Tuesday, 23 May 2017

Evaluation

Does your advert fit the purpose

The brief specified that the advert should be at least 30 seconds, and should appeal to 2 audiences a primary target audience which predominately would be younger, and perhaps an older generation audience which the advert would also appeal to. The brief further specified that the advert should creatively be an original piece, although we could take inspirations from previous adverts that the brand had produced. In our case we was able to meet the brief as our advert was 33 seconds which whilst it was not conventional it was 10% more which is allowed. Moreover, our advert appealed to a primary target audience which was the younger generation as we used an action sequence taking inspiration from the Jason Bourne franchise. We knew that this was popular with younger people, and if we could mimic that style we would be able to appeal to a younger audience. Furthermore, we could also appeal to a secondary audience which was older, because we also took inspiration from the 1980's advert which in turn meant they could remember what the old advert looked like creating an appeal towards them.


Clarity of communication

We pitched our ideas, with a powerpoint presentation in which we could present our ideas through research and outlining our content. We further pitched our ideas to an audience which was similar to the target audience of our advert. This allowed us to get some good feedback at the end of our pitch, to either improve our idea or either outline the strengths of our idea. We felt that we did convey our ideas effectively using many examples to help the audience collect a picture of how we wanted the advert to look like. As our advert didnt have much dialogue, we really needed to make sure that the audience knew exactly what the visuals would look like for the advert.


Appropriateness to audience compared with original intentions

Our intentions for this advert was to produce an advert in which it consisted of a main action sequence where our main character would be chased by two agents and the aim was for our main character to reach the briefcase first. We felt that the main crux of the advert which was this epic action sequence would entice the audience, thus appealing to them. Moreover by taking inspiration from the Jason Bourne franchise this also allowed us to have a wider appeal to an audience because the franchise is very popular. We further was also able to appeal to our target audience by taking costume ideas from the films which was the main character in jeans and a t-shirt and the two agents in suits or shirts and trousers, but then extending the mise-en-scene for a British audience by setting the heart of the advert on a bridge and alleyway with the graffitied walls. This would attract and engage them more beaus it was easier to relate to the type of environment that we incorporated.


Effectiveness of techniques

During the advert we tried, hard to not keep the camera static, but instead we tried to constantly have movement in all shots. During the action sequence the camera constantly tracked or panned (0:09) which mean that the editing pace could be faster and thus make for a much better action sequence. The camera language further allows for the atmosphere to grow which meant that the intensity and the engagement for the audience was a lot greater. In terms of editing we wanted to cut the advert very fast, trying hard not to dwell on a shot for too long, this again would create a more intensified atmosphere for the audience and build till the big reveal. A particular shot that we was more proud of was the reveal, when our main character sits and opens the briefcase, we based this shot on Pandora's box with the glowing lights coming from the inside. Through production we was able to put a light box inside the briefcase, however during post-production, we was able to make the light brighter and add a yellow colour to the shot (0:28). In terms of audio we only had 2 lines of dialogue which was at the start of the advert, this launches the advert in to the main action sequence and further provides some backstory for the whole advert (0:01). All other audio is based around the music that we chose and the sound effects that we chose to add. We wanted to have some action type music which would intensify the action on screen, whilst we could have gone with something that may have been a faster paced we felt that the opening of the music added a certain special agent feel to it (0:04).  


Effectiveness of content

The advert we created was all based around an epic action sequence that our main character would go on, to try an retrieve a briefcase that ultimately had the product inside that he would later bring back home to the family. We felt that the initial beginning of the advert (0:02) would engage the older generation leading into the heart of the advert, because they would find it similar to the old 1980's advert. Whilst this was not our primary target audience we wanted to make sure we had a wide range to promote the brand and product as best as possible. The heart of the advert which was the action sequence was where we would engage the primary target audience, this would be achieved by the initial fast pace to the sequence as it fades in during the middle of a chase sequence (0:03). Whilst a primary aim of the idea was to interpret the second half of the products slogan, we further felt that a main engagement factor for the audience was on an entertainment level, as it is a chance for the audience o escape from their everyday life. The advert does engage our primary target audience effectively which was 16-24. It further does meet the brief in the sense that it is something original for the brand because they had never had something that was so fast paced and perhaps thrilling.


Effectiveness of conventions

In terms of conventions we really wanted to stay close to the thriller genre, the whole basis for the advert was entertainment and escapism for the audience, which effectively was our greatest appeal to the audience, which comes during the action sequence of our advert (0:16). We were very explicit on the conventions we used in terms of portraying the protagonist and the antagonist. We intended on the audience wanting to emulate our main character and feel excited by the action that was happening, which in turn would engage them more. Furthermore, we used a slightly humorous tone at the end of the advert as the audience are expecting something more serious to be inside the briefcase, but when the reveal is a Terrys chocolate orange (0:30)we have a more gag ending which whilst it may not spark a laugh, we aimed for a smile to arise for the audience in the extremities of the action before hand.


Impact of work

The advert we felt did carry a positive message for the brand and for the chocolate, we aimed to initially emphasise the second half of the original slogan, 'Love it to Pieces.' We felt that the concept of our advert would explicitly highlight the need and love for the product and thus make the audience themselves want to buy it. Additionally, we tried to encapsulate the products USP, as it is a sharing chocolate we aimed to show this at the end of the advert by our main character bringing the chocolate home for everyone to eat. The advert itself was inspired by a 1980's advert in which that was also an action sequence in keeping with what was then the 'modern era.' We similarly tried to do the same, we wanted to revamp the 1980's advert with an action sequence, but to differentiate we went with a Jason Bourne style hoping ot appeal to the younger audience. This was achieved by the fast paced action, chase scene that stems across an urban bridge above the train tracks (0:19). Moreover, we aimed to appeal to an older audience because we hoped that they would feel a sense of nostalgia because our advert would make them remember the old 1980's advert. This was further achieved by the family setting and the sneakiness of the beginning of the advert (0:01).


Technical Qualities 

The filming process for the majority was very successful, we was able to get all of the actors on the day to film the entire action sequence in one, and finish that particular day of filming with much accomplished, this was the same for filming the ending of the advert too. However the beginning was more challenging, this was due to the main actor getting an injury which forced us to re-think the beginning. Whilst initially we wanted to feature an entire family at the beginning of the advert, this was not plausible for the main actor, instead we was able to uses close ups and a tracking shot (0:02) which still made the advert flow better. Once we had thought of a plan that would be easier for he main actor filming again became successful although it was not what we had originally wanted. In terms of the editing process, there was no overwhelming challenges, we was able to edit it exactly how we wanted it to look and create the theme/tone that we initially firth thought of. Perhaps the only problem that we had was the ending of the advert, we was more unsure of how we could make the action sequence flow into the home scene, this was achieved by a cross dissolve which made it look better then a simple cut of fade to black. Also after taking some advice on board it was better to cut the ending of the action sequence down slightly (0:26) allowing us more time to feature the home scene more.


Aesthetic Qualities

We feel the aesthetics of the advert worked well, we was able to limit the number of characters to 3 which meant the audience could follow the action easily. The main character was easily accessible with some backstory before and after the main action sequence (0:01), providing some context to the nature of the advert. Moreover, in terms of the settings and locations we was able to film in an urban area, which we had hoped would reflect the target audience.We feel by looking at the locations that there could be an established relationship because of the graffiti that features in the background (0:11), as well as the nature of the location itself. By placing the majority of the advert on a bridge and using an alleyway is something that is easily relatable for the target audience (0:14). Furthermore, in terms of costume and era we felt that it did suit the nature of the theme we wanted to create. As we were inspired by Jason Bourne, we did want to leave the era in the modern times and leave the costume more relaxed for the main character but appropriate for the other 2 characters. We did feel that the aesthetics of the advert did flow together, we was able to film in the 'golden hour' so that the lighting was all natural and we felt that the for the theme we wanted to create the aesthetics we used complimented the theme. 






Friday, 19 May 2017

Advert

Production log 7

What progress did you make since your previous entry?

This was the last week of production for this advert. We was able to film the beginning of the advert, edit it and upload the entire advert to Youtube. The beginning, we feel, was the best we could do with what we had, this was because our main actor did have an injury that meant he couldn't walk properly. However, after we had talked about it, we was able to come up with a solution. 

What logistical challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

The logistical challenges that we faced was this week was with the main actor, because he couldn't move as freely it meant we could only do certain shots, which were not to strenuous for him but also flowed well with the whole advert. However we was ale to do this with a single shot and then add in close ups to build intensity for the rest of the advert. 

What technical challenges did you face this week and how did you overcome them?

The only technical challenge that we faced, was when we tried to upload the file. The mac said that the disk drive was full and unable to save the file. However, we was able to get around this by saving the file in a new place (local sharing Macintosh hard drive.) From here we could easily upload to Youtube. 

What targets do you aim to achieve before your next entry?

We do not have any outstanding targets for the advert as this was the last week. We feel that the advert was to a high standard, and due to some unfortunate events, we did have to re-think parts which we feel we did well and at a fast pace because we wanted to remain on schedule with this project. 



Production log 6

What progress did you make since your previous entry?

This week we was able to edit a large proportion of the advert. We have been able to put the ending together, with a voice over and finish off any editing that we needed to do for the action sequence part of the advert. Whilst at the start of the week we had hoped o do a little more, because of some challenges we were not able to. 

What logistical challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

In terms of logistics, we had faced some challenges in the sense that the main character had an injury that stopped us filming the beginning of the advert which was the final part. At this time there was no way around this so we had to spend the week solely editing as opposed to finishing the whole production stage. 

What technical challenges did you face this week and how did you overcome them?

As for a technical challenge we did find it hard when filming one shot for the ending of the advert. This was where we put a light box into the briefcase to portray how the chocolate is something from Pandora's box. The problem came when we tried to attach the light to the inside of the briefcase. Luckily though with a lot of electrical tape, we was able to overcome the issue to get the shot. Moreover, in post-production we was able to brighten the light so it added a better effect.

What targets do you aim to achieve before your next entry?

The targets we have set ourselves, is to film the beginning of the advert and edit it, which would mean that we would complete the advert on schedule and finish. We just need to re-think the opening shots of the advert, because we now have a challenge with the main actor. 




Friday, 12 May 2017

Production log 5

What progress did you make since your previous entry?

Since our previous entry, in school, we have used lesson time to start importing footage and creating a rough edit on Final Cut. This was a good step, because it meant it would cut down our edit time considerably as we are able to start post-production sooner. Moreover, it allow us to see if we needed to re-shoot anything whilst we are still in production too, this makes it easier for us to get the actors and re-film anything. 

What logistical challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

This week we did not face any logistical challenges, we have been able to get together in class, and start the post-production of the advert. 


What technical challenges did you face this week and how did you overcome them?

In terms of technical challenges, we did have a problem with Final Cut X, because when we opened it up and tried to start a new project it would bring us back to a final cut file that already had a previous project on it. To resolve this problem we needed to do is further close down everything and re-open the software, and start a new project which gave us a fresh timeline etc. 


What targets do you aim to achieve before your next entry?

Since this week we was able to film the ending of the advert as well, which brought us forward in terms of the schedule. We unfortunately had to postpone filming the beginning of the advert, but it was not a major problem because we had started on the post production. However that is a target of ours is to finish production of the advert.



Production log 4

What progress did you make since your previous entry?

Since our previous entry we was able o film a large section of our advert, which was the action sequence. This section of the advert would take up 20 seconds of the advert so it was important that we got it filmed and we got it right.  






What logistical challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

In terms of logistics, we struggled with the timing we wanted to film at. We wanted to go when there would be less people in order to use the whole location and avoid interruptions. This meant we ideally wanted to go film at 7am, which would allow us to get around this challenge, however, after doing a location reccie, we was able to go film at around 7-8pm which allowed the actors to be more willing too.

What technical challenges did you face this week and how did you overcome them?

We didn't particularly encounter any technical challenges as such. We was able to use all the equipment needed, which included a stabiliser and dji osmo, because it was quiet it meant that we did not disrupt anyone with our production. We did originally bring out an SD card that the camera said it could not read, however we had spares so it didn't become an issue. 

What targets do you aim to achieve before your next entry?

The target for the next week, is to film in the second location which is Ben's house. Here we want to film the ending of our advert and try to film the beginning of the film too, although that does require another set of cast members. We are confident at this point that we are on top of the production and will complete on time.





Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Production log 3

What progress did you make since your previous entry?

Since the previous entry, this week we was able to complete all of the pre production paperwork. This meant finishing off the location reccies, risk assessments as well as the storyboard. 

What logistical challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

We didnt have many logistical challenges this week, because we was completing the pre-prod paperwork. The only difficulty that we did face was transferring the storyboards over which only became a problem because of a technical challenge that we had.  

What technical challenges did you face this week and how did you overcome them?

The technical challenge that we faced was, trying to upload the storyboards. The file type we tried to upload in was not recognised by blogger, this meant that we needed to go back and change all of the pictures of the storyboards to .jpg in order to be compatible. Whilst this was not a particularly had challenge, it did use up some time which could have been used for other things. 

What targets do you aim to achieve before your next entry?

Our targets we have set ourselves, s o start production and start filming a large majority of our advert. The mass of our advert is a chase scene, which we ideally wan to film before the next entry. If we are able to achieve this then we would continue to remain on schedule and finish in time for the deadline.