What Exactly is Ad Production?
Every advertisement you see—whether it’s a thirty-second spot before your favourite YouTube video or a TV commercial that becomes a household memory—goes through a long and layered journey. What starts as a simple idea eventually takes shape as a polished film that builds brand value.
This journey, from the birth of an idea to its execution on screen, is what we call ad production.
The Three Core Stages
Ad production typically moves through three main stages:
- Pre-Production – the planning phase
- Production – the shooting days
- Post-Production – editing and finishing the film
But before we get into these, it’s important to understand the first step: briefing.
Step One: The Brief
The process begins with a conversation. The business shares what the product is, why they want an ad, and what they hope to achieve.
Some of the key questions at this stage are:
- What is the purpose of this ad? Is it for awareness, sales, or something else?
- Who is the target audience?
- What challenges is the business trying to solve?
- What is the brand message and motive behind the ad?
Once these answers are clear, the creative team has a foundation to build on.
Step Two: Research and Concept Development
After the brief, the brainstorming begins. Writers, directors, and creative teams come together to shape possible concepts. Out of many, one idea emerges as the strongest—something both creative and practical.
This is where the screenwriter steps in, turning the idea into a script or screenplay. From there, the storyboard is drawn, mapping the entire film shot by shot.
Storyboarding makes life easier for everyone involved: directors, cinematographers, designers, and crew members can all visualise the flow before a single camera rolls.
Step Three: Pre-Production
Pre-production is where planning meets detail. It includes:
- Shot lists and scheduling – Assistant directors prepare every beat.
- Budgeting – Costs are mapped and finalised.
- Team sourcing – The right director, DOP, production designer, costume team, and more are brought on board.
- Casting – Actors are auditioned and selected.
- Location scouting – Real-world spaces are studied to see what fits the story best.
- Technical recce – Each department (camera, lighting, design, post) inspects the location for challenges and adjustments.
- Rehearsals – Actors may run through key scenes, blocking, or even dance sequences to prepare.
Pre-production may feel exhausting, but it’s what makes the shoot day smooth. As the saying goes: better sweat in pre, than bleed in production.
Step Four: Production
This is the day (or days) when everything comes alive. The shoot often lasts one, two or maybe three days, depending on the script and scale.
Here, every detail of pre-production pays off. From camera angles to costumes, from light placements to performances, it’s all about capturing what was planned.
The smoother the pre-production, the fewer the errors, and the more efficient the shoot.
Step Five: Post-Production
Once the shoot wraps, the film goes into the editing room. Post-production includes:
- Editing and cutting the raw footage gets stitched and creates a great story.
- VFX stands for visual effects
- Music production (sometimes composed even before the shoot)
- Colour grading; The Colorist sets the mood and look for the film
- Dubbing and sound design
- Graphics Work
This is where the ad gets its final texture, rhythm, and emotional impact.
Why It Matters
Ad production is not just about making something look good on screen. It’s about:
- Translating a brand’s message into a story
- Making creative and business goals meet
- Building awareness that connects with audiences
It’s a balance of creativity and craft, chaos and control. And when done well, it creates not just an ad, but a memory.
What’s Next
So dear
Sikhiya students, this is only the beginning of the journey. In the next episode, we’ll dive deeper into the Pre-Production stage —the planning, preparation, and creativity that lay the foundation for every great ad film.
Until then, don’t forget to check out Jersey13 Sikhiya’s second episode, which went live this Monday. And keep a tab on our Sikhiya blog posts every Wednesday right here on our official website.