Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media Production - Task 4 - Evaluation

SMOKING KILLS Anti-Smoking Ad:





Evaluation:


This is the anti-smoking video we made as part of our Social Action unit and our entry into the Cut Films Anti-Smoking Competition. I directed the piece and also edited it along with Rhys. As I'm the person who pitched the idea to the group originally, I am very happy with how the ad turned out.


The ad follows a man at a pub with his friends who goes outside to have a cigarette. However, instead of seeing a cigarette, the man pulls out a gun and loads it. He then puts the gun in his mouth multiple times, pulling the trigger. On the 3rd pull of the trigger the gun shoots the bullet, killing him. We see the gun in his hand on the floor before cutting to the 'SMOKING KILLS' title. When we cut back, a cigarette is now in place of the gun.


In my opinion, the piece has come out as a very hard hitting anti smoking ad that would definitely shock people who didn't know what was coming. The multiple times he pulls the trigger adds a level of suspense to the video, putting the viewer on edge as they expect a gun shot.


The whole crew worked well together on the day of the shoot. As director, it was helpful to have people who were cooperative to work with. Jess was Assistant Director, Chloe was 2nd AD and Ben was Camera Operator. Rhys was meant to be boom operator however on set there were issues with the boom mic and we were unable to use it. This left Rhys without a job however instead he and I edited the piece afterwards. Everyone fit well into their roles, making the shoot easy for everyone. Any issues were quickly resolved and we were able to finish on schedule.


The cast were great. Sol, Shannon and Kyra acted very naturally together and took direction very well. Sol did a great job of using the gun in place of a cigarette and made it seem very believable.


Overall I believe we created a great, unique piece that has a real impact on whoever watches it.


Feedback:


We received a great amount of positive feedback on the ad from various sources.


One of Sol's friends comments on our post about the video. This was a very positive response as it was someone who we didn't know ourselves giving us feedback on the video. While not an in depth bit of feedback, he said "makes me want to pack in". This is very good for the video as it shows it has an effect on smokers and how they feel about their smoking.





Our entry to the Cut Films competition gave people the opportunity to vote for video to win. This meant we were up against other groups who made anti-smoking ads. Despite this, we ended up in 1st place with nearly 100 votes which obviously shows people enjoyed our advert and felt I deserved their vote: