OCR Media Studies GCE

G324: Advanced Media Portfolio

Candidates:

Zak Elichaoff & Nicholas Hayden

A response to set brief 3:

Research & Planning

and Evaluation

Research & Planning focus:

Similar products and potential target audience

Organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props

Scripting and storyboarding

Research:

TV AdvertisementsInternet Pop-ups

Radio adverts

Products functionsFormat / content / style

Audience profile & motivation

Product functions:

All 3 products are promotional tools being used to advertise the insurance service

TV Trailers - to engage the audience in a short audiovisual clip, creating narrative intrigue and audiovisual spectacle

Web Pop-up – a visual prompt that offers an opportunity to link to further information

Radio advert – to engage an audience with sound hooks: jingles, theme tune, catchphrases, dialogue snippets

*All three will share some synergy if they are for the same campaign and a brand identity will be reinforced

Texts studied: TV insurance adverts

Geico Advert

Swift cover advert

AA advert

Texts studied: Inspiration

Fosters beer ads

Crocodile Dundee

Big Mac drive thru Wendys drive thru

TV advertisements

Codes & conventions:

NarrativeMise-en-scene

SoundCinematography

Narrative conventions:

Plot: problems are encountered which are resolved by the insurance company

Characters: Either1) domestic users – who have just bought insurance and

want to talk about it2) celebrities – personalities are engaged in a mini-drama

involving aspects of car insurance

Settings: in cars; various driving locations in which driving appears to be fun/enjoyable

Our Research

Mise-en-scene: used to promote realism via verisimilitude

Locations: interior/exterior of cars; various driving locations in which driving appears to be fun/enjoyable

Props: cars

Costumes: familiar for protagonists; often similar to target audience, or typical of the celebrity’s image

NVC: showing concern about dangers associated with being a car owner/driver; showing contentment at having

the security of the insurance.

Our Research

Sound: both diegetic & non-diegetic

Music: usually a non-diegetic jingle over product information;

some diegetic music can be used to promote realism but must n ot conflict with the dialogue for attention

Dialogue: simple, characters & plot are verbally developed; plots

revolve around insurance anecdotes

Effects: usually limited to exaggerating motoring noises

Our Research

Cinematography:

Camera: initial location shots give way to twin shots and shot

reverse shots of main protagonists, at their eye level for empathy

Lighting: naturalistic to promote realism

Editing: continuity style to promote realism

Research:

Audience profile – varies within the permitted driving age range

Demographics:Both male and female

Aged 17+No socio-economic limits

B C1C2 D EInitially domestic British

Psychographics:Too varied to list – depends on advert concept; however,

puritans are a common theme

Uses & Gratifications – some commonalities include:To be amused

To see others make mistakesTo find models to imitate

Planning:

Target audiencesPlot outlines & script

Character profilesLocation reconnaissance

StoryboardShooting list

Research:

Audience profile – for our campaign products

Demographics:Primarily male

Aged 17+No socio-economic limits

C2 D EInitially domestic British

Psychographics:Cowboys

Uses & Gratifications:To be amused

To see others make mistakesTo find models to imitate

PlanningPlot outlines

Advert 1:Stevo and Kev are in the car going into MacDs drive thru to get fast food. Stevo orders heaps of food because he has saved money on his car insurance. Both guys are happy and enjoy their feast courtesy of Bondi.

Advert 2:Stevo and Kev are in the car when they get bumped from behind by an uninsured driver. But they are not worried because Bondi has them covered.

Planning:

Character profiles

Names: Stevo & Kev Age: 18

Family situation & recent history: both have grown up in Australia and moved to England after studies and are enjoying the freedom of living away from home and responsibilities; have got simple jobs that do not require much commitment, this leaves

them plenty of time to enjoy themselves.

Problems: want to be busy enjoying life and not spend time worrying about searching around for insurance

Solution: Bondi Car Insurance!

Planning:Script for Advert 1

Int car approaching a MacDonalds drive thru

Stevo: Hello Mr Mcdonald.

Kev: Hello mate how you going? There will be 2 of us dining with you tonight. We would like 2 large

cheeseburgers.Stevo:

and 2 large fries.Kev:

Wait a minute, didn’t you just save a bundle on your car insurance?Stevo:

I sure did mate, double that order.Kev:

Whats the name of that place again?Stevo:

Bondi mate.Kev:

Ah yeah that’s the one, they’re not on price comparison sites are they?Stevo:

Nah mate.(they collect their food)

Kev: Cheers mate.

Stevo: Cheers.

Planning:Storyboard - stills required

Planning:

Shooting list & Location reconnaissance

Scene Day/date/time

done comments Location description Equipment & staff reqd

TBC

with

Sboard

Texts studied: Web Pop-ups

OUR WEB POP-UP

Anchored to the product, car insurance because of the road sign theme that links with driving

Bondi logo, = brand recognition

Matches the concept of a pop up, to draw people in and provide them with an easy route to the customer to increase sales.

Conventions of real media products

TV ads Web Pop-up Radio Ads

Mise-en-scene develop & conform

conform N/A

Camerawork conform N/A N/A

Sound conform N/A conform

Editing conform N/A conform

Narrative conform conform conform

Representations conform conform conform

Television Advertisements

Mise-en-scene

Develop = info ticker included at bottom of the screen

Conform = car interior; Ozy male stereotype

Camerawork Conform = standard twin shot; medium close-ups at eyelevel; establishing shots for location

Sound Conform = realism constructed via focus on diegetic sound; non-diegetic voiceover

Editing Conform = standard shot reverse shot; continuity style; cuts between shots in scene, fade between narrative and

brand logo scene

Narrative Conform = simple script with two character dialogue featuring a car insurance issue; product information is

dispalyed

Representation Conform = driving is fun and insurance is a necessary problem; Ozy male stereotype is used

Mise En Scene

Sunglasses (stereotypical Australian)

McDonalds bag, representing that they are eating. Linked to the previous advert.

Our ResearchCinematography:

Differences between our Productions

The lighting is very bad here. Red glare, cannot see the actors well.

The lighting is a bit better here but think it still needs to be brighter and therefore filmed in the day. At a closer view it is also slightly pixilated.

The lighting in the shot is much better, all details can be seen as it was filmed in the day time.

First Production Second Production Third Production

Production notes

Debrief of shoot 1

-Needs to be done in daytime-Less camera angles-Make it simpler-Actors with more feeling and expression-Better soundLighting-red light in McDonalds (car in Wayne’s world was similar idea but very well artificially lit)Camera positioning - Cut off someone’s head

- Bonnet shot to encourage the actors to work together and create more of a relationship- POV from the position of the speaker in Mcdonalds

Actors- showing crocodile Dundee on the laptop to the actors so they understood the idea we were trying to portray.

External microphone

Mise en scene - include stuff in the back of the car!- Cricket hat- ozzy rugby shirt- boys mag on the dahsboard

RADIO- just use more expression- ozzy phrase to add to the adverts at the end (good call)

Our final design logo

Design elements

Used in the writing

Clouds used at the top of the logo

This was used as a surfboard for the little character

Used as a palm tree on the top of the lettering, parts have been edited out and it has been filled in blue.

Conventions of real media products

Fake character surfing, represents chilled attitude and surfing is a stereotypical Australian past time.

Steering wheel to connote to a car insurance company.

Palm tree represents Australia again. Palm trees are often found on beaches and our company name is from a beach in Australia

This is linked to the Australian nationality of our protagonist characters.

The strapline is also linked to the first advert, as the characters are spending more money on fast food than car insurance.

Use of new media technologies

As small scale independent producers new technologies were key to the success of our enterprises:

CommunicationInteraction FeedbackProductionExhibition

Use of new media technologies

RESEARCH

Internet blog

Locate and examine real media texts:

Video

Print

Pop-ups

Store information:• real texts

• our analyses

Ask for feedback & advice from followers

Use of new media technologies

PLANNING

Internet blog mobile phones

Maps: locate MacDonalds locations; use streetview to assess

Web: images for logo design

Communicate with production team: post messages about meeting date/times

Store planning info: eg, maps for locations

Mobile office:

email, text, phone:

locations recce photos

Use of new media technologies

PRODUCTION

mobile phones audiovisual recording

post production assembly

Invaluable for organisation of production team

Digital video recorder and Digital audio voice recorders

- for high quality images/sound and immediate review

iMovie &

Garageband

- for maximum quality and

flexibility in picture and sound organisation

Use of new media technologies

EVALUATION

blog Youtube

Feedback posted on our blog

Storage

Potential for increased feedback from a wider audience

Audience feedback We have received feedback in various forms but the most useful

was:

Blogging

There were many reasons why we decided to set up a blog, to:

• act as a production log• act as a receptacle for work done

• enable us to communicate with each other• enable us to communicate with our colleagues

• offer a forum for exchange and to get immediate feedback on our work

Audience feedback

Over the time of our blog - need to include details of specific feedback from from blog and what you did about it

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the combination between main and ancillary products

Evaluation = highly successful! Why?

A synergy of brand identity is achieved via the elements of construction and messages generated

• Repetition of brand name: Bondi – written and/or spoken in all products• Thematic – the Ozy lifestyle/attitude concept is present in all products• Narratives are simple, in-keeping with the theme, direct reference is made to the service being offered in all products• Representation of characters – easy going Ozy blokes present in TV and radio ads, plus surfer character in logo on pop-up• Continuity of colour scheme – the blue and gold (similar to Australian green and gold) is utilised in all products• Inclusion of logo – the Bondi imagery encapsulates the theme and is present in both TV advert and Web pop-up