T1 - Sources of information

The pre-production documents were helpful during production of the advert as they gave me an overview of what to do next and what still needed to be done.

Production schedule
This was helpful to an extent as it allowed me to know by what time had to get things done by and adjust schedules to ensure that things that had to be done by a certain date were done by that date. However, I was unable to meet some of the dates either because I had something that needed finishing for that work to be completed or I ran out of time to get it done by.

Location Visit Sheet
This was helpful as it reminded me of where to film and how to easily get there, it also told us about any hazards that may be present in the area and how to best avoid them where possible. It also gave us an idea of what the weather would be like in that area on the days we planned to film and how to best prepare for this weather.

Call sheet
This was helpful to production as it told me what everyone's job was and who was responsible for what when filming, so we could be more organised when we came to filming. It also gave the location and time of filming as well as what props were needed during filming.

Contingency plan
This named any potential problems we may run into while filming and how to overcome those issues should they occur. Despite not having a lot of information in it, it could have proven vital if something happened.

Risk assessment
Helpful as it identifies several hazards that may be encountered while out filming and ranks them in a way that makes it easier to know what to watch out for. for example if something was marked a having a risk of 4 it was very likely to happen and should be looked out for and precautions taken against that particular hazard, but it only ranks a 1 then its not worth taking serious action against.

Production budget
Would have been useful if we were producing the advert ourselves, but as the majority of equipment and props were either from the school or home, it didn't prove terribly helpful in this case.

Shot list
This was helpful during filming as it gave a brief overview of what the shot was and a more detailed description of what was in the shot and would be viewable by the audience.

Costumes and props
This is potentially the most useful pre-production information we used as it told each person what they would need for the character they were acting as. This could have been improved by using more detail or a better description of what props were needed.

Shooting schedule
This was helpful as an extension of the shot list and costume/prop list, giving a combination of both as well as who's in shot during what scene and where we're filming.

T2 - Screening

To help evaluate my advert and get some improvements for next time I'll be doing a survey. However I cant guarantee total honesty with this method, as with most methods readily available to me. I will be using survey monkey to create a survey online. Also performing a focus group to get some qualitative feedback.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q52WX72

The questions I will ask are:
1/ Do you think the advert fits the product?
2/What audience do you think we are trying to appeal to?
3/What do you like about the advert?
4/What would you change about the advert?
5/What would you rate the advert out of 10? (10 being highest, 1 being lowest)

I used mostly open ended questions to get peoples thoughts about the advert instead of restricting them to only a few answers.

The feedback I got from the survey can be considered reliable as it was from people I trust would be honest with their answers. I would improve the process by asking more people and getting a wider audience to ask.

Overall, people seemed to enjoy the advert saying that they enjoyed the overall concept but it needed some refining. Most agreed that the acting was ok, not great, but not terrible. One person said that the text at the bottom of the screen gave them a bit of a headache, and could probably be slowed down. Several also said that the variation of shots should have been greater. The average rate out of 10 was 6.

T3 - Present the results

Results from Survey

1. Do you think the advert fit the product?
-Yes
-Yes
-No
-Yes










2.What audience do you think we are trying to appeal to?
-Teen
-Gamers
-Adults
-Teens









3. What do you like about the advert?
-Its simplicity
-The overall concept
-The static between clips
-The scrolling text









4.What would you like to change about it?
-The static didn't really work
-the length of time spent outside is too short
-The time inside is too long, needs to be more straight to the point
-Camera angles could have shown more of the assassin than they did, seemed too ambiguous

5.What would you rate it out of 10?
-7
-8
-4
-6

From these results I have learnt that I'd could have improved the advert more than previously thought, and in general it wasn't very obvious what was being advertised, as well as getting the right balance of shot types. Overall, these results show that the advert needs improvement in all areas, and is something I will take into account next time.

T4 - Finished product

the advert is for a collection of games called The Purple Box, featuring 3 games; Minecraft, Assassins creed 3, and Resident Evil 6. Our target audience was teens and young adults from both genders, appealing to both casual and hardcore gamers with the selection of games the idea behind the advert was to use a unique format, to present the product, in the form of a news report. This will make the advert more memorable, as very few companies use this approach. We also tried to appeal to peoples sense of humour with the use of text scrolling across the bottom of the screen, this gives the impression of an actual news report most of which don't relate in any way to any real news and are just random things we could think of on the spot

The method i used to get my audiences feedback was to set up an online survey and then ask some people i trust to answer truthfully and speak their mind about what they thought about the advert. The feedback was a mixture of qualititive and quantititive, though mostly (90%) quantititive as the questions i asked required more of a worded answer. The question I asked were;
1.do you think the advert fit the product?
2.What audience do you think we are trying to appeal to
3.What do you like about the advert
4.What would you change about it?
5.what would you rate it out of  10 10 being highest, 1 being lowest
i asked these questions in particular as they bring out the majority of points that may need improving and what was done well in the audiences opinion.

The response i got from the audeince was pretty much unanimous, the advert needed improvment in various aspects such as the shot variaty could have been better, along with making it more obvious as to what I was trying to advertise. However, the responses i got were very mixed and a few answers crossed between like and dislike depending on who watched it. A few of the responses surprised me as without them I wouldn't have said a particular element was lacking. overall, i am pleased with my feedback and will be able to use it to improve on future projects

In my onion the most successful part of the advert was the closing graphics, despite simple, it tells the viewer what the advert was about breefly before it ends. And the improvments I would make are to make the special effects more suited to the game being advertised, rather than just generic static, on top of this I would make the shots show more of what was going on in the background. the majority of the answers from the survey I am happy with and will take on board what they have mentioned for next time.

The advert was tecnicaly well done in my onion, but admittdly some of the shots could have been better placed, in particularlar the attack shot should have shown more of the attack than the reporter as this was the main piece of action in the advert and without this improvement it isn't entirely clear what is being advertised until the very end. The idea itself was unique and therefore will stay with the viewer after they watch it.

i acheived my goal to create an original advert to sell "The Purqle Box", and it went pretty well, I'm relatively happy with the finished advert but it could always use more improvements

T5 - Re-draft final evaluation

The advert is for a collection of games called "The Purple Box", featuring 3 games; "Minecraft", "Assassins creed 3", and "Resident Evil 6". Our target audience was teens and young adults from both genders, appealing to both casual and hardcore gamers with the selection of games. The idea behind the advert was to use a unique format, to present the product, in the form of a news report. This will make the advert more memorable, as very few companies use this approach. We also tried to appeal to peoples sense of humour with the use of text scrolling across the bottom of the screen, this gives the impression of an actual news report most of which don't relate in any way to any real news and are just random things we could think of on the spot.

The method I used to get my audiences feedback was to set up an online survey and then ask some people I trust to answer truthfully and speak their mind about what they thought about the advert. The feedback was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative, though mostly (90%) quantitative as the questions I asked required more of a worded answer. The question I asked were;
1.Do you think the advert fit the product?
2.What audience do you think we are trying to appeal to?
3.What do you like about the advert?
4.What would you change about it?
5.What would you rate it out of  10? 10 being highest, 1 being lowest
I asked these questions in particular as they bring out the majority of points that may need improving and what was done well in the audiences opinion.

The response I got from the audience was pretty much unanimous, the advert needed improvement in various aspects such as the shot variation could have been better, along with making it more obvious as to what I was trying to advertise, and removing/tone down the static in certain areas. The audience also agreed for the most part over the target age for the advert, thinking it fit the product quite well, giving the advert an average rating of around 6. However, the responses I got were very mixed and a few answers crossed between like and dislike depending on who watched it. A few of the responses surprised me as without them I wouldn't have said a particular element was lacking such as the comment about the shot time inside being too long, i would justify this by saying that it adds context to the rest of the advert. Overall, I am pleased with my feedback and will be able to use it to improve on future projects.

In my opinion, the most successful part of the advert was the closing graphics, despite simple, it tells the viewer what the advert was about briefly before it ends, making use of common game advert genre convention of showing the product at the end. And the improvements I would make are to make the special effects more suited to the game being advertised, rather than just generic static, on top of this I would make the shots show more of what was going on in the background. As well as made more use of diegetic sound. The majority of the answers from the survey I am happy with and will take on board what they have mentioned for next time. 

The advert was technically well done in my opinion, but admittedly some of the shots could have been better framed, in particular the shot of the attack should have shown more of the attack than the reporter as this was the main piece of action in the advert and without this improvement it isn't entirely clear what is being advertised until the very end, to improve upon this I would re-film this with a mid-shot or a few close-ups instead to get a better idea about what was specifically happening. The idea itself was unique and therefore will stay with the viewer after they watch it. Also having watched the advert, I could have improved on some element on the mise-en-scene, as the outdoor news reader isn't quite as smart as he could have been for example, with his collar being scruffy and out of place.

I achieved my goal to create an original advert to sell "The Purple Box", and it went pretty well, I'm relatively happy with the finished advert but it could always use more improvements.

Final Advert

T1 - Pre-production

T2 - Production

I started the make the advert by signing the equipment out from school, including camera, tripod and a microphone. Mr Johnson keeps very detailed records of who has what equipment, s it was important to get the details right. I almost made one mistake right at the start by almost forgetting that I needed a tape.

I had arranged to meet my cast members over the park and they were on time so we were able to start filming straight away. There were very few members of the public at the park at that time so we were not worried about being disturbed.

I set up the camera with little effort, getting the camera on the tripod, making it stable and tripping over the mic cable several times. Then I checked the framing of the shots I would need, making mental notes of where the camera would be looking and positioned with each shot.

I filmed each shot several times to get the best result and one thing I had to be careful of was it was quite windy causing the sound to be a series of white noises with a few sentences in between. I then went back to school to upload the footage.

T3 - Post-Production

Organising the Bin

Took the footage from the camera, and organised it into internal shots and external shots, as well as the bar and text as separate clips in the bin. This was done to make it easier to find the clip that I want when  needed.

Range of editing tools

Added in transitions from one shot to the next using edited static, and used the filter "BadTV" to put across the point that things are abnormal.

Audio Mixing

Used the sound level on the side of the track to adjust areas of sound that were too quiet/loud.

Creating text in Live Type

Created the scrolling text across the bottom of the screen using the text available in Final Cut Express and at the end did the same. Making the scrolling text smaller to not distract the audience from the main advert too much.

Importing files and folders (music, titles, etc.)

Imported the image of an assassin at the end from google by downloading it to the desktop and dragging it into the bin, then onto the timeline.

Exporting the film using the correct format settings

Export the final cut of the footage using quicktime conversion and using mpeg-4 compression format, then MP4 file format with MPEG-4 Improved video format using a resolution of 1920 x 1080 to get the best quality possible out of the footage.

Downloading to tape

went onto YouTube and clicked the upload button after signing in, dragged the file into the upload box on the next page and waited for it to process through their system, while waiting for this I was changing the title of the video, making it different from the file and easier to find when searching.

T4 - The Final Advert

Purple box Advert

T5 - Pitch

T1 - Market and Target Audience Research

Market Research


The style used for this advert is 'Stand Alone', which seems ideal for this product as it doesn't always work out for the advertiser to make gaming commercials a series. This is because they make the game sound and look so amazing, only for it to fall over by post-production hype. This live action commercial inspires the viewers imagination about what is actually achievable in-game.



The style used in this advert is animation which is probably the easiest, quickest, most profitable way to do this. The form used is a dramatic backdrop, showing a battle during the War of Independence, this is an interesting time period for the game to be set, with invention and great intuitive minds at the height of its 'power'.
The style used for this advert is drama, and its effective use of the darkness shows the known basics of the Batman series, the dark persona Bruce takes on to create 'The Dark Knight', and how the separation of these two worlds is destroyed at the end of the advert, without revealing too much of the story at the same time.



An advert for Minecraft uses animation to advertise its features, however it would be difficult to develop a  live-action version, following the nature of the game and its cube-like form. The advert clearly aids sells as the game has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and rising.


This advertisement for Resident Evil 6 effectively uses the dramatic style of advert and a bit of shocking and scary, with all the zombies and the 'jumpiness' they exert within the game which is captured within this, rather long, 3 minute advert.

None of these adverts use the format we have chosen, a news report. 

Target Audience Research

1/What games would you like to see within a game-box?
-Call of Duty
3
-Resident Evil
11
-Skyrim
12
-Minecraft
9
-Batman: Arkham City
14
-Assassins Creed 3
17
-Other (please specify)
Tetris - 1
Halo - 2

2/Should we aim advertising at a particular gender?
-Male
12
-Female
11
-Both
24

3/How many Games would you like to have inside the package?
- 1-3
16
- 4-6
22
- 7+
5

4/What age restrictions would you recommend, based on the games you have selected?
- 3+
 4
- 7+
9
- 12+
14
- 16+
18
- 18+
11
5/Would you be appreciative of any Pre-order bonus or future DLC?
-No
15
-Yes (specify if possible)
24

With these results, we have come to the conclusion to make the product/advert about 5/6 games: Batman:Arkham City, Resident Evil 6, Minecraft, Skyrim, Assassins Creed 3, with a pre-order bonus of 'Pong!'. We shan't aim advertising at any specific gender, with an age restriction of somewhere in the region of 12-16+.

Focus Group

T2 - Ideas generation

The Idea

We decided to use a news report as the base idea, with the games causing chaos in a city, with characters from the games existing in the real world. Range of games to appeal to most audiences, using only mild references as to not alienate a portion of the market.
We deliberately want to create a parody style advert as humor is one of the most memorable type of advertisements. Parodying a breaking news report means the advert will catch the attention of all the audience members as well as go on to recognize the key game characters.
We have designed a series of three advert that use the same concept of a news report but each using a different character to enable us to advertise all the games in the Purple box. A series is another really useful form of advertisement because it uses repetition to stick in he minds of audiences.
My individual advert in the series is going to advertise Assassins Creed 3. I want the combination of studio footage and location footage to give it a real life feel, I want to include static footage to emphasize the idea of chaos ensuing the city. I am going put the banner at the bottom of the shots to make I seem real but deliberately made them silly so that anybody thinking it is a real news report will realize upon reading the scrolling news stories. 

T3 - Research for Production

For the development of the advert:

•       Locations for filming (and permissions required to film there)

•       Props

•       Equipment (camera and accessories – tripod, monopod – wires, etc)

The camera we chose for the production is the “Sony DCR-TRV480E”, because it expresses ‘digital quality on affordable analogue tapes’. It is also the cheapest camera available for hire for 5 days for; £80 p/week, or £42 p/day, which works out at £220 for 5 days hire, plus a £50 deposit. This camera comes with a manual to aid set-up, a composite lead, a mains lead, a main adaptor, a cleaning cassette, a strap, and a lens cap.

To upload the footage obtained, we will hire a 4-4 pin Firewire cable, for £4 p/week, plus a £4 deposit. The prices for these stay the same.

A tripod to hire for a week is £41 or £10p/day (£50 for 5 days). As well as a £45 deposit. Again this works out cheaper than hiring day by day, and is compatible with the tripod.

The location we’ll be filming is in Central Park or at The Chase Nature Reserve, both of which are public ground. Which allows the freedom to film what we want there, within reason. However, this location is open to change, and could at any point. We hope to do the majority of our filming at central park but at the moment they are doing some work along the majority of it, and have dug it up as a result, so if this location is unavailable we will move across to the The Chase Nature Reserve.

T4 - Identifying Potential Problems

Potential Problems	Effect	Resolution
Copyright music	N/A - no music	N/A
Copyright of ideas	No other official advert has used a News report, to my knowledge	N/A
Risky content	Minimal violence	Have the advent shown at a later time
False advertising	Audience mistake footage for in game footage/cinematic.	Tried to keep the advert as close to a representation to the games as possible, without using actual game footage, while stating that the advert doesn't use any in-game footage.
Product placement		Each product is  given its own version of the advert