Hello, everyone. I'm trying my hand at producing content for TV. I have a question about commercial insertion that I was hoping someone could help me with. My question is this: How do I indicate the commercial insertion point in the actual video? Should I put in a graphic with the text INSERT COMMERCIAL HERE at those spots? If yes, how long should that graphic stay up? Just a couple of seconds or the entire duration of the commercial break?

Any tips, thoughts, and/or advice would be extremely appreciated!

Usually it goes to black for a few seconds. The station or network you're delivering to will have specs on how they want it done.

Not sure how it is done Stateside but in Aussie each ad break has vision black inserted follwed by a ten second countdown for a total of thirty seconds. We supply the programs with a run sheet giving the program start time, each segment start and end code and run time, each ad break start and end time, start of credits time code and finally program end time code.

This sheet then gives the traffic playout people a complete breakdown of the program play times which they can then program into their on-air playlist. You should also check with the network concerned as to program start timecode required, here it is usually 00:00:00:00 or 00:02:00:00. Also check for the maximum and minimum run times of each segment. Down here it ranges between 5~12 mins per segment.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

First things first, what type of content is it, and how were you intending on delivering it?

I would be curious to know that also.

We used to deliver on Digi-Beta in SD days then it went to HDCam but the last few years it has been nothing but 50-mbit 422 XDCam disc for us. They will still take HDCam but XDCam disc is now the most accepted aquisition and delivery format.

Most networks here won't take files on drives whether they be ProRes, DNxHD or whatever. They complain bitterly about having to assign someone to do the transfers and then convert to MXF. "Not our workflow." they will tell you.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

Any tips, thoughts, and/or advice would be extremely appreciated!

Norm,

You need to contact the station/network that will be broadcasting your content. They will provide you with the exact specs they require for delivery.