Unit 30: Advertisement Production for Television Task 4 - Reflection on Work

In this project I had to work as part of an independent advertising production team, pitching, planning and producing a Christmas advertisement.

My idea follows a modern day Scrooge walking through a town, he sees a huge Christmas tree and walks over. A cheerful little boy can see how upset Scrooge is and runs over to hand him a small present. This causes Scrooge to have a flashback to when he was a child; handing his father a gift and getting it thrown away as he is uninterested.

As the acting students were busy practising their Christmas pantomime I casted two people, with the advice of my team, to play my characters. My partner, Joey Myers, played the part of Scrooge. He already has the stern/grumpy face so he was perfect! My 2 year old, Bradley Cooper, played the part of the little boy. During pre-production we learnt about the restrictions for filming with children. I ensured I took notice of this and used them while filming. They specify how much time a child of a certain age can spend on set all together and the amount of time each duration must be between breaks.

My first idea was to have it set in the Victorian era, like the real tale of Scrooge. My ideal setting was to be Preston Hall Museum. However with not enough time to plan and finish pre-production paperwork I had to develop my idea. Thus a modern day Scrooge in a town. I had decided on Stockton Town Centre because of the Christmas feel, when we arrived it was far too busy to film. So we agreed on a last minute decision to travel to Norton High Street and film there. The costume is kept the same as the traditional character so the audience will definitely understand the storyline. My work changed throughout the project because of difficulties during shooting. On our set shoot day my 2 year old son who was playing the child character wasn't comfortable following instructions to run past camera with the present. The shots I had planned were to complicated. Therefore I had to cut out the scenes of the little boy running after Scrooge and have the one scene of the present being handed over to Scrooge. But, he still wouldn't cooperate. That day we only got the shots of Scrooge, that turned out better than I could of wanted. Thankfully, that weekend my son was in a very good mood. Myself and Scrooge took him to Norton Green and I filmed the shots I needed in front of the Christmas tree. I had to film myself as it was so last minute and not planned. I know this wasn't professionally done but I feel it was the only option. The filming of the flashback scene was planned for the week before deadline day, but due to family issues and my absence in college this couldn't be done. Myself and my team got together and decided (to make the deadline) that they would star as young Scrooge and his father and we would film in college that afternoon.
I came across the song cover, It'll Be Lonely This Christmas while Jess helped me search through youtube for an appropriate choice. It was by chance and i'm so pleased we found it. This was my final choice because I think the lyrics match the advert storyline perfectly and also the sound of the song is John Lewis style. 

I think my research helped a lot during the pre-production and production, because I knew how to structure a John Lewis advert and what techniques to use.

Analysing and researching John Lewis advert The Journey, helped to inspire me.

In my advertisement I used techniques such as pathos to provoke an emotional response in the audience. I used this by creating an emotional tie with the character Scrooge. As well as the audience feeling happiness when they see the cute little boy they then feel compassionate towards Scrooge because of how terrible his father was and towards his own feelings on Christmas. By the end of the advert they are happy that Scrooge has become a better person. My team's tagline 'Put a smile on someone's face this Christmas' also implies that the audience should do the same and help someone be happy and enjoy the time of year (this is achieved through buying them a John Lewis's product). By using immersive advertising I can pull on the heartstrings and use compassion to sell John Lewis.

My skills have developed during the project because I have never directed before. On previous projects I have been the Script Supervisor. This time I had to direct the actors and tell/show the camera operator the different shots I was wanting. I had more choice and felt comfortable making decisions that would change the final pieces of footage.

I wish I had gave myself more time to explore different settings further. As I didn't, when it came to shooting day it wasn't possible to shoot what was planned. This resulted in a last minute change in location.
During Matty's production my role was Script Supervisor and also actor (which I have never done before in my life. Thankfully I didn't ruin his advert.) Kane was also present as Camera Operator and Matty was, obviously, Director. Jess couldn't be there as she was working. The shoot went really well and Matty got everything he wanted within two hours of Ollie (the main character) arriving. Ollie's performance was incredible for someone who has never acted! As Jess was filming on a weekend in Darlington there was no way I could get there and I would also have Bradley - not helpful. Kane's advert was filmed on Norton Green but because I wasn't aware of filming until two days previous I could not attend. 

The feedback from my final piece was very good. I held a focus group with the ages ranging from 16-30 and handed out a questionnaire each with the questions:
Do you think the advert reflects the brand well?
How does the advert make you feel?
What did you like or dislike about the advert? Did anything stand out?
Was the storyline of the advert clear?
Would you suggest any improvements to be made?
Any other comments?
All of the participants agreed that I reflected the brand, showing John Lewis can provide the joy and love Christmas and presents bring. They all also felt emotional, which is exactly what I wanted, a emotional connection! Most feeling sad for Scrooge, especially during the flashback of his childhood. However, they were overjoyed when he changed his ways. A happy ending. The only two criticisms (from two people) I received were that the green of the green screen was still visible and why did a random child give him a gift. It's too late to change the storyline and I believe it doesn't need changing. John Lewis adverts aren't based on reality. Why is there a man on the moon? Why does a stuffed toy come to life? How does the snowman come to life? However I have changed the chroma key in post production. I have got rid of as much green as possible during the flashback scene. 

Although hardly anything went to plan, overall I am very pleased with my final piece (and amazed it turned out so well). There are some shots I would change, but that isn't possible without another shoot. I think my advert could have turned out better if the characters were played by actors who were comfortable in front of a camera and could take direction. The advert includes our tagline and the logo of John Lewis at the end, thanks to Jess for finding the exact same font on premier pro. The advert reflects John Lewis well and fits into previous adverts by the brand. 

Unit 30: Advertisement Production for Television Task 1 - Advert Analysis

Our group decided to advertise the well known brand John Lewis. I chose the advert, The Journey, John Lewis 2012 Christmas advertisement. Therefore I could understand the styles and techniques they use to advertise and use it in my own work.

It follows a snowman on a romantic quest to buy a gift for his snowwoman.

The advertisement is an anti-realist narrative. Although yes, it is a story it's obviously fictional. The advert is very dramatic; shown in the scenes of the snowman battling through large winds and heavy snow, over streams and high mountains.

Different codes and conventions are used throughout. The advertisement starts with an establishing shot of a cosy cottage with a beautiful backdrop (John Lewis standards of course). Close up's are used to show the two cute children making their snowman and woman. They are also used to show the little girl's happiness at the end of the advert, as well as the snowman's feautres on his quest. Two shots are used to show the snowman and woman together, very close. A lot of wide shots and master shots are used to show where the snowman's journey will take him next and what he will battle against.

There is a mixture of sounds in this advert. Diegetic sounds such as, the robin tweeting and the stream running through the forest all show the natural side. But non-diagetic sound is used through music. John Lewis ALWAYS have a song playing throughout their Christmas adverts, they have a light slow tone to add to the magic. In this advert, Gabrielle Aplin's cover of  'The Power of Love' is used.

John Lewis use certain techniques to draw their audeince in. By using pathos (immersive advertising) they evoke an emotional response in the client. Pulling on their heartstrings and creating a feeling of overwhelmed compassion as they witness this snowman's efforts to buy the one he loves a Christmas gift. John Lewis unique selling point is to use emotion too sell. The tagline used in this advert, 'Give a little more love this Christmas' really sticks in the audience's mind. If this snowman can go to extreme lengths to buy a (John Lewis) present, so can you, make someone you love happy this Christmas (by going to John Lewis).

John Lewis Christmas adverts are so memorable because they tell a story. People who start watching can't turn away because they need to see the happy ending.

John Lewis' target audience is everyone. They sell a range of products for different ages and their adverts can interest anyone of any age, However they focus a little more on the older generation, with disposable income. John Lewis isn't cheap and they know it; they want their clients to trust them and not want to try any other market. Using demographics John Lewis target section A; higher management such as doctors and professionals. They are willing to pay the high prices for the good quality they know John Lewis will provide.