Radio advert - Production and Product

When creating this short radio advertisement I used a piece of software called Soundtrack Pro that allowed me to record my audio and use a multiple number of tracks in order to create the final product. Here are examples of the production process using this software.

Here is a screen shot from the process of editing the radio advert. As you can see there are two tracks, Track one with the background guitar music and Track two with the short sound bites of speech which I recorded with a microphone. Using Soundtrack Pro allows me to cut any extract of sound down to my desired length. It also gives me the opportunity to add filters onto the voiceover or music to create a certain mood or have a specific effect on the audience listening, which is very important as the aim is to grab their attention in a short amount of time.

For my sound bites I used the audio filter BitCrusher as it enhanced the sound making it louder and more direct to the audience which is what I wanted as it was more likely to catch the audience's attention.


Here is the final Radio Advert.

Radio Advert - Research

As an ancillary task for this documentary film I produced a potential radio advert. This would be used as a resource to give out information about the film and to access a large number of people to advertise the documentary to the target audience. In order for the radio advert to be effective I needed to ensure that it grabbed the audience's attention in a short period of time. I did this by using short questions that related to the topics within the film.

There is a broad range of choices for type and length of radio adverts. With changes in the radio industry and better production technologies, the mode of commercial presentation has changed, and commercial advertisements can take on a wide range of forms. The two primary types of radio ads are 'live reads' and 'produced spots'.

Cousin to the ad-libbed commercial, 'live reads' refers to when a DJ reads an advertiser's spot on the air, delivered from a script, fact sheet or personal knowledge.

'Produced spots' appear to be more common. A spot is 'produced' if the radio station or an advertising agency record it for the client. Produced commercial formats include: straight read with sound effects or background music, dialogue, monologue (where the voice talent portrays a character, as opposed to an announcer), jingles, and combinations of these. Studies show that the quality of the commercials is as important to listeners, generally, as the number of ads they hear.

Anecdotal evidence shows that people generally think listening to commercials in exchange for free radio is a "fair deal". Thus, radio advertising can be an effective, low-cost medium through which a business can reach their target audience. Studies show that radio ads create emotional reactions in listeners. In turn, consumers perceive the ads as more relevant to them personally, which can lead to increased market awareness and sales for businesses running ad schedules. 

Broadcasting my short advert out to the country on a radio station such as BBC Radio 4 would allow me to access a large number of people and give information about my documentary film for example topic and viewing times and platforms.

Textual Analysis - Don McCullin interview by Alfred Dunhill

This spectacular black and white portrait interview was filmed by photographer David Sims as part of an Ad campaign for Alfred Dunhill, a British luxury goods brand. It celebrates the lives of men who have accomplished extraordinary things throughout their lives and was aired across 2011 and 2012. The use of lighting and framing of the shots throughout this film make it stand out and unconsciously grab the audience's attention which is why the short film has a big impact and is an exceptional form of advertisement. In each of the adverts the opening scene is a short statement or quote which sets the scene for the interview and draws the audience straight into the interview. This technique is used extremely effectively within these short films. The framing of the shots and the use of extreme close ups on the face and hands of the individuals shows the emotion of their faces and exposes them completely to the audience, this creates an intimate feel throughout the whole piece. The lighting and use of black and white effect makes the definition of the persons face stand out and create an arty, stylish image to match the style of the Alfred Dunhill products. The video is simple yet extremely effective and one of the main reasons for this is the sound. Sound plays a huge role in the viewing satisfaction of the audience, therefore the use of only dialogue throughout causes the audience to focus on the person speaking and nothing else, this is very beneficial to the effect it has on the audience. The cuts and editing within the film vary in speed, however in general the shots are quick and display a range of angles to keep the audience engaged. Some of the shots are held for dramatic effect or to reflect on what is being said in contrast to holding a shot of the same angle which could cause the audience to feel bored. Overall I was impressed by the quality of the final production and the simple yet effective techniques used to keep the audience engaged and wanting to watch more. It first came to my attention when it popped up as a Youtube advert and immediately drew me in to watch the full version. Before this occasion I had never been interested by these pop ups and so it was uniquely effective.

Final project concept and location

For my final idea I came to the conclusion that I wanted to base my project around the concept of "freedom". The topic had been on my mind from a long time and I knew from the beginning of this filming project this is what a wanted to base it on. Within the film I wanted to show the contrast between the Western culture to a less economically stable country. However after filming I had realised that this was much more difficult than I had imagined and concentrated on what freedom meant to the people living out in slavery and in a different culture to me. I was privileged to have the oppurtunity to travel to Pune, India to help with a charity project then came up at the end of November 2012. I took advantage of this opportunity to take my camera equipment to film for the first 4 days I was there. I was able to interview some of the amazing people that I met and gather a solid bulk of A and B roll footage, this gave me a personal veiwpoint and an inside look into the lives of the people living in Pune to build my documentary upon. I gathered additional footage from London, England to show the contrast in cultures and how people live their lives through images and scenes from the busy inner city lifestyle, however in post production decided not to use it. I came across many different sites and iconic landmarks within London and Pune which would show clear contrasts between the two cities.

Examples:

        

Touching the Void - Textual Analysis

Touching the Void is a documentary film brought out in 2003 which recalls the true life events of Simon Yates and Joe Simpson's near fatal attempt to climb Siula Grande (6,344m) in the Peruvian Andes.
The documentary begins with extreme close up shots of the ice and climbing equipment cutting and hitting the ice this gives the initial impression to the audience of the harsh conditions they are facing and what type of climbing they are doing is. They is also a strong use of diegetic sound of the wind whistling and the ice cracking and breaking to reinforce these extreme weather conditions. In contrast to this it then cuts to a close up shot to the face of a man who we then find out is Joe Simpson. There is no external sound other than his voice which grasps the audience’s attention and allows them to focus on what he is saying. He introduces the task that they had to face and as he describes the scale of what they are about to do, low pitched bellowing music begins to fade in to highlight the danger of their climb. The scene then moves to an establishing shot flying over the mountains displaying the vast landscape and scale of the mountains they are attempting to climb. The titles sequence then begins over the establishing shots of the mountains, as they emerge onto the screen there are also non diegetic sounds of wind blowing to accompany the moving titles.

As the main feature then begins we are introduced to each of the men involved with the climb all displayed with the same close up shot of their face for the interview. The following scene cuts between the interviews faces and the establishing shots of the landscape as they explain why the decided to embark on this task and what they were getting themselves in for. The voiceover bridges across the whole scene and gives an outline of what is happening. As new issues and dilemmas are introduced into the story the music will gradually build up to build suspense. As the scene develops and the climbers put them into more dangerous situations the music builds into a fast tempo and there is a strong use of diegetic sounds of the ice smashing and wind whistling to give it a harsh affect. They finally reach the summit of the peak and there is a panning shot from the top giving the viewers an idea of the landscape and what they had achieved, there is also operatic music playing to reinforce is grand, epic scenery.

To split the documentary into parts, each day is separated by a title that highlights what day of the week it is and gives the audience am idea of the time scale of the events happening.  The two climbers then proceed to travel back to the base of the mountain; the scene continues to cut between the interview situation and the real life scenes to tell the story. But as they get further down the mountain problems begin to develop. Joe Simpson walks out onto an overhanging piece of ice without knowing and falls through. During this scene there is no music just the non-diegetic sounds of him moving in addition to this the camera angles and extreme close ups of his feet and the snow around him so you as the audience are aware that something is about to happen. As he falls through the ice there is complete silence which draws the audience’s attention to what is happening. He then lands on the snow below and breaks his leg which is identified through the exaggerated sound of the leg breaking during impact. The music then builds again and he cries out in pain to show to the audience that he is in serious danger and could die if he is stranded there. As Simon his partner realises what has happened he comes up with a plan to lower Joe down the mountain via his rope. However as he begins to lower Joe down further and the music stop to highlight that something significant is going to occur and to grasp the audience’s attention. It then develops as he loses sight of him and he ends up leaving him hanging over a crevasse on the mountain without knowing. There is a strong use of close ups shots of the two men to show their emotions and close ups of their equipment they are using as that is the only thing holding him up. The shots continue to cut from the real life events to the interviews to show the direct comparison of the emotions of the people and the story of the events that happened.

Due to Simons lack of knowledge of what had happened he made the bold decision to cut the rope as he believed that Joe had died due to his broken leg. As Joe lands in the crevasse he is surprised to still be alive and the 1^st person camera angle gives you the viewpoint of his emotions in that situation and the dark and harsh conditions he was surrounded by.  He then realises he is going to take the risk of lowering himself to the bottom of the crevasse. During this scene there is no non diegetic sounds or music only the diegetic sounds of his climbing equipment on the ice and verbal pain he expresses due to his broken leg. However he discovers an opening at the bottom and emerges out onto the side of the mountain.  Soft orchestral music is then played to highlight the great sense of achievement he as a climber has just achieved and the camera uses slow panning shots of the surrounds and atmosphere to show the contrast to being in the crevasse and the vast landscape in front of him. The daunting truth then comes to realisation for Simon though as he realises he has to travel across this vast landscape in order to get back to the base camp so he begins the impossible task of dragging himself back to where he started. Throughout this scene there is a strong use of an electronic and almost hypnotic sound as Simons body begins to die from the cold and the injuries he has. Quick cuts to images of flowing water show the audience the contrast to the situation he is in and the tantalising nature of all the ice around him although he is extremely dehydrated and dying. There are also a strong use of extreme close ups and hand held footage to display his emotions and gives the audience a sense that they are with him.

The scene then progresses to the point where he is lying in a pile of rocks not knowing to the whereabouts of his position and at this point he is on the brink of dying. During this scene they use flashing images of death and use non diegetic evil sounds of creepy laughs and gloomy music to show to the audience that he is going to die at any point. The scene then cuts back to the viewpoint of Simon in the interview and he begins to describe a piece of music that he had in his head at this point. However this piece of music is juxtaposition to the events happening and changes the whole feeling behind the scene and brings a sense of hope to the situation he is in. The non-diegetic sound of Simons interview describing the events continues throughout the whole scene to keep the audience in touch with how he was feeling and create a more personal relationship between Simon and the viewers. He is then reunited with his team members and the credits conclude the documentary.  The credits are accompanied by soft piano music and a montage of photos displaying the real life events of the expedition. The soft music give the audience a chance to reflect of the film and events they have just witnessed.

Canon EOS 600D

The Canon 600d is the digital SLR camera that I used to film my documentary. 

Here is a basic overview of the functions and settings that can be used within the camera.

The video quality from the 18-megapixel APS-C sensor films up to 1080p HD quality.

The camera has many features such as control over the shutter speed, aperture, ISO and gives opportunity to use a wide variety of lenses that gives you the freedom to create a shot ideal for you and to give you access in taking photos or film in low light or bright light.

The high-res, free-angle LCD screen is much more than just a novelty - it's a lot more versatile than the usual combination of optical viewfinder and fixed LCD, providing new angles of view and enhancing your overall creativity. Above all, it's a fun way of composing your images.

The EOS 600D's top-mounted shooting mode dial has a multitude of letters and icons. The so-called Creative Zone features Programmed Auto (P), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), Manual (M) and A-DEP modes. 

There's a host of scene modes including Flash Off, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait and, oddly enough for an interchangeable-lens camera, a close-up mode as well. The majority of these scene modes allow users who do not want to fiddle with shutter speeds, f-stops, white balance or ISO settings to let the camera know what type of photo they are about to take, which helps the EOS 600D / T3i to optimize 

these settings for that particular subject. 

Live View is also used for the Canon EOS 600D / T3i's movie mode. If you turn the mode dial to the position denoted by the movie camera icon, the camera will enter Live View automatically. Before you start filming, you need to focus on the subject either manually or using auto focus as described above, and optionally set exposure and ISO. To be able to do this, you first need to enter the menu, highlight "Movie exposure" on the relevant tab, and select "Manual". Now you can set aperture, shutter speed (within limits) and ISO manually. Note that even if you do not enable manual exposure for movies, you can still use functions like AE lock and exposure compensation if you feel a need for it.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/canon-eos-rebel-t3i600d-for-dummies.html

Throughout my filming I used two lenses. A Canon 28mm-135mm and a Sigma 17mm-70mm both are very good lenses. The combination of the two allowed me to experiment with close up shots with 28-135mm as it has a larger optical zoom where as the 17-70mm lens gave me a wider angle shot.

                   

B-roll Research

B-roll is the supplemental footage that provides greater flexibility when editing video. Think of the footage used to cut away from an interview or news report to help tell the story. That's B-roll. When filming something static, like an interview or a news anchor reporting on-location, having shots of the environment makes the end-product more interesting to watch.





B-roll is also referred to as "safety footage" — and for good reason! If you've got moments that work for audio but not video — perhaps something distracting in the background or a necessary jump-cut— B-roll can help save the project by covering up these edits.

Here are a few tips for shooting B-roll:

1. • The most important thing is to capture as much variety as possible! Cover your bases by filming a good selection of wide shots and closeups, and try out some interesting angles, such as below the subject, or maybe a bird's-eye view of an event.


1. • Don't be afraid to move! Using only static shots can slow down the pace of the video.


1. • It's better to shoot more than is needed — you don't want to be left without enough to edit.


1. • Don't forget to capture B-roll of the person you are interviewing. Switching from an interview to a voice-over with footage of the person going about their business can help connect your audience with your subject.


1. • Make sure to get some B-roll on location after the interview; there may have been details mentioned that will inspire footage. For example, if you're interviewing a mother and she mentions her children, get some shots of those kiddos in the backyard, or of their photos around the house.
And remember, although the industry term is "B-roll," this all-important footage shouldn't be dismissed as "B-list." B-roll can be creative and beautiful, and truly helps to produce a more well-rounded, engaging final piece.
Vimeo Film School (B-roll)