a2 media evaluation new

A2 Media EvaluationJessica Mockler

In what ways does your media product use, develop and

challenge forms of real media?

In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms of real media?

I began my project with researching into different adverts so that I was able to understand the codes and conventions of existing adverts. I learned that adverts generally use the same protagonist throughout their advert(s) as the protagonist is representing the brand and creates synergy and consistency between the adverts. I also learned that sound is very significant – in particular the non diagetic sound (music) as throughout all 30 adverts I watched, the diagetic sound ensured the audience can recognise the company and brand. Adverts also tend to repeat their company name three times throughout the advert to ensure the audience remembers the brand name. Also, adverts can last up to (on average) 25-45 seconds long. I found that my research was very useful and I go into more detail on the specific camera shots, mise-en-scene, editing and sound adverts tend to use on blog post: Tuesday 17 th September 2013.

Furthermore, creating an advert about a service proved to be challenging when researching. This is because I struggled to find event company adverts that would be shown on TV, the ones I found were more home made by small companies. This was problematic to me because I was not able to gain a wide understanding on how event companies work. Although, to overcome this issue I was faced with I watched adverts on big and small brands such as eBay, Cadbury’s, and Virgin Media to try and find out what the director was using and doing to engage their audience. This enabled me to follow the basic conventions of a normal advert.

Evidently throughout both of my TV adverts there is similar aspects of the mise-en-scene and sound. I am going to explore how both of my adverts use, develop and challenge real forms of media first, and then I will go onto exploring how they both separately use, challenge and develop real forms on media.

Mise-en-scene in TV advert one and two

(Lighting)When analysing different adverts, I found out that adverts are usually natural or high key lighting. This was an element which I wanted to feature in my advert as I wanted the scenery to look bright, as if it was dark, it could make the scene look dull. In my analysis of Pro Cruises (see blog post 8th September 2013) and my analysis of Virgin Media’s advert (see blog post 17th September) I was inspired to use natural, with a slight high key lighting. Each of the adverts were shot outside, however, their was clear evidence that lighting had been added in to make the advert appear more bright. To develop this element, when shooting I put my actors next to or close to a window so that the natural light was able to come in. I feel that this will appeal to my audience as when the adverts play on screen, they will look bright and will therefore catch the audiences attention.

Top left: Pro Cruises, Top left: Virgin Media, Bottom left: TV advert two, Bottom right: TV advert one.

In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms of real media? TV advert one and two

Costume in TV advert one and twoI feel that I conformed to the expectations of traditional adverts with the costume of my actors. I was inspired by ‘Barclays Bank’ advert as the people in the advert are dressed smart. I wanted to use this for my protagonist because she is representing the company and I wanted my audience to think that Emerald Events is professional and reliable. Therefore, I dressed my protagonist in a long black, office kind of skirt with a white blouse. I wanted to keep it simplistic (like Barclays bank) by using just two colours. Although, for my actors I used smart casual wear which I was inspired by general clothing adverts such as Next and M&S. Therefore, I feel that I have conformed to the conventions when planning what my actors were going to wear. I did not want to challenge this as it was very important that all my actors look smart so that Emerald Events as a company looked sophisticated, but also the guests looked professional too as my target audience is mainly middle class.

Barclays Bank advert/TV advert one

The only major similarities between my two main adverts I have is the costume, lighting and protagonist. I am now going to explore how my first TV advert has used, challenged and developed real forms of media and then I will go onto doing the same for my second TV advert. I am doing this separately because both adverts have different features to them.

TV Advert One

Style of my advert and camera

I feel that I have developed, challenged and used forms of real media for this advert. I have remixed advert styles. In this advert I am using a presentation style advert mixed with a slice of life. I was inspired by ‘Thomson Holidays’ as it presented a slice of real life – a family on a beach, having fun. This was an element which I wanted to develop as I wanted my actors to look as though they are in a real event and are having fun. I only had one real action shot in my advert but I feel that I developed this from real, existing media. I think this will appeal to my target audience as the shot allows the audience to be able to see the actors having a fun time. However, I feel that the props in the scene have not been developed from existing media as on my audience survey I asked what recent events the audience have attended in the past year – and party was in the top three and therefore I used my initiate and bought decorations which I thought would be appropriate for the scene.

This image is off of the Thomson Holidays. It is clear in the image that the medium shot allowed the audience to view the family having fun on the beach.

This is an image of my two actors (medium shot) having fun at a party.

In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms of real media? TV advert one: Style and camera work

Following on from the previous slide, I then had to incorporate the presentation style into my advert. I was inspired by the 2010 Rimmel London mascara advert featuring Kate Moss as it was a presentation style advert but also mixed in slice of life. I was inspired (in one of my shots) to incorporate the two different styles as I placed my protagonist in the middle of the screen, talking to the camera whilst the actors were having fun. This is similar to the Rimmel London advert as Kate is presenting, but whilst she does this, she goes in the middle of a band and joins in with them. I think this will engage my target audience as it will enable them to be able to listen to what my protagonist is trying to say whilst being able to watch the live event.

Moreover, the Rimmel London advert also inspired some of the camera shots and angles in my advert. Kate was shot centralised, at a slight low angle to signify her power within the scene. (displayed to the left hand side is the Rimmel London advert and my advert to the bottom left)I used the same kind of style by positioning my protagonist to the centre of the shot, allowing the audience to focus her when she was talking. I think this is effective because my protagonist is the central focus in the scene. This helps the audience recognise the protagonists significance and listen to what she is saying. Therefore, the style of my advert and camera work has evidently been developed from existing media texts. I feel that the style of my advert has been successful as I have mixed two very different styles and made them work.

This is an image of my protagonist in the middle of an event.

This is an image of Kate Moss in the Rimmel Advert presenting whilst playing with the

band.

Editing

The editing in my TV advert one is medium to slow pace. I feel that I developed this style of editing from P&O Cruises as in the advert the editing is actually medium paced, but due to the action on the scene being very calm and tranquil, it makes the editing overall seem slow. I developed this because in my advert I set out to make it seem tranquil, peaceful and sophisticated. When editing I put in different transitions to make my advert seem longer, and slower. This is good because it meant that the editing pace was slowed down which is beneficial to the audience because they can listen and take in all the information my protagonist is saying. I feel that the editing in my TV advert one is not complex as I have just placed the clips into chronological order and put in transitions when needed. This simple structure to my sequence will allow my audience to focus on the dialogue and visual side of the advert, rather than being intrigued by the editing style. This also means that my narrative structure is linier which I feel is effective in my advert. This is because when analysing adverts I found that all adverts have a beginning, middle and ending to ensure the audience can follow what is happening on screen.


TV Advert One: Sound

Are you struggling to plan that one special day? Emerald Events are here to help. With a team of experts, exceptional organisational skills – we can make your dream a reality. Come see for yourself. We do events for every type of theme, no matter what challenge you give us, we will deliver. We will cover every fine detail so that your venue and decorations look fantastic on your day. To contact one of our team members you can

email [email protected] or you can call 0800 902 644”

As my advert was mainly based on a presentation style advert, I needed to ensure the dialogue was engaging. I was inspired by a real event company advert “Fabulous Events” (see blog post Thursday 12th September 2013) where I have a full analysis of the advert. I found the dialogue very engaging and it made me feel that the company was very professional and sophisticated. I am going to compare the dialogue from ‘Fabulous Events’ to my dialogue.

“Are you looking for an efficient diligent and world class event planner? Then look no further, at fabulous creations, we create a reception that reflects our clients unique taste

and personalities. We profoundly plan events that give your guest a day to remember, aside from events planning we specialise in venue decorations etc.."

I liked the fact the company was initially addressing the audience. This is something I used as my protagonist says “Are you struggling to plan that one special day?” – I feel that using the rhetorical question immediately includes the audience. Additionally, I liked how the company said what they could do ‘we create a reception’, ‘we give your guests a day to remember’ as it allows the audience to know what the event company is good at doing. I included this in my advert as my protagonist says “We do events for every type of theme”, “we will make sure that your venue and decorations look fantastic on your day.” This will engage the audience as it allows them to know that the event company will take care of everything.

Moreover, I also liked how the speaker in the advert was very eloquently spoken and it was very easy to understand what she was saying. I ensured that my protagonist spoke very clearly in my advert to ensure she sounded very pleasant to ensure the audience would have a full understanding of the dialogue.

Below is my dialogue which I constructed after being inspired my Fabulous events.

Therefore, it is evident I have used, challenged and developed forms of real media in my TV advert one. I feel that my research throughout this part of the project has been helpful as some of the adverts I have analysed, I developed and used in my real advert.

mailto:[email protected]


TV advert twoCamera and style

For my second TV advert, I feel that I have developed, challenged and used forms of real media in order to create my advert. This advert is about customer feedback which I felt was an original idea in itself. I was inspired by “Uswitch” advertising as their adverts consist of customers talking about their experience with the company. I felt that this was effective because it allows the audience to hear real opinions which make what they’re saying more believable. I used this idea and developed it as I used three people in my advert, instead of one. I also felt that the mid shot the company used was effective as it allowed the audience to notice their facial expression and body language, this is another aspect which I developed in my media. To the left hand side there is a print screen of the mid shot of one of my actors in TV advert two, similarly to my print screen, to the right hand side, ‘Uswith’ also uses a mid shot, but of a couple rather than a single person.

Similar to my TV advert one, I also used a slight presentation style advert which I previously was inspired by the Rimmel London (Kate Moss) advert. I felt that centralising my protagonist will provide her with the audiences full attention and therefore the audience are more likely to engage in what she is saying. To the right hand side is a screen shot of Kate Moss from the Rimmel advert and to the further right, is my protagonist.

Below are the three main shots in my advert:However, I feel that the camera shots I have used throughout advert two have subverted conventions of advertising. This is because I only used mid shots throughout my advert. I did this because I wanted the audience to be able to engage in what each of my ‘customer’ was saying. It also allows my audience to see my actors pleasant (smiling) faces without being too close.


Sound and dialogue in my advert

I feel that I have challenged conventions of traditional media within my dialogue in half of my advert. This is because when my three actors talk – their sentences follow along from each other which is something I had never seen in an advert before. I decided to do this because I was aware that I was only allowed around 30 seconds long for my advert and therefore I thought that in a short space of time, my dialogue could not go into great detail and that I would not have time to give my actors full sentences. Therefore, I made one long sentence and the reason I changed my actor three times is to make the information I am putting out more reliable as effectively it is coming from three different ‘customers’ but also as I recently learned, adverts tend to have different shots and therefore I thought it would be better if I changed the actor instead of making one really long shot.

This is my main dialogue in my advert:

“When I first contacted Emerald Events, I was unsure to leave all the arrangements to them. But after I gave them the idea of what I wanted and how I wanted it, they created the perfect event for me. I would definitely go back to Emerald Events again, I couldn’t think of a better, more reliable team to help me plan my special day.”

Even though I challenged traditional TV adverts by using three different speakers, I still included the company name in the first sentence to make it more memorable to my audience. I also included language such as ‘perfect’ and ‘reliable’ to make my company seem professional and sophisticated. Moreover, all of my speakers were well spoken likewise to the advert ‘Fabulous events’ making it easy and clear for my audience to understand.

Therefore, I have used and developed my sound by being inspired my real media. However, I feel that I have mostly challenged the conventions of sound in an advert which I think makes my advert appear to come across as more original.

In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms of real media?TV advert two

Editing

Moreover, I feel that my editing for my TV advert two challenged real forms of media. This is because when analysing existing adverts, I found that the editing was quite fast, and usually shots were not shown for long. Although, in my advert I feel that my editing is medium-slow paced and I only have three main shots throughout the 30 second advert, whereas in my research I found that within 30 second adverts, there is usually around 6-8 different shots. Even though I subverted this convention, I feel that I made the right choice as I wanted the audience to be able to focus on what my protagonist is saying so that the audience could understand the dialogue properly. If I was to include too many shots, the audience may look at the action on screen, rather than listen to the information I am trying to get across to the audience.

I watched a football advert ‘Aspire’ and in the first 3 seconds there was six shots. This is double the amount of shots I have in my whole 30 second advert, reinforcing how I have subverted conventions of real media. To the left hand side their is six shots of the football advert in the first three second, to the bottom their is three shots which are the only shots in my advert.

Furthermore, ‘Fabulous Events’ also inspired my editing. I decided to add in the email address and contact details when my protagonist said it to ensure the audience will be able to view the number and email and use them. On ‘Fabulous Events’ the number is current throughout, however, I chose to only add it in when my protagonist is talking because I felt that it may take attention away from other shots in my advent.


(Following on)...EditingI feel that the editing of my TV advert two has conformed to the conventions of a TV advert. This is because my editing throughout the sequence is quite fast paced. I was inspired by the previous advert I have mentioned (slide 5 – the football advertisement) as even though I did not use the editing style in TV advert one, I was able to develop the editing style in TV advert two. Each of my main three clips lasted around 3 seconds, which made my editing medium to fast paced. I feel that this will engage my audience because it makes the advert more exciting and will draw in the audience. Moreover, I also have used a fade in and out from when my protagonist is talking, to when the ‘customers’ (actors) are speaking. I feel that this also subverted real forms of media as it is unusual to have fades in and out. I decided to do this because it helps my audience differentiate the protagonist to the customers and even though fades can sometimes slow down the pace of adverts, I feel that my advert is still medium-fast paced. Therefore, the editing of my TV advert two has challenged real forms of media. Although, I believe that the decisions I made whilst editing will attract and engage the audience.

Mise-en-scene

I feel that I have used and developed the conventions of location for my advert. All of my actors are in my TV advert one – and this advert is a ‘follow up’ of TV advert one. I have used the same location for this advert on purpose so that in the first advert the audience can see the members at the event, but in the next advert, the audience can gain a personal insight into their thoughts and feelings about how useful the company was. In adverts such as ‘P&O Cruises’ and ‘Rimmel London’ the actors are shot at the same, if not very similar places so that the audience can recognise the advert due to the scenery. I think it was a good idea I did this because if I was to use different actors, at a different location I would be using too many characters which means when the audience views my adverts, they will struggle to find similarities and could also struggle to recognise the company.

Therefore, in my TV advert two I have used, developed and challenges the codes and conventions of existing media products. I feel that every decision I have made – to either conform to the conventions or to challenge them has been made due to my target audiences wants and needs. Even though I may not be following all the conventions, I need to ensure my audience will find my adverts fun, exciting, engaging and intriguing to watch.


Radio Advert

I feel that I challenged and conformed to the conventions of radio adverts. In my research (see blog post Monday 23 rd September 2013) I found out the conventions of radio adverts, which I feel I conformed too. I found out that radio adverts are usually between 30-45 seconds, all speakers speak eloquently and are well spoken to ensure the audience have a clear understanding of the dialogue, the music in the background is usually soothing or very upbeat, persuasive and emotive language is used throughout to ensure the audience is fully engaged. I feel that I have conformed to all these expectations.

I found that I was inspired by the ‘Alton Towers 2010’ radio advert (see blog post Monday 23 rd of September for my analysis). This is because the advert begins with a speaker asking two children what they did at Alton towers. This makes the information which the speakers are saying more reliable because it is as though the children have experienced the park and can now share their experiences with the audience. This is something I developed into my own advert as I used a male speaker addressing my company. I did this because it makes the information more reliable and believable as the male speaker is effectively a customer. However, even though I was developing ideas from existing media, from researching into other radio adverts and from analysing different radio adverts, I also felt that I was challenging the conventions of a radio advert. This is because when watching adverts, I came to realise that it was usually the company or protagonist always addressing the audience using direct address to engage the audience, rather than the customer addressing them. (Below is my radio advert dialogue)

*sound effect of bell* male speaker: “I would just like to say thank you all for coming, and Emerald Events create my dream and turn it into a reality. If it wasn’t for such an outstanding group of individuals I would not have the

unforgettable memories I have today. Emerald Events have helped me with every single detail, the location, venue and the small things like the unique decor and name cards.”

Protagonist: “If you’re interested in planning your special day with us then you can contact Emerald Events @ info.co.uk or you can call 0800 902 644. Emerald Events making your dream a reality.”

I included the logo and slogan in the first sentence of the advert which meant I conformed to one of the basic conventions of a radio advert which is similar to adverts I analysed such as ‘Cancer Research (see blog post Thursday 19 th September 2013) and ‘Warburton's’ (Thursday 19th September) which both use the brand name in the first sentence. I think it is good that I have conformed to this convention because I want the audience to be able to recognise my company straight away. Moreover, the descriptive language I used ‘location, venue and small things like the unique decor and name cards’ also conformed to radio advert expectations. In my analysis of the Alton Towers 2010 radio advert the speakers were very descriptive when speaking about the park, this is an element which I decided to develop. I also decided to use colloquial language such as ‘things’ and shorten words such as ‘decor’ as my target audience are mainly around 15-35 and therefore I thought that using colloquial terms would suit and meet the audiences expectations.

Moreover, the second part of my advert also conformed to the expectations of a radio advert. This is because I used direct address such as “your” and also used pronouns such as “us” to ensure the audience felt included into the company which I learned when analysing the Nina Ricci perfume (see blog post Monday 23rd September). Also, I also felt that including the email address and phone number of the company was conforming to the conventions of a radio advert as I found out in my research that if a service makes a radio advert, the details of the company needs to be put into the advert so the audience can get in contact with them – see in my analysis of the Thorpe Park radio advert (blog post 18th September 2013).

Therefore, I repeated the name of my company and the slogan twice throughout my 30 second advert. This also conforms to the expectations of a radio advert as usually the slogan and logo is repeated throughout. I feel that I have mainly conformed to the traditional elements of radio adverts. However, I felt that my actual idea was original and challenged radio adverts as throughout my research, I did not ever find a speaker which was presenting a speech. Moreover, I also feel that my presenters were very eloquently spoken which also conforms to the expectations of a radio advert, I wanted to ensure the audience could fully understand my speakers. In my radio adverts I used the same sound and background music as my other adverts, to ensure the audience will find my brand memorable. Using the same speaker is effective because the audience will be able to recognise the speakers voice and then will automatically know the company.



I feel that I have conformed and slightly developed the expectations of a sponsorship sequence. In my research (recapping on sponsorship sequence – blog post: Thursday 12th September 2013) I found out that their usually is not much dialogue, only a few key words and the logo and slogan. I also found out that sponsorship sequences lasted around 11-15 seconds long and the logo and slogan would be said after around 8-10 seconds. I found out that their is a variety of shots – from long shots, to close up which allowed me to experiment with what shots I wanted to use for my sponsorship sequence.

Editing

On ‘P&O’ the sponsorship sequence ended with the couple walking off together united. As the message I am trying to portray throughout my media is that my company can bring people together and unite people, I decided I could develop this shot. In my sponsorship (the second shot) I positioned my two actors in the middle of the screen and they walked to the camera. I used the idea from P&O Cruises as even though the couple was walking away from the screen, the two actors were close and made the relationship seem real. Therefore, I feel that my long, wide angle shot of my two actors together in hand will reinforce the message I am trying to present and therefore will target my audience.

Moreover, I also found that sponsorship sequences usually ended with their own logo and slogan. I developed and slightly subverted this as I used my logo at the end of my sponsorship, however, instead of writing the slogan next to the logo, I thought my advert would look and sound better if I had a voice over of my protagonist saying my slogan. This is similar to the Cadbury’s advert I analysed as the speaker says the slogan, however, it is also on the screen. I think it was a good idea for my advert to end with my logo as it is the last element my audience will see and therefore it will be the most memorable.

I was also inspired by the editing in ‘P&O Cruises’ sponsorship. This is because each shot lasted around three seconds, but because the action in the shot was slow it created a tranquil atmosphere in the sequence. This was an element which I decided to use as I wanted to make it look as though my actors were having a fun, but also calm time at the wedding as the wedding I have presented is supposed to look sophisticated and elegant. I use six shots in the whole of my sponsorship sequence and all shots are around 2-3 seconds long, allowing the audience to capture each special moment of the wedding. I felt that because I used the style of the ‘P&O Cruises’ sponsorship that it meant I also slightly challenged existing media texts. This is because in my research (see blog post 12 th September 2013) that sponsorships were usually fast and not calm. I only decided to challenge this because I felt that if my action was too fast, my audience would not be able to follow along and could cause confusion. Another way in which I used real forms of media and developed it into my sponsorship sequence is that when my logo came up, my protagonist said “Emerald Events sponsors Downton Abbey on ITV2” - I found that saying the product, brand or company name at the end of the sponsorship was important – not at the beginning. Therefore, I feel that I have used and developed existing media in my sponsorship sequence.


Another way I used editing to conform to the expectations of real media is the ending on my sponsorship. I chose to sponsor ‘Downton Abbey’ as I feel that I have a similar target audience to them (explained in blog post Thursday the 14 th of November – ‘What I am sponsoring’). Although, I needed to ensure that I could incorporate my logo, the ITV logo and the Downton Abbey logo all together. I looked at other examples such as the Cadbury’s sponsorship. I noticed how the Cadbury's had manipulated and edited the coronation street logo into chocolate. This made it easily noticeable to the audience that Coronation street was sponsored by Cadbury’s.

Cadbury’s used contrasting colours such as white, brown and purple which makes the text more clear on the screen. This is a feature which would be beneficial to my audience if I developed due to it helping the audience be able to read the text easily. Also, Cadbury’s have used their house style colours which is also important because they are reinforcing the brand.

I positioned the ITV2 logo in this corner because I wanted it to be large and the other side of the image did not allow enough room to put it in the place.

I have positioned the logo to the top of the screen because their is negative space at the top of the screen and it allowed me to make my logo large on the screen. Also, as the colour of my logo is black, I need to ensure that I contrasted it to the white background rather than the black.

I chose this image because it allowed me to use the Downton Abbey logo and incorporate the ITV logo as well as my own. I decided not to use an image of the actors because my logo and the ITV logo would be un noticed. To the right hand side their is the other logo choice which I could have chose. However, due to the focus on the setting and characters in the image, their would have not been enough room for my logo.


Camera (following on)..Also, when analysing ‘P&O Cruises’ sponsorship I enjoyed the intimacy between the couple – they looked as though they were having fun together and their was also a sense of romance. This is something I decided to use and develop in the shot of my bride and groom – I centralised them and got my groom to kiss my bride on the cheek, whilst she laughs to present the love between the couple. I developed the camera shot as well as the style as I used a close up of the couple admiring each other to portray a sense of happiness.

Another moment which I wanted to look and appear special in my advert was cutting the cake. Throughout my sponsorship I create small moments, put together to make the advert feel and look like a wedding. I feel that the cake part was the most challenging. I liked the shot from a football advert I watched as the team seemed united. The wide shot allowed the audience to see all of the team, but the captain was centralised. This was an aspect which I decided to use and develop. I used a wide shot of my bride and groom cutting the cake, although, I positioned all of the ‘guests’ around and behind them. This made it seem like all of the guests were relations to the bride and groom and they all looked as though they were united and a team.

I feel that I have developed a close/mid shot from P&O Cruises. I liked how the two actors looked as though they had a connection and as the event I was promoting was a wedding, I needed to ensure the bride and groom looked as though they had many special moment. I feel that developing the shot of the two actors looking into each others eyes will appeal to my audience as it will create a realistic presentation of what a couple would be like on a wedding day.


I also feel that I have presented a stereotypical wedding as I have used iconic features such as the white dress, symbolic of a bride. I wanted to use the traditional wedding style as I wanted to make it apparent to the audience that it was a wedding to prevent any confusion. Also, as I only had 10 seconds in each sponsorship I would have been unable to show a different, unusual styled weddings as the audience would not see enough of the content to understand that it is a wedding. I felt that including the entrance of the bride and groom, first dance, dinner and cutting the cake was good as it highlighted some of the special and key moments of a wedding.

Mise-en-scene

As one of my main shots was about cutting the wedding cake I needed to ensure that the wedding cake I had in my adverts looked real so that my scene looked authentic. I was inspired my an Vow Wedding Cake’s company TV advert which was a presentation advert of all the different types of cakes they could make. I was inspired by the flowers which the company had used and I liked how it contrasted with the smooth white icing. This was an element which I used in my sponsorship as I made my icing white and put in extravagant flowers. I feel that I have conformed to the expectations of a wedding because of this.

Sound

Another way in which I used real forms of media and developed it into my sponsorship sequence is that when my logo came up, my protagonist said “Emerald Events sponsors Downton Abbey on ITV2” - I found that saying the product, brand or company name at the end of the sponsorship was important – not at the beginning. I also used calm and tranquil music to link into the wedding being peaceful. Therefore, I feel that the sound in my sponsorship sequence has conformed to the audiences expectations of what a sponsorship will be like, creating familiarity for the audience so they know the sequence is sponsorship.

How effective is the combination of your main

product and ancillary texts?

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

From analysing existing adverts I began to notice that their are many similarities between the adverts. In my research I purposely would look at sponsorships and adverts so that I could pick out the similarities and differences (See blog post: ‘Synergy between adverts’ Thursday 26th September). This allowed me to notice elements such as companies will usually use the same speaker and often the adverts will have the same last shot. From researching I understood that I needed to create synergy between all of my adverts which will help the audience be able to memorise and also recognise my company.

In all of my adverts I have included the logo (apart from radio which would not be visible). I feel that this was a very important element to include in all of my adverts as the logo is a feature which is supposed to draw in the audience which I learnt throughout my research. To ensure I was consistent throughout my adverts, I ensured that my logo was exactly the same size and that when the logo appeared on the screen of my advert, that it would fade in from white. This meant that at the end of each advert, it would be exactly the same.

Sound

In all of my adverts I have used the same female protagonist who also is the voice over in my sponsorship and radio advert. I decided to do this because the actor I chose spoke very eloquently and sophisticated which I felt would engage my audience. I also feel that using the same speaker creates familiarity in my adverts and when the audience listens or watches any of my main or ancillary texts, they will be able to easily recognise that it is ‘Emerald Events’.

Moreover, in all of my adverts I also used the same non diagetic sound (background music). I did this because again, I wanted the audience to be able to easily recognise the adverts. I also feel that the music I chose was very calm and soothing and would fit the narrative in all of my adverts. This is because all of my ‘events’ in my adverts such as the wedding, birthday and the speech in my radio advert were all sophisticated events and were calm and professional. I feel that the sound in my advert has created synergy between all of my adverts and the voice over and background sound would be considered a symbolic sign in my adverts as when the audience heard the protagonist’s voice or the sound, the audience would be able to easily recognise that it is emerald events.

Furthermore, I feel there is also synergy between both my sponsorship sequences and TV advert one. This is because both of them are displaying events, however, I chose to have some background sound of people passing presents in TV advert one (see 20-27 seconds) and in my sponsorship I chose to have a toast ‘cheers to the bride and groom’ (see 10-12 seconds). I think this is a good element to include in my adverts because it creates familiarity throughout both adverts and I also think the background noise will reinforce how I am creating a slice of life advert as it displays ‘real’ people enjoying themselves at an event.

(Following on).. Also, I feel that their are similarities between TV advert two and the radio advert as both adverts are prominently about customer feedback and providing the audience with an insight of how they feel the company helped them. In my radio advert I chose language such as ‘If it wasn’t for such an outstanding group of individuals” and “Emerald Events have helped me with every single detail, the location, venue and the small things like the unique decor and name cards.” (see 8-22 seconds) which I feel is similar to when my actors say “They delivered the perfect event for me”, “I couldn’t think of a better more reliable team to help me plan my special day.” (see 13-24 seconds)

Furthermore, at the end of each of my radio and two TV adverts my protagonist says similar lines. In my radio advert my protagonist says “If you’re interested in planning your special day with us then you can call 0800 902 644” (see 23-32) and in my two TV adverts “If you want to talk to one of our team members then you can call.....” – I purposely scripted for my protagonist to say slightly different lines to ensure the audience do not find my adverts too similar. I think this is good because even though the protagonist is speaking slightly different lines, it features in the end of my advert and therefore reinforcing the synergy between the adverts.

Moreover, at the end of my radio and two TV adverts my protagonist says “Emerald Events, making your dream a reality” – by me repeating this in more than one of my advert, it allows the audience to be able to memorise the logo and slogan and therefore they will become more familiar with my adverts. I also think as it is the last line my protagonist says, the audience are more likely to remember this part which is important because it can be argued that the logo and slogan are the most significant part of advertising. However, I did not include this in my sponsorship as I was up against timing constraints (only being allowed 10-15 seconds, and I needed to ensure I included who my company was sponsoring and therefore I did not have enough time to include my slogan in the sound of my advert.

Therefore, I feel that sound in my advert has created an effective combination between my main adverts and my ancillary texts. This is because I have used many of the same, if not, similar elements in my adverts to create a specific style of my adverts which I feel will allow my audience to be able to easily recognise the company and also will help them be able to remember the logo, slogan and details of the company.


Mise-en-scene

Evidently the mise-en-scene is not like camera or sound as it is all about the diegesis including lighting, props, actors etc. For my advert one and two and sponsorship I feel that the mise-en-scene was reasonably similar, allowing my audience to get a sense of how my adverts usually look which will allow the audience to easily recognise the company when watching an advert.


Props in my adverts

Evidently I could not include actual props in my radio advert , however, I did use a sound effect of a ‘horn’ signifying a beginning of a speech . This is different to my other adverts as the props in the adverts did not make noise, even when the actors were using them. In my TV advert one and my sponsorship I feel that I used similar props, obviously they cannot be exactly the same as I am presenting two different events (sponsorship – wedding and main advert – birthday gathering).. However, in my sponsorship I feel that the props I have used are slightly more ostentatious and out going than my TV advert one. I used a Mercedes for my wedding car and bought a number plate which says ‘JUST WED’ to create authenticity in my adverts, I also had a cake which looked very similar to an actual wedding cake and also had balloons and a gift table which would make my advert look and feel like an actual wedding. In my TV adverb two I had one table filled with plates of cakes, balloons and with presents. This was more simplistic as a birthday is not usually as large as a wedding. Therefore, the idea of my props were similar in the sense that I used features such as balloons and presents, however, I feel I took it one step further with my sponsorship as I used more extravagant props.

Lighting

In each of my adverts, I used natural lighting even though all of my events were in doors. In my sponsorship sequence, the house I used to film it in was very open spaced which many windows, allowing sources of natural light to beam in. Similarly, in both my TV adverts I filmed them next to a window, which also allowed natural light sources to come in. I think the brightness of my adverts creates similarity and synergy between my adverts. (Sponsorship sequences to the left hand side and TV adverts to the right). It is clear by looking at all my images that the lighting is similar. As I am trying to portray messages of happiness throughout my campaign it was important that I made the setting and scenery look bright and optimistic.

(Following on from previous slide) Even though this made my sponsorship and two main TV adverts look and feel different, I wanted to ensure the audience knew that the ‘Emerald Events’ can create different kind of events – from weddings, to parties. Therefore, even though this makes the adverts different, I felt that I needed to make the costume fit into each of the narratives in my advert and therefore I felt I made the right decision by making people in my sponsorship more dressed up than my two main adverts.


Moreover, in my two TV adverts I used the same costume for my protagonist and actresses. This allowed my audience to be able to quickly memorise and recognise my adverts.

Camera

Furthermore, in all four of my visual adverts (excluding radio) I have centralised my protagonist, and in my sponsorship I centralised my bride and groom. Also, in my TV advert two when my actresses were talking, they were also centralised. This is not only creating links and reinforcing the effective combination between my adverts, but I am also conforming to the expectations of conventional adverts as when someone is talking on screen, they are usually centralised and made to be the main focus.

Evidence of bride and groom being centralised in sponsorship.

Evidence of my protagonist and actresses being centralised in TV advert one and two.

Large picture TV AD one (22 seconds) and the smaller images are TV ad two (throughout).


Following on... (Camera)In both of my main adverts, I have used similar camera angles. I feel that this creates an effective combination between both adverts. In TV advert one and TV advert two, it opens up with my protagonist talking straight to the camera at a mid shot. Also, at the end of both adverts it ends with a similar mid shot of the protagonist talking. Additionally, in the ending of each advert I have included the same text, positioned in the same place and the same colour. This is because I want my adverts to have a particular style and even though I want the adverts to be different, I also want to create familiar features to ensure the audience can recognise an advert from ‘Emerald Events’ straight away.

TV advert one (beginning) TV advert two (beginning) TV advert one (end) TV advert two (end)

Furthermore, in my TV advert one and sponsorship I have used wide shots. I did this in my TV advert one so that I could show my protagonist and action at the same time (combining presentation and slice of life style advert). Similarly, I did this in my sponsorship so that I could display some of the venue and props as I am trying to sell a service, and part of event planning is venues. Therefore, in my TV advert one and sponsorship I have used many of the same angles, unlike my TV advert two where I have mostly used mid shots. I feel that this creates an effective combination between my sponsorship and my TV advert one.

TV advert one to the left hand side and sponsorship sequence to the right hand side.


Editing

In all of my five adverts, the editing has been medium paced. However, because of the action on the screens and each of my actors and actresses talking eloquently and in a calm manner, I think my adverts look reasonably slow. I wanted to create this effect throughout my adverts because I knew that I was up against timing constraints in all of my adverts and would not be allowed to show more content than I already had, therefore by putting in transitions and fades in and out, it helps all of my adverts flow and feel similar. In my sponsorship sequence, all of the shots are around 2 seconds, although to make them seem longer I put in ‘fade to white’ which made the pace of the advert slower and therefore created a tranquil mood. In my TV advert one, my shots were longer than any of my other adverts, however, to make my advert similar to others I included ‘fade to white’. My TV advert two was more like my sponsorship in the sense that I used many jump cuts as it jumped from protagonist, to the three actresses then back to the protagonist. I also included fades to slow down the pace of this advert. Even though I am challenging conventions of advertising by making my adverts appear more slow, I feel that all of my adverts create a peaceful, soothing tone which means I have created an effective combination between my adverts by editing my sequence in a certain way.

Overall, I have created synergy between all of my adverts. From editing, sound, camera and mise-en-scene it is evident my adverts are a particular style which the audience will be able to remember after watching or hearing one of my adverts. I think creating synergy and familiarly between my adverts was very important as if I had made them very different, the audience might fail to notice the connection at the beginning of the advert and could cause audiences confusion. I obviously have differences in my adverts – some of the camera shots, dialogue and scenery, however, I wanted to make every advert original and different, whilst keeping the same kind of style so that the narrative was slightly different allowing the audience to be intrigued and excited about my adverts, but the style was similar which means the audience was able to easily recognise the company.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?


Creating an audience survey is a significant part of being able to critical evaluate myself and my products imperfections. The main purpose of my product is to be able to engage and attract the audience and it is helpful to know whether I was able to do this or not, so that I can learn from mistakes. I created a questionnaire on Google Docs. Making an online survey was useful as I could then share it on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, allowing me to get as many responses as I could. Additionally, another advantage of posting my questionnaire online to social networking sites is that the answers are more likely to be critical and non biased as I may not be necessarily close with the person who is answering my survey unlike if I was to ask people in person. Also, it allowed me to receive answers within two weeks of publishing it, rather than me having to go out and ask people to fill in my questionnaire. In order to get the most reliable data, I needed to ensure I got over 100 answers in my questionnaire. Luckily, I received 123 answers which was very useful as the more feedback I gained, the better insight I got into seeing whether my product was successful or not. I can now evaluate each of the different questions I asked commenting on what I have learned and what I could change if I was to approach creating this project again.

For my questionnaire, I decided to create a variety of questions which linked to my adverts as a whole (instead of asking about adverts in particular). I wanted to find out whether my audience thought my company looked professional and if my adverts were engaging, however, I purposely left room for my audience to write which adverts they preferred and if they did not enjoy any of my adverts. I am now going to go through each of the questions I asked my audience and each of the responses I received.

The first question I asked my audience was whether they enjoyed watching my adverts. I asked this question because I wanted to know whether my audience simply found my adverts entertaining or not. However, I added on an additional part of this question, encouraging the audience to back up their statement so that I knew why and how I made the adverts engaging, or how I did not make my adverts engaging.

This is only a few answers from my survey. I received 100% positive feedback for this question which means I have been successful as all of my audience enjoyed watching my adverts. One of my audience members commented on how the music was ‘soothing and calm’ and others stated how it was ‘exciting’. This tells me that the effect I was trying to go for (creating a tranquil, calm mood in adverts) has been a success and noticed by the audience. I also wanted to create some excitement which one member commented on and said ‘I liked how you showed different events’ as it made it more thrilling. However, one member of the audience stated how they would have liked to of seen more real life action in my two TV adverts. This is an area which if I was to create the adverts again, I could improve and change my narrative to fit more real life action in my adverts. Although this comment may be slightly negative, the audience member still said how they enjoyed watching the advert. Moreover, this comment also tells me that the audience member wanted to see more events in action, which tells me that I have not provided my audience with enough footage of events which is not so good because I am trying to sell the events I am promoting. I think I could have looked at my other question about events my audience have been too in the past to see what other events I could have displayed. Therefore, even though the question I asked was quite brief, it still told me that overall my audience enjoyed watching my adverts which means I have been successful in appealing and engaging my audience.



The next question I asked was whether my audience found my logo and slogan memorable. This was important to me because when analysing existing media adverts, it was evident the logo and slogan had to be memorable to ensure the audience would be able to easily recognise the brand or service in other adverts. I received 99% positive feedback for this question which tells me my slogan and logo were memorable to my audience. This is good because it means when the audience listens or watches my different adverts, they will be able to recognise either the logo or slogan and automatically know it is Emerald Events. The one person who said they did not find it interesting explained why in my ‘Additional comments?’ at the end of my questionnaire. The audience member said: “I thought the slogan was very engaging and easy to remember. However, I think the logo could have been more fun and exciting” which tells me the audience member enjoyed the slogan, it was only the logo that was a problem. This member found my logo too simplistic, which it is. I wanted to create a simple logo as I felt it made my adverts look more professional and sophisticated. However, it is evident that it also makes my advert not feel fun and exciting which is slightly problematic. However, I have learned from this negative feedback and now know that my logo was not as exciting as I thought. Therefore, if I was to improve the design of my logo I think I could have added more colour. I also feel that it would have been beneficial to me if I would have created numerous logos and then asked my target audience which one they preferred – this would mean that I could ensure that my target audience would find my logo appealing.

“Emerald Events – making your dream a reality.”

This is my logo. It is clear that I have used text and one image to create this.

Below is my slogan.


I then asked whether my adverts present a company which seems professional and sophisticated. I asked this question because I am advertising a service which means I need to ensure the company is represented in a sophisticated manner, making the company seem professional and reliable. This was a feature which I really thought about in my adverts, especially with the sound and mise-en-scene.

From my audience feedback, I did receive mostly positive feedback which tells me I have been nearly successful in ensuring my adverts look and feels professional. One of my members commented on the venues which I have used: “the venues make the adverts look very sophisticated and the events looked as if they were shot at real place” which tells me the venues I have used for each advert has been helpful in making my adverts look professional. Although, another audience member commented slightly negatively on my use of venues: “Your sponsorships looked very real but your two TV adverts could have been filmed at more interesting places” which tells me even though the majority of the audience feel that the venue helped make my products look successful, some did not. In my two TV adverts I did shoot in a dinning room, but made it look larger than it was. I think looking back, I could have filmed it somewhere more exciting and thrilling such as a hall, which also would have made the event I was displaying (birthday party) seem more believable. However, I can now learn from this mistake as I acknowledge that I could have been more experimental and creative with my venues and not only pleased the audience more, but also made my adverts look and feel more professional. Furthermore, some audience members commented on how my protagonist “created a sophisticated look” and how “the speaker looked like a business woman and real” which made the company look “reliable and professional”. This tells me that my choice of actor and clothing has helped made my service look professional. Overall, I am pleased with the feedback I gained from this question as one of my struggles throughout making my advert was ensuring that the venue looked sophisticated and professional as because I was advertising a service, rather than a product. My venue, sound , actors, editing and camera work had to be good to ensure that my service looked professional and that the events were fun and exciting. If I was to improve the way I made my adverts appear I think I would have experimented with different venue’s but I also feel that I would have bought and arranged to get more props. The props would have allowed me to improve the way in which my venue’s looked and would have helped overall with the setting of all of my adverts.


I then went onto asking what was my audiences favourite advert was and why. I wanted to ask this question because it basically would tell me what advert the audience found most interesting and why. From analysing my answers (some are shared below) I found out that my sponsorship was the most popular. One audience member stated how they liked the sponsorship because “it looked real” and another audience member enjoyed the “costume, props, decorations and music” in the sponsorship. This links to my previous questionnaire I created before making my adverts as I asked what event the audience have attended in the last year, and wedding was in the top three, which told me it was one of the most popular events. This impacted my projected because I then created a wedding in my sponsorship sequence which evidently had a positive effect on the audience as it was the most popular advert. I feel that this was a good decision of mine because it allowed me to ensure that I would target my audience. Although, I think it would have been more beneficial to my campaign if I would have created the wedding in one of my main adverts – this would have allowed me to display around 30 seconds worth of shots, rather than a few jump cuts as my sponsorship sequence only had a couple of shots due to timing restrictions.

This is an image of my previous audience survey where I asked what events my audience have attended in the last year. It can be seen at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18zB-tYwgwpw630LWfHE4191enX4LC_ut49LIGoGeWso/viewanalytics or my analysis of the survey can be seen at the blog post titled ‘survey results’ .

Below is some of the answers I recieved from this question. My analysis of the answers is on the next slide.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18zB-tYwgwpw630LWfHE4191enX4LC_ut49LIGoGeWso/viewanalytics



Furthermore, I did also receive responses about other adverts being the favourite. The second popular advert was both my radio and TV advert one. Each of these adverts received both the same amount of positive feedback. When audiences described why they enjoyed my radio advert they said how “the voices were very clear and it was entertaining to listen to” and how “the male speaker was very persuading and sounded genuine” which tells me sound and dialogue wise, I have been successful. Moreover, for my TV advert one the audience commented on how they enjoyed “the main character interacting with the real event” showing me that combining the two styles (presentation and slice of life) has been successful and my audience find this enjoyable. Therefore, my TV advert two was commented least upon telling me it is my least exciting advert. I feel that this may have been because in the advert I did not provide very exciting props or have a thrilling setting at all which might have made my advert look and appear dull or less exciting. This is an aspect I think I would change if I was to create my campaign again, especially TV advert two as if I made the setting more exciting, the audience would have been more interested in what the actors had to say about the company. However, audiences who did enjoy the advert said that they liked “hearing about customers talk about their experience” and some liked how “the advert flowed” telling me that I have still been successful with this advert, just not as successful as the others. This also tells me that my idea was successful as the audience enjoyed hearing about a first hand experience with the company, however, I think If I made the scenery more interesting or even the dialogue, the audience would have been more satisfied with the out come of the advert.


I then went onto ask whether all of my adverts had synergy between them, although, I am aware that this word may only be familiar with media students therefore I used the term ‘linked’. As I previously explained in question two (how effective is the combination between your adverts) – I have tried very hard to ensure that all of my adverts' had similar features as I am creating a campaign and it is important that my adverts look and feel similar. Below is some of the answers I recieved.


For this question, I successfully achieved 100% positive feedback which meant that all my adverts had synergy between them and the audience could clearly identify the link and similar features throughout my campaign. This tells me that my because of the logo, slogan, background sound, voice over, costume and protagonist that I have been able to create familiarity between my campaign and throughout all the different adverts, despite the difference in the text. This will impact my audience because when an individual looks or hears the adverts, they will automatically associate it with Emerald Events.

Furthermore, I also asked what gender my audience was. I wanted to compare the answers I received in my audience feedback to my audience research questionnaire to ensure that I was still targeting the same kind of audience. In my audience research questionnaire 55% were females and 45% were males. In my audience feedback questionnaire 46% were males and 58% were females which tells me their is only 1% difference. This is good because I have purposely created my adverts to target both genders. In my sponsorship and radio advert, males were in my advert about 75% of the time as in my two TV adverts their were no males present and I wanted to even it out. I made my TV adverts just females because their were more females in my target audience, but to ensure I was also aiming it at males, I used a male as my main speaker in my radio advert and in my sponsorship males were positioned slightly closer to the camera. Although, as my audience is nearly split between male and female I think I could have added more male actors to ensure that the male side of my target audience would enjoy watching my adverts. This was a weakness of mine throughout creating the campaign because I could not find enough male actors which potentially meant that the male side of my audience would find my adverts less appealing.


Therefore, creating an audience feedback survey has been very useful to me. It has provided me with an insight into how my audience felt about my adverts and allowed my audience to be critical about my adverts. I can now highlight the improvements I could make such as showing more real life events in my advert one which would overall make my audience be more pleased with my advert. I feel that I have learned a lot about what I have done well and what I could have done better. Such as, my audience thought that I have been successful in creating synergy between my adverts which is pleasant to hear as this was a feature which I felt was vital to have throughout all of my adverts. Audience members also thought that my sound was very good, which is another feature I thought was crucial as when analysing adverts, some adverts were not as good purely because of the voice over and background music which made them quite dull, whereas it is evident I learned from my analysis and ensured that my adverts were exciting and engaging. Furthermore, audience commenting on how they enjoyed my sponsorship presented how I have learned from my previous questionnaire as I took in the data I received and was able to ensure that every decision I made would target my audience. Overall, I think I have done well in attracting my audience as the majority of the answers I received were positive which tells me that by creating the first questionnaire and learning what interests my audience have, I was able to implement all the knowledge I had gained into my adverts which is why I received a lot of positive feedback.

View live questionnaire here (click on this link)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DjiTRHgx340thymcuXdstafF_LI7u2eCyrghHhfWAK0/viewform

How did you use new media technologies in the construction

and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Blogger

Throughout my project, I used an online website called ‘blogger.com’. I was familiar with this website as I had previously used this for my AS coursework and therefore I did not have any problems with using this. On this website I was able to write down every negative and positive note about my project. This website enabled me to track all of my progress and allowed me to reflect on what and where I was currently at. I took advantage of this website and used it as a formal diary. It helped with my research as every time I analysed an advert I could write down my analysis and then refer back to it if needed. Also, as I wrote down all of my analysis, when coming to the end of my analysis, I was able to go back and look at similarities between adverts and then I was able to summarise the codes and conventions of adverts. Moreover, blogger was also extremely useful when I was planning. This is because every time I thought of ideas I would put them on my blog to remember them. I was able to create brainstorms and upload them to my blog. Also, when beginning to create my project, I was able to track my progress on the blog as I could visually see what I was currently editing and what I have and have not done. I often did blogs about what stage I was currently at, as I felt it helped me understand how I was going to move my project forward. I also found it helped me move my project consistently forward as I was able to scroll up and down my blog and view all of the research, planning and then what I was currently doing. Also, as the blog was like a formal diary to me, if I every forgot some of my ideas, or even the codes and conventions of adverts I would be able to quickly go back onto my blog and re-read the post. Therefore, using blogger was very helpful to me throughout all stages of my project.

Click here to see my Advanced Portfolio on Blogger

Throughout the whole of my project, I have used new media technologies in the construction, research planning and evaluation stages. I used a variety of online technology, software and physical technology to help me create my adverts. I believe that the technology I have used has been very helpful throughout my project.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

http://www.jessicamockler.blogspot.co.uk/

Example of my blogs

Below is examples of what my blog posts look like and how I used the blog to help me plan what I have to do, and reflect upon what stage I was currently at. I used this blog to help me talk about the issues I was facing currently in the project. To the left hand side I have blogged about editing titles and the choices I have made when doing this. To the right hand side is an example of one of my many shooting schedules where I planned the location, date, actors and props to prepare myself for the shoot.


YouTube

Throughout the whole of my project, I used YouTube. I was familiar with this website and therefore I knew how to use the website quite well. In my research, I used YouTube to find adverts which I felt were appropriate to analyse. Also, YouTube website provided me with a large amount of adverts that people and companies have uploaded. This was very helpful to me because I was then able to critically analyse different adverts and was able to see what features of the advert I could include in my own advert, and also parts of adverts which I might exclude. I was able to embed these videos onto my blogger account also which made it helpful as I could watch the videos over and over again whilst writing on my blog. I think it helped me throughout all of my project that I could put embedded the videos because when going back and reflecting on my research, I was able to view the videos which I had analysed. Moreover, throughout the actual creation of my project, YouTube was very important. This is because when I created my drafts and even my final product, I uploaded it to YouTube so that I could watch my sequence as a proper video. YouTube allowed me to upload and watch my videos rapidly which was beneficial to me as it prevented me from wasting time waiting for my video to load. Therefore, using YouTube was very beneficial to me throughout all of my project as it helped me with my research and also helped me when I was creating my project.

Below is an example of one of my blog posts where I have embedded a YouTube video onto my blog.

Google Docs

I used Google Docs in my research and evaluation of my product. Google docs allowed me to make an online questionnaire which I then could put on the internet to a diverse range of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. I chose to create my survey on Google Docs because I was already familiar with the software and therefore I felt that I would not struggle when creating survey, thus preventing me from wasting any time. Moreover, Google Docs allowed me to create a sophisticated questionnaire as I could select specific options for the question such as check boxes, texts or lists therefore it helped my audience answer the question more rapidly as I chose the most appropriate method for answering the question. This is beneficial to me because I wanted to receive over at least 100 responses and therefore I needed to ensure that answering the survey was very easy. This was a strength of mine in the planning and evaluation stage as I carefully selected my questions and the way in which the audience had to answer them to ensure that the audience would not find it dull or difficult. After I had made my (two) questionnaires, Google Docs also showed me a summary of my responses – showing me my responses in charts which helped me view my data easier and I was able to collect the information easier than reading through each answer individually. This helped me in both my research and planning because I could see visually how many people selected the answer (e.g. male and female). Also, using an online document helped me receive answers much more quicker than if I was to create documents and find people to fill them out as realistically I would not be able to find 100 people and then I would be using up extra time finding people, waiting for the answer and then calculating the response. Therefore, Google Docs has been extremely helpful and helped with both my audience research and audience feedback. However, if I was to improve the way I used Google Docs I think I could have added in additional questions but not made the questions ‘required’ which means audience members who would not have minded could have filled out additional questions whilst people who were more in a rush to fill out the survey could stick to the essential questions. This would have benefitted me because I could have recieved more in depth feed back about my campaign.



Social Networking

When creating my questionnaire I needed to share it with the audience so that my audience would be able to find my questionnaire and fill it out. Therefore, I used Twitter and Facebook to my advantage and shared my questionnaire numerous times on each to ensure people would notice and fill it out. I think having a Twitter and Facebook account was beneficial to me because it allowed me to gain more responses than I had asked for as the two websites allowed me to gain a variety of answers. The advantage of using social networking sites, rather than asking people in person is that people are filling out my survey as anonymous and therefore are more likely to be honest and more critical. Therefore, using social networking helped when I was researching also when I was evaluating. Although, even though I did receive a good amount of answers, if I was to ask other people to share the link of my questionnaire I feel that I could have gained more responses and therefore I would have gained more information about what my audience liked and disliked about my campaign.

Sound recorder

Moreover, throughout the construction of my product the first piece of technology I used was a sound recorder as the first advert I did was my radio advert. I used the sound recorder throughout the whole of my campaign. I was familiar with using the sound recorder as I had previously used it in my AS coursework which meant I did not struggle with using this technology. This was a strength of mine because when coming to use it, I did not have to learn how to and therefore I did not waste any time. Using the sound recorder helped me record professional sound for my adverts as I was able to edit the volume and input of the sound which was important because I could edit the settings to exactly what I needed. However, a weakness of mine when using the recorder is that I feel the volume between my campaign was inconsistent as I used the sound recorder and different times of my advert. This meant that the sound throughout my adverts was not consistent which means in some parts, my project lacks some professionalism. If I was to improve the way I used the sound recorder I would make sure that I wrote down what volume I used and the input, and even recorded in the same or similar places as it would ensure that my adverts have the same volume of sound and are therefore consistent, creating synergy and also continuity between shots in my adverts, and throughout my campaign.

Boom microphone

Another piece of technology I used during my construction is a boom microphone. I decided to use this because I wanted the sound in my adverts to be more clear to the audience. This was a piece of technology I had never seen or used before. To overcome my issue of not being able to use the microphone, I ensured that before filming, I learned how to use it. This was a strength of mine because I knew that learning how to use the boom microphone beforehand would make it easier when coming to filming. Although, I did not initially use the boom microphone as initially my sound was recorded through the camera, therefore the microphone was only used during the reshooting of my adverts. This is mainly because I had problems with the sound in my adverts due to the camera quality being quite poor. Although, The microphone made the sound in my advert more clear which is good because the audience will not struggle to hear my actors and actresses talking. To use the boom microphone I had to have one person hold the camera, one hold the recorder and one hold the boom microphone. I took it in turns to do all three so that I could gain experience in all areas. I really feel that I expanded my knowledge of technology by using the boom microphone because this was something that I had never used before my A2 coursework. Although, I still did experience some issues with this microphone as the sound in my advert one is poor in comparison to all of my other adverts. This is because the microphone was too far away. This means that I have not actually been fully successful with using the boom microphone as even though now I understand how to use it, the out come of the sound in advert one shows me how I could have practiced more with the microphone before using it. Thus, if I was to improve the way I used the microphone I think it would have helped if I tried the microphone out beforehand so that I could understand where the sound, sounds best and how to make my sound have a high quality. This would have ensured that when reshooting I would have not struggled with sound as I would have known to change location or change the volume or input. However, overall, the boom microphone was very beneficial to me my campaign and helped made my adverts sound more clearer than before.



Adobe Premiere

Throughout my planning and constructing I used Adobe Premiere. In the planning of my project I made an animatic which I then took photos of and uploaded to Adobe Premiere to then make into a sequence. I was slightly familiar with Adobe Premiere as I used it for my AS coursework. However, as I was in a group last year so the editing was split between all three of us which meant I did not do the majority of the editing. This meant I had limited skills in Premiere but I now feel, at the end of the course, I have a wide range of skills in the program. Creating my animatic on Adobe Premiere helped me get used to the program before moving onto editing my main tasks. I was able to familiarise myself with the simple elements of Adobe Premiere. This was beneficial to me because it helped me vision what my adverts are going to look like in the planning stage and helped me make any decisions about what shots I should take out or what I should put in.

I feel that the animatic helped me in the planning stage as I could vision what my campaign will look like and at that point, I still had the time to change any parts which I felt might not be successful. When moving onto editing my main product, I felt that I learned and gained many new skills. One of the skills I learned on Adobe Premiere was ‘audio gain’ where I could edit the volume of each of my clips. I also felt my editing skills became up to a much higher standard in comparison to AS as I used the boom microphone, and all the recordings which I had needed match the action on Premiere which is called lip syncing. I was able to do this effectively throughout all of my adverts. This meant that I could make the sound on my advert very professional. Moreover, I also familiarised myself with features such as audio and video transitions which helped all of my adverts to flow and link with each other. This helped me consistently move my project forward. However, even though I gained a wider understanding in using Premiere I feel that even though I had all of AS and A2 to learn the ins and outs, I still have not mastered the program. This is because I still struggled with simple features such as making the titles and editing the colour of them. This means that I have not progressed a lot with my overall skills of Premiere as this is an aspect which I should find easy.

Overall, I would say that I did find using Premiere difficult because even though I learned how to edit sounds, I still struggled with exporting my video which is supposedly a simple task. If I was to improve the way I approached using Premiere I think it would have helped if I had watched more tutorials about using Premiere in general as I could have been more creative in my overall product. Although, on the whole, I acknowledge that I have improved my skills in Premiere and the actual program has helped me piece and edit all of my shots together, making it into a sequence. My blog helped me keep a reflection of my editing skills and the problems I was facing as on my blog I have wrote about the difficulties I had with Premiere which can be seen on blog posts: Monday 31st March (radio advert edit), Monday 24th March (editing problems), Monday 24th March (editing: titles), Tuesday 18th March (editing sound), Sunday 8th March (editing), Wednesday 22nd of January (editing my sponsorship sequence) – all of which explain where I was currently at with editing and the issues I was facing with Premiere.

Adobe Audition

Alongside with Premiere, I used Adobe Audition. I had never used Adobe Audition before and did not feel very comfortable with using it. However, in my TV advert one the sound was quite bad and I needed to take out some of the background noises. I learned how to ‘De Hummer’ and how to take out the ‘Hissing’ in the voice recordings. I also learned how to match the volume of each of my clips so that they were consistent. Once I had learned how to use this program I could then edit my other adverts and make all of my sound more clear and all the same volume. I feel that because I only needed to use a few aspects of this program, I found using it quite easy. Although it wad daunting at first, once I figured out how to use the parts I needed I found it very straight forward. This was a strength of mine throughout the editing stage of my project because I could edit the sound rapidly which meant I was moving my project forward. However, I did not experiment with this program which I could have done as I may have found other useful tools to help me edit the sound. I think it would have been helpful if I had used my initiative and done additional research about the software and watched tutorials about editing the sound because then I could have improved the sound in my adverts even more. Although, the affects I did use such as ‘match volume settings’ helped me improve my adverts, I just think if I would have experimented more I may have found more tools to help me with my editing. Overall, I think that using Adobe Audition has been very beneficial to me because it has helped make my sound more clearer than before.


This is an image taken from my blog ‘Tuesday the 18th March 2014’ where I go into about my experience with editing sound in Adobe Audition. This print screen is of my sound in Adobe Audition.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lR9drhxAqSU/Uygj_OZjSYI/AAAAAAAAA6U/gJHupoVqC1I/s1600/print+screen.tiff


Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop was another Adobe program which I used. I found using Adobe Photoshop much more easier than Premiere and Audition. This is because I am extremely familiar with Photoshop. Although, I had not used Photoshop in quite a long time and therefore I felt that I refreshed my skills in this area. I had to use Photoshop when designing the logo. I was able to find a specific font I liked and then created the image on Photoshop. I found this reasonably easy due to me already knowing how to use Photoshop but also I did not need to create anything complicated in Photoshop which made using it easier. Photoshop impacted my product because it is a professional program which is used in the real world, allowing my logo to look and feel professional. However, in my audience survey members of the audience commented on how my logo looked too simplistic and would of preferred something more creative. This tells me that even though I personally found using Photoshop easy, I did not take advantage of the tools that were available to me. I think I should have watched YouTube tutorials about how to edit text on Photoshop and make it more appealing and unique. This would have allowed me to have a more interesting font as my logo which would have appealed to the audience. Therefore, I feel that I should have been more experimental with using Photoshop as I limited my creativity skills because I only used the tools I knew how to use. If I was to of learned new skills in Photoshop such as shading, or even how to download fonts from the internet onto Photoshop I would have been more successful with the design of my logo. If I was to improve the way I used Photoshop I would have ensured that I had done more research into the tools available to me because I already had a basic knowledge and understanding of how to use Photoshop and therefore I could have gained new skills and mastered the program which would mean that my logo was more original and creative.

Camera

When filming, I used a video camera. I was reasonably familiar with using a camera from my previous AS coursework but as I was in a group of three, we switched it in turns to use the camera and therefore I did not have as much experience as I needed. This meant that I needed to refresh and extend my skills when filming. Moreover, to refresh myself with the camera, on my first filming session (which was my sponsorship – see blog post Monday 13th of January where I talk about the shooting of it) before actually filming I familiarised myself with the buttons. Although, after making myself familiar with this, I found using the camera quite simple. However, I feel that overall I did not gain enough practice as this year we need not create a continuity task, and therefore the first piece of filming I did was my sponsorship sequence. I think it would have been beneficial to me if I had gone out and practiced some of the shots I wanted to create. I think this would have prevented me from reshooting some parts of my adverts.

However, using the camera helped me create some excellent shots in my campaign. The camera allowed me to zoom in and out which was important because in TV advert one, I needed a mid shot of my protagonist across the room but as a table was in the way, I was unable to get a mid shot of her. The camera allowed me to zoom in and record the mid shot. However, when editing my sequences I noticed how the camera quality for sound was not up to a very high standard and therefore I only used the camera for visual appearance, instead I used the boom microphone (see slide 31) where I was able to gain clearer sounds. I think if I would have practiced this shot I would have known that it would not work which means I would not of had to reshoot. However, I needed to take into consideration that the camera I used was not film industry standard and therefore all of the ideas which I came up with, was not actually achievable. This is because some of the shots I wanted were long and wide shots, but because the camera was so far away, it looked slightly blurry and therefore I needed to adjust some of the ideas I had. Therefore, I feel the camera I was using arguably limited some of my creativity skills because I could not follow my storyboard shot by shot because some shots were unachievable.

Overall, I think I had made progression in my camera work from AS to A2 a the camera helped me take some excellent shots such as the car shot in my sponsorship (in the first 1-3 seconds). I was able to refresh myself with the camera reasonably quickly which was helpful as I could film quickly after finding out how to use the buttons. However, I think their are areas of my camera work which could have been improved as in my storyboard I wanted long and wide shots but when putting it into protective if was unable to do this. I think If I was to practice a few times before I could have got some of the shots right/. Although, the camera has helped me creative four successful adverts (sponsorship sequence both parts and two main ads) and if I was to improve the way I used this camera I would have ensured that I practiced more .


Click here to view a YouTube video of me directing my actors and using the camera for my sponsorship sequence.

http://jessicamockler.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/filming-reshoot-of-sponsorship.html



Tripod

A tripod was another piece of technology I had to use (along side with the camera). I was familiar with using the tripod and did not struggle to use it. The tripod allowed me to get still shots which was important as I wanted all of my shots to be still as if they were to jog, it would make my adverts look unprofessional. It also allowed me to set the height of the tripod which was important as in some cases I needed the tripod to be very high, and in some I needed it to be small depending on if my actors were sitting down or standing up. If I did not use the tripod it would have been problematic as I would not of got the correct height and also would not have been able to get professional shots.

Therefore, I have used a diversity of media technologies in the research and planning, construction and evaluation stages of my product. All of the technology I used has allowed me to make my adverts to the best standard as I can. The only aspect which I felt was slightly limiting was the camera due to the camera not being as good as quality as the adverts I have analysed. However, every program and technology I used allowed me to refresh and create a new range of skills which helped make my adverts look and feel professional.

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