

From this day forward, I will no longer measure edit sessions in time increments. They will be measured in amount of food consumed. So instead of finishing up a two-day edit, I'm wrapping up a session that took the following:

One salad
4 pieces of Some Guy's pizza
One bag of Lay's original chips
37 peanut M&M’s
4 Coke Zeros
One Egg McMuffin
3 large fountain Cokes
One brownie
3 bottles of water

The spot is now rendering. The word “render” has been said 22 times. “Processing” has been voiced an additional 17 times. So until next time, have a handful of trail mix, and I'll see you in the edit suite.

--Matt G.

Saving Lives One Spot at a Time

At Asher, we're constantly charged with changing opinions, spurring trial and creating action. This summer it looks like our thinking could once again save lives.

With infant deaths on the rise in Indiana because of unsafe co-sleeping habits, the Indiana Department of Child Safety is once again ready to run a series of commercials created by Asher to keep kids safe.

In an effort to break through the clutter, Asher made the commercials as hard-hitting as possible. In each of the spots, the first 15 seconds set up an unsafe-child scenario (including co-sleeping and water dangers) while stark type on a black background asks serious questions of the viewer, including “Could you live with that?”

The result is a campaign that won the support and praise of EMTs and emergency rooms throughout the state. Because the message was real-life and not sugar-coated, Hoosiers got the point. And while it's harsh, if we save one child, it's all worth it. See what we're talking about.


--Matt G.

So You Think You Can Act...

A TV commercial can break down in many ways, but in a midsized market, one of the great challenges for agencies such as Asher is finding the right talent to appear on screen.
With budgets that seldom allow union talent and clients who want to squeeze every dime, we're forced to be creative. Even against those odds, we still seem to find the right voice, look, delivery.
Here are some things to remember...from both sides of the table:

1. Never choose a commercial actor because he or she looks good. If the role depends on the ability to deliver a line, a good head shot is no substitute for the ability to act.

2. Commercials are not theater. Stage actors are expected to exaggerate, enunciate and emote. The best commercials actors come across as normal...and sometimes that's the hardest role of all.

3. Create to the limits of your talent. If you don't have the budget for skilled actors, develop spots that don't rely on on-camera action or synch sound.

Hopefully these three rules give you a little insight into the casting process. It's best to find someone who can give you different deliveries.

Finally, always see your talent in person before making final selections. It's amazing how a camera can hide bad skin or teeth or add pounds.

Acting isn't easy, and sometimes choosing the right actors can be even tougher.

--Matt G.