Why not just watch some adverts that fits into what your looking for and count the number of cuts? I don't really think there is any law, it'll just depend on how fast Paced you want it to look....

www.crabhand.co.uk

I agree with bigtoe - there is no ?standard?. I?ve seen a couple of very effective 30sec spots wihtout a single cut.

If you want the commercial to look well put together and not slow then there is no need to research any ?standard? - you need to shoot and edit to YOUR talents and taste.

Make a commercial YOU think looks good. If it take 7 cuts, use 7. If it takes 27, use 27. Don?t try to emulate what someone else has done.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

I agree, just do what you feel is right.

?The Rose Phantom?

Thanks everyone for the responses.

I will most definately take all the advice to heart. I did want to clarify that the question that I was really asking (even though I did not state it well) has less to do with what's normally done and more to do with the physiolocical responce that the brain has to quickly moving images. To phrase the question better I wanted to know how long the average human brain needs to see an image before it can comprehend what it's seeing. For instance if I cut 60 cuts into a 30 second commercial how much (in a one time viewing) will you see and comprehend of what was presented.

I did find out however, that the average length of edit is about 3.5 seconds in a commercial. This of course varies for every commercial but it takes around 1 to 1.5 seconds for your eyes to see and your brain to fully comprehend what it just saw. there are 30 frames (and therefore 30 edit possibilities) in one second of image. While flashing frames might be well used for a film or for an effect, at $150 a spot, every image needs to count.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. - 2 Chronicles 15:7

"Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue" - David Brent