lO4: Be able to evaluate a creative media production
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Weekly Reflections
Evaluation
Before we started our pitch, we handed out our own feedback sheets to gain the opinions of our peers. We had 8 responses which cover target audience, genre, quality of work and what could be improved.
Feedback |
All of our responses said our productions suited our target audiences and it was clear who each production was aimed at. Most explained that this was because we highlighted the target audiences interests to increase engagement in both the short and full length advert which reinforces the message that Dickies is for everyone.
Our chosen genre for the production was Realist. When asked whether our advert suited the genre, our peers said yes, the conventions were clear and effective, the products were applied correctly to real life situations which were believable. Many highlighted that we applied each production well to ordinary life. All of our peers said they thought our productions looked professional, with positive comments on filming and editing, some said they could compare it to an advertisement seen on television. Others said our production was very satisfying to watch and commented on the quality of audio. Some peers said the adverts were simple but effective and sold the product well while others said that we have clearly considered the setting for each advert. One peer said that our target audience research was thorough and our investigation in to platforms was successful. To improve, some peers suggested more context or using a wider range of shots in the shorter adverts to make them more exciting while one peer suggested showing the products more along with the product names and prices. |
For my Unit 8 Final Major Project, myself and Edward Hearn created a collection of adverts for the clothing company Dickies. This featured; four short adverts targeted at gardeners, skateboarders, dog walkers and Dickies casual audiences, along with one full length advert that targets all of Dickies audiences for both work wear and casual wear. The project was split up into 4 learning objectives. LO1 consisted of our own brief that featured our plans and intentions for the production. LO2 required us to compile a substantial amount of research into Medium (adverts), Genre, Other Companies, Target Audience and Platforms. LO3 required a Pre-Production booklet along with each of our finished productions. LO4 requires the weekly reflections booklet along with and evaluation of the Unit. As Eddie and I were working together, we allocated each other roles. Eddie filmed during production and I edited in post-production. During production my role was to assist Eddie by directing and acting while Eddie also directed and filmed. In Post-Production my role was video editing and colour correction while Eddie compiled royalty free music and sound effects. We compiled our research together to ensure we were on the same page and the final production was something we were both happy with.
I think our productions fit their chosen genre 'realist' because the the viewer is presented with a 'real life' account as if the content they are watching is realistic and believable. This was successful as the audience could relate to the realistic situations we put out characters in e.g gardeners, skateboarders friends socialising. This type of advert seems more reliable to customers as the purpose of the product is shown legitimately so they know what to expect when purchasing.
The content we created was of a high standard. When looking over the footage the correct subjects are if focus and framed well. Using the 50mm lens meant our mise-en-scene was successful; a shallow depth of field spotlighted the subjects in the close up shots giving a professional look to the advertisements. The professional film look we decided to go for creates a clean style we see throughout the adverts. An ascetically pleasing advert may encourage the audience to purchase the product as it reinforces Dickies main selling point - the quality of their products. I also think using a slider to create pans in the short adverts was a good decision as it brings progression into the shot, with a steady pace, the audience does not become bored of a still shot.
I think our productions fit their chosen genre 'realist' because the the viewer is presented with a 'real life' account as if the content they are watching is realistic and believable. This was successful as the audience could relate to the realistic situations we put out characters in e.g gardeners, skateboarders friends socialising. This type of advert seems more reliable to customers as the purpose of the product is shown legitimately so they know what to expect when purchasing.
The content we created was of a high standard. When looking over the footage the correct subjects are if focus and framed well. Using the 50mm lens meant our mise-en-scene was successful; a shallow depth of field spotlighted the subjects in the close up shots giving a professional look to the advertisements. The professional film look we decided to go for creates a clean style we see throughout the adverts. An ascetically pleasing advert may encourage the audience to purchase the product as it reinforces Dickies main selling point - the quality of their products. I also think using a slider to create pans in the short adverts was a good decision as it brings progression into the shot, with a steady pace, the audience does not become bored of a still shot.
I think the way our full length advert is structured works really well because the drum sounds create a heavy pace which the video footage follows. One of my favourite parts of this advert is the pause when the gardener cuts the head of the flower; the drums stop and continue on the slam of the worker's van door. The pause helps build tension before the drums continue yet the pace is not lost.
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There were a number of techniques and shots used to create the adverts which resulted in some very successful scenes. The use of jump cuts through out the production kept the advert at a consistent pace and fit very well to the music. Most of the shots varied between two lengths (single and double). This meant the advert did not keep showing short images or long images to add variety to the advert keeping the audience interested.
These are two example of successful close up shots that use the Dickies logo to highlight the product. The short depth of field brings the product to the audiences attention drawing the background away from them.
I like this particular shot as the van door opening sits right in the middle of the shot. This keep the audiences attention at the centre of the screen which is where the majority of the action takes place.The van is easily distinguishable yet it is enlarge within the shot while the white contrasts with the workers dark work clothes.
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I think the 'Dickies for Skateboarding' production was one of our most successful because of the character and prop placement We can only see half of the characters body yet his actions and the product advertised are very clear to the audience. The camera pan creates a more exciting image for the audience over a still shot especially as the character skate away as there are two movements taking place. I also think the skater is well framed within the shot as he skates off into the background. I like how he becomes out of focus and then the Dickies logo appears in the foreground.
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Another part of our production that was successful is the consistent structure each short advert (Dickies for Walking/Gardening/Skateboarding/Casual). Each advert contains a pan towards the right and is between 14-18 seconds. The Dickies logo appears near the end of evry short advert, the same size and position on each.
To improve I think we should have filmed the dog walking scene in Dickies Doing Duty on a day with better weather. The shots in the garden with the gardener and wood worker are sunny yet the dog walking shot is very cloudy. I tried to colour grade the shot to create a clearer scene but it still seems cloudy. In future we should check the weather before going out to film.
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During this scene we also ran into the problem of Eddies dog, Wallie, getting over exited and we spent much of the time calming him down. There was not really anything we could do about this accept give Wallie dog biscuits.