My Evaluation

Tom evaluation

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Draft Evaluation

My Advertising Evaluation first draft

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Audience Feedback

Please follow the link below to complete a brief questionnaire about my finished A2 Media Studies coursework.

Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGtxTUpjekZYUW1PZ200MzVra2lfcGc6MQ

Final Progression

After finishing my final work for both, my two main adverts, two sponsorship sequences and radio advert, one thing I believe which has made good progress is my understanding and use of sound in my work. Originally, on my first rough cut for my adverts, I didn't use any non diegetic sound. Although originally I felt that this worked well with my advert, after watching them back a few times, I realised using only diegetic sound made the adverts slightly boring. Also, I noticed that the diegetic sound of the wind outside reduced the sound quality of my work. Therefore I decided to use non diegetic music in my final adverts, and got the right blend by reducing its volume using the audio mixer in Adobe Premiere to make it flow and sound effective without overpowering the rest of the diegetic sound. This blended well so I then added the same music which I found in Garage Band, to my sponsorship sequences and my radio advert. This helped improve my overall campaign because it gives even more continuity and inter-relationship with my project as a whole.

At the end of the project, I have also noticed the importance in using my research to influence my planning and construction. This is something which has improved greatly since AS Level, where I was in a group and my thriller idea was made up on the spot only a few weeks before the filming stage began. However at A2, I knew what type of traditional advert I wished to create from the early stages of the project. This meant that I took more time researching relevant material e.g traditional sports adverts via YouTube and analysed them individually. This was so that I could incorporate typical codes and conventions of sports advertising in my planning and construction stages, as well as dwell on certain aspects I didn't like about real media texts I researched and develop these ideas to denote my own interpretation of advertising.

My Finished Work

Final Golf Advert 1
 

Final Football Advert 1
     

Final Golf Sponsorship 1
 

Final Football Sponsorship
 

Final Radio Advert

Sound

One problem I have experienced in the production process of my adverts is the sound. As I have filmed at various times, and had things more than once to perfect certain shots the sound has changed. This is because filming outside at different times resulted in different speeds of the wind which generated higher or lower diegetic sound. Therefore putting all these clips together created a continuity error because sound didn't flow nicely because it sounded unnatural.
To overcome this I had the option to use non diegetic music for my adverts. I didn't want to do this at first as I had little time to find this and I didn't think music would go well with my advert. This is because the sound of the golf shot/kicking of ball was effective and one which I liked. I also had another option to fix the problem by using audio from clips which the wind was calm and added them into clips where the wind was loud, so it sounds consistent throughout.
I decided though in the end to go with the first option of using non diegetic background music in my adverts. To make sure this didn't overide the impact sounds of the golf shots/kicking of football and also the rest of non diegetic sound in my ads, I changed the colume of this with the audio mixer on Adobe Premiere. This allowed me to have the music at a lower level and the rest of the sound at a higher level so that the key impact sounds were easy to hear. I still made sure though that I used the audio only from other clips where the wind was calm so continuity wasn't create, because having the diegetic sound at a low level on audio mixer would mean the sound of the win could still be heard.

Football Advert - First Cut

Football Advert


This is my first, rough cut of my football advert. It is noticeable that the location is empty. This is because I gained permission to film at my football club, so during the week there is no one present, which means I have minimal interruptions.
The content of the football advert is very similar to that of the golf advert. This is because on researching advertising and awareness of adverts I have already seen, campaigns for a product often use similar adverts to make their product recognisable. I am really pleased with the shots of the footballer in this advert, because the acting was done really well, so the verisimilitude is increased e.g. when the footballer falls over. Also, like I did for the golf advert, I used a CU of the ball on the penalty spot. This makes it clear from the start the advert relates to this game which is key in a 30 second advert as the message needs to be portrayed quickly. There is not as much to change for this advert as I did this one second meaning I knew what improvements I had made with my golf advert, and therefore didn't make the same mistake again with my second commercial.
The ending of my advert is yet to be finished. I originally thought I would end with incorporating the logo of Max Relax, with a blue background and slogan. However after practicing this, I felt it gave a cartoon feel. My teacher then suggested using a shot which shows the arrogance and confidence of the performer after using Max Relax as a CU of the product has already been included.

Golf Advert - First Cut

Golf Advert


This is my first rough cut of the Max Relax golf advert. The location of the advert is at my local Golf Club practice ground. I was unable to film on the course because it would hold up people playing during the day. However, the practice ground worked well because it wasn't busy and looked very similar to a golf course somebody would expect to see.
I am pleased with the content in my advert. This is because I can clearly recognise the purpose of my campaign. The action shots I used also are successful because they are clear, such as the CU's of the ball and low angle shot of the golfers expression. In this rough cut, I haven't included the rewind effect from after effects as I am still learning how it is used. However, after showing my teacher my work, he feels it is not necessary and thinks the "dip to black" works well instead, because the rewind effect will take a lot of preparation which is time I don't have. Also, it will make my advert longer and because my advert is 36 seconds already, it will result in the finished piece being too much above 30 seconds.
Features of my advert however need to be improved. One of these is the end of the advert. I want to incorporate the Max Relax logo at the end to make the product recognisable which is a key feature in creating a brand. Also, I need dialogue for the advert at the end in which I would like to be, "Max Relax, give it a go, it might just make you pro." Another improvement which my teacher pointed out is the inclusion of two extra shots. One of these will be at 12 seconds where the golfer is being sprayed with Max Relax. Instead of using one LS for this, my teacher says I should split it into a LS and then cut to a CU when the golfer is being sprayed, to show my audience Max Relax in action. The other shot my teacher pointed out is at 25 seconds into the advert. After the audience is shown how good the golf shot is, instead of going into the shot when the golfer puts the club back in the bag, my teacher thinks I should have another shot of the golfers reaction to his shot, which would show happiness with the product to the audience to make them believe it is worth buying.

Rewind effect research

I wanted to find a VHS rewind effect for my adverts, to show improvements my product makes. After experimenting in Adobe Premiere, I found that this type of effect is not available. The nearest I could get to a rewind effect was to reverse the speed of shots, which just appears as the scene going backwards, without any ripples on the screen. This was not the desired effect I wanted.

Due to this problem, I have had to begin further research into this to see if it is possible. After researching via https://www.google.co.uk/ I found that a rewind effect tool could be constructed in Adobe After Affects, which is a programme I can access on the Mac Book. Therefore, using http://www.youtube.com/ I searched for a tutorial, which gave me a link to a website which gave me a step by step guide on how to use After Affects and the rewind tool.

This is the tutorial link...

http://ae.tutsplus.com/tutorials/motion-graphics/rewind-your-animation-like-an-old-vhs-tape/

Below is what the completed rewind effect looks like...

However, after experimenting with this tutorial and trying it myslef on Adobe After Affects, I decided to change my idea again and not include the rewind tool. This was because I tried using the dip to black tool in Adobe Premiere which I believe worked nicely and broke up the two sections of my adverts better.

Weather conditions put a hold on filming

On the 4th February, weather conditions were bad as it began to snow. This has caused a problem with my project as it has put a hold on any filming for at least a week while the snow clears off the ground.

There were a few shots that needed improving, which would then mean a finish to all of my filming for my golf advert. I planned to do this on the 6th February, but the snow prevented this happening. This is because the area I have been working with was full of snow and therefore would not fit with the rest of my work. A further disadvantage of this is that my golf advert is being filmed at my golf club. However, due to these bad conditions the golf course is closed and may be closed for a period of time, even when the snow has cleared, so that the course has time to drain and recover before being played on again. This will set me back further because I am unsure of how long after the snow has gone I will have to wait to complete these few improvement shots.

Also, I planned this week to start the filming of my football advert as the deadline for my work gets closer. However, like with my problems for the golf advertisement, the snow will stop me filming for at least a week while the snow clears. This is because football is filmed on a field of grass which will be covered in snow, making the game unplayable. Although this stops the bulk of my filming, I plan to film this advert in a public space which will be open, meaning I may be able to capture some CU's of the footballer which hide the snow filled environment, such as low angles shots tilting upwards towards the sky, hiding the snow filled environment.

Filming/editing session - 23/1 - Golf Advert

This, the third filming session for my golf advert is what I hope will be my final filming session for my golf advert, before moving on to the football advert.

After analysing my existing shots put together to make part of my advert I noticed room for improvement. This is because my teacher told me that it was hard to relate meaning to the golfer actually playing golf. This was because there was too many long shots of the golfer swinging the club, so I was told to get some action shots of the swing rather than one whole shot of the swing. Therefore in this session I shot CU's of the ball on the grass, and MS's of the swing taking place. Also, previously when I got shots of the promoter in the advert spraying the golfer, I didnt get a CU of the product (Max Relax) in use. So in this session, I also attained a shot of the can as a CU so product placement would be clear and easy to interpret within my commercial.

Then afterwards I edited my work on Adobe Premiere. I moved previous shots around and used the action shots at the beginning of the advert when the golfer hit a bad shot. This gave my work more variety on the shots and because they were action shots, it created more pace and excitement when I watched it back. This is because I edited the shots down so that they were considerably shorter, but included all of them so lots of cutting increased the pace and flow of the golf swing.

Filming/editing session - 9/1 - Golf Advert

After collecting my first footage a few weeks prior to this and piecing it together in Adobe Premiere, I could then see what bits were missing from my advert and the things I had to re-shoot which didn't necessarily work with my footage.

The first thing I had to do in this session was use my other actor appearing in the advert who couldn't make my first filming session. This meant that I could capture shots of the Max Relax promoter in advert, spraying the golfer with the product. This was the main point of the filming session which meant I roughly had all the key shots to complete a rough cut of my advert. Also, after analysing footage I originally had, I knew what shots needed improving. Therefore I captured new shots of the golf ball bouncing onto the green as a LS and MS. Another shot I re-done after talking to my teacher was the low angle shot looking up at the golfer. This is because my first one was too dark and I needed a clearer day for it to be visible.

I then pieced the shots together, to make a complete advert rough cut. I think therefore that this filming session has helped me greatly. This is because it give me a visual impression of what my advert will roughly look like as a finished process. Once I edited my shots together I noticed a problem with my footage. This was that as I filmed on different days, it was a lot more windy in the first session than the second, meaning the sound switched unnaturally between shots. This means that I am going to have to mute the sound of my shots and use artificial, non digetic sound such as when the gold ball is struck. In this editing session I also tried to find a tool in which I can use a rewind affect, to rewind the first part of the advert when the golfer misses the ball, and then played back after using Max Relax which improves his shot. However, a rewind affect tool is not available in Adobe Premiere and the nearest thing to it is to reverse the speed on the shots so they operate backwards. This didn't give me the same affect I wished for. To overcome this, I used the "dip to black" tool between when he is sprayed and when he performs the improved movement to separate the shots. I will use this for now, but still research into a rewind affect to see if there is a way round this problem.

My Final Logo Design

 

Above is the base design of my products logo. It represents the sun and a cloud, which is fairly simple and straight forward to work with.

Once I had this base draw out clearly, I used a scanner to put a copy of it on a memory stick so that I could transfer it onto Photoshop on the Mac Book. Before this, I had to ensure the drawing had no gaps and was clear with no marks so that it would work well on Photoshop.

Next, using this base as my starting point, I began using different colours to fill my logo and experimenting with various tools to see what I could do to make my logo look better.

 

Above is my finished logo I came up with. Using the base I drew out originally, I filled the sun with the colour yellow and left the cloud white with a black outline using the paint brush tool which I could match to the thickness of my drawing to make it more cloud like. I think this effect made it better because it gave the cloud more character and was more easily to recognise. 

Then filled the background in blue. I did this because it is the colour of the sky, denoting the sun is in the sky. Also, it makes it seem brighter as if the weather was better. This connotes that Max Relax gives a relaxation factor because the weather is nice. 

Another tool I used to complete the logo was the smudge tool. I used this for the outline of the sun. This helped me to drag the black outline outwards, to create a sharper, more intense feel to connote heat, which is what my type of product creates to relieve pain. 

Next, I chose the font I wanted. I needed different fonts for each word, one to show a bold and big feel for "max" which is why I also used an explanation mark. Then a font in italics which created a gentle and comfortable feel to fit with the word relax. However, although these were the best fonts I could find out of the font list on the Mac Book, I still do not think they look good. This is because they are too basic and look too much like a word document font. Therefore, I think I am going to change this part of my logo by using a website such as "Font Maker" which I can chose from more elaborate fonts or even create my own. This is because logos normally create their own fonts to make them look more professional and advanced. 

Lastly, another problem with my design is the shape of the sun. My original drawing was a good shape because it was round. However, when I was printing my logo to use to stick onto my can for a filming session, I had to change the dimensions to allow it to print. This made the shape of the sun look more like an egg shape. I didn't know there was a way round this until my teacher noticed the fault and will explain to me in my next lesson. 

First filming/editing session 22/12 - Golf Advert

After doing my first fimling session overall I believed it was successful because I managed to capture some effective shots which look good and that I am confident I am going to include in my final piece. These include CU's of the golf ball, Over the shoulder shot of the ball and golf club and MS's and LS's of the player swinging the club. These were effetive becuaswe after putting them onto Adobe Premiere, I have edited them down so that they work in tangent with the golf swing so the filming flows and increases the verisimilitude of the advert. Another advantage to the filming was that I managed to get to the golf club at a time where it was quiet so I could use the practice ground without any interuptions. Therefore, when I do my next filming session I am going to do it on the same day and approximately the same time.

Not all the filming ran smoothly though. Many shots which I liked and would have been good to include into my initial editing of the advert were ruined by the background. This is because filming equipment such as the camera case or golf clubs were left in the shot without me realising. For example the shot where I filmed the golfer directly infront of him as if the ball was coming towards me. Although this could be fixed by cropping the shot, the shot wasnt long enough, and therefore when cropped part of the golfers head or feet was left out the shot. Also doing this didn't fit witht the rest of the shots so I couldn't use it.

After putting my filming together and reviewing it, I have learnt a variety of things about my advert. Firstly, after roughly putting it all together and watchiong it through, I have found with feedback from my teacher the meaning of my advert and product is too difficult to grasp for someone who watched it for the first time. This is because nothing in the advert pyhsically shows any real benefit from using Max Relax. This means that I have decided to incorporate another scenario in both advert. In the golf advert it will be the performer missing the ball and hurting muscles in his back. Then a man who comes in and sprays the performer with Max Relax. The avdert is rewinded and repeated but this time the performer hits the ball and follows through like a professional.