Tuesday 9 June 2015

AS 3 - Task Six - Re-draft final evaluation

I chose to create an advert for headphones as I believed it was a good market to go into. The target audience was students aged between 16 and 25 as students are more likely to use headphones to revise. We decided this because we know that students of this age are more likely to watch TV at the time we air our advert. The selling point for our advert was humour and comedy as well as reality as we believed that was more likely to keep the audience engaged.

After we had done all of the filming and editing the next step was to get audience feedback and comments. The idea behind this was so that we could see what was necessary to improve our advert. To get these comments and feedback I held a focus group/screening, which was needed so that the information we got was in depth and I could ask further questions to gain more information, for example I asked "If you could make improvements, what would you change?" which allowed me to understand why they would change parts of the advert and how. The next method I used was a questionnaire on Survey Monkey, which was helpful when gaining information as it could be sent to a wide range of people, meaning more responses. Also it was short and precise so that the information could be collated easily. The information gathered was both qualitative and quantitative which was helpful as it meant we gained more than one type of information. The survey consisted of closed questions which were generally based around yes or no answers. There were some open questions which asked for more detail about the respondents answer but required no more than a couple of words. An example of one of the questions was "Would you buy the headphones after seeing this advert?" which was a good question as it helped us decide whether our advert hit it's main purpose which was to get the audience to buy the headphones. The quantitative data we collected was from the focus group/screening. This was very helpful as it meant I could ask why the focus group answered the way they did and therefore meant I gained more information. 

From the audience feedback I could see that most people enjoyed the advert and were convinced that these headphones were the best choice for them. When I screened my advert it was mainly people from the older generation, which was not the intended target audience. After asking them what they thought of the advert it came as a surprise when they said that they'd enjoyed the advert and would go buy them if they were slightly younger. The younger people in my focus group said that they would buy the headphones as the advert appealed to them specifically. I conducted an additional focus group with younger participants before the main screening of my advert to see what people thought of our idea before creating the main advert. In this focus group questions were asked such as "Do you prefer wired or wireless headphones?" to which most people replied wireless as it made them easier to move from one place to another and wouldn't get caught on other objects. Another question was "What type of advert would persuade you into buying headphones? E.g Humour, Reality, Music" which was an important question to ask as it helped us to decide what type of advert we were going to make and how. However, some people disliked the advert in the screening as they thought it was not clear on what the aim of it was, and some of the older people stated that the music I used didn't appeal to them. I believe that the questions asked were useful as it let me get the information I needed to make my advert better once the focus group was over. 

My opinion of the advert was that it promoted the product well and effectively. It was entertaining but also got to the point without wasting time. However, because it was my advert, my opinion may be slightly biased compared to other people's opinions. If I could improve my advert I would spend more time putting the shots together more effectively so that the point was clearer. Also I would change the way the shots were put together at the end as I don't think they went together as well as i'd first thought. Additionally I would speed up the editing and make it clear what the product was I was trying to sell. Overall I agree with the results I received from both the focus group and the questionnaire on Survey Monkey.

I think that the advert was technically good as the shots used were varied and effective. We used a range of close ups and long distance shots to make the advert more enjoyable and the shots were steady as a tripod was used throughout. The idea behind the advert was good as it related to the lives of students and showed what studying is like. It is made clear throughout the advert what the product is we are trying to sell as the shots change between the student revising in the classroom and the other actor who is wearing the headphones. Also the music changes from loud to quiet throughout to help emphasise our logo which was "Add a little colour to your life!". I believe the idea was effective as it relates to every student in secondary school, sixth form, college and university, which means that they're more likely to purchase the product. 

The improvements that could be made if I had the chance are things such as the way the shots were put together and the design of them. If I could redo it I would make sure that the story line was a lot clearer as the main problem that occurred when I conducted my audience research was that the plot was not made entirely clear so a few of the focus group members were confused until the end when it stated that the idea behind the advert was to sell headphones. Furthermore, I would make sure that I included a few more shots, such as 360 degree shot, tracking shots and extreme close ups, to ensure that the advert was as effective as it could be. Another improvement would be the section when the actor with the headphones starts to talk to the student and then the music comes back on. At that point I should have faded the music in and out as it was a sudden burst of music then it stopped again. Improving this would mean that the advert would be a lot smoother and consistent. 

After carefully watching my advert and analysing the results from the audience feedback I am happy with my advert. I believe that it met it's aim and the audience enjoyed it. The advert was entertaining but also realistic as it was set in a school and reflected the life of  student. Even though there are some improvements that could be made, the advert was successful and appealed to the right target audience. 

AS 3 - Task Five - Evaluation of the finished product

I have chosen to create and advert for headphones as I believed was a good market to go into. The target audience which was the the intentional audience was students aged between 16 and 25 as students are more likely use headphones to revise. We decided this because we known that students of this age are more likely to watch TV at the time we air our advert. The selling point for our advert humour and comedy as that was more likely to pull the audience in.

After we had done all of the filming and editing the next step to get audience feedback and comments. The ideas behind this was so that we could see what needed to be improved in our advert. To get these comments and feedback I held a focus group, which was very needed so that the information we got was in depth and I could ask further questions to gain more information. Ther next method I used a questionnaire on Survey Monkey, which was helpful when gaining information as it could be sent to a wide range of people, meaning more responses. Also it was short to the point so the information could be collated easily. The information gathhered was both qualitative and quantitative which was helpful as it meant we gained more than one type of information. The survey consisted off closed questions which were generally based around yes or no answers. Their was some open questions which asked for more detail about the respondents answer but required no more than a couple of words. An example of one of the questions was "Would you buy the headphones after seeing this advert?" which was a good a question as it helped us decide whether our advert hit it's main purpose which was to get the audience to buy the headphones. The quantitative data we collected was from thee focus group. This was very helpful as it meant I could ask why the focus group answered the way they did and therefore meant I gained more much information.

From the audience feedback I could see that most peoples enjoyed that advert and were convinced that those headphones were the best choice for them. My foccus group was mainly people from the older generation, which was out off the intended target audience. After asking them what they thought of the advert it came as a surpirse when they said that they'd enjoyed the advert and would go buy them if they were slightly younger. The younger people in my focus group said that they would buy the headphones as the advert appealed to them specifically. However, some people disliked the advert as they thought it was not clear on on what the aim of it was, and some of the older people stated that the music i used didn't appeal to them. I believe that the questions asked were useful as it let me get the information I needed to make my advert better once the focus group was over.

My opinion of the advert was that was that it promoted the product well and effectively. It was entertainiing but also got to the point without wasting time. However, because it was my advert, my opinion may be slightly biased compared to other people's apinions. If I could improve my advert I would spend more time putting the shots together more efectivly so that the point was clearer. Also I would change the way the shots were put together at the end as i don't think they went together as well as i'd firt thought. Overall I agree with the results I received from the both the focus group and the questionnaire.

I think that the advert was technically good as the shots used were varied and effective. We used a range off close ups and long distance shots to make the advert more enjoyable and the shots were steady as A tripod was used throughout. The idea behind the advert was good as it related to the lives of students and how studying feels to students. It is made clear throughout the advert what the product is we are trying to sel as the shots change between the student revising in the classroom and the other actor who is wearing the headphones. Also the music changes from loud to quiet throughtout to help emphasize our logo which was "Add a little colour to your life!".I think that it was a good idea as it relates to every student in both secondary school, sixth form, college and university, which means that they're are more likely to purchase the product.

The improvemnets that could be made if I had the chance are things such as the way the shots were put together and the design of them. If I could redo it I would make sure that the storyline was a lot clearer as the main problem that ocurred when I conducted my audience research was that the plot was not made entirely clear so a few of the focus group members were confused until the ned when it stated that the idea behind the advert was to sell headphones. Furthermore, I would make sure that I added iin a few more shots to ensure that the advert was as effective as it could be. Another improvement would be the section when the acter with the headphones starts to talk to the student and then the music comes back on. At that point I should have faded the music in as it was a sudden burst of music then it stopped again. Improving this would mean that the advert would be alot smoother and consistent.

After carefully watching my advert and analysing the results from the audience feedback I am happy with my advert. I believe that it achieved it;s goal and the audience enjoyed it. The advert was entertaining but also realistic as it was set in a school and reflected the life of  student. Even though their are some improvements that could be made, the advert was successful and appealed to the right target audience.

Thursday 4 June 2015

AS 3 - Task Four - Screening



The questions I asked for  my screening were;

1. Did you like my advert?
-> Yes, it was very entertaining

2. What was appealing about the advert, would you buy the headphones?
-> No because I don't think they are for my age group,  maybe if I was a bit younger
-> Personally I think I'd buy them as I saw the younger people in the advert
-> They're very appealing

3. If you could rate it out of 10, what would you give it?
-> 7
-> 7

4. If you could improve any part of it what would you improve?
-> Music should have been added when the character put on the headphones, other actors voice should have overpowered the music, too bland
-> Voice over was not clear enough, brand of the headphone should be more obvious
-> Narrative was clear but the clip should have been a lot quicker and the voice should have been changer to emphasise the change of emotion
-> Idea and concept is very clear, thought process worked really well
-> A lot quicker and clearer, main actor should have been crying to show how tired he was, it wasn't made clear what was wrong with him

The method I used to collect the audience feedback for my advert was through a focus group as it was a good way of collecting qualitative data that could be easily analysed. The pros of this method are that it means I can get detailed information which would help me when improving my advert. Additionally Having the focus group in front of me meant that I could ask further questions if I needed any more information which would also help me when making improvements on my advert. The cons of this method are that because there is a lot more information, when analysing I have to make sure that I write down all the comments made and there is a chance I will miss some information as there is a lot of it. The age of people in my focus group ranged from 17 to around 50, which was not my intended target audience, so the cons of this are that the older people did not enjoy the advert as much as the younger respondents did, meaning my results can't be generalised to the whole target audience, and therefore may not be entirely reliable. If I was to do it again I would make improvements by asking a wider range of questions and asking the focus groups to expand on their answers so that I had more information to analyse.

Wednesday 3 June 2015

AS 3 - Task Three - Soures of Information

Before starting the process of creating my advert I made sure that I had carefully planned and pre-produced all the documents necessary to create a good advert that appealed to my target audience. The planning ensured that I didn't miss out any key elements that would be vital when creating my advert. In the planning process I wrote notes on paper and created a storyboard with different ideas on how to create my advert. I also done significant research into my chosen area to help with my ideas and to decide which area was best to go into when creating an advert. Finally, spoke with my group and collectively we decided that out of all the products we wanted to advertise, headphones were the best.

Proposal

The proposal of my advert was an important part in the production stage of making the advert. By conducting a proposal I could see whether or not my ideas were interesting enough that they'd appeal to a number of audience members and target groups. In the proposal I outlined the ideas for my advert and how I would benefit all audience members. I made sure that I explained how I got my ideas, which was through the use of market research and research into other existing adverts on the same product. I also explained why my advert is different to other adverts on the same product, and why my product, which was Headphones, was a good market to go into when creating adverts. I could have improved my proposal by explaining that I had a range of different ideas and decided which method to choose after talking with my group. Additionally I could've introduced a range of different ideas for certain shots, for example instead of saying a close up, I could have explained why I wanted to use that shot type and why I think it would've been effective.

Storyboard

Storyboarding my advert was very important as it plays a vital role when organising how the advert will work and what it will look like when it is complete. The storyboard helped me decide how I would edit my advert as it allowed me to experiment with a range of shots to work out which one would work best. Using a storyboard provides a visual idea of what the finished advert will look like and therefore allowed me to see in advance which shots would work well together, it also meant I could understand how to create the shot. Throughout the production stage of my advert, the storyboard is one of the documents I returned to most often as it acted as a guideline on how to create the advert. However, to improve I could've added in a wider range of shots. Most of my shots consisted of long/wide shots and close ups, before I finished the final product I could have experimented with a range of shots to determine which shot had the best effect. Furthermore, I could have followed the storyboard a lot better. My finished advert was different to the original ideas we came up with initially, this meant that the filming of the advert was slightly rushed and not to the best standard it could have been.

Shooting schedule and shot list

Having a shooting schedule and a shot list was important when creating my advert as it helped us to stay on track with the different scenes we needed to shoot and where. We used the shot list more than the shooting schedule as the shot list was a good way of organising the shots and it helped us decide how many shots we could do at once. I also included the different shots I was going to include when i filmed in certain places. Having the shot list meant that it was easier to carry round and it was more precise than the storyboard and it was more organised. The shooting schedule wasn't used as often as it wasn't as clear and as precise as the shot list. It didn't specify which shots were needed and where they would take place.

Location visit and risk assessment

Planning the location that we were going to film at was important as we needed to make sure there would be enough space and permission was granted. The production visit included a map of the area and the different routes that take you to the location, we filmed our advert at school so I included a map of the local area. If I was apart of a larger recording company the location sheet would have been highly necessary as the actors would need to know how to get to the correct location. Within the location visit sheet I added in some health and safety issues that may have occurred when filming, for example there was a risk of slipping over or falling down the stairs. I then added in potential filming problems and created a risk assessment sheet to ensure that all areas of concern were covered and what to do if a problem arose. In the risk assessment I outlined the potential hazards such as ear damage from the headphones and slipping and said who would be at risk if that happened. I then calculated the likelihood of the hazard and the risk level to make sure that every shot we took was safe for both the cast and crew. After completing the risk assessment I was able to manage the risk and ensure every ones safety. However, I could have improved the risk assessment by being more precise with the risk level and making sure i covered every hazard.

Cast and crew contact details and budget

As I am not a professional recorder the cast and crew details were not as important in the production stage of my advert. The advert was filmed in a school and all actors and actresses were members of the school society so contact with them was not as important. However it was important that I had the contact details of the people in my advert to make sure that if someone was missing or there was a change of plans then they could be contacted easily. We also had to make sure that we set ourselves a budget for the production to ensure that if the equipment was damaged we could pay for repair, and to also help us pay for props we needed in our advert. The budget we set for ourselves was £1000 which we felt covered the cost of the camera, tripod and SD card, props and any additional costs.

Conclusion

In conclusion I think that pre-production planing is highly important when creating an advert or production as it organises it making sure that it runs smoothly, the pre-production process helped to make sure my advert worked and that everything went to plan. There are, however, some improvements I would make if i had to do it again. Firstly, I'd make sure my storyboard was more precise and showed exactly what I was going to do. Also, I would organise my documents more carefully to make sure that they were more helpful, and I would try to use all of the documents rather than a select few.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

AS 3 - Task One - Pre-production


Proposal
Prepared by
Sarah, Talha and Emmanuel

·       The aim of our advert is to get people to purchase our headphones
·       Our target audience is students between 16 and 25
·       People revising in the classroom and everyone is happy except for one person
·       A famous face walks into the classroom and is immediately recognised by everyone in the class apart from one student
·       Everyone approaches the famous person and he is wearing the headphones
·       One student does not notice and continues to sit down and revise
·       The famous person goes towards the student and asks what’s wrong
·       They talk to each other and the famous person gives the student the headphones
·       We see a change of emotion in the student
·       The famous person leaves the classroom
·       We then add in our logo



Production Budget


Item
Cost
Camera – Sony PMW-200
Mic – Sony XLR-K1M XLR
Tripod – Dolly & Track
Books – English books
Stationary –
SD Card
Costumes
£204 for Two days

£86 for Two days

£74 For Two days

£10

£10

£5
 £110
£499


Total Production Budget:

£1000

Shooting Schedule
Day
Scene
Location
Equipment
Costumes
Props
Cast +Crew



1
Class room
School
Camera
Tripod
Jeans
Polo Shirt
Hat
Shoes
Coat
Dress
Trousers
Headphones
Boots
Stationary
Students
Emmanuel
Talha
Camera Woman



2
Crowd
School
Camera
Tripod
Jeans
Polo Shirt
Hat
Shoes
Coat
Jewellery
Headphones

Emmanuel
Camera Woman



3
Extra Shots
School
Camera
Tripod



  
Location Visit Sheet

Programme Title: SMS Headphone Group
Client: Talha Latif
Writer: Emmanuel Odunaike
Producer: Sarah Rochford
Director: Sarah Rochford
Date: 01/05/2015



Rough Sketch/Explanation of location and key points to note
-       Opposite Iceland supermarket
-        Main entrance down Tenterden Road
Access to location via:
-        173 bus towards King George Hospital
-        Walk
Name and number of location contact:
- Sarah (producer): 07345678912
 Health and Safety Issues to note:
      Possibility of slipping or tripping
      Stairs – Possibility of falling down them or tripping up them
      Ear damage – Music may be too loud
Potential Filming Problems:
      Other students in the shot
      Transport problems- bus may be late
      Lighting- May not have the right lighting, dark shots
      Technology might break down
      Permission from head teacher and classroom teacher
Additional Notes:  (map of area/weather forecast etc)

  

Production Schedule
Cast and Crew Contact Details

Programme Title: SMS Headphone Group
Client: Sarah Rochford
Writer: Emmanuel Odunaike
Date: 01/05/2015


Name/Role
Mobile Telephone Number
Home Telephone Number
Michael – Pupil
Gemma – Pupil
Sophie – Pupil
Abigail – Pupil
Jonny – Pupil
Benjamin – Pupil
Sarah – Camera Operator
Emmanuel – Main actor
Talha – Director
07417679192
07914681241
07959478418
07943961892
07773942986
07345678912
07344567891
07891230421
07543219870
02081598412
02089876217
02082329847
02081234567
02089876543
02086473826
02089375546
02089376524
02081139876


Risk Assessment
Group Members: Sarah, Talha and Emmanuel                                                                                   Location: Robert Clack School
Hazard
Person(s) at Risk
Likelihood of Hazard
1 – Extremely Unlikely
5 – Extremely Likely
Severity of Hazard Outcomes
1 – Very Low Risk
5 – Very High Risk
Risk Level
(Likelihood + Severity)
2
Measures to Take to Manage Risk
Risk Managed?
Y/N
Slipping and tripping
Crew and Cast
3
3
3
-Make sure the floor isn’t wet
-No objects in the way
Yes
Ear Damage
Crew and Cast
2
3
2.5
-Make sure volume is at a safe level
Yes
Stairs
Main Actor
3
3
3
-Make sure they hold the handrail
Yes








Contacts
Emergency Service:  02085432675   
Robert Clack School: 02085679843
   
Other Contacts:            07987365421


Shot List

Scene
Shot Number
Description
Classroom













Corridor
1
2
3
4
8
9
13
14
15
16
17
19
20
21

5
6
7
10
11
12
18
Close Up – Facing a clock on a wall and Ticking noises
Wide Shot – students revising, black and white scene
Close Up – Turing the page, Black and white scene
Mid Shot – Turing the page, looking at the students
Wide Shot – Looking at students, cheering
Mid shot – Looking at students, cheering, black and white
Wide shot – Faint music, fade to colour, looking at students
Close up – Music sound increasing, colour background
360 tracking shot – Loud music, all students dancing in colours
Slow motion – all students dancing in colours
Close up – Faint music, ticking of clock, colour
Wide shot – Clock ticking, page turning, fade to black and white
Close up – Page turning, black and white
Mid shot – Clock ticking, page turning, black and white

Extreme close up – Feet walking down corridor
Over the shoulder – Faint music, walking down the corridor, colour
Close up – Door handle, faint music, door opening
Close up – Music, camera moving slowly up, colour
Close up – Music, camera still moving up
Close up – Music, Camera shows face, colour
Mid shot – Faint music, colour, student leaving room


Costumes and Props

Character Name: 50 Cent – Curtis James Jackson


Costume:
-       Black Jeans
-       Polo shirt – white
-       Hat – tiger strips with feather
-       Shoes – white trainers
-       Coat- furry







Props: Headphones
-       pinky rings
-       Expensive belt
-       Chains
Character Name: Sixth form student

Costume:
-       Formal clothes
-       Smart trousers –black
-       Different colour shirt
-       Black point shoes







Props:
-       Revision book
-       Pencil
-       Pens
-       Rulers

Character Name: other student

Costume:
-       Formal cloth
-       Smart- trousers –black
-       Black pointy shoes
-       White colour shirt







Props:
-Revision books
- Stationary