The digital television (DTV) transition began nearly a decade ago when the FCC made a historic decision that today’s analog terrestrial TV transmission system would be phased out and replaced with one that is digital. An option offered by this system is high definition (HD) broadcasting. Today, the major networks are broadcasting all (CBS and ABC) or much (NBC) of their primetime series programming in HD. Special events including sports are also on the rise. This year, the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, NFL and NHL games are among the entries in the high-profile HD lineup. As well, the number of HD cable channels has increased dramatically and today includes HBO, Showtime, ESPN, HDNET and others. And what about the commercials? Are we there yet? Interest is growing, but for the majority of spot work being produced today, the answer is still no.
It’s hard for some to believe. SHOOT asked for predictions about HD spot production from commercial industry visionaries in its premiere “DTV and Advertising” supplement in July ’98. In that article, predictions as to when we would see a steady stream of HD spots ranged included ’99 to ’00 to a few years later. As ’06 begins, the same question lingers. And the answer is still unclear.
When talking about HD commercials in this story, SHOOT is referring to spots that have been finished in HD. (Film by definition is a high definition medium, so whether the spot was lensed in film or HD video, the ad still began with high resolution imagery.) The high profile lure of the Super Bowl resulted in a higher than usual amount of HD finishing, which is also addressed in this article.
But when looking at the day-to-day situation, commercial post houses interviewed for this story agree that agencies are asking more questions about HD than ever before. The degree to which they are embracing the format results in a more varied response. The reasons given also vary, but tend to focus on costs, and in some cases the lack of a quantifiable audience. Other issues raised include the potential impact from the simultaneous development of the mobile content industry for cell phones, PDAs, ipods and the like.
“Slow and steady” is how Jason Mayo, executive producer of New York-based Click 3x, describes the HD transition. “Maybe one of five commercial jobs has an HD component or HD is mentioned. We go through spells. We could have three at once, and then not have any for a couple of months.
“They are more open to it,” he adds of agency interest. “Maybe it has to do with programming. Maybe people are taking more notice, maybe because of the Olympics–even though there has been an increase [in HD interest], I don’t think the light bulb is turned on yet.”
Mark Polyocan, who is director of sales and marketing at Cineworks Digital Studios in Miami, responds, “Although Miami is a hot bed for advertising with [Miami-based] Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and high-profile agencies in the Hispanic market, we are not seeing demand for HD, which is peculiar–everything else that we do is HD.” That encompasses such disciplines as independent motion pictures, including the digital intermediate process. That also entails HD mastering of feature work coming out of South America.
“We keep saying it’s coming, but it not coming,” Polyocan says of HD advertising. “I think the problem is the networks are not putting pressure on the advertisers or making it viable.”
Polyocan also suggests that advertisers and agencies may not be paying attention to HD in a changing media landscape where simultaneously there is talk of advertising moving to mobile devices including cell phones, PDA, ipods, as well as shifting toward more viral campaigns.
He further points out that the cost of HD television equipment is still expensive for many Americans, and set prices alone could range from $1,200 to several thousand dollars.
SUPER BOWL FANFARE
“The agencies are asking a lot of questions but the clients are not completely convinced of the idea because of the costs,” suggests Matthew McManus, exec prod at Santa Monica-based R!OT.
When the client does opt to produce in HD, Mc Manus reports, “It’s usually driven by someone who has an HDTV set and has seen the difference. Some [executives from] companies have seen their commercials on HD monitors, and the picture doesn’t look as good as the program, so they ask [for HD].”
McManus reports that all of the Super Bowl ads that came through R!OT this year were produced in HD. (R!OT’s sister company Company 3, also handled a high volume of HD work for the Super Bowl).
“Special events will drive the HD pipeline,” McManus suggests. “And I think the jump is going to be pretty huge in the next couple of years.”
“We are seeing a big upswing,” relates Tom Duff, president of Chicago and Santa Monica-based Optimus. “It feels like it is finally hitting–I’ve got to believe it is customer driven.”
Duff points out that there are more HD programs on air than ever before–and there are more people watching. I think the clients are watching their [standard definition spots on HD broadcasts] and seeing how crappy they look.”
He adds that by client request, Optimus is also beginning to offer both HD and SD (standard definition) content in its product libraries. These libraries are password protected Web sites for major brands that offer access to product shots and sequences.
Duff relates that the Super Bowl appears to have helped the HD push. Optimus posted two HD spots for debut during the big game: Dove’s “Little Girls” from Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto and Chicago; and Allstate’s “Uncertainty,” via Leo Burnett, Chicago.
While there is really no hard data on HD spots, Tom Fletcher, VP of Chicago-based rental house Fletcher Chicago, tried to come up with a barometer during the past two Super Bowls. Essentially he charted the spots that aired, identifying each as having been finished in HD or SD. This year, he identified 39 HD spots and 27 SD spots–tipping the 50 percent mark for what is believed to be the first time. In ’05, he identified 25 HD spots and 58 SD spots, but this figure included promos, which the ’06 figure did not. So this is not an apples to apples comparison.
Fletcher says this year the Budweiser spots were in HD, and as the game’s biggest advertiser, that brand really made the difference in the final HD percentage.
When asked about his tracking method, Fletcher explains that aspect ratio was the key determiner, although he also factored in image quality, in the event that some were SD spots stretched to fit the screen. He reported that most SD spots were aired with black side panels to fill the empty space on either side of the 4:3 image.
Fletcher adds that about one-third of the SD spots were letterboxed, which he found particularly peculiar. This is because the broadcaster put black side panels on the right and left of the picture, since these were delivered in 4:3, and then there was the black letterboxing above and below the image, meaning that the image was framed in black on all four sides of the screen. This practice is not uncommon, but Fletcher questions whether agencies were aware of this factor, or whether they believed their pictures were filling an HD screen because the picture itself was 16:9.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Michael Raimondi, executive producer and co-founder of Union Editorial, Santa Monica, reports, “There is definitely interest–but [a large] percent doesn’t go HD. [This is because] clients are thinking HD, but the cost and [quantifiable] audience is not a good ratio right now.”
While costs vary, Raimondi points out that most big effects spots are going to cost more because a post house is compositing at a higher resolution, so the work moves slower and there is more data to manage and render.
It’s about the economics, including equipment costs, he reasons. “[For instance, a post house] may not have the HD decks, so they rent the decks and incur the deck costs. The decks are expensive to purchase, until you have the episodic series work.”
“We are ready,” he concludes. “We have finished a few spots in high definition. It’s definitely coming. I feel more than ever, its really going to happen soon.”
“It’s really close to arriving,” agrees Casey Conroy, senior visual effects producer at West Hollywood-based Ring of Fire. “With the Super Bowl and the Olympics, clearly there were a lot of ads that were posted in HD. There are more and more HD ads out there, but it not quite here yet.”
One issue, he points out, is that “Clients have become accustomed to working at a very fast pace. But with HD and visual effects, they are dealing with more data and longer render times.” This can slow the production schedule.
SHOOT also contacted bicoastal Post Logic Studios, whose primary work is long form. Kelvin Duckett, managing director of Post Logic Studios’s Hollywood facility, reports that about two-thirds of the company’s work on major network programming, as well as cable episodic work and specials, is completed in HD.
Unlike most commercial post houses, Duckett says a significant amount of its commercial finishing is HD. However, he acknowledges that spots represent a very small percentage of Post Logic’s work and most of the advertising clients come to the shop based on the talents’ request and for a specific reason, such as to finish in HD for a cinema release.
Meanwhile, New York-based commercial post house Nice Shoes has bucked the trend, with executive producer Pat Portela asserting that about 40 percent of the company’s spot work is finished and mastered in HD.
Why the big difference? Portela suggests that it is a combination of education and economics. She says that Nice Shoes has been visiting ad agencies to talk about HD postproduction. As well, Portela says that while there are some additional costs to HD post, Nice Shoes keeps the room rates the same for SD or HD work. Offering “minimal additional costs” and better understanding, she opines, is helping the effort.
“And it’s the wave of the future,” she concludes. “There’s no denying it is going to happen.”
