Sunday 30 April 2017

LO1: Analysis of Media Campaigns: Maxi Milk

Maxi Milk
This campaign is aimed at men, this is because on the advert, it is a man that is drinking the product that is being promoted. Also on the top right of the poster, it reads "MILK for REAL MEN" which has very strong connotations of the fact that the product is for male audiences.

The advert appeals strongly to male audiences because it denotes a very muscly looking man, hanging of what looks like a very high up cliff, with only one hand. This connotes that he is incredibly physically capable, and also very brave and strong. The advert connotes that this is because he drinks "MAXI-MILK". The word "REAL MEN" is the most noticeable word on the poster, because it is in the biggest font and is in a bright white colour. The phrase in it's self attracts male audiences, because it is very likely that the viewer's ideal version of themselves, consists of being seen by others as a real man. The colour white could be suggesting purity, which comes along with the idea that the man on the advert has achieved perfect health.

The denotation of the man climbing up a very difficult looking cliff could also be be connoting the idea that the man is overcoming the difficulties of life, with the help of "MAXI-MILK", the colour of the sky suggested that it was previously cloudy and grey (dull life) yet thanks to "MAXI-MILK" the weather is starting to clear up and become brighter, like the life he is living.

Saturday 29 April 2017

LO1: Analysis of Media Campaign: GET SOME NUTS

Snickers: Get Some Nuts campaign.

The constant message throughout this campaign was Mr T shouting at you to get some nuts. I think this means that the overall core message of the campaign is to buy snickers, because snickers contain nuts, therefore your are literally getting some nuts. The advert features Mr T, who will be recognised especially my males, who may have watched the A team, or Rocky IV.



The trailer shows a guy falling over while playing football and whining about it, when suddenly a tank drives over some cars (and crushes them) and drives onto the pitch. Mr comes out of the tank and tells the guy to "stop jibber jabbing", then the tank fires a snicker at the guy, and Mr T shouts at him telling him to "get some nuts". The overall message is that if you eat snickers, you will become more tough, just like Mr T. Also the connotations of the phrase "get some nuts" could be interpreted as "become more manly and toughen up by eating snickers". The reason that Mr T comes along in a tank is because he has now become the ultimate tough guy, and it is suggested that this is because he eats snickers. The reason why they are all playing football at the beginning because football is stereotypically very popular among male audiences, so they may start eating snickers because they think it will make them better at football.


(1)

In this web advert, the advert depicts Mr T holding a snickers, and point at the viewer. This poster has impact because Mr T is looking directly at you and almost looks intimidating because of his strength. He is holding a snicker bar, because that is what the advert is wanting you to buy, and the words "GET SOME NUTS" hang from a chain around Mr T's Nuts. Because this advert has the same narrative as the video advert, the campaign is successful as a whole, since the campaign has synergy.

(2)
In the campaign, even the product the campaign wants you to buy has the same message "GET SOME NUTS" printed on the campaign, and even has Mr T appear to be punching you in the face, with the SNICKERS logo printed on his fist, meaning Mr T is forcing you to buy snickers, which is humorous. To some customers, they may have seen Mr T on the snickers packet, and because he stared in films that the customer likes such as the A-Team and Rocky IV. The font for GET SOME NUTS is the same as it is on the video advert, which gives the campaign synergy, the packet also has almost the same narrative as the previous materials used in the campaign so far.

(3)
This print advert is very similar to the web advert, however Mr T is surrounded by a golden emblem, connoting that he is perhaps the king of snickers, since the emblem says SNICKERS in gold. Mr T is handing a SNICKERS bar to the viewer, which perhaps connotes that if you buy a snickers bar, you can be the king of snickers just like Mr T appears to be. The phrase GET SOME NUTS again is in the same font as the rest of the campaign. and the posters background is brown, which gives connotations of the product, and sustains the synergy through out the campaign.  

(4)
Even in person Mr T became a Representative of snickers, hence Mr T wearing a SNICKERS belt in a similar fashion  to a boxers belt, and Mr T is wearing the same outfit he wears through out whole campaign.
(5)

Even during christmas, the campaign released a product which still sustained the contingency throughout the campaign, however in this product the campaign has been made into a christmas version, which is great for promotion, since people who know people who are fans of Mr would certainly buy this product for christmas.





Friday 28 April 2017

LO1: Analysis of Media Campaign: Dumb Ways to Die

Dumb Ways to Die was released in November 2012, and was created by Metro to increase awareness around trains. The video was released on YouTube, and during 48 hours the video gained 2.5 million views, and by December 2015, the video had gained 117 million views.

Here is the original video:

As you can see the video features 21 characters who kill themselves in stupid ways, these methods get more ridiculous and humorous until the last three, which feature accidents caused by foolish decisions made around trains. This is because the key message of the campaign was to increase awareness around trains, due to the amount of previous accidents. 

Reasons I think the video became so popular so quickly:

1. The video is funny: One of the most popular genres of film and television is comedy. Therefore in order to make a campaign successful, it is a good idea to incorporate humour into the campaign. This video includes things that a whole range of audiences will find funny. The video features a character using their private bits for piranha bate, a character who sells their organs on the internet, and someone who is dumb enough to walk up to a grizzly bare and poke it with a stick. All these things can be laughed at, since they are such ridiculous and unrealistic ways to die. I think it is because of the comedy, that the audience continues watching the video all the way through to the end, once they've reached the end, they should be concentrating fully, it is then that the video tells the audience about being safe around trains.

2. The video is a music video for a catchy and cheerful song: It is important that the song was catchy, so that the song sticks in audience's heads, so that they remember the key message. The song was also very cheerful, which contrasted with the videos dark humour.

3. The video was released on YouTube: YouTube has now become probably the most popular site on the video to go and watch videos on. YouTube was probably the best way to put the video out there, because people use it all the time, and people can share YouTube videos on social media with ease. It is also free to upload videos onto YouTube, which is helpful if you are on a low budget .

4. The video was animated: The video was animated in a style which can be appreciated by most people. Animation has became a very popular format for audio-visual products, which is why it was chosen to create the Dumb Ways to Die campaign. On top of this, with animation, you are free distort reality in way which would be incredibly expensive to create using live action. For example when the character takes their helmet of in outer space, their head explodes into blood. If Metro did this using live action, the video would incredibly expensive to make, and to gory for young audiences. 

The campaign also included a game which could be played on smart phones was released, which featured tasks such as flicking away piranhas, taking toast out with a fork carefully, along with being patient while waiting in a car for a train to go past, and staying of the train tracks. It is the train related tasks which continue to drive the key message home. 

Example of a task which is not related to the key message:
 Image result for dumb ways to die gameplay

Example of a task which is related to the key message:
Image result for dumb ways to die gameplay

I think this game was successful because it was enjoyable to play, and engaged the player in tasks which were fun and satisfying to complete. As well as having a scoring system, the game also gave you three lives each time you played the game, which makes the game more tense, and encourages the player not to make any mistakes, therefore driving the message home even more. Another reason I think this game was successful was because it didn't focus purely on tasks related to the key message, I think if the game only focused on train safety, the player would feel to much like they were playing an educational game, which for some players would have taken the fun out of it. Since the game mixed in more imaginative ways of dying along with more realistic ways, the game was more fun to play.

It was also important that the game was released to be played on smart phone, since they are the most common type of the device anyone is going to own. The game was more likely to be played since it could be found easily on any app store, and it could be played for free. People especially like games which are free.

The campaign also included a website, which includes interactive tasks, including the game, and a second version of the game. The website also features latest news on the Campaign. The website also features a shop on which you can by merchandise related to Dumb Ways to Die. Merchandise includes a school bag, plushy toys and key rings.

I think the whole campaign targeted any one who used or is going to use Metro Trains, therefore in terms of age range, people 12 and upwards. Creative Director McCann also said that "The aim of this campaign is to engage an audience that really doesnt want to hear any kind of safety message...".

I think the campaign was successful on  a whole because each different section of the campaign featured the same characters, who are all dying in the same stupid ways. It was the characters that became the campaigns brand, since the style of animation is very recognizable.



Thursday 27 April 2017

LO1: Analysis of Media Campaign: ACT FAST

This campaign was created by NHS to inform people on how to act when a stroke strikes someone.

Here is the video for the campaign:
The video starts by showing a normal looking middle aged woman who is smiling. The video tells you that when a stroke strikes it spreads like a fire in the brain, it then shows an actual fire inside the woman's head, video then tells you that the longer the stroke goes on undetected the more damage is done. The video then tells you how to spot the signs of a stroke. You have to think and act fast. The video then tells what to do using the four letters from the word fast.

F - Face, the symptoms of a stroke shown in the face.
A - Arms, the symptoms of a stroke shown in the arms.
S - Speech, the symptoms of a stroke shown in speech.
T - Time, time to call 999.

Throughout the video, it incorporates music which would be well suited in a horror film, in order to make the audience feel uncomfortable, it also connotes the horrific reality of strokes. The video also shows a middle aged actor to demonstrate the three visual symptoms of a stroke. I think they chose a middle aged female actor because:
-middle aged people are more likely to get strokes
-middle aged people are more responsible, and are more likely to pay attention to the campaigns message
-females are stereotypical seen as weaker and will gain more sympathy from the audience.

The woman starts by smiling, which connotes that everything is OK, then she acts out the symptoms of a stroke in a frightening and disturbing way, which makes the audience feel uncomfortable. However, this makes the video more powerful, since people are more likely to be affected by disturbing things, since it brings them back down to the horrific reality we live in. 

The video also uses the powerful imagery of a fire spreading in a person's brain, which connotes the urgency and danger of a stroke. The video at the end says that it is time to call 999, just like you would in the case of a fire.

Here is the image for the campaign:



The poster show cases the four things you need to which each start with the letters in the word FAST, just like the audio-visual advert does. For each symptom the poster shows an image relating to it directly. Also to link back to the audio-visual advert, the campaign again showcases a middle aged woman under a stroke attack. The poster shows the four things you need to do in relation to the word fast in a more effective way, by lining up the word FAST so that it can be read  horizontally by the audience. Below the poster reads "WHEN STROKE STRIKES, ACT F.A.S.T" which is highlighted in the colour yellow, which connotes ideas of urgency and danger.

Over all I think the campaign was successful especially because of the word fast. The word fast first of all tells you that you need to act fast when someone is having a stroke, then the word fast tells you what to do. It helps audiences remember what to do in a more effective way then just plainly telling audiences what to in case of a stroke.

This campaign uses synergy, since the poster and the video advert share the same font, the same imagery and the same message throughout advert. Both adverts also explain the campaigns message in the same way, since the video advert explains what each letter of FAST represents. It is incredibly important that campaigns such as this one have synergy in order for the message to stick in people's heads more. This way the campaign has almost trained everyone who sees it to do what is needed when somebody has a stroke.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

LO2: 3 Ideas for campaigns

Idea number 1: Promotional Video for Native and the Name.
I would create a music video for the band, Native and the Name, which would be a video promoting them as a band targeted at audiences  aged 16-25 who are interested in Indie/Folk. The video would be based in Sheffield therefore promoting Native and the Name as a Sheffield band, and would feature their most popular song which hasn't had a video made for them yet. I could also create a poster for the band, and also create a promotional website for them which show reels pictures of the band and also lets the user listen to their latest songs.

Idea number 2: Daniels Bros.
Daniels Bros are a local business in Sheffield who create wooden furniture, toys and memorabilia. Their most popular product are wooden penguins, which are marketed at both children (who use them as toys) and adults (who use them as decorations). If I were to create a campaign for Daniels Bros, I would focus on advertising the Penguins, because I think they are highly marketable.

Image of Parry + Pete + Phil the Penguins

The campaign I would create would include an animated video, a print out poster, and a web banner which would appear on websites which market similar materials to Daniels Bros. The video I would create would be a narrative advert, and would tell a story about one of the penguins Daniels Bros create which would appeal very strongly to the younger audience. The print out poster would appeal more to the older audience, by making the poster in the style of an B-Movie poster. The poster would act like an poster for the animated video advert, and would therefore need to link to the video, however would be made in style which can be interpreted as retro. The banner advert would be in the form of an animated gif, in order to attract attention, and would also be targeted at the older audience more.

Idea number 3: My Mum Paints Babies.
I would create a promotional video for a person I know called Kate Rose who is a talented artist based in Sheffield and paints peoples children for them. The video would need to be targeted especially at females, who are mothers and are also aged 30-40 this is because this is the type of audience that would desire a painted picture of their children. The video would show the process of the how My Mum Paints Babies works, by showing the delivery of a photo to the Kate Rose, and then show the time lapse of her painting the picture, and then show the picture being wrapped up and posted to the happy customer. The video would then cut to the customer withe her child receiving the painting. The other type of media I could use would be a brochure for My Mum Paints Babies, which would showcase the different paintings the artist has completed, along with the original photo of the child which is next to it, to show how accurate Kate Rose is at painting. The brochure would also show how much each painting cost, and would also give her email address and website for the people who are interested. I would also create a the website for My Mum Paints Babies, which would feature a show reel of Kate Rose's previous paintings.

Monday 24 April 2017

LO2: Evidence of contacting client


LO2: Media Choices

The campaign I am going to create for Daniels Bros will include three different medias. The medias that I have decided to use are video, print and web. Because most advertisers like to advertise through social media, I have decided that the video I will create will be posted on Daniels Bros' Facebook page, with the intention that people who have liked that page will also share the video in order to spread the advert even more. This way Daniels Bros will gain a lot of free advertising through their customers. When looking at their website, I have noticed that this has happened before with their previous videos and images of their products. The reason I chose print as a media, is because some of Daniels Bros target audience are fairly old, and they may not use social media. Therefore to advertise to customers without social media, I can use print adverts which can be stuck up in shops in Sheffield which sell products similar to Daniels Bros. The reason I chose web as another media, is so that as well as advertising through social media, I can advertise through other websites which sell similar products to Daniels Bros. Therefore people that are searching on line for products, may see the Daniels Bros pop up ad, and then click on the advert, and will then be taken to Daniel Bros website.

Video Advert:
The video advert I will create will be a narrative advert, meaning that the advert will tell and entertaining story as well as showcasing the product. The video advert will be made through stop motion animation, since the products Daniel Bros sell include these small wooden Penguins, which can either be used as decorations, or toys for children to play with. I also believe they will be perfect for animating, and I have experimented with them before to create animations:
Daniels Bros Ad 1 FINISHED from George Allan on Vimeo.
Daniels Bros Ad 2 v6 from George Allan on Vimeo.

The main video I will make for this campaign will be animated much more carefully and the pre-production will be done properly, unlike these previous videos which are experiments. The videos narrative will need to tell a story which will appeal especially to children, however should also be a story which can be enjoyed by older audiences.

The videos narrative: The video will tell a story of a penguin who goes to the village PengVille in search of some penguin friends. When he arrives at PengVille, he finds that there are no penguins around, however there is a mysterious looking rocket. The curious penguin then goes inside rocket to find a red button. The penguin presses the red button, and is immediately launched into space. The penguin freaks out and looks out of the window, to see the earth getting further away. The penguin goes and explores the rocket when suddenly and alarm tells him that the rocket is approaching a planet. The penguin then runs to the window to see a strange looking planet getting closer. Then planet gets closer and closer until the rocket crash lands. The penguin pokes his head out of the rocket's ruins to find that many other penguins are this planet. The video fades to black and says "To be Continued" and then shows the Daniels Bros logo.

The reason I believe that this narrative will be an effective way of advertising the penguins, is because it is a story that will appeal strongly to children due to its exciting quick paced nature, and also because of theme of space and rockets. It will also appear to older audiences since the idea of a wooden penguin being sent to space is humorous. The narrative also finishes on what is almost a cliff hanger, meaning that people will want to find out what happens next in the next Daniels Bros advert, and will be more likely to follow Daniels Bros page on Facebook.

Another reason I believe the advert will be successful will be because the advert shows how you can role play with the penguins, and use them as action figures, which will make parents more likely to buy the penguins for their children. Also when watching the advert people won't realise that they are watching an advert since it will be made in the style of a short film. They will only realise that they are watching and advert at the end when the Daniels Bros logo pops up, and then they will have been advertised too. The video will also in a way show case the penguins for their looks, for customers who are more interested in buying decorations, since the audience will realise how nice looking the penguins are.

Print advert: 
The print advert I will be creating, will be made specifically for audiences who don't use Social Media, and are more used to traditional methods of advertising. Therefore I have decided to make the print advert in the style of an old B-Movie poster. The poster will appear to be an advertisement for video advert I will create, aswell as appearing as an advertisement for Daniels Bros wooden penguins. This way I will create synergy by linking the video advert, which is essential in order for the campaign to be successful as a whole. The reason the posters style should be one similiar to a B-Movie poster, is because the target audience this media is specifically for is likely to an older audience. Therefore they will recognize the posters style, and will also become interested in the poster, since it will remind them of B-Movie posters they would have seen in the past. It may also directly appeal to film nerds, since they will recognize that the print advert has been made in the style of a B-Movie poster, and will be immediatly interested.

The advert's main title will read "Journey to Planet Peng" which is a reference to a B-Movie poster which I found online named "journey to the seventh plantet".

Image result for b movie posters journey
In the top right corner, before the main title, it will show the Daniels Bros Logo, and then the word "presents" in order to suggest that the film is a Daniels Bros production, while actually Daniels Bros is the brand which is being advertised. This way the audience will want to find out who Daniels Bros are, and will then Discover that they are a company who create Wooden Penguins. The Poster will feature the three main parts of the video advert. The rocket which the penguin travels in, the planet which the Penguin travels to (Planet Peng) and ofcourse, the penguins which are actually the products being advertised. The poster will also encourage people to go to the Daniels Bros website, aswell as their Facebook page, this way they will end up watching the video advert, which in a way is what the poster is advertising, and they will also find the Daniels Bros website, and will be tempted to buy their products. 

The print advert will also be useful for advertising in shops in Sheffield, in order to more target an audience specifically form Sheffield, since Daniels Bros are a local business.

Web advert:
The print advert will be in the form of a pop up banner which will be found on different websites which are either local to Sheffield, or are found on websites that sell similiar products to Daniels Bros. The reason I chose web as a media is because I can advertise through the internet as well as through social media and the print advert. This way I can widen the chances of the campaign being successful. In order to continue the synergy through out the campaign, the banner will have a space theme, and will show the Daniels Bros Logo, as well as the title Daniels Bros in the same font. The banner will be an animated gif, and will show penguins popping their heads up and looking around, which the audience should find humourouse. 

LO2: Mindmap of ideas for campaign materials


Sunday 23 April 2017

LO2: Identification of Target Audience for the campaign.

The Daniels Bros campaign is meant to encourage customers to buy Daniels Bros products online, and the main products this campaign is trying to sell is their wooden Penguins. The video I am going to create is meant to entertain children, and then get the child to beg their parents to buy them the penguins. The video should also entertain older audiences, and encourage them to want to buy penguins for themselves, or for purposes such as gifts or decoration. Therefore the main target audience's age range is 20-40 year olds, since people within that age group are likely to have young children, and are also likely to have an interest in Daniels Bros penguins in order to use them as decorations (especially the people in the older end of that age range). They are also likely to have the spending power of an ABC1, since they are likely to have a lot of disposable income if they are willing to spend around £10.50 on a wooden penguin, people other than that demographic are likely to see that as a waste of money. The target audience is also very likely to  be married and have children, since Daniels Bros products are things which appeal to family's since they probably think that Daniels Bros penguins are cute looking and are likely to attract individuals who are interested in having a family. In terms of gender, it is very likely to be females which buy the products, since the male in the family is likely to be busy at his well paid job while the mother of the family prefers to look after their children and spend their disposable income. The targets audience is likely to have a high level of education, and is actually intending to pursue a career once her children have grown up a bit more, which is why the mother of the family may be concerned about the environment. This is why she may be interested in buying some of Daniels Bros penguins for her children in attempt to educate them on products which are made from natural materials and therefore friendly to the environment.

Imaginary Entity:
Susan Kent is a qualified nurse who is married to Harold Kent, who is a Doctor and is frequently having to work at the hospital. Susan and Harold have been married for 5 years, and they also have a 4-year-old boy named Sunny. Sunny is a very hyper active child who loves space and rockets and aspires to be an Astronaut. Susan takes care of Sunny in his early years, and is waiting till he starts primary school to carry on her career as a Nurse. In the mean time she dedicates her time to educating Sunny in a way which is fun and valuable, which is why she is so keen on educating him on the environment. She is concerned that in this present age her son may be influenced by modern values and will have no regard for environmental issues, which is why she is so keen on buying Sunny wooden toys.  

Friday 21 April 2017

LO2: Roles and responsabilities of the group members

During this project, I will be working on the campaign material on my own. Therefore everything that is included in this project will have been made by me alone.

Thursday 20 April 2017

LO2: Location Recces for shooting/photography

Inline image 1 
[Above: First mock up of the set that I will be using for the animation, including props such as the igloo, rocket and the Daniels Bros wooden penguins. The set also includes a green sheet of card which will act as a green screen, and a sheet of white card to act the set's floor.]

Because the audio visual advert I am going to create is an animation, the main area I will use for shooting and photography will be my room at home, where the set for my animation will be set up.

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Risk Assessment for location filming/photography

The location where all the animating will take place, is going to be my own room, since that is where I will set up the set. However there are still risks that I need to avoid and secure for the saftey of myself, and my family who I live with.

Risk: Tripping over wires connected to lighting.
Danger: May cause injury to myself, or anyone else entering my room, may also damage electrical outlets that the wires are plugged in, which could risk people getting electrocuted, and could also cause an electrical fire.
Solution: Ensure that all wires are either tucked away where people cannot trip over them, or that the wires are pinned down to the floor, to reduce chances of people tripping.

Risk: Getting burned by lamp used for lighting.
Danger: The bulb on one of the lamps which I use for lighting heats up when it has been on for longer. If touched the bulb will burn the person's skin and will cause a lot of pain.
Solution: Ensure that the lamp is out of any person's way, and when handling the lamp, ensure that the lamp is turned of and has cooled down.

Risk: Damaging or blinding your eyes from lighting.
Danger: Some of the lights which I used, including incredibly bright LED's, if directed towards someones eyes, could cause serious damage, or in extreme cases blind the person.
Solution: Ensure that when turned on, all lighting is directed away from anyone's sight. If you were to be in a position when the lighting is directed towards your eyes, ensure that you where special glasses which can help you avoid being blinded.

Risk: Electrical fire caused by electrical outlet
Danger: During the filming/photography I will be using lamps for lighting in order to keep lighting constant in my animation. This requires using electricity. However Electric fires can be caused easily of used in the wrong manner, which would be an incredible danger to myself, and the family I live with.
Solution: Ensure that no drinks or water of any kind is placed near the electrical outlet, or near any of the lighting equipment. Also ensure that the equipment I use isn't faulty or dangerous at all. Also if an electrical outlet appears faulty or dangerous in someway, ensure that you do not use that electrical outlet until proved safe by an electrician.

Risk: Fire caused by concentrated light
Danger: A fire could also be caused by the lighting shining any glass material, because the glass material could convert the harmless light into concentrated light, and then set fire to the set (which is mostly made out of paper and wood which is flammable)
Solution: Ensure that no glass material, including glasses, magnifying glasses, bottles, etc, are exposed to the light which is coming from the set's lighting.

Risk: Losing all animated images
Danger: If I were to misplace or delete the images which are needed for the final animation, I would cause myself and the client a huge inconvenience, since I would cause a delay in the project because I would have to re-do the photography.
Solution: Ensure that when an SD card is full, I store the SD card in a place secure place, such as a box or a case, which I can keep close to my computer, which I will be editing the video on.

Sunday 16 April 2017

LO2: Evidence of development of first campaign material

Here is the story board I created for the video advert. I have added colour to help me get more of an idea of what the advert will look like.






Thursday 13 April 2017

LO2: Submission of video to client for approval

This is the latest edit of the video advert, as you can see below I sent the video's link to Daniels Bros in order to gain feedback.

Daniels Bros Ad 3v8 from George Allan on Vimeo.

I refined the video again, and fixed what the client told me to change in this version of the video:

Daniels Bros Ad3v9 from George Allan on Vimeo.

Wednesday 12 April 2017

LO2: Evidence of development of further material

Here are the different versions of the campaigns web advert, which I created using Adobe Photshop.
Version 1:

Version 2:

Version 3:

Version 4:

Version 5:



LO2: Evidence of development of further material

Here are the different versions of the campaign's print advert, which I created using both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Version 1:

Version 2:

Version 3:

Version 4:

LO2: Evidence of development of further material

Here are the first three designs/ideas I created using Adobe Illustrator for the Campaigns Print advert.