When looking into what every ad should contain we discovered Angela Bell states all adverts should possess some if not all of the following; humour, repetition, shock tactics, sex, stereotypes, intertexual references, music and elite persons. Excluding the last of the list we have endeavoured to include most of the above in our ad campaign.
Once we had a clear as to the nature of our campaign we needed then to put it into practise.
Part Two
Once we had completed our research we had to plan the production.
We began by creating brief guidelines for each advert (this was very helpful as we always had our original, basic ideas to hand). Then we needed to expand and develop our ideas. To do this we created a storyboard for each ad. Each member of the group was given a storyboard. There are four members in our group, so one member, Jason, did not have a storyboard to do. He then was designated the role of designer. He designed and created the package for our product but in order for him to do this the group needed to come up with a name for our health bar and also a slogan. After much deliberation we came up with the name ‘Balance’ and the slogan ‘Find the Balance in your life’.
This referred back to our research as the ads we studied gave the impression their health bar would provide the balance between taste and calories. Basically the ads ask ‘do you have the balance between a healthy diet and exercise regime?’
The package was completed and the storyboards were to. We then set about creating an accompanying script. We did this because we wanted our adverts to be performed exactly the way we intended. Due to this the actors were asked to follow the scripts precisely.
When creating the storyboards and scripts we decided it maybe beneficial to produce a written list of shots to follow, to ensure when filming, we got all the relevant and vital shots needed. This would be advantageous as it effectively saves us from wasting valuable time.
In our group we planned out the number of lessons we would spend on each aspect of the production. Every member of our group was very self-motivated and disciplined so therefore it was easy to manage our time efficiently.
The entire group had practised filming, directing and acting at some point before the start of the task. Some of us were naturally good at certain things. Shaun and myself were good at filming so we decided to share the role cameraman. When it came to the role of director, the stronger characters of the group (again Shaun and I) took on this role. The entire group were encouraged to voice any valuable points or criticisms when filming. When it came to allocating the role of actor we decided that only one of us, Danielle, could realistically feature in the campaign. The first ad was almost created for Danielle so she suited the role perfectly. The other two ads needed adults that fitted the role required otherwise it would look very amateur and unrealistic. This was not the impression we wanted to give.
The original guidelines for the campaign did alter during the planning as some of our ideas when explored further became difficult to expand and develop.
I believe planning is a vital aspect to the completion of campaign, if not the most important.
Part Three
The construction was maybe the hardest part of the task.
The first problem was finding time to film where the entire group could be present. This was impossible so we decided to divide the adverts up. Ad1 was filmed in two parts, the first by myself and the second by Shaun. Ad2 was filmed by Shaun and ad3 by me.
When filming for Ad3, I wanted to display a variation of shot angles so there would be a range to choose from when capturing.
When I filmed it was the evening so I had to take light into consideration. I put the main lights on and drew the curtains of the living room.
When looking at the conventions of the camera work in health bar ads, the camera tended to be either at eye-level or at a birds eye view. Taking this into account I filmed a variation of the two heights.
I used a tripod when filming so my shots would be steady. Shaun had to film some parts of his ad hand-held due to the nature of some of his shots.
When filming for ad one we did experience some problems-weather. On the first attempt at filming inside there was a glare coming in through the window. When we returned the next day it was very dim. On the final day of filming we needed to get outside shots. Unfortunately it started to snow. We had to postpone to another day but eventually we finished.
After we’d finished filming we could begin capturing the shots.
Once all the relevant shots had been captured editing could begin.
In order to use the editing suite as much as possible we booked most of the sessions we could. This may seem unfair on the other groups but we didn’t care.
The editing suite is very compact so it made sense for our group to split up and take turns editing. One member of the group (Shaun) excelled himself at editing so became the main editor for the group. The group did give their suggestions and criticisms however.
Once the shots had been cut, put into order and fades had been put in there were only a few things left to do: Background noises such as the wind and traffic had to be muted out. The loudness of the dialogue then needed to be increased.
When considering music we chose an upbeat song that reflected the nature of our campaign.
When considering titles our pack-shot was the only part of the ads that could relate to this. We used a digital camera to take a still image of our pack-shot. We saved that onto a floppy disk and added it to our captured shots by inserting it as a bin clip then we attached it onto the end of each of ads.
The filming of the ads was easy compared to editing, as it’s perhaps the most difficult because it’s extremely hard to cram ten minutes of footage into 30seconds.
Part Four
Our ad campaign follows the conventions of the genre we chose. It’s realistic mainly due to the choice of characters, the setting, the dialogue and the editing.
Each shot is revealing. For example the shot of Danielle in her bathroom in ad1. She is dressed in a white dressing gown. This has clean, fresh, pure connotations. We also examined this shot in terms of mise-en-scene. Firstly the character’s body language. Danielle is slouching when stepping on the scales and her head is hung low. This shows that she’s unhappy.
The lighting of this shot is very bright, suggesting things will look up.
The setting is a bathroom-fresh, bright, airy environment with relates to a healthy lifestyle.
Danielle represents a woman discontented with her weight but has the determination to live a healthier life.
All these aspects add to the aspirations we want the target audience to have.
In ad2 the shot of twins in the back of their mum’s car is very significant. Their bright, colourful clothes have connotations of excitement-a child-like innocence.
In terms of mise-en-scene this shot shows interesting body language of the twins. They are wriggling with anticipation.
The lighting of the car is bright as its daytime.
The twins represent most children who always ‘want, want, want!’
This ad calls out to parents and says ‘give in, buy then a treat, they don’t know it’s healthy!’
In ad3, the opening shot of the couple is interesting. The living room is an earthy green colour giving connotations of nature, the environment-longevity.
The characters of this ad are very relaxed in their body language. Giving the impression they lead a laid-back lifestyle.
The lighting for this shot is slightly dim to make the mood cosy and inviting, in fact the first part of the ad begins with this atmosphere in order to make the audience feel comfortable.
If our campaign were to be on TV, I would choose it to be advertised on BBC1. I think all women in our target audience appreciate the programmes BBC1 has to offer. I would choose for Ad1 to be aired between late evening and night as I feel the kind of target audience for this ad would be watching TV at this time.
Ad2 would be on in mid-afternoon to early evening as I feel kids will be home from school then.
Ad3 would be aired between late-afternoon and early evening as again I feel our target audience (a married couple) would want to unwind and relax in front of the TV.
If I had more time I would make changes to our adverts. Firstly there are a couple of shots that are a bit unsteady. I think this brings down the professional look the campaign has.
Also the package for our bar could have been a little more imaginative and eye-catching.
Despite this I do think our campaign has been successful as I feel we have achieved what set out to and have created the message we intended.