Question 1 for A2 Media evaluation

1. EVALUATION QUESTION 1
IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS

2. WHAT IS ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement is when a person or an organisation decides to promote a product using the
media, they can be used to inform the public about upcoming event, products or services.
Advertiser get paid to make video messages for organisations who want to inform or
influence are particular target audience. In this day and age, advertising utilizes each
conceivable media to get its message through. It does this by means of TV, sponsorships,
radio, etc. The advertising industry is made of organizations that advertise, agencies that
make the advertisements, media that conveys the ads, and a large group of individuals like
copy editors, visualizers, who make sure that advert are cable of sending the message in
effective way.
The target of this portfolio was to make a advertising package which involved two television
adverts, one sponsorship advert and one radio advert of a chosen product. After
brainstorming a variety of different products I decided to advertise water because of how
rarely it was advertised giving me the chance to challenge the forms and conventions of
advertisement. In addition to this I also look at different groups of audiences to help me to
identify the group I should aim my product at and understand the types of conventions they
expect. Furthermore, I also looked at variety of different theories related to advertisement as
it was would have an impact on the way I produced my product sine the different theories
taught me about the conventional way of how the audience reacts to a certain advert. After
completing my research and understanding the different forms, styles, codes and convention
I started planning for my production while applying my knowledge form the research. This
was beneficial to me as it made the planning process a much more similar and made my

3. ADVERTISEMENT INFLUENCE
For my production I was influence by similar products such as Lucozade’s Fitwater and Sodastream
Heavey Bubbles Spot. Which helped me to come up with a fitting setting for my products. For example,
fit water setting of a gym was useful since it allowed me to set up a gym scene in my production. Making
certain adverts such fit water useful in helping understand the conventions of a water advert and also
taught me what type of message I had to sent to the audience.
In both adverts above you can tell they have the same theme of exercising and you can also tell from the
equipment that the location is mostly like a gym which has connotations of a healthy lifestyle which is
relatable to water. This is shows the audience that they can use these product when they want to
exercise or go gym. The influence this has on the audience is that it gets them to desire the product as it
show them the result of using this product. In addition, seeing the equipment and location could attract
an audience of people who work out regularly as this product might be appealing to them.

4. DOES MY PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTION OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS
Themes; throughout my adverts I suggest healthy lifestyle and the idea of water
being so healthy that it is like “magic” this is enforced by exercise and this theme is
reflected through the slogan “energy without the bad bits” and my advert 2 and tv
sponsorship are specifically about exercise, such as jogging or weights. This relevant
to the product I chose which is water since it is a effective product to use when
exercising since it is healthy and my target audience would be interested in staying
healthy especially when they are exercising. This is a typical convention however I
challenge this by changing the setting of the adverts to outdoors which go the
audience to see that they do not need to be in a gym just to use the product, but
this was done in order to emphasise that the product could also appeal to normal
people and reflect the product being so beneficial that it is “magic water”
Theories: I challenge the theory of Barthes semiotics since the audience did not
usually refer water to being an effective booster for a work out because people
usually think that someone who goes gym is more like to use an energy drink rather
than water since natural water is not enough. My advert challenges this theory as my
product associates itself as a more effective product for exercising since it even
improves your performance. However, I developed the cultivation theory by
constantly repeating the fact that magic water will improve the effectiveness of your
work out leading the audience to believe that they need this product for their
workouts, emphasising how it is more beneficial than energy drinks because it is
“energy without the bad bits”.

5. CINEMATOGRAPHY: SIZE
After looking at variety of water adverts I thought the fit water adverts cinematography for was appropriate
influence for my second advert since it used close ups on different body parts to show sweat of the characters
(which connote exercise and hard work). This was used since it enable me to show the audience how worn-out
the character was because he was not drinking the product yet. I also used close up on the product to display it
to the character in a more effective way this was also inspired by fit water and to use product placement
effectively. Another shot I used frequently was medium long shots since it was a good way for me to present to
the audience what the character was doing when he was exercising, this also allowed me to emphasise how the
character was rejuvenated during his exercises almost resembling a superhuman due to the “magic water” he has
drank. For example in my sponsorship at the end when my character was running as fast as possible. I developed
these conventional sizes since I was placing the products logos in the background allow the audience to
recognise it allowing me to expand the brand identity more effectively.
I used this close up to show
his emotions and reflect both
how tired the character was
and his action of drinking the
water bottle. You can tell I
develop the convention of
close up using it for
representing to actions at ones.
I used this shot as
it was a
conventional shot
of an advert since
most adverts show
the audience the
product on its own
at the end of the
advert.

6. CINEMATOGRAPHY: ANGLE
After look at similar products and how they used different angles to
present the product I found out that they mostly used angles to
demonstrate hierarchy. An example of this is when an advert is
compare itself with another, they conventional use low angles on their
products to make them seem much more powerful than the other
products. I used high angles within my second advert when the
character was about to have his first interaction with the product. I used
this angle as it show how vulnerable the character was after drinking
the previous drink which showed to be useless. In my sponsorship I
developed the high angle by using it over the shoulder which made
the water bottle seem vulnerable, which convened to the audience that
the product is not expensive and is within their reach.
In my first advert I only used eye level angles since the whole advert
was just about the two friends trying to catch the magic water. By only
using eye level angle I show that the character were both equal to
ensure that the audience understood that magic water was for
everyone I made sure that the two character were equal by ensuring

7. CINEMATOGRAPHY: MOVEMENT
In my production I used conventional movement such as zoom in order to capture
movement of the characters expression better and build tension. This was useful as
it allowed me to set the focus of the audience onto the characters which was useful
in keeping their attention. I also used zoom onto the water bottle as it was the
product being advertised. This was useful as it allowed me to control the audiences
focus by using movement such as zoom. Another movement I used was panning
since it was conventional way of starting an advert and hook the audience to the
visual narrative. For example the Evian baby&me starts of with a panning shot of
the surrounding buildings. I developed this convention by using the panning shot
it at the beginning of my second advert to introduce the character. I also used tilt
shot to tell the audience where my next shot was going to focus on.
 I challenged movement conventions by using
different shots rather the movement to emphasis how
quick exercise is. I used these since it made tracking
the character a lot more easier and smoother. Using
different shots instead of movement also made the
advert shorter which is good as it meant that the
audience would be able to stay focused through the
advert since it is short.

8. SOUND
For sounds I followed the conventions in relations to the Goodwin's theories, to be more
specific I ensured that I used the relationship between the music and the visuals to make the
video look much more in sync with the beat. I develop this by making sure that the timing
of the beat match the characters actions which was useful since it made visual effects look
extremely well and it felt like the effects were actual there in the recording because the
sounds made seems as though the effects actual happen. I also develop this by arranging
the non diegetic music to reflect the characters actions and effects from drinking the
product. For example in my advert 2 the music reflects the characters struggle in exercising
and his lethargic manner, this then heightens and intensifies after he has drank the product
which is in sync to the sped up visuals of the character exercising, further reflecting the
“magic” effectiveness of the water. Furthermore I used sound effects to fit well with editing.
For example, In my first advert I put sound effects when ever the bottle appeared in order to
emphasise the “magic” effect of the “magic” water disappearing and reappearing. In
addition, I made the music in my video faint in the background so the audience could hear
the character much more clearly, and could hear the important details of the product. I used
fade in and adjusted the volume of the music by decrease it , I did this because it was a
conventional way for a narrative driven advert to prioritise the dialogue more the music.

9. EDITING
Editing in an advert could give the advert a story by using different effects and transitions
especially if the editing syncs with pace of the music and different sounds. This is why
adverts which usually relate to exercises use fast paced editing to match with the music
and the characters action. I developed this throughout my advert by trimming the length
of the shots to keep the pace fast. I develop this in order to get my product to appear a a
lot quicker and disappear almost instantly so the audience did catch on to the editing.
In addition to this I used different effects to compliment the visuals with the pace music.
An example of when I did this in my second advert when the character drinks the smart
water, I used an effect which zoomed into the character face and made it flash as soon as
he drank the water the beat also dropped. This went well as it changing the theme of the
advert almost instantly since the audience could tell that the water has given the main
character a lot of energy.
Furthermore, the water brand Himalayan used editing to enhance the colours from normal
to bright colours. I developed convention by using the black and white effect and the
saturating the video with it colours again after the character drank his water. This was
developed as it change colours from a dark to colourful mood which I used to indicate
that the character was full energy now. In my editing I also speed up the video speed to
make the advert seem a lot more faster helping it keep up with the pace of the music. I
used this convention as it was a way of keeping the advert fast and intense.

10. MISE EN SCENE
Mise en scene takes into account everything seen on the scene. There are five elements mise en
scene; body language & facial reactions, Costume, hair & make up, iconography, lighting & colour
and finally Setting.
- Body language & facial reactions are key aspect of building a character since their body language
& facial reactions could show their audience the moods and emotions of the character which in
turn allows them to understand the characters feels and situation better.
- Costume, hair and make up help you to portray the character in that they can show the audience
the characters intentions and moods that the audience needs to make their own expectations of
the character.
- Iconography is the items used in an advert to which gets a certain reaction from the audience. The
item usually used in an advert is the product the advertiser is trying to sell to the audience.
- Lighting and colours are used in adverts to show the moods of the characters. Lighting in
particular helps to represent the character. For example if the character is evil under lighting is
used to show their sinister face.
- Setting is location of the advert or its scenes which represent a specific theme or mood. Adverts

11. MISE EN SCENE: BODY LANGUAGE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
For my sponsorship advert I used body language to let the audience
know about how tired the character was. I did this by portray the
character in a conventional way of slouching over when standing to
show he is worn out from jogging. I developed on this by changing his
posture completely after he drinks the magic water to let the audience
know that it is effective, I change the body language of the character to
a straight posture to show that the character is not tired anymore.
In addition I used medium shots to show both the product and the
characters facial reaction. This is conventional in water adverts since
they show the character reaction to the taste of mineral water, which is
usually positive. My character reacted surprised to the water advert
since it would be effective in getting the audience curious so that they
have to buy the product themselves to experience it amazing taste.

12. MISE EN SCENE: COSTUME, HAIR AND MAKE UP
I challenge the conventions of adverts using hair and make up because I did
not use any make up in my adverts since my advert is suppose to be about
working out and exercising. Meaning I did not need to use make up or
hairstyles since my audience would not be wearing make while working out.
Moreover in order to ensure that the sweet was visible I could not use any
make up since it would be as specific as I wanted the shot to be. In addition to
this I did not use hair or make up because the main focus was supposed to be
on the water bottle meaning. Furthermore since my main character was
supposed to look masculine I used the ideal representation of male by not
giving him any make up since it would make him look feminent.
However, I used the conventional gym costume which was inspired by the
fitwater advertise. I used a similar outfit as the main character of the fitwater
advert. I developed this by making sure my character was wearing clothes
which would be acceptable in a gym for example shorts. I used a conventional
outfit as it would allow the audience understand the character better and what
he is doing in a gym. This was useful as the advert did not use a narrative so

13. MISE EN SCENE: SETTING AND ICONOGRAPHY
For my setting I used conventional locations that would need water.
For example my second advert was located in a gym. This was a
conventional location as an individual is mostly likely to need water in
that location. For my first advert the location was a normal
neighbourhood, this was also conventional as water is needed by
everyone and no matter where you are water is important. The setting
for my sponsorship was a quite area since people go jogging in
peaceful areas and usually in the early morning because of the streets
being quite.
In my production I also used conventional iconography for water
advert such as mine. I used dumbbells which were also in the fit water
adverts. I had a Volvic bottle which was used as the similar product
that was being compared with mine.
Furthermore, I used medium shots at the end of my adverts to get the
audience to focused on both the product and setting. This helped me
to keep the my product in the shot as often as possible even at the
very end of the advert.

14. MISE EN SCENE: LIGHTING AND COLOUR
Through out my adverts I used conventional colours of a water advert
which is natural colours and lighting. For example Evian advert used
normal colours and used natural lighting. However as well as using
lighting and colours in a conventional way I challenged it by using a
scene without any colours apart from black and white in order to show
how doll the audience would be without the product. This scene was
effective in showing to the audience how magic water could change
your day for the better. In addition to this by having a scene which
changes colour in such a large scale as soon as the character drinks the
water would attract the audience attention on the product a lot
effectively. Therefore, I used lighting and colour to attract my audience
and maintain their attention by changing up the colours of the advert.

15. THEORIES
Barthes-Semotics
I used Barthes semiotics to get the audience to associate exercise with my product by constantly referring
it to exercise and how it is useful in helping you exercise. In addition making a brand logo also meant that I
used Barthes theory about associate different signs to specific things. For example, my logo is associated
with water since it has splashes. Therefore, by creating a logo I have used Barthes semiotic since I created
the logo so the audience could recognise it as a water brand.
Goodwin theory- conventions; relationship between the music and visuals.
I used this theory since it related to the fact that every time the pace of the beat increased the pace of
visuals also increased. This indicates that I used Goodwin's Theory in order to make get the product as
much attention as possible by presenting it anytime the beat was about to get faster.
Richard Dyer – Utopian Solution
I used this theory because it allowed me to relate the character to the audience allowing them to believe
that the product would have the same effects on their life too. For example in my first advert I used two
teenagers from the social class but separate races to indicate that my product is aimed at ordinary people.

16. CHARACTERISTIC Brand identity: The brand identity of my product is an organisation which cares about its consumes health and want to
improve their workouts with their new products. The reason I choose this brand identity is because conventional water
brands usually care about the consumer health and the environment since they are known for being corporately social
responsible.
 Brand logo: I choose this brand logo as the audience could instantly relate it to a water beverage. I choose to go with the
color blue as it is conventionally related to water meaning it is a good way to get my audience to understand what my
product is.
 Brand slogan: I choose the slogan ‘Energy without the bad bits’ because it let the audience learn about the purpose of the
product and it was also easy to understand for the audience since I used simple English. My slogan challenged
conventions since usually the slogan is just their for fun or for the audience to remember the organization but my slogan
teaches a little bit about the product to the audience.
 Compression of narrative: I used a visual narrative for my second advert which was conventional for an advert which uses
target exercise and staying healthy. I also developed on this by also using spoken narrative to let the audience
understand what was going on in my first advert since it was fast paced and had a lot of editing within it.
 Life style appeals: Conventionally my product appeals to everyone but I challenged this by choosing an audience which I
would target at more often then the general population. The target audience that my product appeal to their life style is
individuals which workout or exercises since they are like to want to stay health but still drink drinks which give them
energy to exercise with.
 Benefits offered/USP: The benefit that my product offered over other products is that it is normal water which still gives
you energy just like an energy drink. This challenges conventional waters brands since they usually only advertise mineral
water.
Energy without the bad
bit

17. TECHNIQUES
 Overt messages; I had an over message which was with to stay health and
exercise. I used an overt message by have using theme of working out. Which
sent the messages that the audience should exercise and stay healthy by drink
healthy drinks. I developed this by sending the message through my slogan
of ‘its energy without the bad bit’ because the audience would remember
both the product and the message.
 Emotion Response; I used in conventional way by trying to get the audience
to laugh. For example, in my first advert I had to friends struggling to catch
the water bottle which would disappear every time they got close to catching
the product. I did this because I tried to get the audience to smile and pay
more attention to advert and since it was a narrative this worked well.

18. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, within my production I have challenged, developed and used different
conventions of real media products. This can been seen throughout my production since I used
conventional characteristics, techniques, mise en scene, techniques, editing and sound. This
enabled me to make a media product in a successful way which is also conventional in many
aspects but as well as being conventional my product also had its own aspects which allowed
me to differ from similar products giving me a unique selling point. An example of this is how I
challenged conventions by using light transitions in my editing in order to present my product. I
developed conventions by using colour and lighting in more unsaturated way to get the
audience to understand the mood of advert. I used convention by using similar setting to
products the had the same theme as mine.