Ad films & brand films
Ad films and brand films, made by one director
From the idea to the 6-second cut-down, one person owns the film. I’m Yedukrishna Suresh, an independent director and cinematographer. I make digital ad films and brand films for brands in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Dubai: concept, casting, shoot, edit and grade, with every version your media plan needs.
Proof, not promises
Work brands have actually run
The Marriott campaign film, brand content for Vaseline (Unilever), and a campaign reel past 3.3M views.
Marriott campaign film · play
Above: the campaign film from the Marriott Coorg project. Brand content for Vaseline (Unilever). And a campaign reel that crossed 3.3M views on Instagram.
Brand film vs ad film
What’s the difference, and which do you need?
| Brand film | Ad film (digital) | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Tells who you are and why you exist | Gets a specific action: click, buy, sign up |
| Length | Usually 60–120 s | 6, 15 or 30 s, often in several versions |
| Where it runs | Homepage, launch, LinkedIn, decks, events | Meta, YouTube, OTT pre-roll |
| How it’s judged | Does it make people feel something about the brand? | Hook rate, watch time, cost per result |
| Best together | One shoot, planned for both | Cut-downs from the brand film footage |
Most brands need both, and the efficient way is one production planned for both: the brand film as the master, and ad cuts designed into the shot list from the start, not chopped out afterwards.
Approach
How I make ad films that work
Hook first. On Meta and YouTube, the first second decides whether anyone sees the rest. Every ad I make has its opening frame and line planned in the treatment, and I’ll often shoot two or three alternative openings so you can test them.
Made for the platform. Vertical isn’t a crop of horizontal. Where an ad will run 9:16, it’s framed for 9:16 on the day, with text-safe areas and captions planned.
Cinema craft, digital speed. Real lighting, motivated camera movement, clean sound and a proper grade, but without a broadcast-scale unit, so the budget goes on screen.
If your brief needs a broadcast TVC with a large unit, a celebrity and agency approvals at every stage, a large ad-film house is the better fit and I’ll tell you so.
What’s in a production
Inside one ad film production
Treatment
The idea, tone, references, a shot outline and the list of cuts you’ll get.
Locations
Scouting, permissions, and a studio floor hired for the day if needed.
Shoot
Directed and shot by me, with freelancers for lighting, sound, styling or make-up only if the brief needs them.
Edit & grade
Master film, ad cut-downs, alternative hooks, captions and every aspect ratio.
Delivery
Files ready for upload to Meta, YouTube and your website.
Cities
Ad film production by city
Recent work
Stills from brand productions
More on the brand work page, fashion and real estate films.
Who you’re hiring
One person, start to finish
I want to be straight about this, because most production-house websites aren’t. YKS Productions is me, Yedukrishna Suresh. There is no office, no account manager and no junior who turns up on the day instead of the person you briefed. I write the treatment, direct, shoot and edit.
When a brief genuinely needs more hands (a gaffer for a big lighting set-up, a sound recordist for interviews, a stylist or a make-up artist), I bring in freelancers for that project only. They report to me, they’re in the quote from the start, and you still deal with one person from first message to final file. If the shoot needs faces, I can cast them through YKS Talents.
What that means for a brand in your city: one conversation instead of a chain of hand-offs, decisions made on set by the person who will edit the footage, and a quote that is one all-in number rather than a rate card with extras.
How it works
From brief to final cut
Brief
Send the brief on WhatsApp or through the quote form: what you are launching, who it is for, where it will run, and the date you need it by.
Treatment & quote
I come back with an approach (look, references, shot list outline) and one all-in number covering shoot, edit and any freelancers the brief needs.
Pre-production
Locations, permissions, casting, props and a call sheet. You approve the plan before anyone is booked, so the shoot day has no surprises.
Shoot
Sony FX3 for video, Sony A7 IV for stills, real lighting and a gimbal. I direct and operate the camera myself, so what we agree is what gets shot.
Edit, grade, deliver
I edit and colour-grade what I shoot, then deliver every cut and aspect ratio you need for web, social and ads, with revisions as agreed in the quote.
FAQ
Questions brands ask first
What is a brand film?
A brand film tells the story of a company: what it believes, who it serves and why it exists, rather than pushing one product. It usually runs 60 to 120 seconds and is cut into shorter versions for ads and social.
How long should an ad film be?
For digital, plan for 6, 15 and 30-second versions. Six seconds works as a reminder, 15 as the workhorse on Meta and YouTube, and 30 when the product needs explaining. I plan all three into one shoot.
Do you write the concept, or do we?
Either. I can write the concept and treatment from your brief, or produce an idea your team or agency already owns.
Can you make an ad film with actors or models?
Yes. I cast through YKS Talents or work with talent you’ve booked. Usage terms are agreed in the quote.
How much does it cost?
Every project is quoted as one all-in number once I know the brief: number of shoot days, locations, cast, and how many cuts you need. There is no public rate card because two “brand films” can be completely different jobs. The fastest route is the 60-second quote form or a WhatsApp message.
Do you own the footage, or do we?
You get full usage rights to the delivered films and photos for your brand, including paid ads, as set out in the quote. If a cast member’s usage needs to be limited (for example to a period or a market), that is agreed up front.
Can you edit footage we already shot?
No. I edit what I shoot, because the edit is planned on set. I’m not an editor-for-hire for other people’s footage.
Services
What brands book
Cities