Short Ads

Short-form ads are especially fun to create—the length of time limits and enhances the creative storytelling in the video. Two short ads that I worked on highlight the beautiful storytelling that is possible in short time frames: 

Namaste Solar - Solar Energy Company 6-Second Ad

This ad is a non-skippable, 6-second, bumper ad for YouTube videos. It needs to grab people’s attention and increase brand awareness of Namaste Solar as a provider of solar panel installs. Using excellent drone footage of actual installation sites in Colorado offered up the eye-catching visuals.

The work

The client, Namaste Solar, provided the script and background music, and I connected with a talented voiceover artist and gave creative direction to her for the audio.

For the visuals, I selected the drone footage that showcased two different views of the same house with solar panels. The footage was flat in color (which is standard with drone footage) so I color corrected and color graded it. Although it was the same house in both shots, the challenge was that the two shots were from different angles and with different lighting. The colors needed to be consistent between both shots.

Lastly, I added an After Effects graphics template that perfectly united the animation of the logo and call to action box with the voiceover.

The short ad came together beautifully and the client was pleased with the end result.

Clarion Blue - 10-Second Ad

This 10-second ad promotes and raises awareness for Clarion Blue, a marketing agency.

The work

The client had already selected the stock footage shot of diving into the ocean and wanted the tagline “Brilliantly Clear Marketing” to surface as though appearing from behind the waves.

One challenge was that the tagline needed to stand out against the background shot to be readable. At the same time, the shot of the ocean needed to remain clear to go along with the “Brilliantly Clear Marketing” tagline.

To solve this, I added a blurred background only behind the tagline itself and left the rest of the shot clear. The bubbles floating behind emphasize the messaging about clear marketing.

To enhance the relaxing vibe and provide the viewers with an additional sensory experience of the ocean, I selected sound effects of ocean waves and undersea sounds, and timed them so they coincided with the action of diving beneath the waves and being underwater.

For the ending, I created custom logo animation and graphics to highlight their beautiful branding. I made sure the information was on-screen long enough to stay top-of-mind with viewers.

For this ad, every choice I made was to ensure the ad felt relaxing, inspiring, and not rushed, to convey how it feels to work with this great agency.