Final Major Project - Evaluation

For my final major project I decided to produce a video advert campaign on the sportswear brand Nike. In this evaluation I will talk about the technical quality of my final products for examples the way the footage turned out this meaning the quality of the clips used for example if they were in full HD, the editing process this meaning how it was done, the style I did it in and also the composition of the project as a whole. Firstly let’s talk about the quality of the footage in which I used, I filmed with a Canon DSLR camera in Full 1080p HD because it looks a lot better and more to a professional standard and this is what I wanted. I used the canon camera for the skateboarding scenarios and the running scenarios and my camera phone for the nightclub scenes because of the clubs policy you were not allowed to enter with digital cameras, so because of this problem I decided to film with my iPhone 6 camera which as well as the DSLR still shoots in Full 1080p HD but doesn't let you shoot in a manual setting which I was fully aware of. When comparing the clips you can hardly tell the difference when they being side by side and I think this was good in my favor because the nightclub was very crowded and using a phone allowed it to be very compact and put it anyway at any given time. Like I just mentioned the only bad thing when it came to filming with the phone is that I couldn't focus manually for example so the shots which I wanted to get were quite restricted. Although that was the only drawback I think the overall qualities of the shots were really good and I'm happy with how they turned out. Using the Canon I could get lots of good quality shots using the 18-55mm lens and also the 50mm lens, using these to lenses gave me a range of angles and shots I could use to get the best quality of video for my final major project. When filming certain clips I decided to use manual focus so I could have more freedom when it came to capturing what I want for example in the beginning shots which were showing locations I had the camera unfocused and then gradually focused it so the landscape became in shot. I think this had a really cool effect and worked very effectively. Now onto the editing process of my final major project, this was very easy because I was already familiar to the editing program. Abode Premiere so I knew my way around the software and once I had all my footage and music I then started adding clip after clip. Most of my advert was just cut clips next to each other with the occasional video transition and I think this worked really well because of its simplicity and this is how I wanted it when I spoke about it in my proposal and other recent work. I also used slow motion in a few of the clips one of them being a close up of a shoe running past, I did this because it allowed to capture that moment when this shoe hit the ground and then sped up back to normal and I think it really well and came out quite effect. Another reason for using the slow motion is when a clip was too short I used slowed it down slightly just so it extended a little more which was really useful. Now to talk about the use of sound just briefly, I decided to use a quite recent song which I personally liked when coming up with ideas for my final major project. It was upbeat and catchy and thought it would fit really well with the concept of my idea and also because I was filming for an advert around a minute and a half I decided to cut the song down and this worked well by just using an audio transition to fade the song out where I wanted too.

I acquired many more production skills and already had existing ones form the previous year and this helped me out a lot when it came to the production of my final major project. To start off I’ll talk about the filming skills, I already knew the basics using different angles, shooting landscapes so it sets the location, using some terminology such as wide shots, over the shoulder shots, these techniques from previous filming projects has taught me effective ways to make average looking shots look a lot better when applying the previous things I have learnt. New skills which I have gained during the filming process of my final major project was the use of different lenses and this really helped me get very different shots from using just the standard lens. For example one of the lenses I used when filming was the Canon 1.8 50mm lens and this was a very close up lens and was very good for them zoomed in shots. I used this lens when I wanted to get some of the close up shots of the shoes, like for example in my video where the runner’s foot is in focus and it captures them running past. I think this works really well because it captures every single deal and the depth of field and aperture is really effective when it came to adjusting the manual focus. When it came to editing and when thinking about skills from before and after I would very much say they are the same as from recent projects I’ve done a lot of video editing and used most of my current knowledge and used it when editing my final major project. For example in recent projects my editing is exactly the same this in comparison to shots, effects and even slow motion. In my final major project the cuttings of each clip

always somewhat matches a beat to the song and I think this works really well so I carry on this technique and keep it persistent throughout my work. Overall I think that would be the only skill that I have when it comes to the editing process of my advert campaign also the skills I have further developed would definitely be my filming skills and this is because of the experiences with different equipment which has allowed me to do a lot more and make it to a professional standard.

When it comes to looking closely at how my final product matches the original intentions in how I wanted my advert campaign to look like I would say over all it did and didn't come out how I wanted it and I will explain now and give the reasons. Looking back at my project proposal the obvious reason for my project is the advertisement of Nike, but like I stated in my proposal I wanted it to have hidden meaning almost and also a motivation and inspirational touch and a positive movement which somewhat inspires people. When thinking about that and how my advert has turned out I do get that sort if vibe from my project for example with the whole motivation and inspirational idea about it. The advert features three situations with three different characters and each one has their own little story and I did this because I wanted to show what differences have when it comes to setting goals, for example the runner was out to get fit and stay healthy, the skateboarder was out to learn new tricks to become better and the final situation is a girl that wants to just go out and have a good time with her friends and from these three scenarios I hope it can inspire people to just do what they want to do and to reach their goals. From my advert I hope it does inspire and motivate people and this is what I was trying to achieve when completing my final major project. When it came to the filming and trying to portray these stories onto film it was very difficult, inspiration and motivation are quite hard to make it obvious because it hard to create a storyline with only so many seconds having shown this off. When watching this I think I could of done this a lot better by giving more time for the three peoples scenarios to unwind and their stories to be told but because of only having a certain time (advert) this couldn't be done. Other than that I think my final product does match the original intentions in what I wanted like it said in my proposal. When it comes to how the brand is advertised I think this is one of one strong points because from a focus group I did many people said they could definitely tell the advert was for Nike and I’ll talk about the focus group later on. So over all I am happy with the outcome of my final major project in comparison to the proposal form because I think I quite it to my original ideas and didn't change anything throughout.

Time management during the making of my final major project was definitely a key aspect and I needed to stay on schedule so I could finish on time for when the project needed to be handed in by. Scheduling was sometimes easy and sometimes hard, this would be because of the actors commitments such as their own college work and depending if we could both be free at the same time, this is where the time management and problem solving would become involved because when we could shoot footage both at the same time meaning us both being free and also if the weather wasn't in our favor then we would have to reschedule. Time management would definitely be getting all the footage filmed on time so i could then start the editing process, an example of this would be when I filmed one of the first scenarios and then the second one a few days later, this meaning I had two of out three things filmed and just needed the last and final one; but because she had work and college commitments this was quite hard to work around. After a lot of rescheduling we both finally worked it out and got some great quality footage, although there was the commitment problem there were also problems with the weathers for example. The weather was definitely a major constraint when it came to getting all the footage for my final major project, because of the bad weather it would of been hard to film in the rain and wind because of expensive camera equipment getting ruined etc. A strategy I used to overcome this constraint was to check the weather app on my phone and I did this a few days in advance before the date of the shoot so I could see if the weather was acceptable or not and doing this allowed me to reschedule dates so we could make it appropriate to film. These were the only few problems which occurred when it came to the filming of my advert campaign and through the power of time management and problem solving rescheduling and overcoming constraints really worked in my favor.

Now I will talk about my target audience, and their responses to my final major project which include positive and negative feedback and also improvements in which they think I could of made. I did this though a focus group page on Facebook which allowed them to view the advert and then comment their thoughts and expressions about the video and I will also comment on their criticism expanding and explain their points. The photo below is my post in which I asked the people of my focus group to comment on my video.

This was the actual post in which was on the focus group Facebook wall with my message just to explain what I wanted from them and to let them know what this group was about. When it came to picking the people who I wanted in my focus group I mainly chose them because of their media experience and also their terminology when it comes this subject. I also chose people with minimal knowledge just so I could get a amateurs opinion on my advert therefore having a well diverse group of people to critic my final major project. I also chose the age group to be of similar age to the people in the video so there could be some sort of relation.

The first comment had good and bad points as well as supportive criticism; overall it was quite a good comment and had some helpful advice when it came to what they think I could improve on. I will now explain and expand on this comment; the first thing Emily said was how she liked the song choice and how it fit really well with the theme and the footage. She then commented on how relaxed and chilled it was at the beginning of the video and how the song starts when the clips begin. She likes how some of the clips started unfocused and then focused to create a really good effect, she also like how the storyline works with the three situations and that it really gives the brand a diverse feel and this is what I was going for if you look in my proposal form. In the video I added another Nike product so that there could be range of them instead of just the shoes and Emily thought this was a good idea as it broadens there products. When it comes to the editing, she said she loved how the music worked well with the clips and footage for example every repetitive beat that would be a cut to another clip. Now it comes to the negative opinions and when reading though Emily’s comment I would say they are quite realistic and that I agree with them 100%. Like she has mentioned above she thinks that there wasn’t that many shots of the Nike Blazers which were the black and white ones and I completely agree with this comment. This is because that when filming the shoes when my actor was out them footwear wasn’t appropriate for the nightclub therefore not having any more shots of the shoes in there. I think this was the only problem when it came to talking about the shoes in the video, she also thought a clip was shaky and I can see why she thinks this because the clip after that is a still shot on a tripod and I can see this point very clearly and agree with this. So an overall thought this comment was positive with some drawback but I am happy with hat this person has said about my video, she thinks that it is advertised well and is along the same theme of other Nike adverts and I can’t complain there.

The next comment is from Irina who isn’t a media student so wouldn’t know that much about the topic or any terminology or have a better understanding of the components

like Emily’s comment above. From reading the short comment it was very positive and gave a good brief analysis of what was going on and I’m glad people could see what I wanted to do. Firstly she said she liked how the music starts before the video and this was said in another comment and because of this I am quite happy I decided to do it. She said she liked the basic story line of how it was different stories and I’m glad this is being brought up because this is what I was worrying about when at the drawing board because I thought this would be the case but obviously not. Irina said she couldn’t find anything to improve on and this is great and definitely most the supportive comment and overall that she likes it.

This comment is from Joe, who has studied media studies and therefore has a bit more knowledge that Irina because of the terminology which he has used. The comment I thought was very good having its good point, bad points and its improvements and as a whole I think it is quite helpful to get this opinion. First he said that the separate narratives work really well and that it is well thought out and I’m really happy with this comment because like I mentioned above this was one of my worries. Editing, he said the cuts and takes all blended together and that this made the video very well balanced and also how the clips were well song to the video and like in the comments above this was mentioned quite often which is definitely a positive aspect. More positive comments were along the lines of how well the diversity of footage keeps in pace with the video, and also how the angles and shot movements are kept to the standard of keeping the viewers’ attention at all times. Now onto some of the negative and critical comments about my final major project, first of Joe said that the slow motion clips were quite laggy and this I can agree with because this is quite clear when watching the video. Also another one which I think is quite relevant is when he said that the clip of the car at the beginning doesn’t really match with the narrative and when look at my final major project this is true and would definitely be something I would change. He then said that overall the advert was put together really well and well put together.

This comment was very similar to Irina’s because of how they didn’t much really know anything about media terminology but still has good points and bad points in which I can talk about and expand on. Like two of the other comments they said they

really like the song and how it goes really well with the footage. Sara also commented on how she likes the three different perspectives of the product and how it has a good range. She also agreed with Emily with how the Nike blazers shoe wasn’t very shown as much as the others. Like I mentioned above this is definitely a thing I would like to change if I could do it again. When it comes to the storyline she explained that she likes how it shoes different shoes in different shoes and that ‘they can be worn here, there and everywhere’ and this is what I was hoping it to come out like because I wanted it to show diversity because Nike is a brand like this. Overall she said that she liked the video thought it was very cute and it wanted her to go and buy shoes and this is the overall aim for my final major project.

This comment was very much the same as the others picking up on the same points which they all chose to talk about. For example the song choice was a very popular opinion and everyone commented how they liked it and how much it fit the video really well. Next was the editing, Sarah liked how I matched the beats of the song to the cuts and splits of the videos and this was mentioned quite a few times which is really

good and a positive aspect of my video advert. Next was how she liked how just before the ending two of the actors were filmed walking away and she also likes how they were captured and both run each other really well. She also likes the clip where the skateboarder stomps his shoe when he lands a trick because it blatantly advertises the product. From many positive comments about the clips starting a few seconds into the song this comment didn’t really like this effect on the video and this shocked me a little because so many people liked the idea of this being at the beginning. But overall Sarah said she really enjoyed watching the advert and thought it was very good.

This is the last comment that was made onto my final major project and like I have mentioned before it has lots of good and bad points and also some constructive criticism about my advert campaign. First of all like many other similar comments Shauna liked how they are three different perspectives and she thinks this is a very clever way to advertise the product. She also said that it gives the impression that you can wear the shoes in any situation and not just sport and this is what I was also looking to do when it came to creating my product. Like most of all the people in the focus group they have all agreed on that they really like the music choice and how it blends really well and matches up some the music and is on beat. I think this one is the most positive comment I have gotten and this is definitely a plus when it comes to talking about feedback. The only criticism that Shauna has given me is that she would of liked to of seen more of the girl who goes to town shoes because they isn’t many shots of them in the advert. This is a comment that has came up before and is definitely something I would do if could improve it for next time.

Now onto my conclusion, if I was to come back and do this project brief again I would still do it the way I did it but only change a few things to improve my mistakes and negative criticism to make my current project. When looking at this an thinking what I could change I would definitely look at my feedback a change a few things from what my focus group has said. For example a main point which was brought up was the Nike blazers not being filmed as much as the other shoes and to me that is a major set back because that was one of the products and for the audience to notice that it wasn’t very good hearing it being brought up. Also another tiny thing that I would like to change was the random car scene at the beginning because it really had no relevance to the video. Overall I am really happy with how my final major project turned out with following my schedules to applying my proposal form and from doing all of that it really kept me on track to finish the advert on time and this meaning getting the best results for my final major project.