Tips and Tricks for Great Promo Writing and Producing

As a long form producer, producing 30, 15 and 10-second promos used to seem like a chore.  But I’ve learned some tricks to help make effective promos while having a little fun.  Click here to see an example of a promo that I and the edit team put together for a series for short soccer demonstration videos with D.C. United for the on-demand channel Sportskool.

These are some things to consider when writing and producer a promo.

• Choose your best sound bites.  These sound bites do not have to be a complete thought but should carry a lot of feeling or action in a matter of seconds.  They can even be exclamations like “wow!”  The shorter the better.

• Choose your best shots, the “money shots” so to speak. Like the sound bites, these shots should quickly convey a sense of emotion or action.  Think about your footage and then ask yourself what is most “fun?” “What is most gripping?”

• Choose some driving music that matches the theme of your program, video or promo.  For sports themed promos, consider youthful music like rock or hip hop.  They offer a lot of hard beats to cut the visuals to.  If it is a comedy, try something fun or kitschy.  If your piece is serious or emotional, you may want something a little slower.  I must admit, choosing music is not my favorite thing to do. Most music libraries ask you to input key words like “solemn” or “funky” which may mean something different to me than it does to the person who developed the program.  Because I want music with a good sting at the end, I sometimes listen to the end first. If the sting is weak, I quickly move on to the next selection.

• String-out the bites, visuals and music to try to create a through-line.  Edgar Allen Poe said a short story should be about one feeling and one feeling only. He often went for fear. Similarly, the promo should be about one theme.  Don’t worry about the length of the string-out at this point.  Just see what’s working.  Ask yourself, what is missing?  What does a narrator need to say to connect the dots?

• Start writing the narration.  The narration should be brief and leave room to insert the bites. This is a time to really have fun and use over the top language.  For action packed promos, it is hard to go over the top with symbolism and clichés.  Pack them in! I even look up clichés on the internet to get some scripting ideas.  For quieter pieces, you may want to dial it back a bit but you still want to get the audience’s attention.  Also, write two or three different scripts to see what works best.

• Scratch out the narration and then see what works with the bites, “money shots” and music. Sometimes the theory seems like a good one in your head or on paper but when put altogether it doesn’t work so well. Don’t worry, use what works and build from there.

• Watch promos on television.  We often tune out when promos come on but pay attention to what you think works or doesn’t work.  Listen to the music and the pacing. What would you change? Are there promos that you would like to emulate?

Sometimes you cannot string out bites and “money shots” before writing the promo because of the workflow or lack of time. Don’t worry there are many paths to a good promo.  Find what works best for you and the project. And, by all means, try to have fun!

A Review of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

I am a sucker for performance documentaries. There is always the music, art or comedy to lean on if the style or structure is otherwise weak. However, that was not the case with “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.” The story telling in this documentary about the legendary rap group was well crafted, visually interesting and insightful. And, the music made me run to download songs from iTunes as soon as the film was over.

I don’t pretend to be a rap music aficionado but I did enjoy listening, dancing and rapping along with A Tribe Called Quest songs in my young adult days. I still do. So learning about how members Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad got together, made music and fell apart was all new and fascinating to me. That there was a fourth member, Jarobi White, was a total revelation. To see Q-Tip’s thoughtfulness and genius of production is creatively inspiring. Just the way he rifles through record bins at the speed of light lets you know a little bit about depth of his
relationship with music.

“Beats, Rhymes & Lif”e was not just a nostalgic “Behind The Music” style piece honoring A Tribe Called Quest’s music. During filming, the group members were living through major struggles. Q-Tip and Phife were not on speaking terms, locked in a stalemate of hurt feelings that only brothers can cause. Ali was stuck in the middle while other rap greats such as De La Soul members were disappointed to see their musical compadres’ behavior of not living up to essence behind their songs. Phife was also awaiting a kidney transplant due to his long struggle with diabetes. In both cases, I found myself rooting for positive outcomes and was never sure if it would come before the final credits.

A long list of rap industry icons gave interviews to help shed light on why A Tribe Called Quest was so successful. They included Monie Love, Pharrell Williams, The Roots and The Beastie Boys. Director Michael Rapaport could be heard from time to time asking questions. I would have liked to hear more about the personal lives of Q-Tip and Ali like we did for Phife and Jarobi. It seemed slightly unbalanced in favor of the Phife camp.

Despite the trials and tribulations of the group, “Beats, Rhymes & Life” was a fun documentary with a great soundtrack. As some of the interviewees in this documentary point out, when rap music was turning the corner from party music to anger, A Tribe Called Quest walked a line in between. The stance of being proud of who they are and where they’re from but not letting it define them is a universal theme that still resonates today.

For other reviews, visit the Reviews category.

Steal These Documentary and Series Ideas… Please!

So many ideas and so little time. So I thought I’d share some ideas for free in the hopes that someone in the universe will stumble upon them and turn them into wonderful, fun, insightful shows, series and documentaries. Or at least, get some good brainstorming going. Did I mention that they are absolutely free?

Signs of the Messiah – This would be a documentary following people who are looking for signs that the Messiah is coming in whatever religion in which they believe. I have a friend who studies rap music and hard rock lyrics because he believes that the second coming of Jesus will be announced through music. This made me wonder how many other people out there are sign seekers in such unusual and interesting ways.

The Science Behind Rock Concerts – This documentary would follow one popular music group as they prepare for a concert. As they prepare, the film would delve into how our ears hear music, how our brains process it, how instruments make music, how we are able to sing, why humans respond to music, how microphones pick up music and how speakers broadcast music.

Extreme Collectors – I was amazed to learn that there are people who spend thousands upon thousands of dollars each year to collect sneakers! What other crazy collectors are out there? I’m sure some of these collectors as colorful characters.

6 Degrees of Separation – On each episode, contestants draw a name of a celebrity out of a big name drum. Then they have 48 hours to get in touch with that celebrity. The less steps/contacts it takes to find the celebrity, the more points they get. They also get more points for face to face meetings. The show could be hosted by someone who sort of knows Kevin Bacon. The

Ultimate Couch Potato Life – this lifestyle series would be hosted by a good looking guy with a bit of a beer belly. On each episode, he would give tips on how to maximize the coach potato experience. The tips could range from comfort food recipes to entertaining on game night. There could even be a “tools and technology” segment that explores the many uses of TiVo and such things as chairs with built in refrigerators.

From Celeb to Politician – What makes celebrities like Ronald Reagan, Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to turn in the glamour for a politician’s life? And what makes them so good at it?

A Week In The Life of A Reenactor – Reenactors tend to be pretty colorful characters. They often dedicate all of their spare time to researching, practicing and preparing for reenactments in an effort to make them as real and as accurate as possible.

Greatest Fictional Characters – and their impact on society. These characters can be from books, TV, movies or cartoons. They can be dogs, doctors, lovers, villains, heros or even cars. For example, what effects have Cliff Huxtable, Gregory House and Trapper John had on our collective American psyches? This could be done as a top-10 count down show.

Mommy Bloggers – this is a phenomenon that has reached Wall Street. Many blogs started by moms about family, child rearing and motherhood now have the backing of major sponsorship. Who are these mommy bloggers and how can you cash in?

International Holidays in the U.S. – I’d love to see how Hindus in Berkeley are celebrating Diwali and how the West Indians in DC go all out for the Carnival in Brooklyn. There are lots of international holidays being celebrated in our own back yards. You don’t even need a passport.

If you’ve any of these ideas on air already, that only proves that they are good. Hey, now that I’ve written these ideas out, some of them look kinda good. Hurry up and produce them before I do!  If you have any ideas that you’d like someone else to produce, please share.