The scenario: You've been asked to pitch an ad for the new SUV from one of the big American automakers. You've seen hundreds of car commercials before, even worked on a few yourself, so you already know the rules: the car has to look heroic, the location has to complement the vehicle, and there'll be a long list of features you'll need to highlight in a clever way.
The solution: Do your research. Dig into the brief. Look at how the brand positions itself and what's already been tried. Watch the ads for last year's model to see what worked. Find spots from competitor car companies to see what you're going to be compared against. Finally, use all that knowledge to build a Set of stunning visual references that will excite your DP and production designer and ultimately impress the client in your pitch.
Step 1: Read the brief
Before heading to Frame Set, make sure to read the brief from the client. It will tell you the essentials: about the car, the desired tone, the expected outcomes. Don't miss the practical requirements from the client, like shots of the backseat legroom and the infotainment system.
If you don't have a brief to work from, you'll want to find a way to fill in that gap. You might need to have one or two discovery calls with account people. If you're working on spec, create a brief for yourself to keep your research focused.
Step 2: Create your Set
After you've got a strong sense of what your client expects from this car commercial, it's time for you to get started with visual research on Frame Set. To make a new Set:
Go to the Projects page
Click + New Set
Give it a name
Click Create
Pro Tip: Be specific with your Set name. Using a title like "GMC 2026 SUV / Dusk Run" instead of "Car refs" will help you keep your Projects organized.
Step 3: Find your hero frames
Since this commercial is for an unreleased vehicle, you'll be looking for references that are similar to the model you're going to be shooting. Start by doing Search by Image, using an image of last year's model.
Go to the Search page
Click Search by Image on the right side of the search bar
Upload an image of last year's vehicle model or matching car type
Look through the Search results until you find one you like. Hover over it and click the + button that appears in the corner to save it to your Set. Scroll a bit and try to find at least a few more that could work.
Step 4: Search for a feeling
This step will start to take your visual research to the next level. Car spots are sold on tone, so add some abstract terms to your search. For example: freedom of the open road, rugged and atmospheric, moody city.
Click on the Search bar
Type in a few words describing a mood or feeling
Hit enter, or click "Search for" above the suggested results
Keep adding Frames to your Set, trying not to be too picky. We want to have a lot in our Set to work with. We'll thin out the Set later.
Pro Tip: Use Filters instead of words to specify the Number of people, Color, Brightness, Contrast, Frame Size, Media Category, and more.
Step 5: Add Motions
A car commercial is always going to need movement. Finding ways to keep the energy and momentum going on the car interior shots can be challenging, but thankfully Frame Set is full of great Motion examples to inspire fresh ideas. Here's how we'll find them:
Click the Filter button
Select Image Type, then select Motions
Click the Search bar
Type a few words describing part of the vehicle interior
Hit enter, or click "Search for" above the suggested results
For example, you could search "infotainment system" or "rear seat legroom" and the Filter for Image Type = Motions will ensure you only see results that show movement.
Add several of these Motions to your Set just like we did with Frames.
Step 6: Arrange your Set
After you've collected around 30 or more Frames and Motions, you should begin to shape your Set. There are three ways to organize your references in a Set:
Reordering
Using Subsets
Archiving
Let's start by reordering:
Go to the Projects page
Click on the Set you've been working on
Click on the button next to Sort, and select Custom
Click and drag Frames and Motions to rearrange them
Once your references are ordered in a way that makes sense for the commercial, you may want to group them by scene or setup. You'll do that with Subsets:
Click the New Subset button
Create a name for your Subset
Click on each Frame and Motion you want to group together
Click the Move selected button, found in the menu at the bottom of the screen
Select your Set, then select the Subset you've just created
Click Move
Examples of Subset names you could use would be: Exterior / Day, Exterior / Night, Locations, Color Grade, Driver Talent, Backseat, Moonroof
Pro Tip: You can also click and drag Frames and Motions into Subsets.
After you've sorted your references, you'll probably notice some that just don't fit this car commercial. Here's how to Archive them:
Click on each Frame and Motion you want to remove
Click the Archive selected button, found in the menu at the bottom of the screen
If you accidentally Archive something, you can easily restore it to your project. Just click the name of the Set at the top of the page, then select View Archived.
Step 7: Get help finishing your Set
Now's the time to get another perspective to validate your ideas and see if there's anything you might be missing. Let's share this Set with our DP to see what they think of our choices and see if they want to add any of their own. Here's how to invite someone to view or edit your Set:
Click the + button in the white circle in the top right corner
Add the email address of each person you want to invite
Select the permission level
Click Invite
We'll want to make sure our DP gets the Editor permission level so they can search Frame Set and add to the Set. Note: Editors are added to your Workspace, increasing your membership cost, but granting them all the benefits of your Pro Membership. If you don't want to add someone to your Workspace, use the Visitor permission.
Pro Tip: Send the URL of your Set to anyone you want to be a Viewer. Anyone with that link will be able to see your Set without needing to log in.
If you're working solo, take advantage of the Similar Assets section. It will find a bunch of new Frames and Motions that would appear if you did a Similar Search for everything in your Set. It's especially helpful if you're just looking for a few more options and don't want to run a whole new search. Here's how to do it:
Scroll to the bottom of your Set
Click Show next to Similar Assets
Click the + button on each Frame or Motion you want to add
Pro Tip: Don't forget about the Set after the pitch is won. Save it for the shoot. Your Set is the fastest way to re-sync on the look you're going for while on set.
What's Next?
Now that you've got a completed Set, there are a few ways to move forward. You can download all the Frames and Motions, perhaps to print out and put on a corkboard if you like a tactile approach. Or you can take those files into another design tool to create a pitch.
If you're moving quickly, the best step to take is to make a Treatment on Frame Set. You can skip the downloading step, upload your own Assets, and easily pull in everything from your Set. It might be the only thing you need to win the job.