Advertising & Director Treatment Essentials

The party commissioning or approving the advertising work, often the advertiser or brand team.

A company engaged to develop strategy, creative work, media or production oversight for an advertiser.

A company that represents directors and produces advertising films on behalf of an agency or advertiser.

A representative who promotes a director or roster and helps obtain, manage and negotiate opportunities.

A production-company leader responsible for directors, client relationships, bidding, staffing and delivery.

The agency-side producer coordinating creative production, bids, approvals, scope and delivery.

A senior agency creative responsible for the overall creative direction and quality of the campaign.

The producer managing the commercial’s budget, schedule, crew, logistics and practical execution.

The brand’s starting instructions about the problem, audience, message, limits and desired outcome.

Instructions from the agency explaining what the director or production company is being asked to solve.

The agency document explaining the communication problem, audience, message, requirements and desired result.

A document describing scripts, deliverables, schedule, budget guidance and production requirements for bidding or execution.

The change in awareness, understanding, feeling or behaviour the advertising is meant to support.

A useful observation about people, culture or behaviour that helps unlock a communication idea.

The central message or value the advertising is meant to communicate.

A deliberately focused statement of the one main thing the campaign should communicate.

An informal way to say the central creative concept meant to organise a campaign.

A coordinated group of communications and deliverables built around one strategy or creative platform.

The reasoning connecting a communication problem, audience and intended advertising response.

A direction inviting the audience to take a next step, such as visit, buy, sign up or learn more.

An element that the execution must include, such as product action, logo, claim, legal text or brand device.

A statement about a product, service or outcome that may require evidence and legal approval.

The people the campaign is primarily designed to reach or influence.

The named product, service or organisation whose identity and communication the advertising represents.

The process of identifying directors whose work and point of view may suit a brief.

The set of directors proposed or considered for a job before the final shortlist.

The reduced group of directors invited to discuss, treat or bid on a commercial.

A conversation where the agency explains the brief and the director explores their approach.

An inquiry into whether a director or key supplier is free during the likely treatment, prep and shoot dates.

A competitive commercial process in which three production companies usually submit approaches and prices.

The agency asks one company to price and plan the job instead of running a contest.

The decision giving a commercial job to a director or production company.

A director’s document explaining how they would make a film, episode or commercial.

A concise first-person introduction to a director's creative point of view; in advertising it often opens the treatment.

The governing explanation of how the director interprets and intends to execute the brief.

The director's specific understanding of what the work should make the audience see, feel and understand.

A formal or informal invitation for a director to prepare a treatment for a specific job.

The date and time by which the director’s treatment must be submitted.

Money paid for the work of creating a treatment.

A writer helping articulate the director's approach in the director's voice.

The director’s plan for how the story will play on screen.

The director’s plan for acting behaviour, tone, timing, chemistry and direction.

The desired qualities, identities, chemistry and process for finding performers.

The proposed framing, lenses, movement, distance and image-making behaviour.

The proposed sources, contrast, time-of-day feeling and exposure strategy.

The proposed sets, spaces, objects, materials and visual organisation of the filmed world.

The proposed structure, pace, transitions, continuity and rhythm of the finished film.

The proposed use of production sound, effects, atmosphere, silence and mix.

Sequential drawings or frames showing the agency’s proposed action, composition and copy.

The production-ready storyboard used to plan what will actually be filmed.

A timed moving version of storyboards, often with temporary sound.

A timed video assembled from storyboard frames, reference footage, music and sound to suggest the proposed commercial.

A reference edit built largely from existing footage to communicate tone, structure or an unproduced idea.

The main pre-shoot meeting where client, agency and production confirm the creative and practical plan.

A selected-location visit by key departments to plan access, power, lighting, sound, safety and logistics.

A filmed test of camera, lens, lighting, make-up, costume, product or VFX choices before main filming.

A paid advertising film or video; in US usage, often called a spot.

The primary or longest campaign film from which shorter or alternate assets may derive.

The principal approved advertising film used as the source for versions or deliveries.

A shorter edit derived from or planned alongside a longer advertising film.

A social-media version made from the main ad.

A tiny ad that delivers one fast idea or brand message.

The closing branded frame containing logo, message, product, offer, legal text or call to action.

Text placed over the picture, such as a claim, price, instruction or legal line.

A total described as including all particular cost categories, which is meaningless unless those categories are named.

An added percentage or amount applied to particular costs under the agreed commercial structure.

Budget reserved for reasonably foreseeable uncertainty or unexpected cost within defined rules.

Cost above the approved budget or bid caused by additional scope, changed assumptions or unforeseen events.

A documented change to agreed scope, cost, schedule or deliverables after the original approval.

The ending of a commissioned or awarded job before completion.

A payment due when a job or engagement is cancelled under particular circumstances.

The agreed ways, places and length of time that an advertisement or performance may be used.

An edit reflecting agency creative decisions and feedback.

An edit reflecting the advertiser’s requested changes or approval position.

The director’s preferred edit before or alongside agency and client revision.

Editing with lighter working files before the final high-quality finish.

The creative and technical shaping of colour, contrast and tonal relationships across the finished work.

Looking for music that fits the idea and can actually be licensed or made.

The small legal words an ad must show so the claim is not misleading.

The distributor’s confirmation that required materials satisfy the delivery requirements.