Re-shoots for advert 1

On Friday the 13Th, me and Hannah spend 1-2 hours doing our re-shoots for advert one as stated in an earlier post. The re-shoots including:

-Shot of boy saying 'you smell gorgeous'
-End shots of cat jumping out of boys arms
-Couple embracing/hugging

We completed these three shots, and tried to do multiple ones of the same shot so that we have a wider selection to choose from when we upload it onto the Mac's. We struggled slightly when filming the shots of the boy throwing the cat because we weren't sure which angle it would look more effective from. Several of the shots didn't look as good as we thought they would, therefore we ended up using the mid-shot and cut the shot just before the cat jumps off in order for us to add an extra shot. This was our alternative shot due to the original shots not being good enough to use as one long one. We were also going to have the couple embrace however from our previous advert we found that it looked really fake therefore ended up sticking with the couple hugging because it is easier to bring focus onto the mints which the girl is holding.

Advert 1

Above is the video of advert 1 (couple and the cat) We have since changed a couple of things (see later post for video) following the discussion we had with our teacher. In our discussion, it came to our attention that the shot of the boy saying 'you smell gorgeous' does not fit smoothly with all the other shots in the sequence. The camera angle looks odd, therefore we are going to re-shoot it by filming the shot as more of a mid-shot and the camera being on the side of the girl. This is because it needs to be established that the boy is reffering to the girl when he says this line meaning that her reaction to this makes more sence.

Another thing which needs to be altered, which came accross in the same discussion, is the last few shots of the advert. At the end, the boy notices the girl, however he is still noticing the cat meaning that it looks like the mints havent really done their job. We are therefore going to add an extra shot in which the boy throws/drops the cat once he notices the girl, and then end the advert with the couple embracing. This would help to portray the effectiveness of the mints better than what we have now.

Other than these two things, we are going to leave the rest as it is because it has turned out quite successful. Please see above posts for the newer updated version of this advert.

(we are currently having problems in uploading the video onto blogger-we will try and get it up as soon as we can!)

Advert 2

This is the first advert which we filmed and edited. It is Advert 2 in the advertising campaign.The hardest part in the construction of this advert was editing and choosing the music. It took us long enough to find music with suitable lyrics that match the action, however it took even longer for the music to sound like it flowed even after lots of editing. We have come back to edit the music for this advert on Friday 13Th because we felt that the music sounded too jumpy in the places that we had cut it. The beginning part of the soundtrack was fine until it reached the point where the voice over begins. It was not an option to have lyrics continuing through this part because it would clash with what is being said in the voice over. Furthermore, we found it difficult to make it flow due to the pace and sound of the music changing at several points. We therefore tried to overlap the music in order for it to flow better and this worked in the early parts of the soundtrack. After a lot of trials and adding different sections of the music to the end part of the sequence, we ended up using the very end and very beginning of the song by putting them together. We feel that this is the best option because the rest of the song has lyrics being spoken. The pace/beat of the music also fits well with the voice over. If we can find a better way of making it flow, then me and Hannah will add this on if it means that it sounds better against the soundtrack.

This advert, in comparison to the original storyboard, has the same outline, however has new shots replacing the original shots due to the original ideas not meeting the codes and conventions of an advert. Due to these slight changes, it caused other changes meaning that the overall product is much different to the storyboard.

In comparison to Advert 1, which we are currently finishing off, there are less shots involved. We therefore contemplated adding extra shots however we thought that at this stage, it would cause us to be behind in our work because the music would have to be changed to match, and the shots may not even flow well with the existing shots. We therefore stuck to doing our re-shoot of the girls reaction and the boy first sitting down.

Begining of Advert 1

Following our disastrous first shoot, followed by disappointment after watching the footage of this shoot, we are now quite happy with our progress.

After our next shoots, we put together about 12-15 seconds of the beginning of our advert. Some shots still need to be cut down further, and some will need re-shooting, however we are glad that it is finally and slowly coming together. We have changed the beginning of our advert quite drastically in comparison to the original storyboard. We are now starting with the geek reading a magazine followed by his girlfriend entering the shot and giving him a drink. We have done this in order to make it have a similar feel to the advert 2, couple on the bench, which we have already one. It also allows the cheeky, innocent part of the advert to come into it. We also feel that it adds an aspect of realism because realistically, this is likely to happen in a living room!

The part of the storyboard in which the cat is involved, will, if the shooting goes to plan, stay roughly the same and we do not plan to remove the cat from the advert. This is because the cat is the center of the 'joke'/humour of the advert therefore it is vital that the cat is kept.

The first part of the advert, which is liable to change after our next shootings, is as follows:

-Mid shot of boy on sofa, reading.
-Over the shoulder shot, boy still reading, he turns page.
-Mid shot of Girl walking towards sofa, glass in hand
-Mid shot of boy looking up and smiling
-Close up of feet as she sits
-Girl sits, mid shot as she passes drink
-Close up of hands as they meet in the passing of the drink
-CU/ECU of girls reaction
-CU/ECU of boys reaction

That is roughly what we have so far, we are probably going to change this around a bit in order to make it flow better. It is also likely that some shots will be removed in order to fit in to the 30second advert time gap.

Filming - 27th & 28th Jan

For the past two days, Hannah and me have continued to film advert 1, the couple and the cat. So far, we have uploaded footage from one of the days filming (see above post) however are yet to upload the footage of the following days filming.

We went about filming by following the order of the storyboard so that the shots are in order, and therefore making it much easier to remember what has been done and what hasn't. It also makes it easier to order when it comes to editing it on the Macs. The main bulk of the shooting on the 27Th was to film as many shots of the cat as possible due to them shots being the most time consuming and harder to achieve. We got a few decent shots of the cat, however the cat wasn't in the best of moods to be filmed therefore had to leave it and continue with different shots. Both me and Hannah found that this shoot was more successful because we knew exactly what we wanted to get done as we had planned it in the Mac room when we uploaded the footage of shoot 1. From making the last advert, we were aware that we needed shots of the characters reactions to things, as well as allow the camera to tell the story not the characters, therefore we hope that this is reflected in our footage.

Whilst filming, we were using ideas from the last advert in order to aid us with this advert. Me and Hannah were getting a bit worried that this advert is too similar to our previous advert, however decided that it was important for it to have a similar plot because this helps to accentuate the fact that it is from the same advertising campaign. The main thing which we originally discussed to change in the adverts is the situation that the characters are under which should initially aid to create the intended humour for the audience. The similar shots/plots to the other advert is the over the shoulder shot, the close up of hands meeting and the attempted kiss. Despite these being similar aspects, the way they have been portrayed is in a different way to the previous advert therefore they do differ making them not identical.

Yesterday, we managed to get the shooting for the jingle completed. This went really well as they are quite easy shots to do, and we already know how it goes due to us doing it successfully first time round in making our last advert. This time, Lucy, the girl, has to take the mints therefore she is doing the jingle. We decided to do some shots in which Lucy was saying the words 'shake,click,fresh,ahh' in order to experiment what it would sound like if she says it. This is because we felt that it could be just as effective to have her addressing the audience as it is to have a voice over. We have used a different effect to the last advert for the 'ahhh' part of the jingle. Using a hairdryer, we managed to get Lucy's hair to be pushed back as if a gust of wind had passed. This helps emphasise the effects of the mints and how refreshing they are.

In our next shoot, we hope to complete as much of the cat shots as possible, as well as the ending of the advert and any re-shoots which need to be carried out.

Discussions made following uploaded footage on Mac's

After uploading the footage from our first shoot for advert 1, couple and the cat, we were disappointed when we viewed our shots on the Macs because none of them met our expectations and visions of our advert. Despite us thinking that the shoot went well, the shots were not up to scratch and we did not like any that were done that day. (I guess it's not surprising for a first shoot!)We therefore have put some 'rough cuts' together and discussed how we could expand and improve the shots in order to engage our target audience as well as make the advert reach its full potential. We have also used the shots that we did on our first shoot, and compared it to our original storyboard to see which shots could be added and which shots should be kept. This is because in comparison to the original storyboard, some shots which we wanted to have, are not as good as we thought due to them not meeting the codes and conventions of an avert.

One of the things that we we rent happy about was the mise en scene of the shots. In the previous advert that we shot, and in our planning, we had the boy dressed as a geek, whereas in this shoot, he was wearing normal everyday clothes which didn't make him stand out as a geek. We therefore decided to assign our actor, Ben, with a set outfit in which would portray the image that we are going for. It is important that he is kept as a geek in all three of our adverts because this is one of the aspects which links the advert campaign together, and it is the image of the couple which makes the audience relate to the mint which we are advertising as well as create humour.

Another problem that we had with the shots, mise en scene related, is the on goings in the background. Due to the advert being set in the living room of a house, the living area changes every time and in some shots there are family member and items which move, meaning that the shots do not follow well. For example, in one shot, there is a green bag on the table, but in another shot the green bag has been moved which looks really silly when the shots are put together as you can tell it was shot on different days! Next time, We therefore have to make sure that the area we are shooting in can be easily adapted to our shooting, therefore have decided to use a different sofa which is located against the wall. This means that nothing changes behind the actors/sofas meaning that each shot will look like it was shot on the same day. The only thing that we have to be aware of is the positioning of the cushions on the sofa.

The third problem that we encountered, is that some shots were wobbly or tilted. This is because when we are trying to get footage of the cat, we tried filming it by having the camera really low down which was hard because there is only so low that the tri-pod can go. When we uploaded the footage onto the macs it looked unprofessional and rushed due to the shot not being perfectly still. Me and Hannah have therefore decided to keep the tri-pod at its lowest, but make use of the zoom in order to make the cat be in the shoot. We have also discussed having a low angle shot in order to make it look like it is from the girl/boy's perspective.

After uploading the footage and discussing how to move forward, we wrote drown all the shots that we wanted to do on our filming days, as stated in the shooting schedule post below. We now hope that this bad shoot will allow us to learn from out mistakes, an hopefully making the next couple of shoots a lot more successful.

Friday 23rd's filming

We have begun to start filming the shots in which we need the cat in for advert 1. Me and Hannah have decided to do these shots first because they are the hardest ones to do due to the cat leaping out of every shot. We originally begun by following our storyboard, however, as soon as we started filming we noticed that we would have to add in a lot more shots than what is in the storyboard. This is because, as we were doing the shots in the original storyboard, we found that the Lucy and Ben were acting too much meaning that one shot would last over 3-4 seconds which doesn't follow the codes and conventions of an advert. We are therefore still using the storyboard as a guide, however we are adding more shots in between in order to have a variety of shots. We are unsure as to whether these shots will look good or not, however in order to not be limited of choice, we are experimenting with different shots so that we can pick out and edit the best ones on the Macs.

Overall, the shooting went well and we managed to get a fair bit of shots completed. We have mainly been shooting mid shots, close ups, and extreme close-ups in order to not make the same mistake that we made in with advert 2, of having too many long shots. The main problems that we had was with the cat. Despite the cat being well behaved, we found that we had to get on with the shot really quickly before the cat runs off. This meant that we had to tell Lucy and Ben what we wanted them to do in the shot, as well as set up the camera in the right position before placing the cat into the shot, allowing us to be prepared and ready to continue shooting straight away. This ultimately allowed us to work more efficiently and was less time consuming.

On the other hand, the advantage of filming indoors, in comparison to advert 2, is hat we have more control over the lighting. We now do not have the whether restrictions such as the sun and rain meaning that the shots will be easier to control. We are using ambient lighting in order to have an aspect of realism, and so far this is working well.

We plan to upload all the footage that we have got so far onto the Macs during Tuesday's lunch time lesson on January 20th. Me and Hannah are also going to move foward with this advert by spending more time on editing it in the upcoming week during our free time. In addition to this, we are going to make an early start in searching for music due to us knowing how difficult it is to choose the right song from making our last advert!

Shooting Schedule Continued...

Here is more of our shooting schedule:

Date: Friday 23rd January
Time: Period 4-6
People present: Hannah, Lucy, Ben & me. And the cat!
Place: Hannah's house in living room
Task: To begin filming the shots in advert 1 in which the cat is present. Try and get these shots out of the way early as these are the hardest shots to do. Experiment with a variety of shots
Props: A sofa and the cat.

Date: Tuesday 27Th January
Time: 1:10
People present: Hannah & me
Place: Mac Suite
Task: Continue to edit music for advert 2, and upload footage so far of advert 1.

Date: Tuesday 27Th January
People present: Lucy, Ben, Hannah & Me
Place: Hannah's house
Time: Period 3, break, Period 4
Task: Shoot the jingle for advert 1 using Lucy. Do any re-shoots. Finish off shots where the cat is needed.
Props: Sofa, cat, and mint packet

Date: Wednesday 28Th January
People present: Lucy, Ben, Hannah & me
Place: Hannah's house
Time: Lunch, Period 6+7
Task: Continue doing shots for advert 1 + any re shoots. Try and complete some of the ending shots. Re-shoot 1 of the shots for advert 2.
Props: Sofa, cat, mint packet, geeky costume

Date: Friday 30th January
People present: Lucy, Ben, Hannah & me
Place: Hannah's house
Time: Break, Period 2,3, & 4
Task: Re-shoots, 'cat' shots, and ending shots
Props: Sofa, mint packet, costumes,

Date: Friday 30th January
People present: Hannah & me
Place: Mac suite
Time: Period 1, 4, 5, 6 (and other intervals)
Tasks: Upload footage, carry on editing advert, post advert 1 & 2 on Blogger.

Date: Friday 13th Feb
People present: Ben, Lucy, Hannah, me
Place: Hannah's house
Tasks: Complete re-shoots

Music Editing

Since we have been back, me and Hannah have made a start on editing our chosen music to fit with the action of advert 2. To begin with, we imported the song and played it against out advert. In order to have an idea of what the song will sound like against the action, we did a quick rough cut of the song. This helped us have an idea of which parts that we need to keep and delete when it comes to editing it properly. It also determined the fact of whether we would keep that song or not because if the pace, lyrics, mood etc of the music did not fit with the advert then we would have to reject the idea. After discussing the song amongst ourselves and with Mr Michie we decided that we would keep the music as long as we did some serious editing! The music which we have chosen is Girls and Boys in Love by The Rumble Strips. We felt that this piece of music had a chorus which, when edited, was the best song we could find with lyrics that match the action quite well. In addition to this, the pace of the music fit well and we think that the music is young and lively meaning that it would appeal to our target audience.

Below are some of the lyrics of the song as well as a YouTube video so that you can listen to it. In bold are the parts of the lyrics which we want to keep. Bearing in mind that there are instrumental sections which we will use instead of the lyrics not highlighted in bold.

Rumble Strips Lyrics - Girls And Boys In Love Lyrics

Just ’cause you think it,
Don’t make it so,
Drop you to drink it,
Won’t let you go.

CHORUS
Plenty of girls and boys in love,
Plenty of girls and boys in love.

Move to the city,
Loose all your heart,
She weren’t that pretty,
You ain’t too smart.

CHORUS
Plenty of girls and boys in love,
Plenty of girls and boys in love.

But ain’t it a shame,
Woaaah oooohhh,
Ain’t it a shame,
Woaaah oooohhh,
Ain’t it a shame,I’ve let you go,
Plenty of girls… and boys in love.

Plenty of girls… and boys in love (3x)



We want to use some of the instrumental parts of the song as a mini introduction to the advert. (Perhaps only the first 1-3 shots)

The point in which we want the 'plenty of girls and boys in love' line to come in is when the girls See's her boyfriend (the geek) walking over to sit next to her. This line should last throughout the close ups of the couple holding hands and exchanging 'flirty' looks.

When the lyrics say 'Ain't it a shame' we want this to be said when the geek goes to kiss his girlfriend but he gets rejected. This helps add a sympathy aspect and is the exact message that the action is giving off.

After the rejection part, the voice over will begin.

We will then end the advert with an instrumental part of the advert, however we will have the music playing quietly behind the voice over.

I took the responsibility of saving the song onto a USB so that on Monday and Tuesday me and Hannah could go onto Adobe Sound booth, the programme which allows you to edit music. Originally we thought that the programme would be hard to use, however with a brief introduction on how to use the programme by Mr Michie as well as the use of the help tool meant that we picked it up very quickly. So far, we have cut down the music so that we are only left with the instrumental parts, the chorus, and the appropriate lyrics in the middle part of the song. We have also used what we have edited so far and imported it into our advert to see how it sounded like, and as we did so, we both discussed what extra parts needed cutting. In addition to this, it allowed us to view the timings and how much we had to work with when it came to how much introduction/instrumental music we could have before the lyrics begin. Once we discussed the timings etc, we went back onto Adobe Sound booth and have begun to narrow the music down so that it fits in the 30second time space of our advert. We still need to make the music sound 'smoother' so that it flows better and doesn't have the sound change from where we have cut the music. Once we have got this sorted, we will import it back against our advert, fit the voice over so that it fits accurately, and then we shall be complete! :)