Unit 62 Task One. Part Four. Essay.

1. By Chelsie Brandrick
Unit 62: Digital Video Production for Interactive Media
September 17th 2016
Interactive media is a relatively new term used to describe a type of digital media that
supports user interaction. Interactive videos play like normal files but include
combinations of electronic text, graphics, moving images and sound and can be paused,
played and stopped on demand. Typically, these features can be used on devices such as
interactive televisions, computers, smart phones and gaming consoles. These features
improve the users viewing experience by giving them a sense of control over the media
they are consuming, as the viewer can decide how they wish to view the video or in some
cases the outcome of the narrative. There are a multitude of platforms in which interactive
media can be shown, popular examples include YouTube, Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
In addition to interactive media allowing the viewer to feel involved through active
participation, it also has benefits for the creator of the videos. Many companies are
beginning to manipulate this new development and are creating marketing campaigns
using interactive videos.
Global brands like Old Spice, Maybelline and Dove have all incorporated interactive
content into their marketing campaigns that have gone viral.
For example, in 2013, Dove released an advertisement on YouTube called ‘Dove Real
Beauty Sketches. You’re more beautiful than you think. (3mins)’
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk) that promoted dove cleaning
products. It has since received over 67 million views due to its innovative approach and
inclusive and relatable feel. The purpose of the video is to explore the gap between how
others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves. In the video each woman is the
subject of two portraits drawn by FBI-trained forensic artist Gil Zamora: one based on
her own description, and the other using a stranger’s observations. Towards the end of
the video, the two drawings are compared and the participant’s reactions of surprise are
shown. Finally, the video concludes with a message stating “You are more beautiful
than you think” in addition to a participants voice over telling the viewer a similar
message.
The target audience is females over the age of thirty that are either within the top of the
working class or the bottom of the middle class bracket as the participants were

2. By Chelsie Brandrick
predominately females that represent these demographics. I believe those who fulfill the
aimed target audience will be more attracted to this video because they will find it the
most relatable.
The advertisement was shot in a documentary style that features interviews, voice-overs
and multiple panning, close up and long shots that all add to the narrative of the video and
emphasize its ‘embracing natural beauty’ message. Overall the video was very
professional, clearly high in budget as well as being high in quality (720p). Also the
editing additions of colour correction, title screens and lens flairs improve the viewers
watching experience immensely.
Another example of a popular viral marketing video is ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell
Like’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE) that was released in 2010, by
Old Spice, a men’s fragrance brand. The purpose of the video is to advertise and
encourage women to buy Old Spice’s new body wash. The video is shot in a comedic
style and features Isaiah Mustafa reciting a monologue about how ‘anything is possible’ if
a man uses Old Spice. In a single uncut shot, Isaiah transitions from a bathroom, to a
sailboat, to riding a horse on the beach. He does this without pausing his monologue or
breaking eye contact with the camera for more than a moment. The punch line of the
commercial is Isaiah’s non sequitur final statement: “I’m on a horse”, delivered as the
camera zooms out to reveal to the viewer that Isaiah is in fact now sitting on a horse. This
quirky and funny advertisement quickly rose to fame and has gained over 53 million
views on YouTube, which is brilliant publicity for the product being advertised, Old
Spice’s body wash.
The target audience is females over the age of thirty that are either within the top of the
working class or the bottom of the middle class bracket as the actor, Isaiah Mustafa, is of
a similar age and he directly speaks to women throughout the video, with phrases like
“Hello ladies, look at your man, now back to me.”
In summary, the advert is high in quality (720p), and has a high budget due to its feature
of diamonds and luxurious locations edited to give a continuous effect, which improves
the memorability and the techniques used makes it a cleverly written and directed
advert.

3. By Chelsie Brandrick
Alternatively, user generated videos offer the same interactive features as viral
marketing videos, but there are some differences, such as, user generated content
typically needs to show creative effort and be produced by non-professionals.
A vlog (video blog) released in August 2016 by Chelsie Angeles entitled ‘Travelling
Across England To See Catfish And The Bottlemen’ (https://youtu.be/Sna-n1z422U) is
a good example that demonstrates creativity and was published by a non-professional
user of the popular interactive media platform YouTube. The video features a road trip,
in which Angeles travels to see the angel of the north, the beach and a concert in
Newcastle. The purpose of the video is to entertain the viewers and show them a
multitude of locations hoping to inspire and encourage the viewer to travel. In addition
to the variety of locations, the video is shot in high quality (1080p) and considering the
low budget the video is interesting throughout. Plus the video features a variety of
editing techniques such as, fast forwarding and slow motioning certain clips,
appropriate background music, inclusive annotations (layered text over video) and a
variety of different shots, that all collectively work towards remaining the viewers
interest.
The target audience is males and females from thirteen to thirty that are either within the
top of the working class or the bottom of the middle class bracket as the main girl
featured in the vlog, Chelsie Angeles, is of a similar age and the activities that she does
would appeal to this age range the most.
A contrasting example of a user-generated video is a ‘Spraying Skunk Prank’
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkxMqUP70Ds) uploaded to YouTube in March
2016 by Roman Atwood. The video aims to entertain and uplift its viewers in addition
to gaining popularity for its creator. In the video, Roman holds a skunk and approaches
people at the beach, when his targets are close enough he sprays them with what his
victims assume is authentic skunk spray. This causes multiple reactions including
surprise, shock and anger.
The video is high in visual quality (1080p) and sound, but however features minimal
editing techniques like, jump cuts, fade and a title screen at the end of the video. Also
the video seems low in budget due to the simplicity of the prank but because it is short
in length the viewers remain engaged until the end.
The target audience is males and females from thirteen to thirty that are either within the
top of the working class or the bottom of the middle class bracket as Roman, is of a

4. By Chelsie Brandrick
similar age and the activities he does, in my opinion would appeal to this age range the
most.
In conclusion, interactive videos and the features that they bring are growing in
popularity. This is proven by the variety of videos I have analysed above that have
gained millions of views between them. I believe people prefer to watch content via
interactive media platforms because it enables them to feel like they have control over
the videos they are consuming. Additionally features like pause, stop and playing a
video on demand encourage the viewer to watch content at a time that is most
convenient to them, rather than scheduling their television intake around their
commitments. I predict that the use of interactive media platforms such as YouTube,
BBC iPlayer and Sky will continue to grow and will overtake non-interactive platforms
within five years, as viewers and myself certainly prefer to control the media we watch
rather than let it control us.
Word Count: 1333.