Sponsor (1956)

Fred Flanagan feels thai the business "I writing successful t\ commercials actually requires a variety. "I interests on the pari ol the writer. "We have musicians on the stall who score the commercials." After brief hesitation, he said. "I like to play the guitar nnself at home."' and added sheepishly. "Of course. I'm no Segovia." For most effective commercial writing he stresses the write] must take an extensive responsibility. "We sil in on casting sessions, for instance. Of course, there's an art director in our group who visualizes our copy into story hoards. 1 nit we help translate these ston hoards into actual film footage." Writing live commercials presents an entire!) new sel of problems to the writer. He has to conceive hi commercial with studio limitations in mind. For instance, feu New ^ ork studios are large enough to accommodate more than one or two cars. "Commercials can be fun, inform ami sell at the same time." "To give live commercials greater viewer interest. we'\e been using more rear-view projectors to vary the setting and also key inserts," he told SPONSOR. Key inserts are used to achieve certain "trick effect-" in live television. For instance, in one commercial on the Ed Sullivan Show, the viewers saw the announcer standing next to a Mercurj dashboard, and seeming no taller than the dashboard. The effect unachieved by the use of two live cameras working simultaneously and electronic matting which served to superimpose the image from one camera onto the other without the real background behind the announcer showing up. "When you use live commercials for a ear. you have to plan inevitably upon using some film inserts as well in order to show running shots." he added. Flanagan, a fair-complected man age 39, has the easy informal manner of an extrovert. He likes to work in an "open-door" atmosphere and encourages the free exchange of ideas between the creative people on the account. "I set out to be a writer when I was in college," he recalls. "But I've gotten so used to being aide to incorporate other people's ideas into my work, that I've written a few short stories and articles at home, and those I hash out with m\ wife." A devout exponent of humorous exaggeration in commercials ("when the humor doesn't get in the way of the selling message |, Flanagan has dabbled successful!) with humor on his own. In a Readers' Digest article a few years ago. he invented a new system of punctuations designed to give the print copywriter the same advantages that radio and tv offer through voice inflections and acting. "Stan \lenil and I wrote the pine together." he says. "And we came up with a whole batch of new punctuations, a la Victor Borge. We made up stupendopoints for products that stupefy, flabbergastricks for product that flabberga-t. and mi-quotes. . . "We wrote the story, to spoof cliche in bad advertising. Toda) I could add to it some t\ cliches that we particularly aim to avoid, among them: 'out-of-the-factor) window' infatuation with products and grinning lace of consumers. We feel that the believable h commercial talks to the viewer in simple, plausible term about the things that interest him. And, at their best, these commercials should be in the mood ol the program in which they'll be -hown." ^ SUDDENLY play by play broadcasting is old fashioned. Now everyone listens for FAST BREAK— the new concept in sports coverage invented by radio-active KMA! — You hear quarter scores from 30 gymnasiums in KMA land. The scores, each quarter, and who makes them — along with lively music. MUSIC WITH A BOUNCE, BASKETBALL WITH A BOUNCE 7:30 to 1 1 p.m. every Tuesday, every Friday. CONTACT your Petry man for availabilities and special rates on this new FAST BREAK concept. KMA Radio central for all the Mid-West Headquarters Shenandoah, Iowa SPONSOR 29 DECEMBER 1956 DO.