Final Production

Edit Evidence and Evaluation

Brief structure for Final Cut

New Structure: 'Community Islam'

-      - Opening sequence

-      - What is Deen relief

-      - Why he set it up

-      - How religion plays a part in his life

-      - Zakat- Imam etc.

-      - More about Deen, Muslim community response…

-      - Facebook, future…

Organisation of Files 2

Production Diary

Production Diary:

Thursday 2nd March 2017

First point of contact with the Whitehawk food bank. I had emailed many foodbanks prior to this, but they all rejected the prospect of filming because of the sensitivity of the issue. However, I had been advised by FareShare Sussex, a food bank distributor for Sussex, that the Whitehawk foodbank were pretty media friendly and may be willing to film.
At this point, I was planning to make the film about the role of food banks in our society:
Hello,

I’m a media student from BHASVIC, and I’ve decided to base my final project on the importance of food banks in our society and why their use is so high at the moment.

I understand it can be quite overpowering walking into a safe space with vulnerable people with a camera, so I’m more than happy to come along and help for a few weeks prior to filming.

I’ve been referred to you by FareShare Sussex, hopefully you can help. It would be much appreciated - I believe it’s important to highlight the role of organizations like yourself, and I hope to reflect this in my short 3-5 minute documentary

Look forward to hearing from you, it would be great if we could work something out!

Thanks,

Eva

I received this email in reply:

Hi Eva

Good to hear from you about your final project.  We'd be really happy to meet with you to discuss it.

The foodbank runs every Wednesday between 12-2pm so perhaps you could come and visit us in the coming weeks and we can see how to proceed with your idea.  Another thing of interest for you is that we may be being interviewed by the BBC on Wednesday 15th March; I can let you know for sure once it's confirmed.

Let me know when you'd be able to pop in.  We are based at St Cuthman's Church on Whitehawk Way.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Kate Tennant
Foodbank Coordinator

Wednesday 8^th March 2017

I visited the Whitehawk food bank, from 12-2pm. The staff were extremely friendly and I spoke to some clients who would be willing to be filmed. I also spoke to the food bank manager, who spent a lot of time showing me the accounts and usage of the foodbank- how many people had visited in the last year, where their main donations were sourced, etc. I asked lots of questions and found out about all the services of which they offer, such as debt advice and benefit advice. They invited me to join their prayer which the workers and volunteers conduct prior to the opening of the food bank. I was a little taken back by this procedure, as I had never experienced prayer like this. When I left, I was thinking about how I could extend my idea of ‘food banks in our society’ to be more interesting. I decided that I didn’t have quite enough to work on, so I decided to change the idea to how faith groups act in our society through different charitable organizations.

14^th March 2017

I wanted a Muslim charity on board, so I emailed Brighton mosque:

Hi,
I'm a media student from BHASVIC hoping to make a short documentary about how various faith organizations and religious groups live out their faith and beliefs in our society.
For example, I have filmed a Christian food bank and I hope to get some more footage of other religious charities, groups or even individuals explaining how their religious beliefs and morals feed in to their daily life and practices.
I hope to portray religion as a positive and hopeful aspect to many of our lives and our society.
If you know of any Muslim charities in Brighton who would be happy to speak to me that would be great, or even anyone at your mosque who would be willing to explain how their religion affects their daily life, and how they put their faith into action.
I am happy to come by for a chat if you're interested, I would be very grateful for any help.
Many thanks,
Eva McQuade
I Also spoke to a friend of mine who is a Muslim, and she said that her brother works for a Muslim charity in Brighton. She said she would contact him for me and find out the details of this charity so that I could get in touch.

20^th March 2017

I wanted to get a Jewish community on board too, so I emailed Brighton progressive synagogue (a very similar email to those I have attached above when I first approached the food bank and Deen relief) and I got this reply:
Hello Eva

I would be happy to be interviewed. I am available the next two Wednesdays at the synagogue, 6 Lansdowne Place, Hove, between 11am and 3.30pm.

Please let me know if either of these days are convenient. If not we can discuss alternatives.


 Best wishes
 Michael Austin
 

21st March 2017

My friend told me that the charity was called ‘Deen relief’ and an email which I could use get in touch with them. I sent them the following:
Hello,
I've been put in touch with you via Mohamed Ahmed, who I believe works with your charity.
I am a media student from BHASVIC college, making a documentary about how different religions and faith organizations live out their faith in society. For example, I am filming a Christian food bank and I am visiting a synagogue tomorrow to talk about their charity work.
It would be great to find out more about your charity and how your Muslim values play into your work. I believe the Zakat pillar is integral to Islam, and I'd like to find out more about that and the work that you do.
I hope to portray religion as a positive aspect to many of our lives and to the society we live in.
It would be great to find out about any current or up-and-coming projects you may have in Brighton, I understand you have done quite a lot of work with the homeless. If there's nothing local that you're currently aware of that I could film, an interview with a volunteer who works for Deen relief would be really great for my documentary too.
Hopefully we can organize something, it would be much appreciated!
Many thanks,
Eva McQuade

22^nd March 2017

Today I went and visited the Progressive synagogue. Everyone there was very friendly, but It was difficult to find anything that would work with the direction of my film. I tried to find out about the community and charity work they did, but I got the impression there wasn’t much going on. I was there for a good two hours, and I received a deep insight to the history of Judaism and a detailed tour of the synagogue. They had various projects such as interfaith groups and working for Palestinian solidarity in Israel, but I felt as though there wasn’t a solid ‘charity’ as such I would be able to film. They had a small donation box of which they gave food to ‘Brighton voices in exile’ each week, and I tried to dig further on their work with refugees but I gathered it didn’t really go further than that. Needless to say, I got loads of delicious free food and a great understanding of the history and practices of Judaism. What was quite interesting, I found, was a conversation I had with a lady about how the churches are funded by the government, so a lot of the Christian charities and projects have heavy financial support. However, she said the reason why I can’t find much for the Jews is because they run totally on donations.

25^th March 2017

I received this email from Shabek Ali
Hi Eva
I am Shabek Ali the Director of Deen Relief Charity, thank you for contacting us, we would certainly love to help you with your project and I`m sure we 
Would have a good input in your work with the various Charity project that operate under our charity through the work of the trustees and volunteers.
Perhaps you could meet us on the Hove seafront by Peace Statue on a Sunday evening at 7pm and maybe film myself and the volunteers handing out food to our local homeless.
Or whatever is convenient for you, like I said myself and other member of the community would like to help you.
Please contact me on

Phone;  07795573387 or Email info@deenrelief.org
Looking forward to hearing from you
Kind regards
Shabek Ali

Sunday 2^nd April 2017

I visited Deen relief charity at 6.45pm outside the peace statue. I was not filming, but rather I introduced myself and helped them on their weekly actions to provide food, drink and a hot meal for the homeless. We gave out food and afterwards drove around in Shabek’s (founder of the charity) taxi and delivered food to the homeless around Brighton. It was a chance for me to introduce myself, understand more about the charity and arrange filming. I am to return on Sunday 16^th April to film them.

Friday 7^th April 2017

I visited the Buddhist center in Brighton to ask if they would be willing to participate in my film. I spoke to a woman for a good half an hour and she said they could help, and she passed my email address on to their most prestigious monk who runs their community projects/classes.

Wednesday 12^th April 2017

Today I went to the Whitehawk foodbank. I had already visited a few weeks ago and I had let them know I was coming today to film. Unfortunately, I arrived a little late so I wasn’t able to film their prayer which the staff and volunteers conduct prior to the clients arrive. However, I filmed 2 interviews, one with the manager of the foodbank and another with a member of staff. The interviews went well but I was wary of sound. I conducted one with the clip-on mic, but afterwards when I listened to it back the sound seemed a little corrupted. I realized this was because I didn’t have the small piece of foam which covers the mic to prevent the sound being damaged. So, I decided to conduct the second interview without the clip-on mic. Although it sounded a little distant and had a slight echo, I realized that for the rest of my documentary I wouldn’t risk using the clip-on mic and I’d just use the one that comes with the camera. I will try to fix the corrupted sound in the first interview during the post production process, because I didn’t want to hassle the manager again. If I am unsuccessful, I will return and interview a volunteer at the foodbank. Throughout the day, I wondered around and filmed some cut away shots which I could place over the interviews. A few of the clients didn’t want to be filmed, so I took special care to respect this and asked clients nicely if they’d let me film then. Overall, it was a successful day of filming. I arrived at the foodbank at around 12pm and left at 2.45.
(Note- when I reviewed my footage during the completion of the rushes, the sounds wasn’t corrupted, and it just sounded like that because I was playing it off the camera)

Sunday 16^th April 2017

I arrived at Medina mosque at 5 o clock. Ali had not yet arrived, so I called him and within 10 minutes he was there. First, we went to the local store ‘Taj’ to pick up the food which would later be distributed to the homeless. I filmed him collecting the food, met the owner of the shop and lots of Ali’s other friends. Then, we went back to the mosque so that we could conduct the interview. Upon returning to the mosque, I met with Bernadette, who I had met before, and we tried to find somewhere to film the interview. We went to the top floor which was empty and I set up the camera on the tripod. Once again the interview went well, but it was a shame the lighting wasn’t brighter. This was because it was a gloomy day and we had to rely on artificial lighting. Also, luckily we had just finished the interview but I found out that my memory card was full. This was because my laptop was broken, which I’d normally take any footage off the SD card and put it onto my hard drive. Luckily, there was an internet café 5 minutes away from the mosque so I could buy a new one. I came back, then we sat upstairs for a little bit, eating biryani and talking with two young Egyptian volunteers about the teachings of Islam. Then we went down to the peace statue in hove, and I filmed cut away shots of the Ali and his volunteers giving food to the homeless. However, with the new SD card I had bought, it only let me film for 13 seconds and then it would stop. Luckily, I was only filming cut away shots so I could work around it, but it was incredibly frustrating and as soon as I got home I googled and fixed the problem. I was lucky that didn’t occur during the interview.

Wednesday 19^th April 2017

Today I returned to the food bank to film the prayer. I arrived at 11.30, filmed the prayer (11.40-50) and left at 12. I was able to stand in the middle of the circle of prayer which was great - I could get some great shots of their faces. However, due to the fact I had to change the settings on the SD card so that I could film for longer lengths of time, I noticed afterwards that the video quality was not as good as before. Next time I film, I will use the first SD card and change the video settings back to how they were previously.

Thursday 20^th April 2017

Still haven’t heard from the Buddhist centre, so I dropped them an email. (still haven’t heard from them)
 I’ve also arranged to re-shoot the interview with Ali on Sunday 7^th May, as when I looked back through my rushes I realized that the quality of the lighting was unacceptable. He has also agreed to allow me to film him praying, which would be a great addition to my film as I have also got the prayer at the foodbank documented.

      

      Saturday 22^nd April 2017

      I created my premiere pro file and imported my files which I had already organized (see organization of files) I marked the prayer and Doug’s interview in different sequences so I could easily reference them when it came to the final edit.

     Sunday 7^th May 2017

     Today I visited Ali again, I got a much better interview in his car, so that there was natural lighting. The sound quality was also much better because I used a clip-on mic.  I also filmed him praying, and although it was inside the mosque of which I have encountered lighting problems before, it was still a great opportunity. I also got some lovely cut away shots of the volunteers handing out food. I encountered no problems.

     Tuesday 9^th May 2017 

     I imported and organized the last of the footage, and created a new sequence for Ali’s new interview and marked the parts which I would use in the final edit. I also marked Nicks interview, marking the parts where I felt he said something important which would be used in the final cut.

     I also looked online to find some appropriate music. After struggling on copyright free music websites, I looked on sound cloud as I remembered some of the tracks had the option of a free download. I found a song called ‘dreams’ which could work well with the film.

     I also looked for some media and press headlines to use in the intro.

     Wednesday 10^th May 2017

     I have decided to change my intro as I feel it would be better to start the film with a montage of the prayers and then go on to show the establishing shots and then the title page. I started editing my intro.

      Friday 12^th May 2017

     I was keen to learn a new skill for my intro, so I tried to create a title sequence on after  effects. I looked up on YouTube how to create a simple title sequence.

      I had to change the time code and position of the title as it came towards the screen.

     When I imported it to premier pro, I was unable to get rid of the grey background. However, in my next media lesson I got some advice from a classmate how to sort it out.

    

      Monday 15^th May 2017

      After thinking long and hard about how I would make my video work, and create a powerful message, I took the decision to abandon the foodbank. I felt as though the footage was not as captivating as Ali’s story. I had tried to edit the intro, but I was losing hope on how to incorporate the two stories together, and how to make it interesting. I made a new sequence called ‘FINAL CUT’ and started to edit for ‘Community Islam’.

     Tuesday and Wednesday 16^th and 17^th May

      I started editing my rough cut which would be reviewed in class on Thursday. On Tuesday, I got extremely hung up on the intro. I knew I wanted to have the newspaper articles appearing, but I spent hours ordering them and trying out new effects. In the end, I discovered that sometimes simplicity is best, so I kept to a simple sequence. On Wednesday, I edited from around 4pm-1am. I had a rough cut, but it was extremely ‘rough’ and more to get an idea of the structure of the film. Upon receiving feedback from the class, I realized I needed some more footage for the film and another contributor. That evening, I texted Ali. I found out that he was going to Bangladesh on Sunday, so he wouldn’t be distributing food. However, we arranged to meet on the Saturday instead and he organized an interview with the Imam for me. 

      Saturday 20^th May

      I had to get a bit more footage for the film. So, I met Ali at 12 o clock at the mosque. We went to a local restaurant so he could sort out some of his business (the restaurant owner was donating a large sum to Deen relief). This was great, because there were many Arabic decorations in the restaurant I could film for cut aways. Then, we conducted a short interview in his car to include a few more questions which I had previously missed out upon. We waited about half an hour, and then the mosque opened. Firstly, I filmed Ali praying again. Then he showed me some of the scriptures, and I got some more cut away footage. However, one of the men in the room who was praying had a problem with me being in there without a hijab, so I had to leave the main prayer room. Ali and the Imam were extremely apologetic for this man but I found it understandable. Then I conducted an interview with the mosque’s Imam. It was a shame I didn’t have a tripod and I realize now after looking over the footage that all the interview isn’t in focus, but it was still extremely interesting and valuable for the documentary.

      Sunday 21^st May

      Edit! Today I arrived at Sussex library at 9.30am set to spend the whole day editing. As my film had totally changed, I wrote down a simple structure for this new cut (I decided to pretty much abolish the rough cut, apart from the intro). I left the library at 9pm with the whole film finished except the credits and a little colour correction here and there. I used after effects for the first time, to create name tags and an animated title. I did encounter some problems when editing the Imam’s interview, as I have mentioned already, that a lot of it wasn’t in focus. I tried to sharpen it but it looked too grainy, so instead I used quite a few cut-aways whilst he was speaking and tried to show the parts which were in focus.

     Monday 22^nd May

      I finished the final parts of my edit, and sent it off to bill smith to gain client feedback.

      Tuesday 23rd May

      Today I completed the edit evaluation, and adjusted small bits here and there of the film. I also made a second organization of files, because as I had changed my idea, I had to re-organize my files. All I needed to do now was wait and see if I got any feedback from Bill Smith prior to my deadline on Thursday, so I could adjust anything he thought should be changed. Then, I'd need to export the video and upload it to the YouTube page.  

Organisation of files

Edit decision list

Edit decision list

Firstly, I will create a montage of some newspaper headlines, the screen dipping black in between different shots. I will create a sound bridge using Ali’s interview, while the screen displays these headlines.

For the rest of the opening sequence, I will edit cut away shots of the external buildings of the church and the mosque. I will use fade transitions between these establishing shots. I will source appropriate audio to play behind these shots.

Cut to the title page

(Fade)

Cut to the foodbank volunteers mid-prayer, lasting 10-15 seconds with cut aways of the light coming through the church windows.

Appropriate music fades in, with a 5 second montage of the foodbank in action, and then the audio from Doug’s interview sound bridges before we see his face.

Cut to Doug’s interview. His name and job description will fade in for 5 seconds on the bottom left hand corner of the screen, then fade out. I will use the establishing shots of the church’s interior while he is talking about his faith and beliefs.

Cut to the second interview with the foodbank worker, once again as he talks about his faith and beliefs I will use cut aways of the church’s interior and sound bridging. Throughout the cut aways,  I will use a small fade transition.

Once again, his name and job description will fade in for 5 seconds on the bottom left hand corner of the screen, then fade out.

Cut back to the prayer, this time the cut aways are of the foodbank in action, with the clients coming in and receiving their food. Music playing quietly in the background.

Cut back to Doug’s interview, as he explains how the foodbank works and what services they provide. Continuing cut-away shots of the foodbank. Fades between.

(Dip to white)

Fade to Ali’s prayer, 10secs and then cut to him going into the food shop to collect the food. Sound bridge of his interview in the background ‘I love what I do… it makes me feel happy giving food to the homeless’

Upbeat music and short (10 sec) montage of the volunteers giving out food to the homeless

Fade back to Ali’s interview, as he talks about his faith and beliefs, cut away to him praying. Cut aways to him giving food out.

(Dip to black)

Final facts on screen of how many clients the foodbank and homeless food stand has helped, and a quote.

Rushes log

Synopsis and Treatment

Eva McQuade

Synopsis:

I am planning to make a short 5 minute documentary about the role that different religions and faith groups play in our society. I have confirmed filming at a Christian foodbank, and I will be investigating the Zakat (charitable) pillar of Islam. I have also planned to visit a Jewish synagogue to find out about their work in our society. I hope to portray religion as a positive aspect to many communities, and demonstrate that religions aren’t always exclusive and extreme. Instead, I will bring light to how most religions operate with fundamental principles of generosity and kindness. I will follow a simple narrative exploring the different groups separately with an ending sequence including them all. The film will have a positive tone, leaving the audience hopeful and enlightened.      

 

Treatment:

Narrative:

It will follow a factual social documentary narrative form. The film will follow the stories of 3-4 faith groups and charities, with individual interviews. This means it will be a multi stranded narrative. While the interview is being conducted, there will be cut-away shots relating to the type of work they are talking about. There will be an opening montage including the religious buildings of worship (church, synagogue) and an impactful ending including a profound piece of dialogue.

Camerawork:

During the interviews, there will be a series of talking head shots but also camera tracking while the subject walks around and explains certain aspects of what they’re talking about.

I will use panning when I film cut away shots, for example of a holy cross or Quran. I hope to get some nice shots of light coming through church windows, which will be filmed in a low angle shot .

Characters:

 Micheal Austin- Member of Brighton and Hove progressive synagogue

Kate Tennant- Foodbank co-ordinator St. Cuthman’s church                       

Mario- Foodbank user

Mohammed – Deen relief Muslim charity

Racheal Ramaker- Brighton Quaker meeting

Music:

I will have a mellow background music which gradually changes depending on the subject. For example, I will include some traditional Jewish music in their section and some Christian hymns during their part of the film.  

Editing Techniques:   

I will use fade transitions to mark the end of each interview and the transition to the next one. During the interviews, I will use continuity editing between head on shots and side shots. I will use sound-bridges during the use of cut-away shots. I will cut together a series of short clips during the opening montage. As the narrative is the main focus of the film, I will try to avoid jump cuts or discontinuous editing so that it flows smoothly.  I will edit the film in a manner that generates meaning by centring the story on the characters and narrative; expect from certain transitions, it will seem almost as if I have used invisible editing.

Target audience:

The documentary will be geared towards socially conscious teenagers and young adults aged 16-24. It will also appeal to a more mature audience, adults aged 30-60. Rather than categorising my target audience by age, it would be more effective to aim the film towards inquisitive individuals who are open to new ideas and sources of information. NRS social grading B, C1, C2 in particular. I have chosen these categories because they the middle section of society, and most likely to relate to the topics of the documentary.

Documentary Inspiration:

‘Muslims like us’ - A BBC 3 part documentary which conducted a social experiment of ten different Muslims from around the country living in a house together. It challenged the public’s perception of the religion, displaying the majority of characters in a positive way. This idea is what I want to project in my documentary.

‘Unreported world- Iran’s dating revolution’- The structure of this film follows the stories of a handful of women getting involved in the Iranian dating scene. Although my film will be much shorter and tightly edited, I will follow the editing techniques of display the stories and characters separately.

‘Leaving the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem - Documentary, Off The Derech, GOTDS’- This film explores the story of one individual who left the orthodox community to become a progressive Jew. I take inspiration from the pace and editing style of this documentary, and the ultimately positive ending. I like the part when he is singing and the film shows cut-away shots of his home. The cut away shots contain bright natural light which is a tone that continues through the film, of which I hope to reflect in my documentary.  

 

 

                                                                                                                 

Jelly Belly Evaluation Re-Submission

I created a single 1 minute advert for Jelly Belly jelly beans. Prior to creating the advert, I conducted a series of research tasks in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the specific advertising techniques, forms and structures which are used in the advertisement industry. The ultimate aim of any advert is to gain the audience's attention with the hope that they will consequently buy the product.

 

Research Evaluation

 

The main method of research I conducted was through the analysis and investigation of existing ads. I looked at the brand identity, target audience, structure, persuasive techniques and existence of ASA rulings. The advert I found most useful to analyse was Sharwood’s ‘Bring on the colour’. This was one of my favourite ads and because I found it extremely attention grabbing, I knew that I wanted to create my advert with a similar essence. Within my brand identity analysis of this ad, I picked out words such as ‘colour’ ‘taste’ ‘smile’ and ‘fun’. As this research fed into the production of my advert, it was great to hear feedback from my peers on my advert, of which one of my survey questions was ‘how do you feel after watching the ad?’ and the most popular answers were ‘happy’ ‘uplifted’ and ‘hungry’- very similar responses to that of what I felt after watching the Sharwood’s ad. Although this advert didn’t have a specific storyline or narrative, I felt it was just as effective in reaching the TMA. It made me feel confident that I did not need to include a narrative in order to create a successful advert, because other persuasive techniques could be used to inspire my audience- I did this by following their conventions of high-key lighting, a catchy soundtrack, lack of narrative and fast paced editing in order for my final ad to appear similar to a professional one.

 

I also analysed a Haribo star mix advert, of which was essential to my research as they were advertising a similar product. From this I learnt that using persuasive techniques such as humour is really effective, and that targeting a typically ‘childish’ product at an older audience can be done. I didn’t want to include any offensive language or harmful material in my advert, I wanted to keep it fun and silly just like that of the Haribo advert. I felt confident that this style would appeal to my TMA (16-24 year olds) because for me, as a member of that specific TMA, I felt the nature of this ad was heart-warming and likable. Therefore, In my advert, I aimed to keep the structure and persuasive techniques light and jolly, just like the Haribo advert. I think looking at existing ads of a similar product was really helpful in understanding how to reach the TMA and how to display the product in an original and exciting way.

 

It was interesting to investigate an array of adverts (I also analysed a coco mademoiselle and foxy bingo advert) because it meant that I understood the different structures and techniques used across the industry. However, I feel that by looking at adverts which were more geared towards the style I was hoping to produce was much more beneficial. If I were to conduct my research again, I would look more into the advertisement of sweets and confectionary, and those which have similar conventions to the advert I hope to make. This means that I would be able to gain valuable inspiration from a specific market research.

 

I also conducted a small questionnaire regarding scheduling and form. The responses of this survey were pictured in my initial advertisement pitch. From the 29 responses I received (within my TMA) I learnt that channels such as ITV, E4, and Comedy Central were the preferred choices of my audience. I was to bare this in mind when creating my advert. By also watching such channels myself, I took special attention to the advert breaks and got a clear understanding of what kind of ad would fit within such channels.

Furthermore, I conducted some institutional research into the preferred channels chosen by my audience, to get an idea of their specific market appeal and genre. By gaining this research I could direct my advert to be fitting to this style. E4 sales described that they are an ‘entertainment destination for a cutting edge young audience’ their audience is ‘very strong for 16-34s’ particularly women and ABC1 groups. Below, I have attached a screenshot from my initial advertisement pitch, of which my specific audience profile ‘Joanna’ fits this description very well. What’s more, E4 describes ‘E4 viewers are predominately young and upmarket, but they’re also fashion conscious, sociable, connected, heavy internet users, they love going out and tend to use advertising as one of their many information sources’ By looking into the market of a well-established TV channel, of which my research displayed is very popular for my TMA, I was able to gear my advert to becoming relevant and applicable to that of my desired broadcasting channel.

 

When I gathered my feedback from my survey regarding the scheduling of my advert, I asked ‘what channel would you expect to see this advert on?’ The most popular choice by far on the survey was E4 (70.37%).

 

Also within that small research questionnaire I discovered that my target audience preferred adverts which go by the form of ‘colourful and lively’ and ‘informative and relatable’. I also took this into account within the production of my ad. I learnt that adverts which took to a style of ‘dramatic and passionate’ were more appealing to the higher age brackets, so I was to veer away from this form of persuasion.

 

My final was into the product and brand itself. I investigated Jelly Belly’s brand identity in depth and produced an 18 slide presentation pitch based on this research. In terms of existing ads, they were very limited within the jelly belly company, with 5 small 11 second ads which consisted of not much more than a small animation. This raised questions as to why they hadn’t established a strong use of advertisement for such a big company. The reason for this may be because it is so well established and popular, it does not need advertisement to boost sales. . I learnt that the brand is extremely popular in many countries and perhaps this was the reason why they did not have many adverts. However, I planned to embrace this popularity and portray the colourful style of their website and brand identity in my advert.

 

I had freedom of creation and could develop my ideas based on what I had gathered from researching the company. Their website is bright and colourful, with a large array of visually appetising options. It included the history of the product, the flavours, ingredients, values and product extensions of the brand. I was able to gather a clear grasp of the brand identity via its website.

 

Something I discovered from the website was ‘Jelly Belly art’. This is artwork totally made out of jelly beans. I found these creations very aesthetically pleasing. After researching this type of brand extension, I knew that I wanted to include this style of art in my advert. I transferred this idea into a stock motion animation, as I did not feel I had the skill or patience to create a complete masterpiece out of jelly beans. Instead, I used the jelly beans to create shapes via a stock motion animation, of which I feel this was one of the strengths of my advert. (See below for jelly belly art research (left) and my adaption (right)) I felt it was a strength because it was cutting-edge and fresh, of which I knew would be appealing to my TMA. It also allowed me to develop a new skill of animation, of which I can develop and use in the future.

 

 

The research technique I found most useful was the analysis of existing ads, especially the Sharwood’s advert. By gaining an in depth understanding of a similar advert to that of what I hoped to produce meant that I was confident in what techniques to use in my production (camera angles, editing styles, etc.) and also what persuasive techniques are effective and relevant to the style. This is reflected in the fast-paced editing of my final production and the use of a catchy soundtrack and bright colours.

 

Production:

 

Before creating the advert, our class conducted mini ‘demo’ adverts, to get an insight into what we were to expect. This was a useful exercise and I can definitely see how my skills have improved since then. Mostly with editing and creativity aspects, I was not very creative in terms of ideas for the production of my demo; we simply constructed a basic narrative of a boy studying and the product 9energy drink) helping him do so. Also, the editing and camera techniques were not up to industry standard, especially in terms of lighting and camera angles. For example, we were filming in a classroom with artificial lighting which produced a yellow tone. I had not had much practise with editing for a while so I had to refresh my skills in that field. But it was important to get an insight into the production processes of filming and editing of which I were to expect.

 

I aimed to include as much of my initial concepts presented in my pitch and storyboard into my advert, as from what I had gained from my research, I was confident of the basic structure and style I wanted to create. A lot of what I’d hoped to achieve was successful, but I had to change a few things along the way. For example, with no budget, I was unable to fund enough jelly beans to fit a glass jar, a scene on my storyboard where my second actor, Tom, takes the beans from. Therefore, I changed that scene to fit the circumstance- instead; he was shot with a hand already full of jelly beans.  

 

Another challenge I faced was reliability with my second actor. It was rather last minute when he had a spare chance to shoot. We ended up filming during a lunch time, and it a little rushed and unorganised. Although I managed to overcome this difficulty by sticking to my storyboard to cut out time and get the desired shots, I learnt that taking time to book actors at a time that fits you both is extremely important. It’s vital to leave some extra time to re-shoot if necessary. I also learnt that you must always have a clear vision in your head of what you want to film, so that if it is last minute, you are ready to set up the camera and shoot.

 

Even though it was shot in the same location as my other actor Leona, it was later in the day and the lighting was not as bright and clear. I tried to overcome this problem via post production editing but I found it impossible to reach the tone of high-key natural light like that of my first actor. Although I was able to develop my skills in colour correction in the post production process, I learnt that it is important to schedule shoots which rely on natural light at similar times of the day to gain an effect of continuity editing.

 

Another aspect of my production I feel is weak is the ‘Taste the Fun’ signs. Due to the last minute availability of Tom, I rushed to print them off. I feel as though use of a different font and more time and effort would’ve meant they were created to a higher professional standard. I now know its integral when you’re unsure of shooting schedules to have props ready. In the client feedback I received from Bill Smith he said ‘I don't like the holding up bits of paper... it's a cliché!!’  If I were to create the ad again, I would definitely improve these scenes with Tom, by improving or perhaps abolishing the paper signs.

 

In order to create the animation, I faced a new technique when creating my advert. I decided to use the stop motion animation software ‘DragonFrame’ to produce the clips where the jelly beans were creating shapes via a variety of sequences. I was grateful to learn a new skill, because it meant that I was able to develop my abilities as a film maker. At first it proved difficult to understand the software, but via a process of self-teaching and finding my way around the programme, I was able to create a successful animation which replicated that of my storyboard. Using the programme saved a lot of time and as this software is used in the industry, it made the animation seem like it was made to a professional standard. It was great to use this new skill in the production of my advert. I was happy with the outcome of the stock-motion animation, and luckily did not face any major problems. This was because of my strict attention to the placement of the jelly beans, as any minor movement could affect the animation. I have learnt that dealing with ‘products’ or any form of animation is very reliable as opposed to relying on people and places. The reason for this is because I was able to strictly control the direction of these shots in accordance to how I had desired.

 

I felt that another strength of my advert was the idea of the changing lip colour. This is because the final edited sequence reflected the ideas I had displayed in my storyboard. When editing, I spent a lot of time lining up the position of the lips so that it didn’t seem jumpy and continuity editing was achieved.

However, there was some confusion with the shooting of these scenes - primarily, I had bought some cheap face paints which did not work on my actors lips. So we had to re-schedule for the following week, after I had purchased some better, oil-based paints. During this second filming, we over ran by a few minutes and unfortunately disrupted the start of my class. I had lacked organisation of time-keeping, as I had not expected the need to re-shoot. I realised I should’ve tested the paints first to see if they were appropriate prior to the first shoot, as it would’ve saved a lot of time and hassle for both me and my actor. As she is a close friend of mine, I was very lucky that my actor was quite flexible and able to accustom to the difficulties. But in an industry environment, I perhaps would’ve have had this space to make mistakes.

The effects and transitions between scenes worked really well to show the fun, almost cheesy style of my advert. I really like the part where the sun animation of jelly beans comes onto the screen, because it highlights the importance of the shape (the sun) which has connotations to happiness and light. The overlapping, wipe transition and fade of the jelly bean logo made the fast paced editing easier for the audience to process, because it meant it was not just a variety of cut together shots, but a flowing advert. I also developed my techniques on adobe premiere pro, as I discovered a variety of new transitions. E4 typically shows sit-coms such as Malcom in the middle and friends, whereby they often use a ‘wipe’ to show a cut between scenes. By using such effects in my ad meant that it would resonate with my audience.

 

I had kept the consistency of the theme through the ad; my persuasive techniques of repetition and brand exposure were definitely brought in to the editing of the video. I repeated the same animation with the dancing jelly bean man at the start and end of the advert, and although I did not adopt a narrative structure, I feel as though it brought a nice ending to the film. Furthermore, the audience would feel a sense of recognition which would hopefully mean they consequently buy the product- brand recognition being essential to the advertisement industry. I had found out my audience ‘relies on advertising as one of their many sources of information’ and by constantly being exposed to the logo meant that they could link this brand with connotations of happiness and joy, through the use of the smile scenes and all the persuasive techniques I had used in my advert. (High key lighting, happy music, bright colours) In terms of high key lighting, during the animation I achieved this by using a light box underneath the white paper. This meant the jelly beans had no shadows, shadows often connoted with darker tones, of which I wished to eliminate from my advert.

 

Feedback

 

I was grateful to receive a large array of feedback from classmates, focus group, questionnaire and advertising professionals.

 

The first bit of feedback I received was from my classmates. We all showed each other our ads in class (although they were not all finished at this point). We were given evaluation sheets regarding aesthetic, technical and creative qualities, narrative and overall success. As our ads were not quite finished, it meant that we had space to improve but it also meant that we were evaluating what was essentially a work in progress, so the feedback was not quite credible as they may have not gained the full picture of what were we hoping to display. Also, I felt that any comments on editing techniques were not quite credible because I was yet to polish up transitions.

 

We had to identify what persuasive techniques were used, identify brand identity, target audience and scheduling. We also picked out any strengths or weaknesses of each other’s adverts. Overall, I gained good feedback from my peers, with the ranking of creative and technical qualities consistently gaining 8-10 marks out of 10. However, I felt that by ranking such qualities out of 10 was not valuable for me, as it meant I did not have a basis on what to improve on.

What I found much more helpful was the section where we had to write the strengths and weaknesses of each other’s adverts- here I received suggestions of including a voice over and logo, something which I definitely took on board throughout the rest of my editing. I took it on board because brand demonstration and a call of action are essential to all adverts, something of which my fellow media classmates are very knowledgeable about. Although the ranking aspect of this feedback wasn’t extremely useful, the positive comments such as ‘you have really demonstrated the product in a fun and lively way’ helped to both boost my confidence, and the calls for improvement helped me construct my ideas.

 

I conducted a small focus group of 5 people (Aydin Herron, male, age 18, Chantelle Parkin, female, age 17, Dexter Roskilly, male, age 19, Kyle Strong, male, age 18, Elena Cooke, female, age 18).

 

After I showed them the finished advert, they all commented on the success of the ad immediately afterwards, which was nice to hear. The first thing I asked my focus group was ‘what is your initial reaction after watching the video?’ One individual said ‘very creative’ and another explained ‘it’s really fun and catchy’. They said the reason for this was because of the colours and sound – someone saying ‘It’s a nice jingle’. It was important to me that I gained this comment because in the professional production of adverts, a soundtrack is key for assuring that the audience remembers the product.

 

Two people later commented ‘It makes me want to eat one’ I feel as though I achieved this through my persuasive technique of brand demonstration. As the ultimate aim of any ad is that the audience will go out and buy the product, this piece of feedback was very assuring.

 

Other comments included ‘It seems legit’ and ‘the white background makes it seem professional’. Someone also said ‘It’s like a proper ad mate’ I was glad to hear that my production replicated that of professional standards. However, important to understand that the focus group all know me as a friend and were probably less likely to criticise. They were not industry professionals so in terms of technical conventions they were unable to comment in a knowledgeable manner. Nevertheless they are part of my focus group so any feedback is still credible.

 

 In terms of improvements, the comment ‘I can imagine it being great for younger kids’ is important to bear in mind, regarding that my focus group is of the higher age bracket. But as I mentioned that they are not industry professionals, I feel as though I achieved a brand identity with my TMA through my use of social media promotion.

 

 Another area of improvement mentioned was that of the font, something which I completely agreed with. If I were to make this advert again, I would definitely change the font. The reason for this is because I used a well- known, mainstream font and it seems childish and boring. I would perhaps create my own font which would be unique and eye-catching. However it was difficult to do so after receiving my feedback because the font was included in shots where my actor is holding the paper saying ‘taste the fun’, and it would’ve been hard to re-shoot. I reluctantly kept the same font in the last too, because I wanted to keep the consistency.

This process really helped me understand the importance of primary, audience specific research.

I published the advert to YouTube and created a survey monkey questionnaire to gain feedback from the wider public. The survey consisted of 10 different questions, and I got 29 responses. Firstly, I asked age and gender. 82.76% of my survey responses were within the age bracket 16-24, I also had a fair range within gender; however there were noticeably more females. As I specified in my pre-production that it would be aimed further towards the female market, and towards those aged between 16-24, I was happy with the age and gender range of my responses.

I created a multiple choice answer question of which each respondent were to rate the advert under 7 headings from ‘terrible’ to ‘excellent’. This included them rating the production in terms of aesthetic qualities, narrative, camera technique and more. (see below)

Although it was helpful to get an idea of the stronger and weaker points of my advert, receiving this information in the format I had portrayed was not too helpful. The reason for this is because I have no idea why specific respondents answered ‘poor’ ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. There was no constructive commenting on these qualities, of which I could gain specific, detailed feedback of what I excelled in and what I needed to improve. But in terms of getting an idea of the general response of certain qualities, this question proved helpful. I found out that the editing and creative qualities were those of which scored the highest weighted average. This was good because I had focussed on such qualities during the production process- I wanted to demonstrate a creative flair to capture my audience’s attention, and editing was vital for my advert to demonstrate fast paced, upbeat conventions.

 

I understood the lower ratings of feedback for narrative, as my advert did not in fact even have one! I realised that I perhaps shouldn’t have included this question because it was not relevant to my production.

My questionnaire respondents weren’t industry professionals so similarly to my focus groups, although the feedback wasn’t perhaps credible to industry standards, it was vital to gain an idea of what my target market thought of the production.

 

It was interesting when I asked what time of day my audience would expect to see the advert, when the overwhelming response was ‘Daytime- between 12-4'o clock’

This was interesting because a lot of my TMA wouldn’t be typically watching TV at these hours. I think this was a popular answer because of the upbeat, happy style of the ad, and this can be related to sunshine and daytime. But as these are typically working hours of which a lot of 16-24 year olds would be at college or university, it demonstrated the lack of industry knowledge as they probably didn’t take into account their own personal TV watching habits when answering the survey.

 

I gained some professional client feedback from a family friend who is head of advertising at EE, and he completed a thorough evaluation of my ad, especially in the ‘what would you improve?’ and ‘general successes’ aspects. These were the aspects of which the survey respondents were able to write constructive comments, something which I found much more helpful when I gathered my feedback. He commented on the success of the visual branding, and the stop motion animation. Aspects of which I have spoken about in this evaluation and also feel as though are strengths of my advert. I definitely listened to his feedback on the lack of call of action at the end of the video. This pushed me to include links to Facebook, twitter and Instagram, and to include a voiceover. I feel as though the links to social media not only creates a call of action but also resonates with my target audience. Although I know him, he gave me professional and legitimate feedback as if I were an industry professional, which was brilliant. It pushed me to fit to industry standards by including his suggestions for improvements.

Another improvement I gathered from conducting my survey was regarding the length of the advert. Halfway through my editing, I had decided to change my idea into two 30 second ads, which were more catchy and relevant to the fast paced editing technique and form of my advert. However, I felt that this would stray quite far away from my initial plan and storyboard, meaning I was underprepared to create a brand new second ad. I decided to pursue the minute long ad, but was mindful to keep the audience's attention. The way I overcame this was by adding some extra features such as the jelly beans changing colours above toms head whilst he was eating them. I liked this additional aspect and it stretched my editing technique and added some originality to the second half of my video.

 

Finally, I received some more client feedback from latest TV’s Bill Smith. His email feedback was as follows:

Cool ad!!

 

I love the beginning and first 25 secs are really fab... love close

ups and fast cut but I think the second half slows it down! I don't

like the holding up bits of paper... it's a cliche!!

 

Your start is great! Just speed up cut after 25 secs and ad should be

about 40 secs. You need a wilder ending! Think wild!!!

 

But you have the basic idea for a fab  ad.

 

All best

Bill

 

I generally felt positive about his response, especially the use of exclamation marks meant that he was excited and enthusiastic about my ad! I was in total agreement with his recommendations, and the improvements he suggested were aspects I was aware of myself, having already mentioned the length and paper signs as aspects for improvement. It was positive that I agreed with the client feedback recommendations, as it shows that I am aware of industry standards.

 

I definitely put a lot of time and effort into the production of the advert, and although I recognise areas for improvement for next time, because of the large array of positive market research, I am confident that the hard work paid off. I feel as though I’ve created a near-professional ad, and that I have grown a lot of new skills and techniques as a result of the whole production process.