No wonder TV is rubbish

As some of you know I produce videos. I have a couple of nice cameras, some powerful computers and some very flash software and it all works very well together for the kind of work that I do - wedding videos, corporate training videos - pretty much anything that gets filmed and produced as a finished product onto a DVD. All my work is in high definition because that's the way everything is going now... or so I thought.

Recently I've been commissioned to create a television ad. Too easy. Two days filming in different locations around the place and one day editing and producing. It was a quick and easy job and the client was happy with the results.

But have you got any idea what is involved in trying to get it to the television station to get on air? What a stuff around!

I've done stuff for the local news. They're easy. Send them the footage and away they go.

But for an advertisement you have to get classification by FreeTV.com.au.
To get the ad to FreeTV you have to send it to someone else - there are a few options, we went with AdStream.com.au.

So we send it to AdStream over the Internet and they have problems with my video. My video in high definition and it's in wide screen - just like every other video I produce. In this world of high-definition digital wide screen television you can't submit an advertisement unless it's standard definition and made for 4:3 ratio (square screen).

Un-be-liev-able.

So after uploading about half-a-dozen copies of my ad with the alterations and adjustments they ask for, they send it to FreeTV to get a CAD (commercial advice) number that the station requires before it can go to air - sort of like a classification or rating to make sure it doesn't offend anyone. We had to fax to FreeTV a full script of everything written and spoken in the commercial as well.

The commercial is supposed to go to air tonight and the station still doesn't have it. With all this double and triple handling of every single little thing it's a wonder that the station has anything at all to broadcast. I am so glad that the vast majority of my work simply gets handed to the customer on a DVD - end of story.

I don't even watch TV anymore...