A2 media evaluation new

A2 Media Evaluation
Jessica Mockler

In what ways does your media
product use, develop and
challenge forms of real media?

In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms of real media?
I began my project with researching into different adverts so that I was able to understand the codes and conventions of existing adverts. I
learned that adverts generally use the same protagonist throughout their advert(s) as the protagonist is representing the brand and creates
synergy and consistency between the adverts. I also learned that sound is very significant – in particular the non diagetic sound (music)
as throughout all 30 adverts I watched, the diagetic sound ensured the audience can recognise the company and brand. Adverts also tend
to repeat their company name three times throughout the advert to ensure the audience remembers the brand name. Also, adverts can last
up to (on average) 25-45 seconds long. I found that my research was very useful and I go into more detail on the specific camera shots,
mise-en-scene, editing and sound adverts tend to use on blog post: Tuesday 17th September 2013.
Furthermore, creating an advert about a service proved to be challenging when researching. This is because I struggled to find event
company adverts that would be shown on TV, the ones I found were more home made by small companies. This was problematic to me
because I was not able to gain a wide understanding on how event companies work. Although, to overcome this issue I was faced with I
watched adverts on big and small brands such as eBay, Cadbury‟s, and Virgin Media to try and find out what the director was using and
doing to engage their audience. This enabled me to follow the basic conventions of a normal advert.
Evidently throughout both of my TV adverts there is similar aspects of the mise-en-scene and sound. I am going to explore how both of my
adverts use, develop and challenge real forms of media first, and then I will go onto exploring how they both separately use, challenge
and develop real forms on media.
Mise-en-scene in TV advert one and two
(Lighting)
When analysing different adverts, I found out that adverts are
usually natural or high key lighting. This was an element which I
wanted to feature in my advert as I wanted the scenery to look
bright, as if it was dark, it could make the scene look dull. In my
analysis of Pro Cruises (see blog post 8th September 2013) and
my analysis of Virgin Media‟s advert (see blog post 17th
September) I was inspired to use natural, with a slight high key
lighting. Each of the adverts were shot outside, however, their was
clear evidence that lighting had been added in to make the advert
appear more bright. To develop this element, when shooting I put
my actors next to or close to a window so that the natural light was
able to come in. I feel that this will appeal to my audience as when
the adverts play on screen, they will look bright and will therefore
catch the audiences attention.
Top left: Pro Cruises, Top left: Virgin Media, Bottom left: TV
advert two, Bottom right: TV advert one.

TV advert one and two
Costume in TV advert one and two
I feel that I conformed to the expectations of traditional adverts with the costume
of my actors. I was inspired by „Barclays Bank‟ advert as the people in the advert
are dressed smart. I wanted to use this for my protagonist because she is
representing the company and I wanted my audience to think that Emerald
Events is professional and reliable. Therefore, I dressed my protagonist in a long
black, office kind of skirt with a white blouse. I wanted to keep it simplistic (like
Barclays bank) by using just two colours. Although, for my actors I used smart
casual wear which I was inspired by general clothing adverts such as Next and
M&S. Therefore, I feel that I have conformed to the conventions when planning
what my actors were going to wear. I did not want to challenge this as it was very
important that all my actors look smart so that Emerald Events as a company
looked sophisticated, but also the guests looked professional too as my target
audience is mainly middle class.
Barclays Bank advert/TV advert one
The only major similarities between my two main adverts I have is the costume, lighting and protagonist. I am now going to explore
how my first TV advert has used, challenged and developed real forms of media and then I will go onto doing the same for my second
TV advert. I am doing this separately because both adverts have different features to them.
TV Advert One
Style of my advert and camera
I feel that I have developed, challenged and used forms of real media for this advert.
I have remixed advert styles. In this advert I am using a presentation style advert
mixed with a slice of life. I was inspired by „Thomson Holidays‟ as it presented a
slice of real life – a family on a beach, having fun. This was an element which I
wanted to develop as I wanted my actors to look as though they are in a real event
and are having fun. I only had one real action shot in my advert but I feel that I
developed this from real, existing media. I think this will appeal to my target
audience as the shot allows the audience to be able to see the actors having a fun
time. However, I feel that the props in the scene have not been developed from
existing media as on my audience survey I asked what recent events the audience
have attended in the past year – and party was in the top three and therefore I used
my initiate and bought decorations which I thought would be appropriate for the
scene.
This image is off of the Thomson Holidays. It is clear
in the image that the medium shot allowed the
audience to view the family having fun on the beach.
This is an image of my two
actors (medium shot) having
fun at a party.

TV advert one: Style and camera work
Following on from the previous slide, I then had to incorporate the presentation style into my
advert. I was inspired by the 2010 Rimmel London mascara advert featuring Kate Moss as it
was a presentation style advert but also mixed in slice of life. I was inspired (in one of my shots)
to incorporate the two different styles as I placed my protagonist in the middle of the screen,
talking to the camera whilst the actors were having fun. This is similar to the Rimmel London
advert as Kate is presenting, but whilst she does this, she goes in the middle of a band and
joins in with them. I think this will engage my target audience as it will enable them to be able to
listen to what my protagonist is trying to say whilst being able to watch the live event.
Moreover, the Rimmel London advert also inspired some of the
camera shots and angles in my advert. Kate was shot
centralised, at a slight low angle to signify her power within the
scene. (displayed to the left hand side is the Rimmel London
advert and my advert to the bottom left)I used the same kind of
style by positioning my protagonist to the centre of the shot,
allowing the audience to focus her when she was talking. I think
this is effective because my protagonist is the central focus in
the scene. This helps the audience recognise the protagonists
significance and listen to what she is saying. Therefore, the style
of my advert and camera work has evidently been developed
from existing media texts. I feel that the style of my advert has
been successful as I have mixed two very different styles and
made them work.
This is an image of my protagonist in the
middle of an event.
This is an image of Kate Moss in the Rimmel
Advert presenting whilst playing with the
band.
Editing
The editing in my TV advert one is medium to slow pace. I feel that I developed this style of editing from P&O Cruises as in the advert
the editing is actually medium paced, but due to the action on the scene being very calm and tranquil, it makes the editing overall seem
slow. I developed this because in my advert I set out to make it seem tranquil, peaceful and sophisticated. When editing I put in different
transitions to make my advert seem longer, and slower. This is good because it meant that the editing pace was slowed down which is
beneficial to the audience because they can listen and take in all the information my protagonist is saying. I feel that the editing in my
TV advert one is not complex as I have just placed the clips into chronological order and put in transitions when needed. This simple
structure to my sequence will allow my audience to focus on the dialogue and visual side of the advert, rather than being intrigued by
the editing style. This also means that my narrative structure is linier which I feel is effective in my advert. This is because when
analysing adverts I found that all adverts have a beginning, middle and ending to ensure the audience can follow what is happening on
screen.

TV Advert One: Sound
Are you struggling to plan that one special day? Emerald Events are here to help. With a team of experts,
exceptional organisational skills – we can make your dream a reality. Come see for yourself. We do events for
every type of theme, no matter what challenge you give us, we will deliver. We will cover every fine detail so
that your venue and decorations look fantastic on your day. To contact one of our team members you can
email EmeraldEvents@info.co.uk or you can call 0800 902 644”
As my advert was mainly based on a presentation style advert, I needed to ensure
the dialogue was engaging. I was inspired by a real event company advert
“Fabulous Events” (see blog post Thursday 12th September 2013) where I have a
full analysis of the advert. I found the dialogue very engaging and it made me feel
that the company was very professional and sophisticated. I am going to compare
the dialogue from „Fabulous Events‟ to my dialogue.
“Are you looking for an efficient diligent and world class event planner? Then look no
further, at fabulous creations, we create a reception that reflects our clients unique taste
and personalities. We profoundly plan events that give your guest a day to remember,
aside from events planning we specialise in venue decorations etc.."
I liked the fact the company was initially addressing the audience. This is something I used as my protagonist says “Are you
struggling to plan that one special day?” – I feel that using the rhetorical question immediately includes the audience. Additionally, I
liked how the company said what they could do „we create a reception‟, „we give your guests a day to remember‟ as it allows the
audience to know what the event company is good at doing. I included this in my advert as my protagonist says “We do events for
every type of theme”, “we will make sure that your venue and decorations look fantastic on your day.” This will engage the audience
as it allows them to know that the event company will take care of everything.
Moreover, I also liked how the speaker in the advert was very eloquently spoken and it was very easy to understand what she was
saying. I ensured that my protagonist spoke very clearly in my advert to ensure she sounded very pleasant to ensure the audience
would have a full understanding of the dialogue.
Below is my dialogue which I constructed after being inspired my Fabulous events.
Therefore, it is evident I have used, challenged and developed forms of real media in my TV advert one. I feel that my research
throughout this part of the project has been helpful as some of the adverts I have analysed, I developed and used in my real advert.

TV advert twoCamera and style
For my second TV advert, I feel that I have developed,
challenged and used forms of real media in order to create my
advert. This advert is about customer feedback which I felt
was an original idea in itself. I was inspired by “Uswitch”
advertising as their adverts consist of customers talking about
their experience with the company. I felt that this was effective
because it allows the audience to hear real opinions which
make what they‟re saying more believable. I used this idea
and developed it as I used three people in my advert, instead
of one. I also felt that the mid shot the company used was
effective as it allowed the audience to notice their facial
expression and body language, this is another aspect which I
developed in my media. To the left hand side there is a print
screen of the mid shot of one of my actors in TV advert two,
similarly to my print screen, to the right hand side, „Uswith‟
also uses a mid shot, but of a couple rather than a single
person.
Similar to my TV advert one, I also used a slight presentation style
advert which I previously was inspired by the Rimmel London (Kate
Moss) advert. I felt that centralising my protagonist will provide her
with the audiences full attention and therefore the audience are more
likely to engage in what she is saying. To the right hand side is a
screen shot of Kate Moss from the Rimmel advert and to the further
right, is my protagonist.
Below are the three main shots in my advert:
However, I feel that the camera shots I have used throughout
advert two have subverted conventions of advertising. This is
because I only used mid shots throughout my advert. I did this
because I wanted the audience to be able to engage in what each
of my „customer‟ was saying. It also allows my audience to see
my actors pleasant (smiling) faces without being too close.

Sound and dialogue in my advert
I feel that I have challenged conventions of traditional media within my dialogue in half of my advert. This is because when my
three actors talk – their sentences follow along from each other which is something I had never seen in an advert before. I decided
to do this because I was aware that I was only allowed around 30 seconds long for my advert and therefore I thought that in a
short space of time, my dialogue could not go into great detail and that I would not have time to give my actors full sentences.
Therefore, I made one long sentence and the reason I changed my actor three times is to make the information I am putting out
more reliable as effectively it is coming from three different „customers‟ but also as I recently learned, adverts tend to have
different shots and therefore I thought it would be better if I changed the actor instead of making one really long shot.
This is my main dialogue in my advert:
“When I first contacted Emerald Events, I was unsure to leave all the arrangements to them. But after I gave
them the idea of what I wanted and how I wanted it, they created the perfect event for me. I would definitely go
back to Emerald Events again, I couldn’t think of a better, more reliable team to help me plan my special day.”
Even though I challenged traditional TV adverts by using three different speakers, I still included the company name in the first
sentence to make it more memorable to my audience. I also included language such as „perfect‟ and „reliable‟ to make my
company seem professional and sophisticated. Moreover, all of my speakers were well spoken likewise to the advert „Fabulous
events‟ making it easy and clear for my audience to understand.
Therefore, I have used and developed
my sound by being inspired my real
media. However, I feel that I have mostly
challenged the conventions of sound in
an advert which I think makes my advert
appear to come across as more original.

TV advert two
Editing
Moreover, I feel that my editing for my TV advert two challenged real forms of media. This is because when analysing existing
adverts, I found that the editing was quite fast, and usually shots were not shown for long. Although, in my advert I feel that my
editing is medium-slow paced and I only have three main shots throughout the 30 second advert, whereas in my research I found
that within 30 second adverts, there is usually around 6-8 different shots. Even though I subverted this convention, I feel that I
made the right choice as I wanted the audience to be able to focus on what my protagonist is saying so that the audience could
understand the dialogue properly. If I was to include too many shots, the audience may look at the action on screen, rather than
listen to the information I am trying to get across to the audience.
I watched a football advert „Aspire‟ and in the first 3
seconds there was six shots. This is double the amount
of shots I have in my whole 30 second advert, reinforcing
how I have subverted conventions of real media. To the
left hand side their is six shots of the football advert in the
first three second, to the bottom their is three shots which
are the only shots in my advert.
Furthermore, „Fabulous Events‟ also inspired my
editing. I decided to add in the email address and
contact details when my protagonist said it to ensure
the audience will be able to view the number and
email and use them. On „Fabulous Events‟ the
number is current throughout, however, I chose to
only add it in when my protagonist is talking because
I felt that it may take attention away from other shots
in my advent.

(Following on)...Editing
I feel that the editing of my TV advert two has
conformed to the conventions of a TV advert. This is
because my editing throughout the sequence is quite
fast paced. I was inspired by the previous advert I
have mentioned (slide 5 – the football advertisement)
as even though I did not use the editing style in TV
advert one, I was able to develop the editing style in
TV advert two. Each of my main three clips lasted
around 3 seconds, which made my editing medium to
fast paced. I feel that this will engage my audience
because it makes the advert more exciting and will
draw in the audience. Moreover, I also have used a
fade in and out from when my protagonist is talking, to
when the „customers‟ (actors) are speaking. I feel that
this also subverted real forms of media as it is
unusual to have fades in and out. I decided to do this
because it helps my audience differentiate the
protagonist to the customers and even though fades
can sometimes slow down the pace of adverts, I feel
that my advert is still medium-fast paced. Therefore,
the editing of my TV advert two has challenged real
forms of media. Although, I believe that the decisions
I made whilst editing will attract and engage the
audience.
Mise-en-scene
I feel that I have used and developed the conventions of location for my
advert. All of my actors are in my TV advert one – and this advert is a
„follow up‟ of TV advert one. I have used the same location for this advert
on purpose so that in the first advert the audience can see the members
at the event, but in the next advert, the audience can gain a personal
insight into their thoughts and feelings about how useful the company
was. In adverts such as „P&O Cruises‟ and „Rimmel London‟ the actors
are shot at the same, if not very similar places so that the audience can
recognise the advert due to the scenery. I think it was a good idea I did
this because if I was to use different actors, at a different location I would
be using too many characters which means when the audience views
my adverts, they will struggle to find similarities and could also struggle
to recognise the company.
Therefore, in my TV advert two I have used, developed
and challenges the codes and conventions of existing
media products. I feel that every decision I have made –
to either conform to the conventions or to challenge
them has been made due to my target audiences wants
and needs. Even though I may not be following all the
conventions, I need to ensure my audience will find my
adverts fun, exciting, engaging and intriguing to watch.

Radio Advert
I feel that I challenged and conformed to the conventions of radio adverts. In my research (see blog post Monday 23rd September
2013) I found out the conventions of radio adverts, which I feel I conformed too. I found out that radio adverts are usually between
30-45 seconds, all speakers speak eloquently and are well spoken to ensure the audience have a clear understanding of the
dialogue, the music in the background is usually soothing or very upbeat, persuasive and emotive language is used throughout to
ensure the audience is fully engaged. I feel that I have conformed to all these expectations.
I found that I was inspired by the „Alton Towers 2010‟ radio advert (see blog post Monday 23rd of September for my analysis). This is
because the advert begins with a speaker asking two children what they did at Alton towers. This makes the information which the
speakers are saying more reliable because it is as though the children have experienced the park and can now share their
experiences with the audience. This is something I developed into my own advert as I used a male speaker addressing my
company. I did this because it makes the information more reliable and believable as the male speaker is effectively a customer.
However, even though I was developing ideas from existing media, from researching into other radio adverts and from analysing
different radio adverts, I also felt that I was challenging the conventions of a radio advert. This is because when watching adverts, I
came to realise that it was usually the company or protagonist always addressing the audience using direct address to engage the
audience, rather than the customer addressing them. (Below is my radio advert dialogue)
*sound effect of bell* male speaker: “I would just like to say thank you all for coming, and Emerald Events create my
dream and turn it into a reality. If it wasn’t for such an outstanding group of individuals I would not have the unforgettable
memories I have today. Emerald Events have helped me with every single detail, the location, venue and the small things
like the unique decor and name cards.”
Protagonist: “If you’re interested in planning your special day with us then you can contact Emerald Events @ info.co.uk
or you can call 0800 902 644. Emerald Events making your dream a reality.”
I included the logo and slogan in the first sentence of the advert which meant I conformed to one of the basic conventions of a
radio advert which is similar to adverts I analysed such as „Cancer Research (see blog post Thursday 19th September 2013) and
„Warburton's‟ (Thursday 19th September) which both use the brand name in the first sentence. I think it is good that I have
conformed to this convention because I want the audience to be able to recognise my company straight away.
Moreover, the descriptive language I used „location, venue and small things like the unique decor and name cards‟ also
conformed to radio advert expectations. In my analysis of the Alton Towers 2010 radio advert the speakers were very descriptive
when speaking about the park, this is an element which I decided to develop. I also decided to use colloquial language such as
„things‟ and shorten words such as „decor‟ as my target audience are mainly around 15-35 and therefore I thought that using
colloquial terms would suit and meet the audiences expectations.

Moreover, the second part of my advert also conformed to the expectations of a radio advert. This is because I used direct address such
as “your” and also used pronouns such as “us” to ensure the audience felt included into the company which I learned when analysing the
Nina Ricci perfume (see blog post Monday 23rd September). Also, I also felt that including the email address and phone number of the
company was conforming to the conventions of a radio advert as I found out in my research that if a service makes a radio advert, the
details of the company needs to be put into the advert so the audience can get in contact with them – see in my analysis of the Thorpe
Park radio advert (blog post 18th September 2013).
Therefore, I repeated the name of my company and the slogan twice throughout my 30 second advert. This also conforms to the
expectations of a radio advert as usually the slogan and logo is repeated throughout. I feel that I have mainly conformed to the traditional
elements of radio adverts. However, I felt that my actual idea was original and challenged radio adverts as throughout my research, I did
not ever find a speaker which was presenting a speech. Moreover, I also feel that my presenters were very eloquently spoken which also
conforms to the expectations of a radio advert, I wanted to ensure the audience could fully understand my speakers. In my radio adverts I
used the same sound and background music as my other adverts, to ensure the audience will find my brand memorable. Using the same
speaker is effective because the audience will be able to recognise the speakers voice and then will automatically know the company.

I feel that I have conformed and slightly developed the expectations of a sponsorship sequence. In my research (recapping on
sponsorship sequence – blog post: Thursday 12th September 2013) I found out that their usually is not much dialogue, only a few
key words and the logo and slogan. I also found out that sponsorship sequences lasted around 11-15 seconds long and the logo
and slogan would be said after around 8-10 seconds. I found out that their is a variety of shots – from long shots, to close up
which allowed me to experiment with what shots I wanted to use for my sponsorship sequence.
Editing
On „P&O‟ the sponsorship sequence ended with the couple walking off together
united. As the message I am trying to portray throughout my media is that my
company can bring people together and unite people, I decided I could develop this
shot. In my sponsorship (the second shot) I positioned my two actors in the middle of
the screen and they walked to the camera. I used the idea from P&O Cruises as even
though the couple was walking away from the screen, the two actors were close and
made the relationship seem real. Therefore, I feel that my long, wide angle shot of my
two actors together in hand will reinforce the message I am trying to present and
therefore will target my audience.
Moreover, I also found that sponsorship sequences usually ended with their own logo
and slogan. I developed and slightly subverted this as I used my logo at the end of my
sponsorship, however, instead of writing the slogan next to the logo, I thought my advert
would look and sound better if I had a voice over of my protagonist saying my slogan.
This is similar to the Cadbury‟s advert I analysed as the speaker says the slogan,
however, it is also on the screen. I think it was a good idea for my advert to end with my
logo as it is the last element my audience will see and therefore it will be the most
memorable.
I was also inspired by the editing in „P&O Cruises‟ sponsorship. This is because each shot lasted around three seconds, but because the
action in the shot was slow it created a tranquil atmosphere in the sequence. This was an element which I decided to use as I wanted to
make it look as though my actors were having a fun, but also calm time at the wedding as the wedding I have presented is supposed to
look sophisticated and elegant. I use six shots in the whole of my sponsorship sequence and all shots are around 2-3 seconds long,
allowing the audience to capture each special moment of the wedding. I felt that because I used the style of the „P&O Cruises‟ sponsorship
that it meant I also slightly challenged existing media texts. This is because in my research (see blog post 12th September 2013) that
sponsorships were usually fast and not calm. I only decided to challenge this because I felt that if my action was too fast, my audience
would not be able to follow along and could cause confusion. Another way in which I used real forms of media and developed it into my
sponsorship sequence is that when my logo came up, my protagonist said “Emerald Events sponsors Downton Abbey on ITV2” - I found
that saying the product, brand or company name at the end of the sponsorship was important – not at the beginning. Therefore, I feel that I
have used and developed existing media in my sponsorship sequence.

Another way I used editing to conform to the expectations of real media is the
ending on my sponsorship. I chose to sponsor „Downton Abbey‟ as I feel that I
have a similar target audience to them (explained in blog post Thursday the 14th of
November – „What I am sponsoring‟). Although, I needed to ensure that I could
incorporate my logo, the ITV logo and the Downton Abbey logo all together. I
looked at other examples such as the Cadbury‟s sponsorship. I noticed how the
Cadbury's had manipulated and edited the coronation street logo into chocolate.
This made it easily noticeable to the audience that Coronation street was
sponsored by Cadbury‟s.
Cadbury‟s used contrasting colours such as
white, brown and purple which makes the text
more clear on the screen. This is a feature
which would be beneficial to my audience if I
developed due to it helping the audience be
able to read the text easily. Also, Cadbury‟s
have used their house style colours which is
also important because they are reinforcing the
brand.
I positioned the ITV2
logo in this corner
because I wanted it
to be large and the
other side of the
image did not allow
enough room to put it
in the place.
I have positioned the logo to
the top of the screen
because their is negative
space at the top of the
screen and it allowed me to
make my logo large on the
screen. Also, as the colour of
my logo is black, I need to
ensure that I contrasted it to
the white background rather
than the black.
I chose this image because it allowed me
to use the Downton Abbey logo and
incorporate the ITV logo as well as my
own. I decided not to use an image of the
actors because my logo and the ITV logo
would be un noticed. To the right hand
side their is the other logo choice which I
could have chose. However, due to the
focus on the setting and characters in the
image, their would have not been enough
room for my logo.

Camera (following on)..
Also, when analysing „P&O Cruises‟ sponsorship I enjoyed
the intimacy between the couple – they looked as though
they were having fun together and their was also a sense of
romance. This is something I decided to use and develop in
the shot of my bride and groom – I centralised them and got
my groom to kiss my bride on the cheek, whilst she laughs to
present the love between the couple. I developed the camera
shot as well as the style as I used a close up of the couple
admiring each other to portray a sense of happiness.
Another moment which I wanted to look and appear special in my
advert was cutting the cake. Throughout my sponsorship I create
small moments, put together to make the advert feel and look like
a wedding. I feel that the cake part was the most challenging. I
liked the shot from a football advert I watched as the team seemed
united. The wide shot allowed the audience to see all of the team,
but the captain was centralised. This was an aspect which I
decided to use and develop. I used a wide shot of my bride and
groom cutting the cake, although, I positioned all of the „guests‟
around and behind them. This made it seem like all of the guests
were relations to the bride and groom and they all looked as
though they were united and a team.
I feel that I have developed a close/mid shot from P&O Cruises.
I liked how the two actors looked as though they had a
connection and as the event I was promoting was a wedding, I
needed to ensure the bride and groom looked as though they
had many special moment. I feel that developing the shot of the
two actors looking into each others eyes will appeal to my
audience as it will create a realistic presentation of what a
couple would be like on a wedding day.

I also feel that I have presented a stereotypical wedding as I have used iconic
features such as the white dress, symbolic of a bride. I wanted to use the
traditional wedding style as I wanted to make it apparent to the audience that
it was a wedding to prevent any confusion. Also, as I only had 10 seconds in
each sponsorship I would have been unable to show a different, unusual
styled weddings as the audience would not see enough of the content to
understand that it is a wedding. I felt that including the entrance of the bride
and groom, first dance, dinner and cutting the cake was good as it highlighted
some of the special and key moments of a wedding.
Mise-en-scene
As one of my main shots was about cutting the wedding
cake I needed to ensure that the wedding cake I had in
my adverts looked real so that my scene looked
authentic. I was inspired my an Vow Wedding Cake‟s
company TV advert which was a presentation advert of
all the different types of cakes they could make. I was
inspired by the flowers which the company had used and
I liked how it contrasted with the smooth white icing. This
was an element which I used in my sponsorship as I
made my icing white and put in extravagant flowers. I feel
that I have conformed to the expectations of a wedding
because of this.
Sound
Another way in which I used real forms of media and developed it into my sponsorship sequence is that when my logo came up,
my protagonist said “Emerald Events sponsors Downton Abbey on ITV2” - I found that saying the product, brand or company
name at the end of the sponsorship was important – not at the beginning. I also used calm and tranquil music to link into the
wedding being peaceful. Therefore, I feel that the sound in my sponsorship sequence has conformed to the audiences
expectations of what a sponsorship will be like, creating familiarity for the audience so they know the sequence is sponsorship.

How effective is the
combination of your main
product and ancillary texts?

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
From analysing existing adverts I began to notice that their are many similarities between the adverts. In my research I purposely
would look at sponsorships and adverts so that I could pick out the similarities and differences (See blog post: „Synergy between
adverts‟ Thursday 26th September). This allowed me to notice elements such as companies will usually use the same speaker and
often the adverts will have the same last shot. From researching I understood that I needed to create synergy between all of my
adverts which will help the audience be able to memorise and also recognise my company.
In all of my adverts I have included the logo (apart from radio which would not be visible). I feel that this was a very important
element to include in all of my adverts as the logo is a feature which is supposed to draw in the audience which I learnt throughout
my research. To ensure I was consistent throughout my adverts, I ensured that my logo was exactly the same size and that when
the logo appeared on the screen of my advert, that it would fade in from white. This meant that at the end of each advert, it would
be exactly the same.
Sound
In all of my adverts I have used the same female protagonist who also is the voice over in my sponsorship and radio advert. I
decided to do this because the actor I chose spoke very eloquently and sophisticated which I felt would engage my audience. I also
feel that using the same speaker creates familiarity in my adverts and when the audience listens or watches any of my main or
ancillary texts, they will be able to easily recognise that it is „Emerald Events‟.
Moreover, in all of my adverts I also used the same non diagetic sound (background music). I did this because again, I wanted the
audience to be able to easily recognise the adverts. I also feel that the music I chose was very calm and soothing and would fit the
narrative in all of my adverts. This is because all of my „events‟ in my adverts such as the wedding, birthday and the speech in my
radio advert were all sophisticated events and were calm and professional. I feel that the sound in my advert has created synergy
between all of my adverts and the voice over and background sound would be considered a symbolic sign in my adverts as when
the audience heard the protagonist‟s voice or the sound, the audience would be able to easily recognise that it is emerald events.
Furthermore, I feel there is also synergy between both my sponsorship sequences and TV advert one. This is because both of
them are displaying events, however, I chose to have some background sound of people passing presents in TV advert one (see
20-27 seconds) and in my sponsorship I chose to have a toast „cheers to the bride and groom‟ (see 10-12 seconds). I think this is
a good element to include in my adverts because it creates familiarity throughout both adverts and I also think the background
noise will reinforce how I am creating a slice of life advert as it displays „real‟ people enjoying themselves at an event.

(Following on).. Also, I feel that their are similarities between TV advert two and the radio advert as both adverts are prominently
about customer feedback and providing the audience with an insight of how they feel the company helped them. In my radio
advert I chose language such as „If it wasn‟t for such an outstanding group of individuals” and “Emerald Events have helped me
with every single detail, the location, venue and the small things like the unique decor and name cards.” (see 8-22 seconds)
which I feel is similar to when my actors say “They delivered the perfect event for me”, “I couldn‟t think of a better more reliable
team to help me plan my special day.” (see 13-24 seconds)
Furthermore, at the end of each of my radio and two TV adverts my protagonist says similar lines. In my radio advert my
protagonist says “If you‟re interested in planning your special day with us then you can call 0800 902 644” (see 23-32) and in my
two TV adverts “If you want to talk to one of our team members then you can call.....” – I purposely scripted for my protagonist to
say slightly different lines to ensure the audience do not find my adverts too similar. I think this is good because even though the
protagonist is speaking slightly different lines, it features in the end of my advert and therefore reinforcing the synergy between
the adverts.
Moreover, at the end of my radio and two TV adverts my protagonist says “Emerald Events, making your dream a reality” – by
me repeating this in more than one of my advert, it allows the audience to be able to memorise the logo and slogan and therefore
they will become more familiar with my adverts. I also think as it is the last line my protagonist says, the audience are more likely
to remember this part which is important because it can be argued that the logo and slogan are the most significant part of
advertising. However, I did not include this in my sponsorship as I was up against timing constraints (only being allowed 10-15
seconds, and I needed to ensure I included who my company was sponsoring and therefore I did not have enough time to
include my slogan in the sound of my advert.
Therefore, I feel that sound in my advert has created an effective combination between my main adverts and my ancillary texts.
This is because I have used many of the same, if not, similar elements in my adverts to create a specific style of my adverts
which I feel will allow my audience to be able to easily recognise the company and also will help them be able to remember the
logo, slogan and details of the company.

Mise-en-scene
Evidently the mise-en-scene is not like camera or sound as it is all about the diegesis including lighting, props, actors etc. For my advert one
and two and sponsorship I feel that the mise-en-scene was reasonably similar, allowing my audience to get a sense of how my adverts
usually look which will allow the audience to easily recognise the company when watching an advert.
Props in my adverts
Evidently I could not include actual props in my radio advert , however, I did use a sound effect of a „horn‟ signifying a
beginning of a speech . This is different to my other adverts as the props in the adverts did not make noise, even when the
actors were using them. In my TV advert one and my sponsorship I feel that I used similar props, obviously they cannot be
exactly the same as I am presenting two different events (sponsorship – wedding and main advert – birthday gathering)..
However, in my sponsorship I feel that the props I have used are slightly more ostentatious and out going than my TV advert
one. I used a Mercedes for my wedding car and bought a number plate which says „JUST WED‟ to create authenticity in my
adverts, I also had a cake which looked very similar to an actual wedding cake and also had balloons and a gift table which
would make my advert look and feel like an actual wedding. In my TV adverb two I had one table filled with plates of cakes,
balloons and with presents. This was more simplistic as a birthday is not usually as large as a wedding. Therefore, the idea of
my props were similar in the sense that I used features such as balloons and presents, however, I feel I took it one step further
with my sponsorship as I used more extravagant props.
Lighting
In each of my adverts, I used natural lighting even though all of my
events were in doors. In my sponsorship sequence, the house I used to
film it in was very open spaced which many windows, allowing sources
of natural light to beam in. Similarly, in both my TV adverts I filmed them
next to a window, which also allowed natural light sources to come in. I
think the brightness of my adverts creates similarity and synergy
between my adverts. (Sponsorship sequences to the left hand side and
TV adverts to the right). It is clear by looking at all my images that the
lighting is similar. As I am trying to portray messages of happiness
throughout my campaign it was important that I made the setting and
scenery look bright and optimistic.

(Following on from previous slide) Even though
this made my sponsorship and two main TV
adverts look and feel different, I wanted to ensure
the audience knew that the „Emerald Events‟ can
create different kind of events – from weddings,
to parties. Therefore, even though this makes the
adverts different, I felt that I needed to make the
costume fit into each of the narratives in my
advert and therefore I felt I made the right
decision by making people in my sponsorship
more dressed up than my two main adverts.
Moreover, in my two TV adverts I used the same
costume for my protagonist and actresses. This
allowed my audience to be able to quickly memorise
and recognise my adverts.
Camera
Furthermore, in all four of my visual adverts (excluding radio) I
have centralised my protagonist, and in my sponsorship I
centralised my bride and groom. Also, in my TV advert two when
my actresses were talking, they were also centralised. This is not
only creating links and reinforcing the effective combination
between my adverts, but I am also conforming to the expectations
of conventional adverts as when someone is talking on screen,
they are usually centralised and made to be the main focus.
Evidence of bride and groom being centralised in sponsorship.
Evidence of my protagonist and actresses being centralised in
TV advert one and two.
Large picture TV AD one (22 seconds) and the smaller
images are TV ad two (throughout).

Following on... (Camera)
In both of my main adverts, I have used similar camera angles. I feel that this creates an effective combination between both
adverts. In TV advert one and TV advert two, it opens up with my protagonist talking straight to the camera at a mid shot. Also, at the
end of both adverts it ends with a similar mid shot of the protagonist talking. Additionally, in the ending of each advert I have
included the same text, positioned in the same place and the same colour. This is because I want my adverts to have a particular
style and even though I want the adverts to be different, I also want to create familiar features to ensure the audience can recognise
an advert from „Emerald Events‟ straight away.
TV advert one (beginning) TV advert two (beginning)
TV advert one (end) TV advert two (end)
Furthermore, in my TV advert one and
sponsorship I have used wide shots. I did this in
my TV advert one so that I could show my
protagonist and action at the same time
(combining presentation and slice of life style
advert). Similarly, I did this in my sponsorship so
that I could display some of the venue and
props as I am trying to sell a service, and part of
event planning is venues. Therefore, in my TV
advert one and sponsorship I have used many
of the same angles, unlike my TV advert two
where I have mostly used mid shots. I feel that
this creates an effective combination between
my sponsorship and my TV advert one.
TV advert one to the left hand side and sponsorship sequence to the right hand side.

Editing
In all of my five adverts, the editing has been medium paced. However, because of the
action on the screens and each of my actors and actresses talking eloquently and in a
calm manner, I think my adverts look reasonably slow. I wanted to create this effect
throughout my adverts because I knew that I was up against timing constraints in all of
my adverts and would not be allowed to show more content than I already had,
therefore by putting in transitions and fades in and out, it helps all of my adverts flow
and feel similar. In my sponsorship sequence, all of the shots are around 2 seconds,
although to make them seem longer I put in „fade to white‟ which made the pace of the
advert slower and therefore created a tranquil mood. In my TV advert one, my shots
were longer than any of my other adverts, however, to make my advert similar to
others I included „fade to white‟. My TV advert two was more like my sponsorship in
the sense that I used many jump cuts as it jumped from protagonist, to the three
actresses then back to the protagonist. I also included fades to slow down the pace of
this advert. Even though I am challenging conventions of advertising by making my
adverts appear more slow, I feel that all of my adverts create a peaceful, soothing tone
which means I have created an effective combination between my adverts by editing
my sequence in a certain way.
Overall, I have created synergy between all of my adverts. From editing, sound, camera and mise-en-scene it is evident my
adverts are a particular style which the audience will be able to remember after watching or hearing one of my adverts. I think
creating synergy and familiarly between my adverts was very important as if I had made them very different, the audience might
fail to notice the connection at the beginning of the advert and could cause audiences confusion. I obviously have differences in
my adverts – some of the camera shots, dialogue and scenery, however, I wanted to make every advert original and different,
whilst keeping the same kind of style so that the narrative was slightly different allowing the audience to be intrigued and excited
about my adverts, but the style was similar which means the audience was able to easily recognise the company.

What have you learned from
your audience feedback?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Creating an audience survey is a significant part of being able to critical evaluate myself and my products imperfections. The
main purpose of my product is to be able to engage and attract the audience and it is helpful to know whether I was able to do
this or not, so that I can learn from mistakes. I created a questionnaire on Google Docs. Making an online survey was useful as
I could then share it on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, allowing me to get as many responses as I could.
Additionally, another advantage of posting my questionnaire online to social networking sites is that the answers are more likely
to be critical and non biased as I may not be necessarily close with the person who is answering my survey unlike if I was to
ask people in person. Also, it allowed me to receive answers within two weeks of publishing it, rather than me having to go out
and ask people to fill in my questionnaire. In order to get the most reliable data, I needed to ensure I got over 100 answers in
my questionnaire. Luckily, I received 123 answers which was very useful as the more feedback I gained, the better insight I got
into seeing whether my product was successful or not. I can now evaluate each of the different questions I asked commenting
on what I have learned and what I could change if I was to approach creating this project again.
For my questionnaire, I decided to create a variety of questions which linked to my adverts as a whole (instead of asking about
adverts in particular). I wanted to find out whether my audience thought my company looked professional and if my adverts were
engaging, however, I purposely left room for my audience to write which adverts they preferred and if they did not enjoy any of my
adverts. I am now going to go through each of the questions I asked my audience and each of the responses I received.

The first question I asked my audience was whether they enjoyed watching my adverts. I asked this question because I
wanted to know whether my audience simply found my adverts entertaining or not. However, I added on an additional
part of this question, encouraging the audience to back up their statement so that I knew why and how I made the
adverts engaging, or how I did not make my adverts engaging.
This is only a few answers from my survey. I received 100% positive feedback for this question which means I have
been successful as all of my audience enjoyed watching my adverts. One of my audience members commented on
how the music was „soothing and calm‟ and others stated how it was „exciting‟. This tells me that the effect I was trying
to go for (creating a tranquil, calm mood in adverts) has been a success and noticed by the audience. I also wanted to
create some excitement which one member commented on and said „I liked how you showed different events‟ as it
made it more thrilling. However, one member of the audience stated how they would have liked to of seen more real life
action in my two TV adverts. This is an area which if I was to create the adverts again, I could improve and change my
narrative to fit more real life action in my adverts. Although this comment may be slightly negative, the audience
member still said how they enjoyed watching the advert. Moreover, this comment also tells me that the audience
member wanted to see more events in action, which tells me that I have not provided my audience with enough footage
of events which is not so good because I am trying to sell the events I am promoting. I think I could have looked at my
other question about events my audience have been too in the past to see what other events I could have displayed.
Therefore, even though the question I asked was quite brief, it still told me that overall my audience enjoyed watching
my adverts which means I have been successful in appealing and engaging my audience.

The next question I asked was whether my audience found my logo and slogan memorable. This was important to
me because when analysing existing media adverts, it was evident the logo and slogan had to be memorable to
ensure the audience would be able to easily recognise the brand or service in other adverts. I received 99% positive
feedback for this question which tells me my slogan and logo were memorable to my audience. This is good because
it means when the audience listens or watches my different adverts, they will be able to recognise either the logo or
slogan and automatically know it is Emerald Events. The one person who said they did not find it interesting
explained why in my „Additional comments?‟ at the end of my questionnaire. The audience member said: “I thought
the slogan was very engaging and easy to remember. However, I think the logo could have been more fun and
exciting” which tells me the audience member enjoyed the slogan, it was only the logo that was a problem. This
member found my logo too simplistic, which it is. I wanted to create a simple logo as I felt it made my adverts look
more professional and sophisticated. However, it is evident that it also makes my advert not feel fun and exciting
which is slightly problematic. However, I have learned from this negative feedback and now know that my logo was
not as exciting as I thought. Therefore, if I was to improve the design of my logo I think I could have added more
colour. I also feel that it would have been beneficial to me if I would have created numerous logos and then asked my
target audience which one they preferred – this would mean that I could ensure that my target audience would find
my logo appealing.
“Emerald Events – making
your dream a reality.”
This is my logo. It is clear that I have used text
and one image to create this.
Below is my slogan.

I then asked whether my adverts present a company which seems professional and sophisticated. I asked this question
because I am advertising a service which means I need to ensure the company is represented in a sophisticated manner,
making the company seem professional and reliable. This was a feature which I really thought about in my adverts,
especially with the sound and mise-en-scene.
From my audience feedback, I did receive mostly positive feedback which tells me I have been nearly successful in
ensuring my adverts look and feels professional. One of my members commented on the venues which I have used: “the
venues make the adverts look very sophisticated and the events looked as if they were shot at real place” which tells me
the venues I have used for each advert has been helpful in making my adverts look professional. Although, another
audience member commented slightly negatively on my use of venues: “Your sponsorships looked very real but your two
TV adverts could have been filmed at more interesting places” which tells me even though the majority of the audience feel
that the venue helped make my products look successful, some did not. In my two TV adverts I did shoot in a dinning room,
but made it look larger than it was. I think looking back, I could have filmed it somewhere more exciting and thrilling such as
a hall, which also would have made the event I was displaying (birthday party) seem more believable. However, I can now
learn from this mistake as I acknowledge that I could have been more experimental and creative with my venues and not
only pleased the audience more, but also made my adverts look and feel more professional. Furthermore, some audience
members commented on how my protagonist “created a sophisticated look” and how “the speaker looked like a business
woman and real” which made the company look “reliable and professional”. This tells me that my choice of actor and
clothing has helped made my service look professional. Overall, I am pleased with the feedback I gained from this
question as one of my struggles throughout making my advert was ensuring that the venue looked sophisticated and
professional as because I was advertising a service, rather than a product. My venue, sound , actors, editing and camera
work had to be good to ensure that my service looked professional and that the events were fun and exciting. If I was to
improve the way I made my adverts appear I think I would have experimented with different venue‟s but I also feel that I
would have bought and arranged to get more props. The props would have allowed me to improve the way in which my
venue‟s looked and would have helped overall with the setting of all of my adverts.

I then went onto asking what was my audiences favourite advert was and why. I wanted to ask this question because it
basically would tell me what advert the audience found most interesting and why. From analysing my answers (some are
shared below) I found out that my sponsorship was the most popular. One audience member stated how they liked the
sponsorship because “it looked real” and another audience member enjoyed the “costume, props, decorations and music” in
the sponsorship. This links to my previous questionnaire I created before making my adverts as I asked what event the
audience have attended in the last year, and wedding was in the top three, which told me it was one of the most popular
events. This impacted my projected because I then created a wedding in my sponsorship sequence which evidently had a
positive effect on the audience as it was the most popular advert. I feel that this was a good decision of mine because it
allowed me to ensure that I would target my audience. Although, I think it would have been more beneficial to my campaign if I
would have created the wedding in one of my main adverts – this would have allowed me to display around 30 seconds worth
of shots, rather than a few jump cuts as my sponsorship sequence only had a couple of shots due to timing restrictions.
This is an image of my previous audience survey
where I asked what events my audience have
attended in the last year. It can be seen at
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18zB-
tYwgwpw630LWfHE4191enX4LC_ut49LIGoGeW
so/viewanalytics or my analysis of the survey can
be seen at the blog post titled „survey results‟ .
Below is some of the answers I recieved from this
question. My analysis of the answers is on the
next slide.

Furthermore, I did also receive responses about other adverts being the favourite. The second popular advert was both my
radio and TV advert one. Each of these adverts received both the same amount of positive feedback. When audiences
described why they enjoyed my radio advert they said how “the voices were very clear and it was entertaining to listen to”
and how “the male speaker was very persuading and sounded genuine” which tells me sound and dialogue wise, I have
been successful. Moreover, for my TV advert one the audience commented on how they enjoyed “the main character
interacting with the real event” showing me that combining the two styles (presentation and slice of life) has been
successful and my audience find this enjoyable. Therefore, my TV advert two was commented least upon telling me it is
my least exciting advert. I feel that this may have been because in the advert I did not provide very exciting props or have
a thrilling setting at all which might have made my advert look and appear dull or less exciting. This is an aspect I think I
would change if I was to create my campaign again, especially TV advert two as if I made the setting more exciting, the
audience would have been more interested in what the actors had to say about the company. However, audiences who did
enjoy the advert said that they liked “hearing about customers talk about their experience” and some liked how “the advert
flowed” telling me that I have still been successful with this advert, just not as successful as the others. This also tells me
that my idea was successful as the audience enjoyed hearing about a first hand experience with the company, however, I
think If I made the scenery more interesting or even the dialogue, the audience would have been more satisfied with the
out come of the advert.
I then went onto ask whether all of my adverts had synergy between them, although, I am aware that this word may only
be familiar with media students therefore I used the term „linked‟. As I previously explained in question two (how effective
is the combination between your adverts) – I have tried very hard to ensure that all of my adverts' had similar features as
I am creating a campaign and it is important that my adverts look and feel similar. Below is some of the answers I
recieved.

For this question, I successfully achieved 100% positive feedback which meant that all my adverts had synergy between
them and the audience could clearly identify the link and similar features throughout my campaign. This tells me that my
because of the logo, slogan, background sound, voice over, costume and protagonist that I have been able to create
familiarity between my campaign and throughout all the different adverts, despite the difference in the text. This will impact
my audience because when an individual looks or hears the adverts, they will automatically associate it with Emerald
Events.
Furthermore, I also asked what gender my audience was. I wanted to compare the answers I received in my audience
feedback to my audience research questionnaire to ensure that I was still targeting the same kind of audience. In my
audience research questionnaire 55% were females and 45% were males. In my audience feedback questionnaire 46%
were males and 58% were females which tells me their is only 1% difference. This is good because I have purposely
created my adverts to target both genders. In my sponsorship and radio advert, males were in my advert about 75% of
the time as in my two TV adverts their were no males present and I wanted to even it out. I made my TV adverts just
females because their were more females in my target audience, but to ensure I was also aiming it at males, I used a
male as my main speaker in my radio advert and in my sponsorship males were positioned slightly closer to the camera.
Although, as my audience is nearly split between male and female I think I could have added more male actors to ensure
that the male side of my target audience would enjoy watching my adverts. This was a weakness of mine throughout
creating the campaign because I could not find enough male actors which potentially meant that the male side of my
audience would find my adverts less appealing.

Therefore, creating an audience feedback survey has been very
useful to me. It has provided me with an insight into how my
audience felt about my adverts and allowed my audience to be
critical about my adverts. I can now highlight the improvements I
could make such as showing more real life events in my advert one
which would overall make my audience be more pleased with my
advert. I feel that I have learned a lot about what I have done well
and what I could have done better. Such as, my audience thought
that I have been successful in creating synergy between my adverts
which is pleasant to hear as this was a feature which I felt was vital
to have throughout all of my adverts. Audience members also
thought that my sound was very good, which is another feature I
thought was crucial as when analysing adverts, some adverts were
not as good purely because of the voice over and background music
which made them quite dull, whereas it is evident I learned from my
analysis and ensured that my adverts were exciting and engaging.
Furthermore, audience commenting on how they enjoyed my
sponsorship presented how I have learned from my previous
questionnaire as I took in the data I received and was able to ensure
that every decision I made would target my audience. Overall, I think
I have done well in attracting my audience as the majority of the
answers I received were positive which tells me that by creating the
first questionnaire and learning what interests my audience have, I
was able to implement all the knowledge I had gained into my
adverts which is why I received a lot of positive feedback.
View live questionnaire
here (click on this link)

How did you use new media
technologies in the construction
and research, planning and
evaluation stages?

Blogger
Throughout my project, I used an online website called „blogger.com‟. I was familiar
with this website as I had previously used this for my AS coursework and therefore I
did not have any problems with using this. On this website I was able to write down
every negative and positive note about my project. This website enabled me to track
all of my progress and allowed me to reflect on what and where I was currently at. I
took advantage of this website and used it as a formal diary. It helped with my
research as every time I analysed an advert I could write down my analysis and then
refer back to it if needed. Also, as I wrote down all of my analysis, when coming to
the end of my analysis, I was able to go back and look at similarities between adverts
and then I was able to summarise the codes and conventions of adverts. Moreover,
blogger was also extremely useful when I was planning. This is because every time I
thought of ideas I would put them on my blog to remember them. I was able to create
brainstorms and upload them to my blog. Also, when beginning to create my project,
I was able to track my progress on the blog as I could visually see what I was
currently editing and what I have and have not done. I often did blogs about what
stage I was currently at, as I felt it helped me understand how I was going to move
my project forward. I also found it helped me move my project consistently forward
as I was able to scroll up and down my blog and view all of the research, planning
and then what I was currently doing. Also, as the blog was like a formal diary to me,
if I every forgot some of my ideas, or even the codes and conventions of adverts I
would be able to quickly go back onto my blog and re-read the post. Therefore, using
blogger was very helpful to me throughout all stages of my project.
Click here to see my Advanced
Portfolio on Blogger
Throughout the whole of my project, I have used new media technologies in the construction, research planning and
evaluation stages. I used a variety of online technology, software and physical technology to help me create my
adverts. I believe that the technology I have used has been very helpful throughout my project.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?

Example of my blogs
Below is examples of what my blog posts look like and how I used the blog to help me
plan what I have to do, and reflect upon what stage I was currently at. I used this blog to
help me talk about the issues I was facing currently in the project. To the left hand side I
have blogged about editing titles and the choices I have made when doing this. To the
right hand side is an example of one of my many shooting schedules where I planned the
location, date, actors and props to prepare myself for the shoot.

evaluation stages?
YouTube
Throughout the whole of my project, I used YouTube. I was
familiar with this website and therefore I knew how to use the
website quite well. In my research, I used YouTube to find adverts
which I felt were appropriate to analyse. Also, YouTube website
provided me with a large amount of adverts that people and
companies have uploaded. This was very helpful to me because I
was then able to critically analyse different adverts and was able
to see what features of the advert I could include in my own
advert, and also parts of adverts which I might exclude. I was
able to embed these videos onto my blogger account also which
made it helpful as I could watch the videos over and over again
whilst writing on my blog. I think it helped me throughout all of my
project that I could put embedded the videos because when going
back and reflecting on my research, I was able to view the videos
which I had analysed. Moreover, throughout the actual creation
of my project, YouTube was very important. This is because
when I created my drafts and even my final product, I uploaded it
to YouTube so that I could watch my sequence as a proper video.
YouTube allowed me to upload and watch my videos rapidly
which was beneficial to me as it prevented me from wasting time
waiting for my video to load. Therefore, using YouTube was very
beneficial to me throughout all of my project as it helped me with
my research and also helped me when I was creating my project.
Below is an example of one of my blog posts where I have
embedded a YouTube video onto my blog.

Google Docs
I used Google Docs in my research and evaluation of my product. Google docs allowed me to make an online
questionnaire which I then could put on the internet to a diverse range of social networking sites such as
Twitter and Facebook. I chose to create my survey on Google Docs because I was already familiar with the
software and therefore I felt that I would not struggle when creating survey, thus preventing me from wasting
any time. Moreover, Google Docs allowed me to create a sophisticated questionnaire as I could select specific
options for the question such as check boxes, texts or lists therefore it helped my audience answer the
question more rapidly as I chose the most appropriate method for answering the question. This is beneficial to
me because I wanted to receive over at least 100 responses and therefore I needed to ensure that answering
the survey was very easy. This was a strength of mine in the planning and evaluation stage as I carefully
selected my questions and the way in which the audience had to answer them to ensure that the audience
would not find it dull or difficult. After I had made my (two) questionnaires, Google Docs also showed me a
summary of my responses – showing me my responses in charts which helped me view my data easier and I
was able to collect the information easier than reading through each answer individually. This helped me in
both my research and planning because I could see visually how many people selected the answer (e.g. male
and female). Also, using an online document helped me receive answers much more quicker than if I was to
create documents and find people to fill them out as realistically I would not be able to find 100 people and
then I would be using up extra time finding people, waiting for the answer and then calculating the response.
Therefore, Google Docs has been extremely helpful and helped with both my audience research and audience
feedback. However, if I was to improve the way I used Google Docs I think I could have added in additional
questions but not made the questions „required‟ which means audience members who would not have minded
could have filled out additional questions whilst people who were more in a rush to fill out the survey could
stick to the essential questions. This would have benefitted me because I could have recieved more in depth
feed back about my campaign.
evaluation stages?

evaluation stages?
Social Networking
When creating my questionnaire I needed to share it with the audience so that my audience
would be able to find my questionnaire and fill it out. Therefore, I used Twitter and Facebook to
my advantage and shared my questionnaire numerous times on each to ensure people would
notice and fill it out. I think having a Twitter and Facebook account was beneficial to me because
it allowed me to gain more responses than I had asked for as the two websites allowed me to
gain a variety of answers. The advantage of using social networking sites, rather than asking
people in person is that people are filling out my survey as anonymous and therefore are more
likely to be honest and more critical. Therefore, using social networking helped when I was
researching also when I was evaluating. Although, even though I did receive a good amount of
answers, if I was to ask other people to share the link of my questionnaire I feel that I could have
gained more responses and therefore I would have gained more information about what my
audience liked and disliked about my campaign.
Sound recorder
Moreover, throughout the construction of my product the first piece of technology I used was a sound
recorder as the first advert I did was my radio advert. I used the sound recorder throughout the whole of
my campaign. I was familiar with using the sound recorder as I had previously used it in my AS
coursework which meant I did not struggle with using this technology. This was a strength of mine
because when coming to use it, I did not have to learn how to and therefore I did not waste any time.
Using the sound recorder helped me record professional sound for my adverts as I was able to edit the
volume and input of the sound which was important because I could edit the settings to exactly what I
needed. However, a weakness of mine when using the recorder is that I feel the volume between my
campaign was inconsistent as I used the sound recorder and different times of my advert. This meant that
the sound throughout my adverts was not consistent which means in some parts, my project lacks some
professionalism. If I was to improve the way I used the sound recorder I would make sure that I wrote
down what volume I used and the input, and even recorded in the same or similar places as it would
ensure that my adverts have the same volume of sound and are therefore consistent, creating synergy
and also continuity between shots in my adverts, and throughout my campaign.

Boom microphone
Another piece of technology I used during my construction is a boom microphone. I decided to use this because I
wanted the sound in my adverts to be more clear to the audience. This was a piece of technology I had never seen or
used before. To overcome my issue of not being able to use the microphone, I ensured that before filming, I learned
how to use it. This was a strength of mine because I knew that learning how to use the boom microphone beforehand
would make it easier when coming to filming. Although, I did not initially use the boom microphone as initially my
sound was recorded through the camera, therefore the microphone was only used during the reshooting of my
adverts. This is mainly because I had problems with the sound in my adverts due to the camera quality being quite
poor. Although, The microphone made the sound in my advert more clear which is good because the audience will not
struggle to hear my actors and actresses talking. To use the boom microphone I had to have one person hold the
camera, one hold the recorder and one hold the boom microphone. I took it in turns to do all three so that I could gain
experience in all areas. I really feel that I expanded my knowledge of technology by using the boom microphone
because this was something that I had never used before my A2 coursework. Although, I still did experience some
issues with this microphone as the sound in my advert one is poor in comparison to all of my other adverts. This is
because the microphone was too far away. This means that I have not actually been fully successful with using the
boom microphone as even though now I understand how to use it, the out come of the sound in advert one shows me
how I could have practiced more with the microphone before using it. Thus, if I was to improve the way I used the
microphone I think it would have helped if I tried the microphone out beforehand so that I could understand where the
sound, sounds best and how to make my sound have a high quality. This would have ensured that when reshooting I
would have not struggled with sound as I would have known to change location or change the volume or input.
However, overall, the boom microphone was very beneficial to me my campaign and helped made my adverts sound
more clearer than before.
evaluation stages?

evaluation stages?
Adobe Premiere
Throughout my planning and constructing I used Adobe Premiere. In the planning of my project I made an animatic which I then
took photos of and uploaded to Adobe Premiere to then make into a sequence. I was slightly familiar with Adobe Premiere as I
used it for my AS coursework. However, as I was in a group last year so the editing was split between all three of us which
meant I did not do the majority of the editing. This meant I had limited skills in Premiere but I now feel, at the end of the course, I
have a wide range of skills in the program. Creating my animatic on Adobe Premiere helped me get used to the program before
moving onto editing my main tasks. I was able to familiarise myself with the simple elements of Adobe Premiere. This was
beneficial to me because it helped me vision what my adverts are going to look like in the planning stage and helped me make
any decisions about what shots I should take out or what I should put in.
I feel that the animatic helped me in the planning stage as I could vision what my campaign will look like and at that point, I still
had the time to change any parts which I felt might not be successful. When moving onto editing my main product, I felt that I
learned and gained many new skills. One of the skills I learned on Adobe Premiere was „audio gain‟ where I could edit the
volume of each of my clips. I also felt my editing skills became up to a much higher standard in comparison to AS as I used the
boom microphone, and all the recordings which I had needed match the action on Premiere which is called lip syncing. I was
able to do this effectively throughout all of my adverts. This meant that I could make the sound on my advert very professional.
Moreover, I also familiarised myself with features such as audio and video transitions which helped all of my adverts to flow and
link with each other. This helped me consistently move my project forward. However, even though I gained a wider
understanding in using Premiere I feel that even though I had all of AS and A2 to learn the ins and outs, I still have not mastered
the program. This is because I still struggled with simple features such as making the titles and editing the colour of them. This
means that I have not progressed a lot with my overall skills of Premiere as this is an aspect which I should find easy.
Overall, I would say that I did find using Premiere difficult because even though I learned how to edit sounds, I still struggled with
exporting my video which is supposedly a simple task. If I was to improve the way I approached using Premiere I think it would
have helped if I had watched more tutorials about using Premiere in general as I could have been more creative in my overall
product. Although, on the whole, I acknowledge that I have improved my skills in Premiere and the actual program has helped
me piece and edit all of my shots together, making it into a sequence. My blog helped me keep a reflection of my editing skills
and the problems I was facing as on my blog I have wrote about the difficulties I had with Premiere which can be seen on blog
posts: Monday 31st March (radio advert edit), Monday 24th March (editing problems), Monday 24th March (editing: titles), Tuesday
18th March (editing sound), Sunday 8th March (editing), Wednesday 22nd of January (editing my sponsorship sequence) – all of
which explain where I was currently at with editing and the issues I was facing with Premiere.

Adobe Audition
Alongside with Premiere, I used Adobe Audition. I had never used Adobe Audition before and did not feel very
comfortable with using it. However, in my TV advert one the sound was quite bad and I needed to take out some of the
background noises. I learned how to „De Hummer‟ and how to take out the „Hissing‟ in the voice recordings. I also
learned how to match the volume of each of my clips so that they were consistent. Once I had learned how to use this
program I could then edit my other adverts and make all of my sound more clear and all the same volume. I feel that
because I only needed to use a few aspects of this program, I found using it quite easy. Although it wad daunting at
first, once I figured out how to use the parts I needed I found it very straight forward. This was a strength of mine
throughout the editing stage of my project because I could edit the sound rapidly which meant I was moving my project
forward. However, I did not experiment with this program which I could have done as I may have found other useful
tools to help me edit the sound. I think it would have been helpful if I had used my initiative and done additional
research about the software and watched tutorials about editing the sound because then I could have improved the
sound in my adverts even more. Although, the affects I did use such as „match volume settings‟ helped me improve my
adverts, I just think if I would have experimented more I may have found more tools to help me with my editing. Overall,
I think that using Adobe Audition has been very beneficial to me because it has helped make my sound more clearer
than before.
evaluation stages?
This is an image
taken from my blog
„Tuesday the 18th
March 2014‟ where
I go into about my
experience with
editing sound in
Adobe Audition.
This print screen is
of my sound in
Adobe Audition.

evaluation stages?
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop was another Adobe program which I used. I found using Adobe Photoshop much more easier than
Premiere and Audition. This is because I am extremely familiar with Photoshop. Although, I had not used Photoshop in
quite a long time and therefore I felt that I refreshed my skills in this area. I had to use Photoshop when designing the
logo. I was able to find a specific font I liked and then created the image on Photoshop. I found this reasonably easy due
to me already knowing how to use Photoshop but also I did not need to create anything complicated in Photoshop which
made using it easier. Photoshop impacted my product because it is a professional program which is used in the real
world, allowing my logo to look and feel professional. However, in my audience survey members of the audience
commented on how my logo looked too simplistic and would of preferred something more creative. This tells me that
even though I personally found using Photoshop easy, I did not take advantage of the tools that were available to me. I
think I should have watched YouTube tutorials about how to edit text on Photoshop and make it more appealing and
unique. This would have allowed me to have a more interesting font as my logo which would have appealed to the
audience. Therefore, I feel that I should have been more experimental with using Photoshop as I limited my creativity
skills because I only used the tools I knew how to use. If I was to of learned new skills in Photoshop such as shading, or
even how to download fonts from the internet onto Photoshop I would have been more successful with the design of my
logo. If I was to improve the way I used Photoshop I would have ensured that I had done more research into the tools
available to me because I already had a basic knowledge and understanding of how to use Photoshop and therefore I
could have gained new skills and mastered the program which would mean that my logo was more original and creative.

Camera
When filming, I used a video camera. I was reasonably familiar with using a camera from my previous AS coursework but as I was in
a group of three, we switched it in turns to use the camera and therefore I did not have as much experience as I needed. This meant
that I needed to refresh and extend my skills when filming. Moreover, to refresh myself with the camera, on my first filming session
(which was my sponsorship – see blog post Monday 13th of January where I talk about the shooting of it) before actually filming I
familiarised myself with the buttons. Although, after making myself familiar with this, I found using the camera quite simple. However,
I feel that overall I did not gain enough practice as this year we need not create a continuity task, and therefore the first piece of
filming I did was my sponsorship sequence. I think it would have been beneficial to me if I had gone out and practiced some of the
shots I wanted to create. I think this would have prevented me from reshooting some parts of my adverts.
However, using the camera helped me create some excellent shots in my campaign. The camera allowed me to zoom in and out
which was important because in TV advert one, I needed a mid shot of my protagonist across the room but as a table was in the way,
I was unable to get a mid shot of her. The camera allowed me to zoom in and record the mid shot. However, when editing my
sequences I noticed how the camera quality for sound was not up to a very high standard and therefore I only used the camera for
visual appearance, instead I used the boom microphone (see slide 31) where I was able to gain clearer sounds. I think if I would
have practiced this shot I would have known that it would not work which means I would not of had to reshoot. However, I needed to
take into consideration that the camera I used was not film industry standard and therefore all of the ideas which I came up with, was
not actually achievable. This is because some of the shots I wanted were long and wide shots, but because the camera was so far
away, it looked slightly blurry and therefore I needed to adjust some of the ideas I had. Therefore, I feel the camera I was using
arguably limited some of my creativity skills because I could not follow my storyboard shot by shot because some shots were
unachievable.
Overall, I think I had made progression in my camera work from AS to A2 a the camera helped me take some excellent shots such as
the car shot in my sponsorship (in the first 1-3 seconds). I was able to refresh myself with the camera reasonably quickly which was
helpful as I could film quickly after finding out how to use the buttons. However, I think their are areas of my camera work which
could have been improved as in my storyboard I wanted long and wide shots but when putting it into protective if was unable to do
this. I think If I was to practice a few times before I could have got some of the shots right/. Although, the camera has helped me
creative four successful adverts (sponsorship sequence both parts and two main ads) and if I was to improve the way I used this
camera I would have ensured that I practiced more .
evaluation stages?
Click here to view a YouTube video of me directing my actors and using the
camera for my sponsorship sequence.

evaluation stages?
evaluation stages?
Tripod
A tripod was another piece of technology I had to use (along side with the camera). I was familiar
with using the tripod and did not struggle to use it. The tripod allowed me to get still shots which
was important as I wanted all of my shots to be still as if they were to jog, it would make my adverts
look unprofessional. It also allowed me to set the height of the tripod which was important as in
some cases I needed the tripod to be very high, and in some I needed it to be small depending on if
my actors were sitting down or standing up. If I did not use the tripod it would have been
problematic as I would not of got the correct height and also would not have been able to get
professional shots.
Therefore, I have used a diversity of media technologies in the research and planning,
construction and evaluation stages of my product. All of the technology I used has allowed me to
make my adverts to the best standard as I can. The only aspect which I felt was slightly limiting
was the camera due to the camera not being as good as quality as the adverts I have analysed.
However, every program and technology I used allowed me to refresh and create a new range of
skills which helped make my adverts look and feel professional.

A2 media evaluation new

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to A2 media evaluation new

Recently uploaded

A2 media evaluation new