Evaluation

Draft Evaluation

 

Questionnaire for evaluation

I have created a questionnaire on googledocs asking some basic questions to gain feedback for my evaluation. I am going to circulate on online to friends and family, and anyone else who is interested, to see if I can get some valuable audience feedback. I first posted my video's on facebook, but didn't get any feedback that was usable, most people just thought it was "nice" or "proffessional looking", but nothing valuable to help me evaluate my work. I therefore decided to create some much more closed questions, to get the feedback I need. When creating the questions I considered what I set out to do when creating the adverts, such as psotioning the brand as premium, and creating ad's that felt uplifting and exciting. I am therefore using these questions to see if i have achieved what i aimed to do. Afterwards, I can use the data, and analyse it to illustrate my evaluation


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Updated final videos

Edited sponsorship sequence

I have made edits to my sponsorship sequences, considering the points I made when evaluating them, and the points my teacher made. I have therefore re ordered on of them, as it is conventional for the closing sponsorship sequence to begin with the title, and then have the footage. I have also simplified the end title sequence, taken away the words "sponsors daytime on ITV", and instead feature the ITV logo. I am happy with the finished versions of these, but the export quality isn't very high and i'm not sure what the problem is.

New Draft Pop up

I have created a new pop up, using different footage, this time of the DairyFriend lorry approaching the house. This is because I think this is the most important and most recognisable scene in each ad, and is the only scene that appears in each advert. It, in one scene, connotes the idea of the whole advert, that it is passed form us, to you, and then can be taken anywhere. I think that this scene really represents the whole advert and brand well.

positives -
- features the company logo within the footage - this is adding to the audience brand recognition. I also read in my research that sponsorship so contain a lot of branding. As they are so short, a lot of the power behind them is that they appeal subconsciously, through branding.
- It is aesthetically very interesting, colourful, and detailed.
-  I kept the fading to dark effect as this is something we felt was succesful in my previous pop up
- I think the footage itself connotes the slogans message, and therefore I dont feel the slogan is neccesary.

Negatives -
- It is not the best quality filmed scene that I shot - It is probably in fact one of the worst, as a lot of the backgorund moves around, and has been accidentally knocked.

Evaluation of work and points for improvement -

Web Pop Up
- happy with the chosen font choice - this was a positive.
- The hyperlink is a nice touch top the web pop up, and is now fully functioning.
- the darkening fade as it is scrolled over is effective
- The chosen footage which I used for the background of the pop up is not right. It does not communicate the brand very well , what the product is or its attributes. I need the Pop up to communicate all the neccesary information about the product, as viewers may not have seen the adverts before. I therefore need to find, or shoot, footage that better communicates the brand.

Sponsorship sequence
- sponsorship 2 could be reversed, so that after the programme, the DairyFriend logo and slogan comes in before the footage. This is a common feature of sponsorship sequences.
- I need to feature the ITV logo, so it is more apparent.
- Should i cut away to a seperate end title? and position both the ITV and DairyFriend logo together?
- some of the information is unncessary, as the voiceover is reading it. I need to refine and simplify the end title.

Adverts
- Mostly really good.
- The song hasnt been faded to the same degree in advert two as it has in advert one, so the voiceover is obstructed. I need to fix this, and make sure the voiceover is clear and both adverts have the same volume levels.
- C.U's have not been included in either advert - this was orginally because the set is so small, and getting a shot in focus, to be a close up, is difficult. I am going to try re shoot some section with a macro lens, so I can get a closer, sharper shot. A close up is important as it would provde a more varied range of shots, and because it was give viewers a closer view of the product, so it can be clearly seen and understood.

first draft final adverts

Sponsorship sequence - final cut

I have now filmed and edited my sponsorship sequence, although it has changed slightly I originally waned to include two seasons in each 15 second ad, however, because this is such little time, two seasons in each is not possible. When i shot each season, they ended up being around 8 to 10 seconds long each, and this is without end titles, which are often quite long on sponsorship sequences. I found it difficult to properly represent each season in a shorter amount of footage, and so realised I may be trying to put too much of a narrative into a short space of time.


I then decided it would be better to represent one season well, than to try and fit two into on 15 second ad, and for it to be rushed and quick. I therefore chose the seasons I thought had been most successful, which were autumn and spring. I think this is because these were very colourful when I shot them, and had interesting things happening in the background of the footage, so visually they are the most appealing. They also represent two very opposite seasons, with opposite weather, thus showing the products diversity in both seasons.


The two sponsorships have the same narrative, and are understandable if viewed separately, but also work together and compliment each other. I think this is an important aspect of a sponsorship sequence. They also feature the brand logo both within the footage, and at the end, and the brand slogan.




How have i created synergy between these and my main adverts? how are they similar? and therefore how can they be viewed as an ad campaign?


- The same music is used for these as is used for the main ads, however, just an instrumental. This means the song, and the tune, will become associated with the brand, and the ad's will be recognisable by the song. Audiences will hear the tune, and know it is a DairyFriend ad. I have also used the same voice for the voiceover at the end.


- They are aesthetically very similar. I have used some of the same props, such as the tree's and the lorry. I have also stuck to using paper, and filmed in much the same way. At the same sort of angles and distances to the main adverts. This means by looking simply at the mise en scene, they are recognisable as part of a campaign.


- The end titles are very similar, although The sponsorship titles are slightly higher on the screen, and feature another line of text. The colours, font sizing etc. are all the same.

Advert 2 - final cut

I re shot the final scene in advert two, the beach scene, and extended the narrative at the end, to include two beach towels and a parasol, as well as a bottle of DairyFriend trailing out of the beach hut. This is to suggest one of the products potential uses. I think this is an important addition, as the advert now focuses on the latter part of the narrative, and this is differing it from advert one. I also think this scene is quite fun and playful, and it gives a good feel to the advert.

 I have now added the final end title, which is the same as in advert one, but layered over the beach footage. They have the same soundtrack too, as I thought it fit so well with the advert, the song changes from one line to another, in some places, exactly as the scene changes. And the lyrics fit really well with the footage, the "where you wanna go" line is heard as the audience see the sign pointing to anywhere, and the "then we can go swimming" plays over the beach scene. I therefore think the song works well with both adverts, and will mean the two are recognisable as an ad campaign, as they have strong similarities. It will also then become a song that is associated with the brand, and the lyrics are catchy and memorable, which will mean audiences are more likely to remember the Ad's.

I am now pleased with the outcome of advert two, and i'm glad I took the time to re think and re shoot the end scene.

Sponsorship sequence storyboard

Sponsorship sequence - final idea

I originally thought of doing two totally seperate narratives for my sponsorship sequence, then realised most sponsorship sequences have a narrative that continues over both, as one is the beginning of the narrative, and one is the end. They are understandable when viewed seperately, but they also work together. I then thought I could use my seasons idea as a narrative I could split over the two sponsorships, as there are four seasons, I could allocate two to each. This was my original idea -

"The first idea would be a car and some lorries, lorries going the other way, travelling through the seasons, to connote that the product can be taken anywhere, any time, all seasons, and also connoting the journey aspect of the previous ad’s. The lorries will feature the brand logo and name, and therefore establish the brand. It will end with a longer end sequence than the main adverts, with our slogan, name, and the sponsors name."

- I am now using this for both, this means the opening 15 second sponsorship will feature footage on spring and summer, and the closing will feature footage on autumn and winter. They will both feature the same end sequence as the main adverts, and the sponsors name.

- The idea is that the seasons will merge into each other, so there wont be a clear switch from spring to summer, but a gradual change. It will therefore look realistic, and supposed to show the passing of time, and how the product is useable throughout the year. I am going to add "no matter what the season" to the end voiceover to back up this idea.

- The sponsorships will have a rolling background, and be shot from an eye level angle. They will probably feature only one camera angle, as they are so short, and the rolling backgrond works best from this angle.

- The dairyfriend van will be the vehicle taking the journey, which means throughout the sponsorship the DairyFriend logo will be visible, and this will subliminally help the viewer to associate the product with the programme and to remember the product.

- the sponsorship sequence will use the same song as the main adverts, but I will use a section that is purely instrumental and lyricless. I think the lyrics fit well with the main adverts, but for these, the voiceover is key, and the lyrics are unneccesary.

I will be using the mise en scene to suggest the different seaons -

ideas for spring
- a rabbit hopping
- light green trees
- use the lake and several chicks

summer
- darker green tree's
- flowers, could grow up from the ground

Autumn
- autmn coloured tree's - oranges and reds
- leaves to blow along the ground and off the tree's
- campfire and tent

Winter
- Tree's with no leaves and white tips
- a christmas tree - one tree decorated

Advert 2 - rough cut and evaluation

Evaluation

- the footage is not long enough, I have taken roughly 100 less photos than I took for advert one, and so when edited together, it has only reached 24 seconds, whereas advert one, with end titles is 34 seconds, which is roughly the right length for an advert. I therefore need to add another scene, or make something last longer. This is the main issue currently, as it desperately needs to be longer.

- I chose not to film the same beginning part as advert 1, so the narrative is slightly different, and I think the meaning is still understood without this first scene, so I have left advert two beginning later in the narrative of "Us, to You, to Anywhere".

- I am really pleased with the pond scene, as I think the duck is brilliant, and this is really interesting. I also like the slightly humerous sign, and I used the fairy lights inside the house on this ad, so the house is lit up, which I think is really aesthetically pleasing. I also think the end beach scene looks great, the colours are really nice, and it looks very happy, with happy, fun connotations.

- I might have more action at the end of this advert. in advert one, the main focus is on the Us to You part, with a stong narrative focused on these, so in advert 2, I have already cut out the Us bit and have chosen to focus more on the end of the narrative, which is the journey and the destination. I may therefore make this section longer, and have more going on at the beach, maybe some beach towels, a beach ball, a parasol etc. could come out of one of the beach huts, to suggest they are sunbathing at the beach, and then a milk bottle could come out of the beach hut or car and join them, metaphorically showing the product in use. This is just an idea currently, which I may play around with tomorrow.

- I have used much more varied camera angles and shots in this second advert, and I think that makes it quicker and more interesting. However, I dont like the change in angle at the beach scene from a high angle shot from the right, to a central, high angle, slightly less close shot. I think it feels unnatural and the change of shot isnt neccesary.

plan for the next few days - in order to hit the deadline

Today - film, Edit and finish advert two - so It is complete and can be uploaded by tonight. Then begin construction for sponsorship sequences. Plan first.

Friday 17th - Film sponsorship sequence, and any re shooting that needs to be done. begin editing.

Saturday and Sunday - Finish editing everything, including web pop up, and get all ad's uploaded to blog.

monday - Finish off any missing blog posts, and complete draft posts.

Draft pop-ups

This are the initial draft pop ups I created, using existing footage and some simple flash buttons. I still need to add a hyperlink, so when clicked it will take the viewer to the website ( which will be my blog ) I am also going to experiment with it more when I have taken some more footage for my next adverts, to see if these are the scenes that I want to use for my pop up or not. I also need to take car with the timings of the words, and I may do some more in depth research into how pop ups can be interracted with and how they respond, as I at first only analysed them aesthetically, I havent looked at how they work with a viewer. I dont know which one is more effective, I like the mood and the feeling associated with the first, as the second is a bit bleak and looks too clinical. However, I think the second advertises the brand well, and the brand colours and logo look best against a white background. I also lik that when scrolled over the pop up plays an animation that moves properly, rather than just dims to a darker colour.

advert 1 rough cut 2

I spent some time today re editing and changing my original rought cut of advert one, considering the points I made when evaluating it. I have also added the end sequence, Although I cannot decide between three different ones, and the voiceover and the new soundtrack, which I think fits perfectly, and I am very happy with.

However, I have not included the speech, as I am not sure how important it is. I think the song creates a wonderful, upbeat mood and connnotes all the right things, and that the speech would ruin this, an daffec tthe mood of the piece. I am also not sure if the speech adds anything, or if it would be understood just as well without it. This is a dilemma I currently have, as there are benefits and drawbacks associated with each decision. I need to consider what is most important, the feel and mood created by the advert, or the information given by the speech, I cannot have both together.

I have tried different endings, including the two i posted a few days ago, but this one I would probably consider the best. I like the continuity I achieved by using the same footage as the background for the title, and I therefore like how it seems to flow into the ending, whilst the others seem disjointed. However, I dont know if the text is readable enough on the footage, as there are many different colours, and it is very busy, making the whole thing aesthetically unpleasant. I would need to tweak it if I were to use the same Idea for the ending of each advert, as it need's to be perfect, I think it is one of the most important parts.

I am very please with the song choice, and how it fits with the footage, I editied it so the "1,2,3,4" plays as the lorry fills up, and then the tune begins as the lorry sets off, in effect, as the journey begins. I think the pace and tempo is nice, and the song is upbeat and exciting, creating a happy fun mood. I also think it connotes the journey aspect, with the lyrics "lets go where you wanna go" etc. I have faded it out at the end, and turned it down by 10db when the voiceover plays.

Recording the scripts

Today I recorded the scripts that I had written, the voiceover and the dialogue that will be heard in the advert. I did struggle recording the male part of the second advert, as each person I used didn't seem to get it quite right, but I am happy with the voice of the mother, the wife and most importantly the voiceover at the end. I am yet to find someone who can be the voice of the child for the first advert, as anyone putting on a childlike voice didn't sound realistic, and it was tacky.

This is the voiceover for the end of both 30 second adverts. I wanted it to sound quite excited and upbeat. I will edit this before adding it to my advert, and may play around with it a bit.





This is the voiceover for the opening sponsorship sequence. I wanted it to sound very similar to that of the main adverts.



The other parts of the script need editing together and changing before they are usable, I am now going to work on this. I also need to think about where I can get a child to use for the role of the child, or what my other options are.

Beach huts

Today I constructed the beach huts, I used the same template I had previously made on photoshop that I used for the house, but half the size.  I printed this on a pastely cream colour, and gave each hut a pastel coloured roof and a door. These beach huts are going to sit at the beach in the last scene, and I may light them up with the little fairy lights I used for the tent.

Draft pop ups

I had a practice at creating some pop up's, keeping in mind the conventions I found during my research. My first idea was to use the extra footage I created with the fairylights and the camping scene, and use this as the background for my pop up. I want to feature some footage in the Pop up, or a photo from one of the scenes, so it will look visually similar to the adverts, and I need to think about creating synergy between them. I also wanted to feature the DairyFriend logo, one of the two slogans, and a "click here" style button, to direct viewers to the website ( I am going to use my blog as the hyperlink for this ).

 I created these two draft pop ups in flash, using a button, which means I can make the pop up interactive. When the audience scrolls over the pop up, it will move, and when clicked, it will direct them to my blog.

I then experimented with movment, fades, sizing etc. and came with these two outcomes. I am at the moment having problems uploading the files, for the interactive elements to work, they need to be uploaded as SWF files, which Blogger and YouTube do not support. I have therefore for now uploaded print screens of what they look like, but unfortunately you cannot see them in action.

This is how the pop up would appear on a website, when it has not been scrolled over, The slogan, simply milk but no need to chill, would appear letter by letter, and be on a repeated loop. You can see on the timeline that this scene is in the "UP" part of the button, and the "over" part of the button, is the scene that will play when the Pop up is scrolled over. I have then inserted a movie clip into the "over" keyframe on the button, so i could animate into it. The logo is ky, and therefore is large and central.

This is inside the movie clip, and shows what is going on in the timeline at the bottom. There are two "tweens", one fades the DairyFriend logo out, and then the next fades in "click to find out more" The scene also darkens when scrolled over, to suggest the passing of time, from day to night.

This is the pop up in action, showing the slogan gradually appearing. This is without being scrolled over. This would be happening without any interaction form the audience. I found in my research that pop up's with some sort of movement of animation attract the audiences eye better.

This is to show what the pop up looks like when scrolled over, but not yet clicked. The photo darkens and the "click to find out more" fades in. I found in my research this was an important aspect of web pop up's, that the audience were directed to click. I also inverted the cow inside the DairyFriend logo, to put on either side of the phrase. When clicked anywhere on the pop up, my blog will pop up.

This was a second idea  for the pop up, using the same animation, but featuring a different part of fottage from ym advert, the mood created by this footage Isnt as interesting, as it is much lighter, and not as atmospheric, but the animation in the pop up is more interesting, and i like the off center placement of the logo.

This is what the pop up looks like when scrolled over, the van will move across the road and eventually off screen, and then the "click to find out more" will  fade in.

where next?

I preferred the first pop up, because I liked the mood created by the dark atmsopheric light and the tiny bulb inside the tent, but I am going to reshoot this part of my footage in the next coming days, so the fire flickers too, and I think this will make a greate deal of difference to the pop up. I am therefore going to re try it with the new footage, and make some more changes.

Pop up Research

I did some research into web pop up's, by looking at some on various sites, to see what the mian conventions are. What do they look like, what information do they feature? what size, shape are they? I looked at a variety of pop up's, for different products, and have included here a few that I thought were particularly good or bad.

This was the least interesting pop up aesthetically. The design of it is very basic and It has no moving elements, nothing interactive, but a simple link to the website. It looks cheap and poorly made, and is an example of what I thought was a poor pop up. It use the companies brand colours for the whole pop up, the turqouise and blue, and features the brand name and logo. It also features a button labelled "Click Here" and a hyperlink for customers to visit the website. 

This was a really interesting pop up, it featured an animation that played on a loop, and then the screen above faded in, lingered for a few seconds, and the animation repeated. It was therefore constantly moving and eye catching, drawing in the audiences attention. It also features the name and logo, and a link to the website, commanding the audience  to "click here".

This was a very simple yet effective pop up. The woman on the right faded in, the name of the film faded in, and then the information on the right, so the movment was entirely fades; However, it was interesting, it was played on a loop, and the constant movement drew in the viewer. It is also much more colourful than the previous ones.

Conventions I have seen

- most importantly, all pop ups comman the viewer to "click here", this is because their main purpose is to direct audiences to their website. This is therefore an important persuasive element.

- All feature the brand name and logo, but little else about the brand, no Information. They are deliberately ambiguous to get viewers to want to find out more.

- They all feature some sort of movement, whether its a full blown animation or fades, colour changing etc. They also often feature interactive elements, so the pop up responds when it is scrolled over, this is adding interest for the audience, and makes the pop up more exciting and is therefore more likely to be sucessful.

To construct

-          3 or 4 beach huts – they will be in pastel colours, all the same shape and size, and are supposed to look traditional and slightly kitsch. These will be lit up from inside

-          Waves – in two different colours – cartoon style exaggerated waves

-          A sandy beach area – perhaps some sandcastles. I could do this with paper or could use brown sugar to look like sand

-          Dual carriageway – use existing roads, and simply use car from advert one to be opposite traffic

-          Signpost to Us, and Anywhere – I want a traditional signpost, which will be slightly humerous, pointing to Us ( the factory ) and Anywhere ( the beach )

-          A new car – A model that would appeal to and connote older people

-          A picket fence – to go round the house – This will also connote the older generation

-          A lake, and a Duck – This will replace the river in the first advert, and will add some interest to the journey

finished ad scripts

Scripts

Advert 1

Child: mum, where are we going?

Mum: you’ll see, have you packed everything

Child: everything but the milk

Mum : It’s sorted, we’ve got DairyFriend. Let’s go.

Alternative script:

Child: Mum, what’s this we’re packing into the car?

Mum: DairyFriend, its milk, but it doesn’t need chilling

Child: why would you want that?

Mum: so we can have hot chocolate tonight. Come on. Let’s go.

I have two alternative scripts, the first highlights the journey aspect, and this is something that is important to the narrative, but the second is giving more details about the product, which is an important aspect of selling the product, as I am aware that the advert needs to explain the products USP, that it doesn’t need chilling.

End sequence

Voiceover: simply milk, but no need to chill, so it can go “From Us, To You, To Anywhere”. DairyFriend.

Advert 2

Wife: darling are you ready to go?

Husband: Yes, just packing DairyFriend into the car

Wife: Is that the milk that doesn’t need chilling?

Husband: yes love. Everything’s packed. let’s go.

This script is designed to sound more like an older couples’ conversation, and will be spoken by an old couple. It will sound more relaxed, less excitable than the family version, but still connote adventure. It will feature the same voiceover at the end.

Sponsorship sequences

1

Voiceover: No matter what the season, It can go from Us, to You, To anywhere.

DairyFriend.

Sponsors Daytime on ITV

2

Voiceover: From Us To You, To Anywhere.

DairyFriend

Sponsors Daytime on ITV

Storyboard for ad 2

Idea for advert 2 and sponsorship

Second advert –

I have a post earlier on some of the idea for my second advert, I am now going to decide for certain what it is going to be like, then I can storyboard it and begin building the set.

-          The second advert is going to target a slightly different segment of my broad target market. Because my target market includes so many different segments, the first is aimed at families, and the second will be aimed at the older segment, older couples or retired people. I will establish this by the people I feature in the house, an older style car, and rather than going on an exciting family adventure, they will go on a relaxed journey to the beach, to spend the day by the sea.

-          It is going to feature the same opening sequence, with a lorry filling up with milk, and then go off on a different journey, to the beach.

Sponsorship sequences

I originally thought about cutting down the first and second advert for the sponsorship sequences, to make short versions that could be used as sponsorship sequences, however I looked back at my research, and realised It would be difficult to convey a strong narrative in such a small space of time. I also found in my research they often have large logo’s, product names, and slogans, because the ad is aiming to establish a strong brand image in the consumers mind in a few minutes. Because they are so short they often make use of metaphors and symbolism. They are also largely uninformative, and rely on viewers having previous knowledge of the brand, or having viewed the longer advert.

-          The first idea would be a car and some lorries, lorries going the other way, travelling through the seasons, to connote that the product can be taken anywhere, any time, all seasons, and also connoting the journey aspect of the previous ad’s. The lorries will feature the brand logo and name, and therefore establish the brand. It will end with a longer end sequence than the main adverts, with our slogan, name, and the sponsors name.

-          The second Idea would be to use the lights, and make a larger tent, which I could make shadow puppets out of paper inside, so the advert would feature someone pouring the milk, seen through the tent, however this would be a difficult idea to animate, and would require a lot of skill. It would tie in very well with the first advert, and connote happiness and family times.  

I need to think some more on these Idea’s, I really like them, but I don’t know how achievable they are.

DairyFriend sponsors Daytime on ITV1

-          What program to sponsor?

I have conducted some research earlier about sponsorship sequences, and reviewed this to help me form an idea for my sponsorships.

In my research I found that companies could sponsor programs, channels, and strands of TV. I need to consider my target audience when deciding what to sponsor, as each programme or channel will offer a different audience that are watching, this may be a mass/nice audience, old/young, from high/low culture.

My target audience is a very broad mass audience, those who are early adults to older people, because milk is a product used on a mass scale by everyone, it is not a niche product, and my advert is aiming to position UHT milk as a mass product, therefore I am aiming it at everyone who is a customer of fresh milk. My audience is likely to be mianly families and the older generation, those who need convenient milk that they can travel with. This will affect the kind of channel I want to advertise on, It needs to be one of the main terrestrial channels such as channel 4 or ITV, which reach a large audience.

It is also being aimed at those with a higher income, as I am trying to position it as a premium product. This will have an effect on the channel or programme I choose to Sponsor, as It needs to steer away from anything that is too low culture - partly because it will be viewed by the wrong audience, partly because it will then bring negative associations to the brand.

My immediate thought is to sponsor something on ITV, it is a channel that reaches a mass audience, and has programmes of high and low culture broadcasted. I looked at programmes I could sponsor such as Jeremy Kyle or Daybreak, as these reach a mass audience. However, I think Jeremy kyle is too much of a low culture programme, and is therefore usually sponsored by Bingo wesbites - reinforcing low culture.

I am now thinking I could sponsor a strand of televeision on ITV, such as ITV daytime, This would mean showing the sponsorship sequence to a wide audience, from morning to afternoon, and across a range of programmes. Each programme in this strand is likely to be watched by families in the morning, stay at home parents and older/retired people. This is covering a huge chunk of my target market, because those watching ( specifically elderly and stay at home parents ) are those that will be doing the family shopping, and those that need to be advertised to. It is also a useful way of sponsoring a range of programmes with slightly different audiences, those included in the daytime strand are : Daybreak, Lorraine, Midsomer murders, The Alan Titchmarsh show, among others. These are aimed at different segments of my market, so I would be advertising to all of them.

To do list

What to do next?

-          Plan for and conduct research around sponsorship sequences – what program to sponsor? Examples of how an ad campaign works together? Ideas?

-          Storyboard and plan for second advert and sponsorship sequence. Script it. Buy paper and materials needed for construction – to be finished by Friday 10^th

-          Construct necessary items for the set – to be completed by Wednesday 14^th

-          Film for second advert and sponsorship sequences – should be completed in one day – needs to be finished by Thursday 15^th

-          Record voices needed for voiceover and dialogue

-          Plan and conduct research around a web pop-up

-          Edit all four adverts – on Friday 16^th

Music

I emailed the band Rosie and Me, for permission to use their song “come back” from the album “bird and whale” for my advert, and got the following reply:

Hi, Serena!

Thank you so much for your message. Feel free to use the song on your video. The only thing we ask in return is that you give us proper credits and put a link to our website on your video info: http://www.rosieandmemusic.com

Example:

Song: "Bird and Whale", by Rosie and Me.http://www.rosieandmemusic.com

Also, the use of our songs is free, as long as it's not for commercial purposes and stays limited to the video you described on your message.

Thank you!

Best,
Rosie

This is brilliant news, as it means I now have permission from the lead singer herself to use the song, and can therefore go ahead and edit it onto my advert, and see if it does indeed work. I am really pleased with this result, as I think the song will be that something extra that my advert was missing, and should lift the mood and convey the right connotations. I think the original soundtrack that I had made for me was lacking enough depth, as it was simply a guitar, so it fit the animation well, but It did not create the mood and feeling I wanted, which is something exciting and uplifting.

Quick end sequence

I have made a quick end title for my advert in Flash, inspired by some of the adverts I watched. This is a simple sequence that can be layered on top of any footage or background, so I will play around with what could be underneath it. I layered on top if the new end footage, of the lit up Tent, but this is due to be refilmed soon, and I will then layer it on top of the new footage. I have played with size of the differ

ent fonts, and size of the logo. I also made the logo slightly translucent so the background can be seen through it. I'm not yet convinced by it, and I know it needs some work to get it up to scratch. I will also consider other options for the ending of my advert, as I'm not sure yet what I want it to look like, so I will do some more experimentation. I do, however, like the slow fades and the way the slogan is written onto the scene.

Rsearch - how do adverts tend to end?

I have not yet thought about how the advert is going to end, what information I need to feature about the product/company, and what to include. I am also looking for inspiration, as I need help forming an idea.

I first looked at a multitude of recent adverts, those that had come out in the last few months, regardless of the product, to see what is currently happening in advertising.

 This end shot featured the product itself, so the packaging was clearly seen, the brand name in the top right, and their current slogan. I like the way it incorporates the product information with the scene behind it. The advert is filmed in one location, and the end does not jump to a seperate scene, but the information moves into the shot. There was no voiceover however, it was left for the viewer to read the info.

This also shows the company name, their slogan, and some contact details. It is a very simple ending, as the information is simply fades in on top of the footage of the girl, something I could easily do with my footage. The fonts used are important here for connoting fun and happiness.

This advert is much like the rest, the information faded in on top of the footage in the same location and

scene. It is quite minimal, only including the company name, slogan, and contact details.

Dairy adverts

I then decided to look at adverts in the dairy market - cravendale and lactofree

This was a nice end title, as the information was 3 dimensional and animated, it looked as if it were embroidered, and each lettered appeared one by one. This is something I could easily achieve. It is shot in the same location as the rest of the advert, but is a change of scene, I could do something like this, such as cut away to a long shot of the forest as the title comes in.

This ending sequence was different to all the others i looked at, in that it cut away to a totally seperate scene, that was very different to the rest of the advert. I think this made the advert feel slightly disjointed, and it disrupted the mood that it was setting. It also features the brand logo and a website.

This Cravendale ending is very simple, and is featured within the stop motion set, the camera zooms into this photo frame on the wall inside the set, meaning The ending is part of the advert. I thought about this style of ending originally, as i saw it in an advert i looked at previously, where all the information about the brand and product is included on something that is inside the set of the animation, so it is part of the animation, and does not need to cut away or bring in a title, which may destroy the feeling of it.



what have I learnt?

I originally thought most adverts ended with a title that cut away from the footage or scene completely, but most of the ones I looked at incorporate the information about the rband etc. on top of the end scene or last piece of footage, which ties the two together. I could see this being effective for my advert, as i could fade my logo over the top of my footage. However, I am also interested in including the product information as part of the set, and ending the advert with a zoom into something like a signpost, with the product information on it.

Further music research

I have looked at some less well known artists, those that I hope will be easier to obtain licensing from, so i can get permission to use their music. It is also good to do some more research, as if I do choose to use my own artist and get a piece composed, then I will have a better idea of what I want, what I feel I connect with, and what might work for the advert.


I really like the feel of this song , the tempo and the mood created by it fits really well with my idea for the advert, and the lyrics fit with the narrative of the advert.


The lyrics in the first 30 seconds of this advert are :

It all starts with a tiny step

And if you cant do it i’ll carry you on my back

Lets go where you wanna go

Lets go where the river flows

However, the band is fairly well known, and the chances of me gaining the rights to a song like this are fairly slim. However, I now have a greater idea of what I am looking for, and will continue to look. I have also Emailed the band, and am waiting on a response.

Evaluation and refinement

-          I am happy with the quality of the lighting in my advert. I used natural light, filming between 10 am and 2 pm, so the natural light was consistently bright. I also used two spotlights and an overhead lamp, to make sure It was bright enough, and to eliminate shadows as far as possible, by lighting the scene from every direction.

-          I think the beginning factory scene needs working on, I need some establishing shots before I have a close up of the milk bottles, and perhaps need to the close up to be an extreme close up, so the milk bottles are clearly visible, as I think this is very important to the narrative, that the audience can see from the start what the product is that is being advertised.

-          I also need to think about the ending, I might do some extra research on how adverts end, a product name? A logo? Voiceover? Do I need to feature the product? Does it cut away from the scene or does it feature in the scene? I need to consider how to wrap it up, and this will continue throughout all the adverts, as it will become part of the brand identity. so this is an important thing i need to consider.

-          I still need to consider the music, I’m not sure if the guitar fits, or if this is what fits the mood I am trying to create. I am settled on it for the moment, but am going to look at alternative options.

-          I need to ensure that the pace of the animation stays the same throughout. I am fairly happy with the pace of the movements, but think some of them could be smoother, maybe not quite as jerky. I will consider re filming parts that are not perfect.

Overall I am pleased with my initial outcome, I think it looks visually pleasing, the narrative is interesting and the mise en scene, with the bright colours and mix of dimensions and texture, is also very interesting. however, i dont know that some of the angles and shot lengths do the set justice. I spent a lot fo time constructing and creating a very detailed set, and a lot of the footage is shot from a mid to long shot distance, meaning that some of the detail is lost.

Rough cut - advert one

I have made a rough cut of the final advert, using the photo's I took, roughly edited together, with my chosen soundtrack. I have only roughly edited it in flash, and have not yet opened it in premiere. It needs a lot of development, and I may have to change or re shoot parts.

Advert idea 2

I wanted for the second advert to use the same narrative, much like i saw in the Lactofree adverts, where the narrative was the same, but the setting and shot styles were slightly different. I therefore am planning to continue the theme of the journey, to use the narrative of "us, to you, to anywhere", but change the location and setting of the advert. I plan to use the same beginning, with the same props, but shoot from different angles, and changes the animation slightly, the lorry will then follow a slightly different route, perhaps passing some different features, and reach the same house, where a different car, and a different family will set off on a journey. They will perhaps be an old couple? a different section of my target market than in the first advert. They will then go on a journey to a different location - my original idea is the beach, this is still my main idea, but I may look at other options. This will be continuing the previous narrative I have built up, but with a different style and to appeal to a slightly different segment of my broad target market. I may also play around with colour and seasons, perhaps setting it in a different season.

Things i could include in the mise en scene of the advert, that would be different from the first, but still connote the same country life, laid back, humble qualities -

tree's in a range of autumnal colours - oranges, reds.

animals - maybe sheep or cows in a field

a roundabout - rather than the same straight roads in the first ad

a lake


Things I may need to build a beach scene -

Beach huts - in a range of colours

the sea - waves

Palm tree's

sandy areas - maybe a sandcastle

A boat

Music

I knew the style of music I wanted to fir the advert, and I want to use the same soundtrack throughout the ad campaign, so there will be synergy between all the adverts, and they will be more of a unit. I came up with the following criteria:

- needs to have the right tempo - my advert is fairly quick, the movements are fast, and the tempo of the music needs to fit this. 

- preferably acoustic - I want the song to be simple, and I think an acoustic soundtrack would be more laid back, homely and connote the traditional feel I am trying to create in the advert. I will look at piano or guitar tunes, nothing too over the top.

- major not minor tones - the song needs to feel upbeat, laid back and connote happiness and excitement. Minor tones would be too despondent and would not put the product in a positive light.

- no lyrics - I dont want the music to detract from the message or mise en scene of the advert, and the speech will be entirely non diegetic, and therefore the sound needs to be very clear, and the soundtrack needs to support it, not overpower it.

- mood - I want the soundtrack to suport the connotations running through the advert - It needs to suggest happy family times, an adventure and be exciting.

First thought -

I had a look, with these critaeria in mind, at various royalty free websites, to see what was on offer. With such strict criteria, I struggled to find music that would fit it. All the royalty free music seemed to be quite busy, loud, and was not very good quality.

second thought -

My second thought was to look at existing animations, and see how they had sources their music. I found on the whole that animators had commisioned artists to compose music for them that fit with their animation, so they had full creative control of it. Otherwise, they tended to use music by artists who create and sell music for this purpose - to be fit to motion pictures. Whilst looking at various animations, I came across this artists, who sells his own music online. (http://micahdahl.bitdrift.org/)

I found his fourth song down, Danish Runaways, was the right mood/tone i wanted to create in my piece, as it uses traditional acoustic instruments and has a sense of adventure and excitement in it, whilst beng very bright and upbeat. I therefore emailed him, and asked if i could get the rights to use a short clip of this tune, for my A level media. He did not reply. I understand this, as it is his job, and the song could potentially make him hundreds of pounds. I therefor had to move on from this idea, as it wasn't going to be viable.

Final idea

I realised if i was going to find something that fit my advert perfecetly, i was going to have get a piece of music composed for e, specially to fit it, and my criteria. I approached a friend, a guitar player, who I sat with and explained my idea for the song. I told them what i wanted it to sound/feel like, and showed them the animation to help inspire them. They then composed the following for me :

I think the song is great, and is a much better fit than if i had tried to find something already available. It is also royalty free, as i have been given permission by the artist to use it. It has been specifically designed for my piece, so it is unique, and fits the themes. I also told them I wanted the tune to connote a sense of adventure and suspense, so they chose not to make it too rythmic, and add odd, unexpected notes. I am pleased with the outcome of this song, and am going to ask them to compose a range of music, one for each advert, after viewing them and responding to them.

Filming 15/01

I shot the whole length of the advert, from start to finish, but without titles. I filmed some of the shots at a variety of angles, and experimented with shot distance. I also filmed during the lightest part of the day, so made use of natural light, and used two spotlights and an overhead lamp. I am currently editing the stop motion in flash, then will upload it into premier and begin editing. I still need to settle on an ending. I have a few ideas but need to decide what will be the best option.

Script

I have come up with a draft script for my advert, all speech is non diegetic, and so will be recorded later and fit to the advert, therefore, depending on timing and lengths of each scene, this script may change.

house scene
Mum: have you packed everything?

child: I think so?

Mum: What about the milk?

Dad: just putting DairyFriend in the car

mum: Okay, we're good to go

journey scene

Child: mum, where are we going?

Mum: anywhere