A good TV commercial looks effortless on screen, but it is the result of careful planning. Whether you are launching a new product or refreshing your brand, this guide walks you through how a TV commercial is planned and produced in Pakistan, step by step, so you know what to expect and how to get the most from your budget.

1. Start with one clear goal

Before anyone writes a script, decide what the commercial must achieve. Do you want people to remember a new brand name, try a product, visit a store or download an app? A 30-second ad can do one thing very well, but it cannot do five things at once. Write the goal in one sentence and share it with your production company.

It also helps to know who you are talking to. A TVC for university students in Karachi will look and sound very different from one for families across Punjab. Age, city, language and the platforms your audience watches all shape the idea.

2. Write a short, honest brief

The brief is the most important document in the whole project. It does not need to be long. A strong brief usually covers:

• The product or service and what makes it different
• The single message you want viewers to remember
• Where the ad will run: TV, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or cinema
• Length of the ad, for example 15, 30 or 60 seconds
• Your deadline and a rough budget range
• Brand rules: logo, colours, tagline and anything you must avoid

Sharing a realistic budget early is not a weakness. It lets the production team suggest an idea that will look its best within that budget, instead of a big idea that has to be cut down later.

3. Concept, script and storyboard

Next, the creative team turns the brief into a concept: the story, the tone and the key visual moment people will remember. Once you approve the idea, it becomes a script with dialogue or voice-over, and then a storyboard, a set of simple drawings that show each shot.

The storyboard is where you should give most of your feedback. Changing a drawing costs nothing; changing a scene on the shoot day costs time and money.

4. Pre-production: the real work behind the shoot

Pre-production is where a commercial is won or lost. This stage includes:

• Casting: choosing actors or models who fit the brand and the audience.
• Locations or studio: deciding whether to shoot on location or on a sound stage. A studio gives full control over light and sound, while a location can add realism.
• Wardrobe, props and set design: every object in the frame tells part of the story.
• Shot list and schedule: planning the order of shots so the crew can work efficiently.
• Permissions: location permits, music rights and talent agreements.

At the end of pre-production there is usually a meeting where the client, director and producer agree on every detail before the camera rolls.

5. The shoot day

On the day, the director, camera team, lighting crew, art department and talent work together to capture every shot on the list. Most 30-second commercials are shot in one or two days. As a client it is a good idea to attend, or send one decision-maker, so that questions can be answered on the spot.

A good production team will also capture extra footage, such as close-ups and cut-downs, so the same shoot can be used for social media versions later.

6. Post-production: where the ad comes together

After the shoot, the footage moves to the edit suite. Post-production usually includes:

• Editing the best takes into a rough cut, then a final cut
• Visual effects, clean-up and graphics
• Colour grading for a consistent, cinematic look
• Music, sound design and voice-over recording
• Mixing the audio to broadcast standards

You will normally see one or two versions and give feedback before the final version is approved.

7. Deliver every format you need

Pakistani audiences watch on TV, but they also scroll through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Plan from the start for every format you need: a 16:9 version for TV and YouTube, vertical 9:16 versions for reels and stories, square versions for feeds, and shorter 6 or 15-second cut-downs. Planning this before the shoot is much cheaper than trying to reframe footage later.

How long does it take?

A simple commercial can move from brief to final delivery in a few weeks. Bigger productions with casting, special sets or heavy visual effects take longer. The best way to keep to a deadline is a clear brief, quick feedback and one person on your side who can approve decisions.

Working with a production house

Working with one team for the full process, from script to final grade, keeps your message consistent and saves time. At Eleman, our video production, VFX and post-production and music teams work under one roof in Karachi, with our own sound stages. If you are planning a commercial, send us your brief and we will reply with a plan and a quote.