Showing posts with label Unit 30: Advertisement Production For Television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unit 30: Advertisement Production For Television. Show all posts
20 January 2016
Unit 30: Advertisement Production For Television - Task 4
Evaluation
This project was our advertising assignment 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - The advertising industry'. For this assignment our group of 4 (Myself, Kane, Danniella & Jess) each had to make an Christmas advert for the same brand following the same theme.
We started completely from scratch. First we had to think of which brand we wanted to represent. As a group we agreed John Lewis would be the best choice because they had a very distinguishable style which we would have to replicate. John Lewis are known for the emotionally engaging, story driven adverts so we had to think of an emotionally engaging plot for our own adverts. My idea was to follow the point of view of a young boy who's dad leaves to go to the army and he misses Christmas for several years in a row. He always gets a present from his dad every year until one year he goes downstairs to see there is no present from his dad and he assumes the worst however his dad comes in surprising him. There were minor changes but I mostly stuck to this idea for the final product.Other people's ideas, however, did change. For example Jess' original idea would have been too complicated as it involved the protagonist magically making a whole town Christmas. We tried to make the advert easier to make so instead Jess had an idea of a sick person at Christmas and then the idea was mixed with the original and the new idea was someone magically decorating the house for a sick person at Christmas.
For inspiration for our adverts we went straight to previous John Lewis adverts. We didn't look at much else other than this. By watching this we got a good idea of how they are put together and it gave us a better understanding. We knew which type of music to use, how they tend to be filmed etc. This would make our adverts more authentic and more fitting to John Lewis.
I feel I've developed my skills very well during this project. On my advert shoot, we had to wait for the actor to arrive so we got on with filming the shots where we didn't need him. One of these shots was the zooming shot where the middle present stays still and the presents around it change (to show passage of time). While it seemed like a simple task we had to organise the presents in a way which would make make each shot look as different as possible. We also decided that it would be a good idea to clearly show that the character is getting older. To do this we had only childish wrapping paper on the presents in the first shot and as we progressed through the years we had an increasing amount of more mature wrapping paper until we had only mature wrapping paper. This was a large amount of detail for such a short scene in the advert. I feel I've learnt more about set design in this project and I now see that even the tiniest details matter. This was my first time directing (as I was DoP on the music video project) so once the actor arrived it was my first time having to really instruct an actor around. I had given tips when I was DoP but this time it was fully my responsibility. Not only did I have to instruct the actor, the actor was very young so it was even more challenging. I was also at some of Danniella's shoot as camera operator. This turned out to be a difficult process as well since almost none of the filming went to plan and we had to change what we wanted to do completely. However it turned out well in the end and we got some good, successful footage.
Once I'd completed my advert I showed it to a focus group. The response I got in the questionnaire was very positive which I was pleased with. The only negatives I did receive was the way I showed the passage of time with the time lapsed sky however I had nothing to replace this with so I couldn't change it completely. Instead I edited the colouring of the sky to see if it could fit more with the rest of the advert and hopefully it was successful.
When editing I had to put together the zooming out shot I mentioned earlier. I had never done this before and it was very experimental to me. Thankfully it came together nicely and looked exactly how I wanted it to. The cut's between the shots are smooth and there is no movement of the middle present.
One mistake I made directing was that I forgot to get a crucial shot. The shot I missed was the shot of the presents without the dad's gift in the centre to show the audience that it wasn't there. Without it the scene was very unclear. Because of the missing shot I had to take a shot with a present in it into Photoshop and edit the present out. I managed to do this and luckily nobody noticed to it fits well into the advert. However I will be much more careful in the future to make sure I have every shot
Overall I'm very happy with how my final piece turned out. I got to do everything I wanted with it and the response from people watching it has been great and all the reactions I wanted people to have, they had. I feel I very much captured the emotional engagement of an official John Lewis advert in my own.
This project was our advertising assignment 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - The advertising industry'. For this assignment our group of 4 (Myself, Kane, Danniella & Jess) each had to make an Christmas advert for the same brand following the same theme.
We started completely from scratch. First we had to think of which brand we wanted to represent. As a group we agreed John Lewis would be the best choice because they had a very distinguishable style which we would have to replicate. John Lewis are known for the emotionally engaging, story driven adverts so we had to think of an emotionally engaging plot for our own adverts. My idea was to follow the point of view of a young boy who's dad leaves to go to the army and he misses Christmas for several years in a row. He always gets a present from his dad every year until one year he goes downstairs to see there is no present from his dad and he assumes the worst however his dad comes in surprising him. There were minor changes but I mostly stuck to this idea for the final product.Other people's ideas, however, did change. For example Jess' original idea would have been too complicated as it involved the protagonist magically making a whole town Christmas. We tried to make the advert easier to make so instead Jess had an idea of a sick person at Christmas and then the idea was mixed with the original and the new idea was someone magically decorating the house for a sick person at Christmas.
For inspiration for our adverts we went straight to previous John Lewis adverts. We didn't look at much else other than this. By watching this we got a good idea of how they are put together and it gave us a better understanding. We knew which type of music to use, how they tend to be filmed etc. This would make our adverts more authentic and more fitting to John Lewis.
I feel I've developed my skills very well during this project. On my advert shoot, we had to wait for the actor to arrive so we got on with filming the shots where we didn't need him. One of these shots was the zooming shot where the middle present stays still and the presents around it change (to show passage of time). While it seemed like a simple task we had to organise the presents in a way which would make make each shot look as different as possible. We also decided that it would be a good idea to clearly show that the character is getting older. To do this we had only childish wrapping paper on the presents in the first shot and as we progressed through the years we had an increasing amount of more mature wrapping paper until we had only mature wrapping paper. This was a large amount of detail for such a short scene in the advert. I feel I've learnt more about set design in this project and I now see that even the tiniest details matter. This was my first time directing (as I was DoP on the music video project) so once the actor arrived it was my first time having to really instruct an actor around. I had given tips when I was DoP but this time it was fully my responsibility. Not only did I have to instruct the actor, the actor was very young so it was even more challenging. I was also at some of Danniella's shoot as camera operator. This turned out to be a difficult process as well since almost none of the filming went to plan and we had to change what we wanted to do completely. However it turned out well in the end and we got some good, successful footage.
Once I'd completed my advert I showed it to a focus group. The response I got in the questionnaire was very positive which I was pleased with. The only negatives I did receive was the way I showed the passage of time with the time lapsed sky however I had nothing to replace this with so I couldn't change it completely. Instead I edited the colouring of the sky to see if it could fit more with the rest of the advert and hopefully it was successful.
When editing I had to put together the zooming out shot I mentioned earlier. I had never done this before and it was very experimental to me. Thankfully it came together nicely and looked exactly how I wanted it to. The cut's between the shots are smooth and there is no movement of the middle present.
One mistake I made directing was that I forgot to get a crucial shot. The shot I missed was the shot of the presents without the dad's gift in the centre to show the audience that it wasn't there. Without it the scene was very unclear. Because of the missing shot I had to take a shot with a present in it into Photoshop and edit the present out. I managed to do this and luckily nobody noticed to it fits well into the advert. However I will be much more careful in the future to make sure I have every shot
Overall I'm very happy with how my final piece turned out. I got to do everything I wanted with it and the response from people watching it has been great and all the reactions I wanted people to have, they had. I feel I very much captured the emotional engagement of an official John Lewis advert in my own.
Unit 30: Advertisement Production For Television - Task 1
Advert Analysis
John Lewis produced this advert for their 2015 #ManOnTheMoon campaign. The advert follows the story of a little girl who discovers a man living on the moon and proceeds to try and send presents to him. It follows the 'typical' John Lewis style in that it's only aim is to trigger an emotional response from the audience.
This advert is an anti-realist narrative as it very much shows something that doesn't happen every day. It is a very far fetched and unrealistic story. The genre is drama. This is very clear through the structure and the way the advert is filmed & edited. The shots/scenes are very slow paced and do not have any fast paced cutting between them. Camera angles also imply a dramatic style too. One shot in particular which stands out as dramatic is the close up of the old man's eyes. The way it was shown (i.e the detail, lighting etc.) made it a very emotional and saddening shot to look at.
The advert, similarly to many other John Lewis adverts, didn't show any product which the company offers (other than the telescope which became available after the advertisement's release). The only thing it advertises is simply the John Lewis brand itself. However this is seen as a controversial approach because many people believe that the content of the advert has nothing to do with the brand whatsoever. This is mostly true because the advert is just telling a story to entertain people and then showing the John Lewis logo at the end which will promote and make people remember the brand. Some people also think it is wrong for John Lewis to create an advert which takes advantage of people's emotions because they are manipulating them.
The advert was made in partnership with Age UK as a way to raise awareness about elderly people alone at Christmas. The tag line is 'Show Someone They're Loved This Christmas'. This can be seen as a very positive message and a good way share it because John Lewis was already an established brand before this advert. Audience have come to expect a John Lewis Christmas advert every year and because people know what to expect the video has over 23 million views on YouTube, never mind the people who saw it on TV. However, many people also saw this as a negative because, although John Lewis was a huge platform for Age UK, the charity side of the advert seemed to be minimal and there was nothing informing the viewers of the connection.
As I said before, John Lewis already had a reputation before this advert as they had released Christmas adverts every year since 2007. Each of these adverts have been similar as they all emotionally engage audiences. By now John Lewis are very aware of their target audience and can create adverts to suit them. Their target audience very much varies in age and there is no specific. The adverts are suited more to people who are more easily effected by media and advertisement as their aim is to get a response from the audience. It is also obviously suited to people who are going to be buying Christmas presents. John Lewis can be considered quite expensive so the advert is also more aimed at people who are willing to spend more money on Christmas.
The use of #ManOnTheMoon in the advert is a very good marketing technique by John Lewis as people will go straight to social media to talk about the advert. Giving them a hash tag means that most people talking about it will use it and that will lead to #ManOnTheMoon trending on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The hash tag has no link to John Lewis on its own but when people see it it will stand out and they will click on it to read more. When they do so they will see lots of statuses/tweets about the brand.
One of the most important parts of pre-production on advertisements is research. John Lewis would want to do all the research they can to make the best advert possible. The best place they could go would be BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board). BARB is the central place for research when it comes to TV, they collect all the statistics and viewing ratings of TV every day for every UK channel. John Lewis would also do their own research, looking at previous adverts to see what has worked and what hasn't worked in the past and also getting people to take questionnaires about current advertising or gathering focus groups to get feedback.
Before being televised, this advert, like every other, will have had to be regulated by the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority). The ASA's work includes acting on complaints and checking the media to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements. This John Lewis advert did nothing to violate the rules however if it had it wouldn't be put on TV. Sometimes an advert can receive complaints after being aired or the ASA can notice that it is coming off offensive or harmful and can order the advertiser to take the ad down.
A recurring theme in John Lewis' Christmas adverts is the use of cover songs. Every year they use a cover of a song rather than the original. 2015's was a cover of Oasis' 'Half The World Away' sang by Aurora. Not only does this give the advert a unique sound, it also allows John Lewis and the cover artist to sell the song as their own, hopefully getting into the charts. The previous year's song got up to number 7 in the UK charts. Having a song in the charts gives people yet another indirect link to John Lewis, promoting the brand yet again.
John Lewis produced this advert for their 2015 #ManOnTheMoon campaign. The advert follows the story of a little girl who discovers a man living on the moon and proceeds to try and send presents to him. It follows the 'typical' John Lewis style in that it's only aim is to trigger an emotional response from the audience.
This advert is an anti-realist narrative as it very much shows something that doesn't happen every day. It is a very far fetched and unrealistic story. The genre is drama. This is very clear through the structure and the way the advert is filmed & edited. The shots/scenes are very slow paced and do not have any fast paced cutting between them. Camera angles also imply a dramatic style too. One shot in particular which stands out as dramatic is the close up of the old man's eyes. The way it was shown (i.e the detail, lighting etc.) made it a very emotional and saddening shot to look at.
The advert, similarly to many other John Lewis adverts, didn't show any product which the company offers (other than the telescope which became available after the advertisement's release). The only thing it advertises is simply the John Lewis brand itself. However this is seen as a controversial approach because many people believe that the content of the advert has nothing to do with the brand whatsoever. This is mostly true because the advert is just telling a story to entertain people and then showing the John Lewis logo at the end which will promote and make people remember the brand. Some people also think it is wrong for John Lewis to create an advert which takes advantage of people's emotions because they are manipulating them.
The advert was made in partnership with Age UK as a way to raise awareness about elderly people alone at Christmas. The tag line is 'Show Someone They're Loved This Christmas'. This can be seen as a very positive message and a good way share it because John Lewis was already an established brand before this advert. Audience have come to expect a John Lewis Christmas advert every year and because people know what to expect the video has over 23 million views on YouTube, never mind the people who saw it on TV. However, many people also saw this as a negative because, although John Lewis was a huge platform for Age UK, the charity side of the advert seemed to be minimal and there was nothing informing the viewers of the connection.
As I said before, John Lewis already had a reputation before this advert as they had released Christmas adverts every year since 2007. Each of these adverts have been similar as they all emotionally engage audiences. By now John Lewis are very aware of their target audience and can create adverts to suit them. Their target audience very much varies in age and there is no specific. The adverts are suited more to people who are more easily effected by media and advertisement as their aim is to get a response from the audience. It is also obviously suited to people who are going to be buying Christmas presents. John Lewis can be considered quite expensive so the advert is also more aimed at people who are willing to spend more money on Christmas.
The use of #ManOnTheMoon in the advert is a very good marketing technique by John Lewis as people will go straight to social media to talk about the advert. Giving them a hash tag means that most people talking about it will use it and that will lead to #ManOnTheMoon trending on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The hash tag has no link to John Lewis on its own but when people see it it will stand out and they will click on it to read more. When they do so they will see lots of statuses/tweets about the brand.
One of the most important parts of pre-production on advertisements is research. John Lewis would want to do all the research they can to make the best advert possible. The best place they could go would be BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board). BARB is the central place for research when it comes to TV, they collect all the statistics and viewing ratings of TV every day for every UK channel. John Lewis would also do their own research, looking at previous adverts to see what has worked and what hasn't worked in the past and also getting people to take questionnaires about current advertising or gathering focus groups to get feedback.
Before being televised, this advert, like every other, will have had to be regulated by the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority). The ASA's work includes acting on complaints and checking the media to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements. This John Lewis advert did nothing to violate the rules however if it had it wouldn't be put on TV. Sometimes an advert can receive complaints after being aired or the ASA can notice that it is coming off offensive or harmful and can order the advertiser to take the ad down.
A recurring theme in John Lewis' Christmas adverts is the use of cover songs. Every year they use a cover of a song rather than the original. 2015's was a cover of Oasis' 'Half The World Away' sang by Aurora. Not only does this give the advert a unique sound, it also allows John Lewis and the cover artist to sell the song as their own, hopefully getting into the charts. The previous year's song got up to number 7 in the UK charts. Having a song in the charts gives people yet another indirect link to John Lewis, promoting the brand yet again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)