LO.2: SWOT Analysis [Activity #8]

Commission

Activity Sheet 8

SWOT ANALYSIS MAP

LO.2: Target Audience [Activity #7]

Commission

Activity 7

Target Audience

My Commission Unit Artefact is a 30 second long video advertisement intended for Television for Reading-based Jewellery Company Auriga. My intended audience is varied. Before the pre-production and looking into the brief, I was originally going to intend to create this advertisement with comedy themes. Being rather enthusiastic and exciting and having people laugh about a rather serious company, but I felt that wouldn’t go down well, so producing a more serious advertisement would make sense.
I decided to go for a calmer, more sensible approach as I feel that wraps around well with the company itself and its members as well as the people interested.


I was judging most my target audience based on my narration as narration can really set the tone and feel of a video as well create your audience. My audience is mostly aimed at older, more mature people with some towards younger people as jewellery is a topic that appeals to a lot of people. Some buy it for their loved ones, others just liking wearing it, so I feel my advert is pretty wide spread in terms of audience, just that I feel it’s more into suitable to have a calmer tone as it works well with these types of audiences, being that of young and old and people of maturity.

LO.1: Generating Ideas [Activity #6]

Commission

Activity Sheet 6

Generating Ideas

LO.1: Researching Advertisement #3

From watching this advert, I discovered a few ideas I would like to include into my television advertisement for Aurgia. First of all, this Christmas Television Advert for Ernest Jones Jewellery fits into the 30 second gap which is something I enjoyed from researching advertisement two and is something I want to definitely achieve with my advertisement.

Whilst it's a small touch, the way in which the special effect whit stream connect with the ring at 17 seconds into the advertisement is a similar effect I want to achieve with my advertisement only less flashy and with less special effects as I feel it takes away from the jewellery at a little and becomes more a advert you watch for the special effects more so than what they are advertising, in this case jewellery.


This connection with the special effect white stream and the ring is a transition I feel I can connect with the receipt narrative concept I discussed in analysis for advertisement number two. I don't want the narrative of my advert to flow so easily and seamlessly and I want people to wonder what that receipt was for or what it could have been for and that allows me to have a good opportunity to showcase the jewellery in an interesting way as well as draw in my audience. I discussed with researching advertisement number one that I would like the logo to appear at the beginning and appear with a solid background, with the colour white as I feel that words well the purity concept and with that in mind, I feel I can link that together, the introduction and the receipt concept and tick off the concepts/ideas I want to nail such as a flashy looking transition and the concept of white connecting with jewellery in terms of the word "purity". I really like this transition and that sense of wonder, even with the cat looking up to see this white stream pass by and wonder what it could be, I wouldn't want that sense of wonder to drag as in this advertisement it takes up over half of the advertisement and I feel it's too long. I don't want to very special effects either so perhaps a blur effect might be suitable as that allows me to use a more enhanced effect or enhance on the jewellery and really showcase that this is a jewellery advertisement and make the message clear.


Along with that sense of wonder and that special effect, I enjoy the music in this advertisement. Similarly with advertisement number two, the music gives off a certain feel that captures jewellery nicely but isn't necessarily a feel I want to convey being that of wonder or enchantment. It suits well with the narrator nicely and that is something I want to do as well when importing narration into the advert. The narration himself is pretty good and fits the mood nicely.


I also like how the advertisement has a nice blend of special effects and real life shots and that's something I want to include my advertisement as it makes things relate able and somewhat modern. There are further things I like about this advertisement I want to include in my very own such as the way the jewellery is displayed, I feel the background is a little dark and whilst it works showing off the jewellery nicely, it's the way in which it twinkles and is blurry and then enhances that is an effect I would like to capture but if not, focusing all the way and giving a very enchanting view of the jewellery is something I like.
Furthermore, I also enjoy the way the Ernest Jones shop is displayed at the advertisement and that is a element I definitely want to place at the end of mine as I feel it's gives off the location well and can be a good spot to showcase the logo of the store towards the end like it was at the beginning but in a real life setting and not with special effects and computer imagery.


However, there are things I do not like about this advertisement and do not want to include, the way in which the jewellery is positioned and the shop, even if it is perhaps computer generated is something that works for this advertisement but not something I personally enjoy or want to include in mine mainly because I don't feel it's traditional and gives off a good impression and seems a little rushed. I would like to film my jewellery the way it was intended behind the glass in which it is displayed so it gives off a real feel of the jewellery in the shop in a real life setting and not something fake.


I also do not like the way the logo is displayed in the bottom right and isn't a particular position I would like to include in mine as I feel it's quite easy to miss and having a bold logo at the beginning and the end works better and gets stick into the viewer's mind a lot easier. 


Overall there is a lot I like about this Ernest Jones Christmas Advertisement, the way in which it displays the Ernest Jones Jewellery shop at the end, the way the music suits well the narrator, the 30 second time frame, the right blend/mix of special effects and real life shots and in particular, the transition and sense of wonder you get from that white stream to the ring are elements I would like to include in my advertisement whilst disregarding the elements of the logo being displayed in the bottom right as it's easy to miss, the feel the music gives off even if its suits the jewellery and the narrator combination quite well and the overall position of the jewellery and other pieces of the advert as it gives off a somewhat "fake" feel even though you could argue this particular advert is to showcase the whole company and not one particular shop which is what I'm intended with my advertisement as it's for Aurgia Jewellery and there is no other Aurgia Jewellery shop located in the United Kingdom as it's not a massively big company and isn't a franchise. 

LO.1: Researching Advertisement #2

From watching this advert, I discovered a few ideas I would like to include into my television advertisement for Aurgia. First of all, the advertisement fits a 30 second time span which is something I would like to do with my advertisement as anything above 30 seconds or so, I feel you begin to lose interest with your audience unless it's an exceptional advertisement that appeals to a large audience with a type of "mainstream" topic such as The World Cup for example, which millions are people are into and that's not to say millions of people aren't into jewellery but Aurgia Jewellery is quite a small business in the heart of Reading and doesn't pull in millions of customers every year so it makes sense to be somewhat realistic, especially considering jewellery is something I feel, is a type of niche market.


I also like the narration of this advertisement and might be something I want to consider putting into my production. The narrator of this advertisement for H Samuel Jewellery was a very nice choice indeed and quoting one of the comment this video alone 

"That voice-over man is excellent! He is ideal for this advert and makes the advert have an enchanting feel to it." user  whogotpranked 3 years ago is something I can happily agree with.

The narrator does his job very well and gives a nice soft tone which works for these type of adverts and might be something I would like to consider. I say might as, depending on how strongly I feel the music is and how it fits, I might do narrator over it, I might not but I feel it would be a good decision to do some narration or practice narration over the advertisement regardless as it could work better than expect.


I also enjoy the fact there is some sort of narrative in this advertisement being that there is a "master craftsman" who discovers a twinkle in a jar and manages to transform it into a stunning piece of jewellery. It flows really well and the art of the character and the environment is very nice but isn't something I would like to include in my advertisement as I feel, whilst 30 seconds isn't a long span of time, building a 3D animation in this case by yourself would take a lot time of effort and hurt the rest of my work for this unit of Commission, even a 2D animation I feel would take an exceptional amount of time to work on your own but the narrative and how the advertisement flows is something I want to put in my advertisement but perhaps turn it on it's head, for example, usually when you walk into a shop, in this case Auriga Jewellery, you look around the shop, discovering what you want, you chose something, you give the money at the till and you purchase the item and walk out of the shop. Whilst I feel that works great and flows nicely, instead I would like to start the advertisement with a receipt or the purchasing of an item as I feel it gets straight to the point or makes you wonder what the person has bought and then you can dwell into showcasing the various pieces of jewellery.


Another thing I like about this advertisement is this music. Whilst I do enjoy the music and I feel it works well with the narrators voice, the enchanting, epic feel is something I feel would not work as well against a sunset/summery feel, like I discussing with the previous advertisement I analysed and research as I don't think it would give off a happy feel and that is something I might want to consider more strongly than an epic/enchanting feel as that can seem quite childish, even if it suits with jewellery to some degree, it works better mainly because it's a 3D animation and I don't think it would work as well with real life footage like I am capturing with my production, but having music that suits a particular mood that relates with jewellery and mixes well with the narration is something I definitely want to consider with my advertisement and I feel it's key to giving off an authentic feel.


However, there are things I do not like about this advertisement, whilst I enjoy a lot of other elements and the way it flows, I feel it flows too quickly and the fact that it cuts to the logo and ends quite abruptly is something I do not want to do. I'd rather display the logo at the beginning and the end of the advertisement, with the ending logo shot showcased for an extended period of time and gradually fading out of frame instead of ending abruptly.


Aside from that, there are not main things I can say I dislike about this advertisement for H Samuel Jewellery but there are things I want to include in mine. The way in which it has a narrative is nice and is something I want to include, only turn it on it's head. The narration is something I should consider and have music that suits well with what is been showing and what is being said with the narration, even if it isn't an enchanting feel but instead something that works just as good in my opinion with jewellery and lastly, having the logo appear at the end only for an extended moment of time and not end so abruptly. 

LO.1: Researching Advertisement #1

From watching this advert, I discovered a few ideas I would like to include into my television advertisement for Aurgia. First of all, in the first few seconds I liked how the Canix Jewellery Logo appeared with a tropical area in the background. I liked how it was centred and in particular, the position of the word "jewellery". This is something I would like to include in my own advertisement as I feel it gets straight to the point of where this advertisement is coming from which company. It also displays the logo clearly and can make it quite rememberable  for the viewer, however I would like to make mine a bit more interesting instead of just appearing, perhaps some kind of transition that fits with the theme. Considering I won't have the luxury to be filming on a tropical beach as well for a background, I would like to do something effect with a bold colour, preferably white as white is signified as pure and diamonds and other jewellery is signified with the word "pure" as well.


The type of music was something that I would take on board in my own advertisement from this advert. The music displayed in this Canix Jewellery advert was rather exotic and fitted well with the tropical theme. Whilst I do not want to choose music that suits a tropical theme, I would like to include music that is somewhat calming and works well with a sunset as whilst it doesn't directly go well with jewellery I feel it can still work very well as sunset themes and such can be associated with happiness and joy and so can jewellery, so I feel using a track that has sunset/summery themes would well for my advertisement.


I also liked the close ups of the jewellery, they made it look very fancy and gave a good impression of what it would look like on the wearer. Whilst I do not want to have models featured in my advertisment as I feel it somewhat derails away from the jewellery and becomes more about the models like this Canix advert, having close up shots of the jewellery is something I feel that is essential in making this work well but I would like to make mine more dramatic.


Continuing on my discussion abut how I feel the advertisement had slightly more to do with the models than the jewellery, I feel there are other elements of this advertisement I would not like to put in mine. Whilst I enjoy the way the logo is displayed in the introduction, the music and the close up of the jewellery which are three elements I would like to put into my own production, the way in which the advertisement is littered with interviews is not something I would like to put in and makes it feel less of a television advert and more of a group of interviews mashed together. I felt it was a suitable choice using this advertisement as it was displaying jewellery and was published on worldwide television on a fashion television channel but the way it shows shots of behind the screens, models and interviews pulls away from the jewellery and you begin to forget what it's about, it doesn't help either that it's over 3 minutes long, with my advertisement wanting to be primarily 30 seconds.


As a whole, there are good thing in this advertisement I would like to put into my own production such as the close up shots, the introduction and music but there is quite a lot I wouldn't like to be in mine such as the dragged out 3 minute length, behind the screen shots, models and interviews.

LO.1: Research Plan [Activity #5]

Commission

Activity Sheet 5

Research Plan

RESEARCH PLAN
Student Name: Ryan James McDonnell
Client name: Richard Hoare
Project title: Auriga Jewelry Television Advert
Description of commission: A professional-looking television advert showcasing Aurgia Jewelry, located in Reading, Berkshire.
Information needed	What it takes to produce a television advert, specifically for a jewelry shop Producing a television advert
Methods to be used to gather information	Looking at websites on the information needed above Watching older television adverts for Jewelry Shops Watching tutorials in order to convey a professional looking television adverts

LO.4: Communication Exchange

This is an account of the Communication between me (Ryan James McDonnell) and my client, manager of Aurgia Jewellry (Richard Hoare) during the course of the unit from starting communication date Sunday 9th October 2011 to the final meeting on Sunday 15th January 2011.

Sunday 9th October 2011

Form of Communication: Phone Call

On Sunday 9th 2011, Richard Hoare, Manager of Aurgia Jewellery rang me to task me on my brief for my Commission Unit. During this phone call, I wrote some notes which would help me understand the brief a little clearer, notes and and image of the notes showcased are below.

Notes summaried:

-TV Advertisement

-No more than 30 Seconds

-People in the shop might have to be blurred out

-Focus on the jewellery aspect on the shop but don’t completely disregard the watch repairing aspect

-Free on some Mondays for meetings and to present any progression or a draft on the Television Advertisement

-Can’t be let inside the shop early for filming

-Give the television advertisement a professional look

-Catered to adults, so don’t make the advertisement childlish or cheesy

LO.1: Meeting Record Sheet [Activity #4]

Commission

Activity 4

Meeting Record Sheet

MEETING RECORD SHEET
Student name: Ryan James McDonnell
Client name: Richard Hoare
Project title: Aurgia Jewelry Television Advertisement
Date:  Monday 2nd January 2011
Venue: Auriga Jewellry, Reading
Present: Richard Hoare (Managing Director) & Myself (Ryan James McDonnell)
Issues discussed	Decisions made	Action to be taken
Lack of narration in the advertisement. No mention of the watch repairing aspect. The bottom banner's font/text is a little difficult to read as the advertisement continues, even though it is on screen for several full seconds.	Discussion on reproducing the same advertisement but including narration to see how it turns out. Looking into finding ways of including a short scene showcasing watch repair. Text in the bottom banner being changed, slight disagreement due to me finding it quite fitting to the company and the advertisement and Richard finding it difficult to see/read.	Producing a second copy of the artefact with narration/commentary Leaving out space to slot in a shot watch repairing mentioning. Changing the font of the bottom banner to something we are both happy with.
Date of next meeting: Saturday 21st January 2011

LO.1: Understanding the Brief [Activity #4]

Commission

Activity Sheet 4

Understanding the brief

UNDERSTANDING THE BRIEF
Student name: Ryan James McDonnell
Client name: Richard Hoare
Project title: Aurgia Jewelry Television Advert
Question	Response
1. Would it be possible to enter the shop early in the morning to get some suitable shots of the shop before customers come in?	I’m afraid not as it would be awkward for me and my job partners.
2. Is there any specific jewelry I can’t take shots of/film?	You are able to take shots of the jewelry just not too many close up, so instead do some scanning shots
3. What style would you want the advertisement to undertake?	Professional, clean, suited for adults and calming.
4. If a clean, professional look is what you’re going for, what colours, effects do you think would be suitable? Blues and whites?	Blues and whites to suit with the logo design as for effects, nothing too fancy or too elaborate.
5. How long do you think the advertisement should be and what contact information should it include?	Nothing too long but nothing too short, 30 seconds is suitable. Contact information, you should include mostly everything that is on my business card, the location, the telephone number, and website and of course the logo, just not my name, my email and my job title in the shop for example.