To become a commercial director, gain experience in film or a related industry, pursue a film or marketing degree, and focus on a specific niche. Creativity is important, but understanding marketing and management tools is also necessary. Field experience and networking are crucial, and producing independent commercials can help build a portfolio.
There is no path to becoming a commercial director, but most people enter the industry by gaining some experience in film or a related industry, or helping other directors as they work on building their portfolios. There is no specific degree in business management, but formal education is possible through related degrees.
Directing is an artistic field, which means that anyone wanting to become a commercial director needs to be creative and have a sense of vision. This is what allows a commercial director or otherwise to present advertising in a new, fresh and inviting way. However, creativity does not negate the need for a basic understanding of marketing and management tools and terminology. Various degrees offer some or all of this information.
An ideal degree to pursue for becoming a commercial director is a film degree. It is possible to specialize in a specific area within this degree, such as editing or script writing. Another good option is a marketing degree. Other educational avenues such as cinematography, acting, theater, writing, communication, or arts management can also work.
Field experience is essential regardless of whether a person decides to pursue formal training for a commercial driving career. Many people who want to become a commercial director have acting experience, for example acting in community plays or independent productions. Others take entry-level positions on production sets, assisting current directors. These jobs are crucial not only because they build a person’s resume, but also because they allow the individual to network in the arts and advertising industries.
Once a person has some education, experience and networking, they can start producing some independent commercials, usually for local agencies. They don’t provide a lot of exposure, but they do count towards the portfolio that an individual has specifically related to business direction. With these working examples, new directors can submit requests for larger projects.
One thing that often helps a person become a commercial director is focusing on a specific niche. For example, it could focus on food commercials or advertising clothing. This helps the director improve how to market a specific product, which results in better portfolio material. This does not preclude a director from exploring various options and creating specific portfolios for individual trading markets. It simply means that the director’s value to a commercial production company increases with experience – knowing one industry well is better than knowing a minimal number of many industries.
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