Friday, April 17, 2020
Commercial and CCR
CCR
Name: Autumn Green
Creative Critical Reflection
How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?
Conventions are the normal things that are seen and are expected to be seen in a product being advertised. Before I could start any work on the commercial the first thing that I had to do was research on the conventions that are found for my product. Some of the conventions that we found were, the type of audience the commercial is directed to, the use of celebrities to promote the product more, or the use of bright colors and the environment outside to show off the kind of area you would normally see an athlete in. We followed most of the conventions that we found from the research including the use of the environment outside. Our scenes were set up on the patio outside as well as a softball field. Another thing that we used was the audience it was directed towards. We wanted the audience to be athletes as well as students, so we put in characters that related to the audience. The commercial showcased two athletes and one student and the effects that Gatorade had on each. One convention that we did not follow was the use of celebrities to promote the product. We used ourselves as the actors and none of us are celebrities. When looking at the commercial at a deeper angle we bring along diversity in terms of the activities done and the people doing the activities. The activities consisted of percussion, dancing and studying and the different people represented different cultural backgrounds. The reason for this was to bring attention to the fact that any sport and any person could be included no matter how strange the sport is or the skin color of that person. Showing diversity was good to step due to the recent events in the media discussing the diversity that some companies use to advertise their products.
2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?
The product that my group and I chose appeals to student-athletes and just regular athletes. We decided to target that audience because the ingredients used in Gatorade is used to replenish an athlete after a workout. Our storyline showcases different students doing different activities like participating in a band or doing school work after a tiring day of school activities. The actors take a sip of the drink and they are instantly energized to move on through the workout and school work. Now the drink doesn’t actually energize you but it replenishes the nutrients in our body that aids in giving us the energy to push on through the day.
When looking at the ways a product can be distributed, there are multiple ways it can be distributed: home exhibition, at film festivals, or theater exhibition. The best way to get the product out to the audience would be by home exhibition. This would be on a specific network or streaming site. So if I was in charge of distribution I would make sure that my commercial is being aired on all the big networks like ABC, or NBC, even FOX. I would also want to air it when the popular shows are airing. So maybe between 7 and 8 o'clock p.m.. Another way of distribution is on streaming sites. The biggest site would be Hulu. So I would air it there. This has recently been a trend but, Youtube is also a great way to get the commercial to the public. When YouTubers put up their video they can use commercials as a way to earn money. As a last resort, I would turn to social media like Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I would probably be able to reach the most people by social media. I do, however, know that commercials cost money to put up so to help that I would probably air the commercial about 4 times on each platform to get the word out.
3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
When I first started this project I had no idea how the production process work; I just knew that I loved watching movies and that I was always interested in how the movie was made. That’s partly the reason that I signed up for this media class. Once I joined the class the first thing that we did was take notes on the different camera angles, movements, sounds and editing. I was really interested to learn about the different editing styles like a jump cut, or reaction shots, or even action match. The next thing that we learned about was the five stages of production. That’s where I really learned how the process of a movie works. We had a day in class where we discussed the development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution process. The most important thing that I took away from the lesson that day was all the steps that have to be taken in production. This includes the filming of the footage, recording any sounds, and recording any voice overs. It really gave me a perspective of how much actually goes into a movie.
Of course, a person learns more when they apply what they have learned in real life, and that’s exactly what happened. The planning, shooting, and editing of this commercial has really put my knowledge to the test. The first thing that we did was plan out what our commercial was about. We decided to do it on Gatorade to better appeal to the athletes and younger audience. We had to do our storyboarding which was easy since my group and I had the same vision for the commercial. The next thing was bringing our drawings to life. Upon shooting our first scene we realized that we would have to shoot the scene multiple times to make sure that we got a good shot of each scene. We started to get the hang of things and before we knew it we were able to get all our footage in one day. When it came to the editing process, we had a lot of technical difficulties in terms of the editing program working with our school computer but eventually, we were able to start editing. All in all, through the use of taking notes, learning about the production process and actually applying what I learned, my production skills have improved from beginner to expert!
4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
Integrating technology was the easy part of this project. The first thing that we used were the cameras, tripods and SD cards; We used the camera to film the different scenes; We used the tripod to help us hold the camera so we could get the different angles that we needed for the commercial; And, we used the Sd card so that the footage was backed up onto something. The next things that we used were the school computers and the software, Pinnacle Studios. Before we could start any type of editing we had to store the footage on the computer. To do that we used an Sd card reader then moved all of our footage from the Sd card to the computer. After that, we made a folder on the computer and put the footage in there. Once the footage was on the computer we had to input it into pinnacle studios. That took a while but once that was done we were finally able to start the editing process using the software program. With the pinnacle studios, we were able to add effects like a split-screen or add transitions and text to the commercial. Pinnacle studios is really what brought our vision to life.
Creative Critical Reflection
How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?
Conventions are the normal things that are seen and are expected to be seen in a product being advertised. Before I could start any work on the commercial the first thing that I had to do was research on the conventions that are found for my product. Some of the conventions that we found were, the type of audience the commercial is directed to, the use of celebrities to promote the product more, or the use of bright colors and the environment outside to show off the kind of area you would normally see an athlete in. We followed most of the conventions that we found from the research including the use of the environment outside. Our scenes were set up on the patio outside as well as a softball field. Another thing that we used was the audience it was directed towards. We wanted the audience to be athletes as well as students, so we put in characters that related to the audience. The commercial showcased two athletes and one student and the effects that Gatorade had on each. One convention that we did not follow was the use of celebrities to promote the product. We used ourselves as the actors and none of us are celebrities. When looking at the commercial at a deeper angle we bring along diversity in terms of the activities done and the people doing the activities. The activities consisted of percussion, dancing and studying and the different people represented different cultural backgrounds. The reason for this was to bring attention to the fact that any sport and any person could be included no matter how strange the sport is or the skin color of that person. Showing diversity was good to step due to the recent events in the media discussing the diversity that some companies use to advertise their products.
2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?
The product that my group and I chose appeals to student-athletes and just regular athletes. We decided to target that audience because the ingredients used in Gatorade is used to replenish an athlete after a workout. Our storyline showcases different students doing different activities like participating in a band or doing school work after a tiring day of school activities. The actors take a sip of the drink and they are instantly energized to move on through the workout and school work. Now the drink doesn’t actually energize you but it replenishes the nutrients in our body that aids in giving us the energy to push on through the day.
When looking at the ways a product can be distributed, there are multiple ways it can be distributed: home exhibition, at film festivals, or theater exhibition. The best way to get the product out to the audience would be by home exhibition. This would be on a specific network or streaming site. So if I was in charge of distribution I would make sure that my commercial is being aired on all the big networks like ABC, or NBC, even FOX. I would also want to air it when the popular shows are airing. So maybe between 7 and 8 o'clock p.m.. Another way of distribution is on streaming sites. The biggest site would be Hulu. So I would air it there. This has recently been a trend but, Youtube is also a great way to get the commercial to the public. When YouTubers put up their video they can use commercials as a way to earn money. As a last resort, I would turn to social media like Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I would probably be able to reach the most people by social media. I do, however, know that commercials cost money to put up so to help that I would probably air the commercial about 4 times on each platform to get the word out.
3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
When I first started this project I had no idea how the production process work; I just knew that I loved watching movies and that I was always interested in how the movie was made. That’s partly the reason that I signed up for this media class. Once I joined the class the first thing that we did was take notes on the different camera angles, movements, sounds and editing. I was really interested to learn about the different editing styles like a jump cut, or reaction shots, or even action match. The next thing that we learned about was the five stages of production. That’s where I really learned how the process of a movie works. We had a day in class where we discussed the development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution process. The most important thing that I took away from the lesson that day was all the steps that have to be taken in production. This includes the filming of the footage, recording any sounds, and recording any voice overs. It really gave me a perspective of how much actually goes into a movie.
Of course, a person learns more when they apply what they have learned in real life, and that’s exactly what happened. The planning, shooting, and editing of this commercial has really put my knowledge to the test. The first thing that we did was plan out what our commercial was about. We decided to do it on Gatorade to better appeal to the athletes and younger audience. We had to do our storyboarding which was easy since my group and I had the same vision for the commercial. The next thing was bringing our drawings to life. Upon shooting our first scene we realized that we would have to shoot the scene multiple times to make sure that we got a good shot of each scene. We started to get the hang of things and before we knew it we were able to get all our footage in one day. When it came to the editing process, we had a lot of technical difficulties in terms of the editing program working with our school computer but eventually, we were able to start editing. All in all, through the use of taking notes, learning about the production process and actually applying what I learned, my production skills have improved from beginner to expert!
4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
Integrating technology was the easy part of this project. The first thing that we used were the cameras, tripods and SD cards; We used the camera to film the different scenes; We used the tripod to help us hold the camera so we could get the different angles that we needed for the commercial; And, we used the Sd card so that the footage was backed up onto something. The next things that we used were the school computers and the software, Pinnacle Studios. Before we could start any type of editing we had to store the footage on the computer. To do that we used an Sd card reader then moved all of our footage from the Sd card to the computer. After that, we made a folder on the computer and put the footage in there. Once the footage was on the computer we had to input it into pinnacle studios. That took a while but once that was done we were finally able to start the editing process using the software program. With the pinnacle studios, we were able to add effects like a split-screen or add transitions and text to the commercial. Pinnacle studios is really what brought our vision to life.
Friday, March 20, 2020
I Know I'm Not The Only One
As we continue to hear news updates on the coronavirus, we are practicing social distancing. Many places are closing down and the most recent one has been in the movie industry. AMC, the largest cinema chain, closed its theaters up. This following the Regal Cinema. These companies were trying to follow the CDC regulations of limiting gatherings to ten people or less. However, due to theaters closing, some of the biggest movie releases have been delayed. An example would be "Antebellum" the horror movie starring Janelle Monae which was set to be released on April 24th has now been pulled with no new release date. Another example would be the anticipated release "Mulan" which is supposed to release on March 27th. The point that I am trying to make is everyone is being affected by the situation even the filmmaking industry. I was actually excited to see the Mulan movie.
With the movie not being released when it's supposed to, it can cause damages in terms of finances. It will take more money to release the movies at a later date. However, some studios are trying to be innovative. They are testing out an early jump on video- on demand so that movies will still be able to be seen by the public. I think that it is a good idea to try to get movies out faster. But I think it will end up costing more money to try and let the movie out now instead of holding off on the release.
With the movie not being released when it's supposed to, it can cause damages in terms of finances. It will take more money to release the movies at a later date. However, some studios are trying to be innovative. They are testing out an early jump on video- on demand so that movies will still be able to be seen by the public. I think that it is a good idea to try to get movies out faster. But I think it will end up costing more money to try and let the movie out now instead of holding off on the release.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
How Did We Get Here!
Well, a lot has happened from the last time since I have blogged. As seen in my previous blogs I have been scheduling my reshoots and editing, but never actually getting to do it. I figured that with this spring break coming up I would have plenty of time to work. However, another external factor has me not filming. By now you surely know about the coronavirus formally known as " CODIV-19". It has had a major impact on our lives. It has affected me personally by causing a disruption in my education. The superintendent originally closed school a week early so we had two weeks off, then he moved the date we go back to school on April the 13th. Now we have to adjust our schedule because we still have to study for our end of the year exams. In terms of filming. Because a lot of places are closing it makes it harder for me to actually refilm some of my scenes. Not only has it affected my education but it has affected my senior life in general. My senior activities like prom or our senior brunch have been canceled. However, that is not my main concern. They have not said it yet, but there are other schools who are canceling their graduation. I will be really bummed if my graduation gets canceled because it has been all I have been looking forward to since I came to high school. Regardless life must go on. In times like these, we must keep hope that things will get better. In the midst of bad news, there are a couple good things. Many people have been able to recover from the virus, as well as some bodies of water have been cleared from pollution.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
There's still time
So from the schedule that I had from Monday, I filmed nothing on the days I was supposed to. But there is a good reason. I recently found out that our movie was due on April 9th. And before you start thinking I'm going to wait till the last minute, I made a promise to myself that I would not. I just moved up when I was going to do my filming. I plan on filming my movie over spring break. However, there is one little problem. I have to return the schools' camera and tripod by Monday, March 16th. But I have a solution to the problem. I plan on filming on an iPhone this time. And I know what your thinking once again, "I thought that didn't work the last time?" Well, the reason it did not work is that I was using an iPhone while trying to edit on my windows computer. So things were not transferring over easily. I plan to solve this problem by using an apple computer this time. My sister is kind of enough to give me her mac book air, over spring break so by the time I finish filming again I can finally edit.
In the meantime, I also have to think about my CCR which is also due on April 9th. I have my idea though I just need to film it. What I plan on doing is doing an interview like how the late-night show host does it. I want it to be very comical while also getting the points I need to across. So I will set up a table and two chairs and have my friends interview on the process while also inserting some footage of my experience.
In the meantime, I also have to think about my CCR which is also due on April 9th. I have my idea though I just need to film it. What I plan on doing is doing an interview like how the late-night show host does it. I want it to be very comical while also getting the points I need to across. So I will set up a table and two chairs and have my friends interview on the process while also inserting some footage of my experience.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Starting from the bottom
I have been pretty busy since the last time that I turned a blog in. School is now coming up to an end and I have to think of things such as college and my graduation. In the midst of all of it, I make time because I actually like this class. Pertaining to this class, I have some work to do. When we were doing peer reviews, I enjoyed watching another person's film, but it made me realize that my film needs a lot of work. One of the things that I noticed is I need more camera angles, I have about 3 different ones. This means that this week I need to reshoot and get the camera at different angles of some scenes. Another thing I need to do is add dialogue. Most of my film is music covering dialogue and I have to lower the music and let the dialogue be heard. The only reason I did that is that there is background noise that I did not know how to get rid of. So I also have to redo my voiceovers and dialogue.
After reflecting on my own film I decided to create some new filming days. I am hoping that if all goes planned, I can film tomorrow. I plan on doing my voice-overs and dialogue on Wednesday, Thursday we continue reshoots, then I plan to start editing on Thursday and Friday. I just have to be wary because I work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, if I feel as though I am being overwhelmed I will have to call out so I can get this film down. In the last couple of my blogs, I have been talking about how hard it is to juggle everything that I am doing. So to help myself with the load, I take a break, take a few deep breaths and remind myself that there is a reason for me doing all of this. I am saying this because this is the positive attitude I am going into this week with.
After reflecting on my own film I decided to create some new filming days. I am hoping that if all goes planned, I can film tomorrow. I plan on doing my voice-overs and dialogue on Wednesday, Thursday we continue reshoots, then I plan to start editing on Thursday and Friday. I just have to be wary because I work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, if I feel as though I am being overwhelmed I will have to call out so I can get this film down. In the last couple of my blogs, I have been talking about how hard it is to juggle everything that I am doing. So to help myself with the load, I take a break, take a few deep breaths and remind myself that there is a reason for me doing all of this. I am saying this because this is the positive attitude I am going into this week with.
I got my tassel for graduation and that is what motivates me to keep pushing
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Peer review
I got to peer review a scary movie and I have to say, it was pretty interesting. I liked the plot of the story that they had. It definitely grabs the viewer's attention. Another thing that I liked was the camera angles and movements that they used. They were able to incorporate many angles and movements which added to the effect of how the movie should feel. They had good lighting all throughout the film so we were able to see them. My favorite part would have to be the props and makeup that they had. They had a scene where the killer wrote words in blood. They also had a scene where they showed a girl in a bathtub with blood all over her. They way they placed the note and the blood fit perfectly. However, there are a couple things that they could improve on. To start off the video was very choppy, it felt like I was watching different takes with no transitions. You could definitely see when one take was done and another started. A suggestion I would make is to add more transitions into the film so that it flows better. Another thing that I noticed was the sound. Some scenes the non-diegetic sounds would not match up with the diegetic sounds. To help with that I would suggest to level out the sounds, it was really the background noise that was mixing with the music so maybe turn down the background noise or turn up the music.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)