A Companion to Composition by Hugh Rank http://webserve.govst.edu/pa | HOME |

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The more we are aware of the structure, the overall form, of TV ads, the more we will recognize our own need to think early about the structure, the overall form, of our own written compositions.

As we watch TV, we often focus primarily on content and storyline, without an awareness of form. In our own compositions, often we "just start writing" the details of content and tactical concerns (word choice and sentence structure) without any attention to the form, to the overall strategy and structure.

Within our culture, composers have developed many commonly-used structures which are useful, appropriate, and related to common purposes: form follows function.

Models are helpful aids to learn about basic structural form. The "classical oration" is the traditional model of rational persuasion, from the exordium to the peroration. Introduced here is a model (a five-part pattern, called "the pitch") useful to analyze the nonrational persuasion of most ads. Later chapters will elaborate on the various parts of "the pitch."

Large structures have parts, or sub-systems, which perform certain functions contributing to the whole. With experience, we can recognize these commonly used structures and their parts. With training and practice in "chunking" and outlining, we can ourselves use these structures more effectively.

Developing a sense of structure is a transferable skill: a person who sees the structure of a 30-second spot is also able to see the structure of a story or a sonnet, and is apt to be a better composer. Many structural principles demonstrated in ads also apply to any composition.

Emphasis, either by placement or proportion, gives special importance to some parts of the whole. Emphasis can be varied, appropriate to the situation and purpose, thus allowing great diversity stemming from basic patterns.

Coherence refers to the inner relation of parts, how well the parts are put together. Most ads are well crafted by expert writers: the end product of a careful composition process.