Hi all,

I'm trying to edit my first pilot.. =)
Are there any standards to follow about comercial breaks? I mean do you edit the program with the comercial breaks in mind or do the channels cut in whenever they want to?

I mean different channels have different comercial spacing, so you can't cut a version for every channel, can you?

If anybody have an idea please help me.. The program is for 30 minutes (what, 25 effective?) and one hour (50 minutes, 45?)

Thanks alot, any help appreciated!

Check into television script formats. They indicate when and where the commercial breaks come in different formats.

google a search for television script formats

28:30 is the standard

Christopher C. Murphy said
"28:30 is the standard"

?? 28 minutes for half an hour? 56 for an hour? Is that it?

Richard Alvarez
Check into television script formats. They indicate when and where the commercial breaks come in different formats.

google a search for television script formats

Could really find anything good.. Do you have a Ballpark idea??

Thanks.

Start here
http://www.screenstyle.com/screenvssits.html

And do the research

OK,
thanks!

HI Richard!

CAn't find any info there.. about comercail breaks I mean. Do you have any other idea?

Or anybody else..
(must be alot of TV people around here somewhere.. =)

Thanks.

I know when I watch TV on most channels, I can watch a 30 minute show in about 24 minutes from my DVR, and that includes time to skip the commercials or backup if I skip too far. My guess is the average cable channel has 7 minutes of commercials per half hour. Some are even more, maybe 9-10.

The show certainly has to be edited to account for commercial breaks. Most have a little 1-5 second bump (establishing shot with a bit of music) when returning from commercial.

Pace it for commercial breaks to take place at the end of each act (I'm assuming the show was written using a 3-act structure), and assume 7&1/2-9 minutes of airtime will be used for commercial.

Thhe pilot I'm talking about is an "interviewing program". So I have possibilities to put comercials, still, whenever I want to. Jesse, I figured that there would be two comercial breaks, hence the tree-act for 1/2 hour. If I stretch it to an hour.. (I seem to have alot of material). Do you make it a 5 act or a 6 act program? (6 acts is ALOT of breaks.. comercials..=( )

Thanks all of you for you help, so far!

I believe there are typically four - two minute breaks for each 30 minute block. So that's about 22 minutes of program time including the opening, content and credits. Sometimes only the opening is shown and then the first commercial break is taken. Then with others, its the opeing and the whole first block and then the first break. I've seen this graphically represented for a news broadcast by a pie chart.

Each network has a different way of inserting commercials. Discovery Networks and MTV begin a new show straight from the credits of the previous one with no commercial(s) in between. I believe they do this to keep the viewers' attention to carry them into the next program. It makes perfect sense. You know most people just turn that channel when commercials come on after a show unless they definitely want to watch the following show.

Alfred, for your pilot, I would shoot alternate bumps or transitions for commercial breaks that can easily be edited in later if it makes it to broadcast. Otherwise a straight cut should be fine for a proof of concept.

<<<-- Originally posted by James Emory :...Each network has a different way of inserting commercials. Discovery Networks and MTV begin a new show straight from the credits of the previous one with no commercial(s) in between. I believe they do this to keep the viewers attention to carry them into the next program. -->>>

ABC started doing that now as well. That and shifting shows a couple of minutes ahead or behind. so you miss the beginnings of other networks' shows. God forbid, they just make their lineups better.