I am going to be advertising old style Nike shoes to the elderly (ages 50+). My advertisement will be sort of like a flashback style advertisement that will evoke feelings such as nostalgia. My advertisement will have my subject (an old woman) sit in a chair, looking at her old pair of Nike shoes. As she stares, a flashback will occur, bringing her back to when she first got the shoes as a teenager. Multiple scenes will occur, each time kipping a decade, showing the audience that she has worn the shoes for decades, going on adventures and doing activities while wearing it. The flashback ends and a match cut is added, showing her smiling softly and standing up to take a light stroll/ job off from the camera’s view. I chose this target audience because generally, Nike targets the youth. I believe that this advertisement will light a “spark” in the elderly who should still be active during their older days.
Edit:
- I am adding a scene where my "actor" will defend against a man who is harassing her child. This will allow me to represent a huge social issue that needs to be adressed.
Reflection:
Making the idea for the proposal was actually very hard as I had to combine all my floating ideas into one, solid text. I had multiple adjustments while discussing my proposal to Mr. Nick. It was mostly difficult because I had an idea of what I was going to make, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to approach the concept. I do think that it turned out pretty clear in the end though.
It was quite challenging since I didn’t really know what details to add into the storyboards and how to caption each one of them. I think I could do better by making the storyboard more clear, using bolder lines and having more detailed descriptions for each storyboard frame. However, I think I did generally well considering it was my first time. This will help me for my storyboard project as I will have a general idea of what my storyboard layout should look like and at least I’ll have something to start with. If I were to do this again in the future, I would definitely add more details to my captions and keep the drawings more consistent in style.
The text was an extract from the film, A Quiet Place. The film maker used technical elements to convey that in this world, silence has a major part in the survival of the people, the world has gone into ruin and is mostly abandoned and the people have changed their lifestyles in order to live.
First, the scene started with multiple static shots of varying angles, showing the environment, showing the desolate nature of the setting. During these shots, there were only diegetic sounds of the wind whooshing and the leaves quietly rustling. This connotation is used to show the audience that the bustling nature of civilization has been eradicated as the sound of the ambience is peaceful but eerie. After that, the audience is shown the inside of a store, which has been run down, padded with cardboard on the floors. Since cardboard is known to dull noise, this indicates that they were placed intentionally to avoid the production of any sounds while navigating through the store. The characters are soon introduced, using sign language to communicate with one another, their body language being shown clearly through mostly close up shots taken from the front. This decision was made by the film maker as the characters’ expressions are important to exaggerate since emotions can not be conveyed through words. Normally, a child would have difficulty in learning sign language however in this case, the child is shown to communicate quite proficiently through sign language. This shows the audience that being in silence is a big part of their survival to the point that they had to incorporate it into the way they communicate. The silent nature of the clip highlighted the scene of the toy plane falling, the volume or the “crash” was louder than all the audio that played so far, the camera stayed static for a moment when the girl thankfully caught it. This showed the audience the potential disaster that could have arose if the plane did fall onto the ground since the girl was also breathing in relief after. Lastly, during the clip there was little to no audio or music being played, all the sounds were purely diegetic however, when the toddler brought the toy plane to show his family, suspenseful music begins to play, portraying the danger that just a mere toy holds only because it can produce sounds.
Gender: Primarily female but also targets any gender.
Income Level: People who are on a pension.
Education: Any educational level.
Occupation: Retired.
Geographical Location: Any region but primarily the United States.
3. Target Audience Psychographics:
Interests: Going out often, socializing and doing sports in their younger days.
Lifestyle Choices: Active, partygoers and fun former lifestyle.
Values and Attitudes: In the 1970’s people were questioning self identity, looking to express themselves through various means.
Opinions: I think that if they weren’t very active or social during their young days, it will take away the main point of the advertisement away.
4. Understanding Consumer Behavior:
Needs: The need to do something active or interesting.
Motivations: It reminds them of their past, eventful lifestyles.
Pain Points: The pain of staying home all the time and doing nothing (getting bored).
4. Understanding Consumer Behavior (Adjusted):
Needs: Long lasting shoes.
Motivations: To stay active even at an older age (To stay healthy).
Pain Points: Aging and getting weaker.
5. Competitor Analysis:
Competitor Name: Adidas, Asics, Skechers, New Balance.
Competitor's Target Audience:
- Adidas: “Athletes and youth between the age of 20 to 30. They also target 13 to 18 year old athletes as they may potentially be the future generation of prominent athletes”
- Asics: This brand used to appeal to the older generation, however they are now trying to target youth and teens under 25 years old who are passionate about sports.
- Skechers: They target mostly women at the age range of 20 to 60 year old who like to exercise and follow trends.
- New Balance: This brand primarily target 14- 24 year olds with a generally balanced male to female audience. They also target sports enthusiasts.
6. Target Audience Persona:
Persona Name: Former social butterfly.
Age: 50 years old.
Gender: Female.
Occupation: Retired.
Interests: They used to like going out and partying.
Lifestyle: Now they are retired, having an uneventful lifestyle.
Values and Attitudes: Self expression, entertainment.
Needs and Motivations: The need to feel something or to have an eventful lifestyle again.
Pain Points: Boredom.
6. Aligning Advertisement with Target Audience (Adjusted):
Persona Name: Elder with an eventful past. (Kate)
Age: 50 years old.
Gender: Female.
Occupation: Retired.
Interests: Very active and still are doing exercises.
Lifestyle: Peaceful but still maintaining her health properly.
Values and Attitudes: Self expression, maintaining peace.
Needs and Motivations: She needs to be active, therefore needing exercise. She doesn't have any particular motivation, she has been taught how to live a healthy lifestyle since she was young.
Pain Points: Aging.
7. Aligning Advertisement with Target Audience:
Message: Bringing the old ages back to the present.
Visuals: Bright colors and colors mainly used in 1970’s parties.
Example:
Tone: Reminiscent and nostalgia.
7. Aligning Advertisement with Target Audience (Adjusted):
Message: Nike, always with you.
Visuals: Warm tones for the flashbacks and cooler tone for present time scenes.
Tone: Reminiscent and nostalgia.
Reflection:
Making this target audience sheet was actually not too difficult as I had already laid out a plan in my head beforehand. I would say that the most difficult part was to come up with the message that I am trying to convey to the target audience and to decide the pain points and motivations since I never really thought about those before. Next time I would probably make the descriptions for each points more detailed so it would be easier once I start making the storyboard. However, I think that this research definitely saved me a lot of time while creating my actor (Kate) for the storyboard.
Brief Overview/Summary: Advertisement featuring a middle aged white "nerdy" white man being cool because he has insurance.
1. Target Audience
18-40 year old, middle class men who are looking to save money and be cool.
2. Message and Purpose
The message that this advertisement is trying to convey is that insurance will allow you to be safe and secure so that you can be cool.
3. Meaning and Interpretation
The advertisement shows the "hood" and the white man being cool in the area. In the background, rap music is also playing to elevate the feeling of being in the hood. The audience may interpret this advertisement as the product being able to make them look and feel cool with the security the insurance provides.
4. Effectiveness
This advertisement is very attention grabbing for the target audience as it targets all the stereotypical activities that this demographic of audiences would like to or normally do. This advertisement uses humor and celebrity endorsement (Snoop Dog).
5. Personal Response
In my personal opinion, this advertisement was very unique and funny so it really entertained me. I feel like this type of advertisement did particularly well in grabbing my attention because off all of the persuasive techniques and visuals they used which would grab most teenagers attention.
Title of the Advertisement: Cadbury's Gorilla Playing Drums
Brand/Product: Cadbury Chocolate
Duration of the Advertisement: 1 minute 30 seconds
Brief Overview/Summary: This ad shows a gorillaplaying the drums with epic music.
1. Target Audience
7-30 year olds. (Maybe more for male)
2. Message and Purpose
The message was that if you want to be a cool and confident gorilla you must eat Cadbury chocolate.
3. Meaning and Interpretation
The advertisement was very purple since it is Cadbury's signature color. The music was very manly to elevate the "cool-ness" of the gorilla.
4. Effectiveness
Because this advertisement is so random, it captures the attention of the target audience and it includes humor. Now, when people see a gorilla, they may rethink back to this advertisement.
5. Personal Response
In my opinion, this advertisement was really good because I really like gorillas and chocolate so it is really iconic to me. This advertisement will stick to me for a very long time and it definitely improved my image of the Cadbury chocolate brand now. This advertisement made a really unique approach to random humor.
Title of the Advertisement: Barbie So In Style
Brand/Product: Barbie doll
Duration of the Advertisement: 30 seconds
Brief Overview/Summary: This advertisement shows 3 new variants of the barbie doll and new features.
1. Target Audience
7-15 year old girls of color. (The minorities)
2. Message and Purpose
This advertisement means to show that even the girls of color are able to be portrayed with the barbie dolls and even they can play with the dolls. This advertisement promotes diversity. It also shows that by having this doll, you will have more friends and you can also dress the barbie up in so many different ways!
3. Meaning and Interpretation
The music in the background is quite girly and uplifting, the colors that are used are bright and very pink. This advertisement is very flashy and attention grabbing so that little girls are attracted.
4. Effectiveness
This advertisement is very successful at targeting it's demographic by using its signature bright pink theme and brand.
5. Personal Response
I think that this advertisement was very entertaining and it made me happy that barbie dolls started to break the stereotype of typical white dolls and started to include more types of races.
In my opinion, this advertisement was really good because I really like gorillas and chocolate so it is really iconic to me. This advertisement will stick to me for a very long time and it definitely improved my image of the Cadbury chocolate brand now. This advertisement made a really unique approach to random humor.
Title of the Advertisement: iPhone 14 | Action mode | Apple
Brand/Product: iPhone 14
Duration of the Advertisement: 38 seconds
Brief Overview/Summary: This advertisement shows the new feature of camera stabilization in the iPhone 14.
1. Target Audience
Mothers or parents at the age of 27-50 year old.
2. Message and Purpose
This advertisement shows that parents can support their children and be good parents by recording their most important moments. The message they are trying to send is that parents have no excuse since the iPhone 14's new camera has stabilization capabilities and can record everything in crystal clear quality.
3. Meaning and Interpretation
The background music is intense, matching the quick nature of the advertisement. It shows the action that is present in the mom and kid's life. The quick pace of this advertisement allows the audience to stay entertained, the pace is quick for almost the whole video so it doesn't make the audience bored.
4. Effectiveness
This advertisement is very successful at targeting it's demographic by using relatable situations, and emotional appeal (by showing the potential of being a supportive parent).
5. Personal Response
This advertisement was quite effective for me as it was quite flashy and the camera movement was very random, making me focus on the video for the full duration. I think that most teenagers may find this ad quite attention grabbing since it is short and simple too.
Detailed Advertisement Analysis:
Title of the Advertisement: Rise of the Kids | Sport Is Never Done | Nike
Brand/Product: Nike
Duration of the Advertisement: 1 minute 30 seconds.
Brief Overview/Summary: This advertisement shows young kids being active with their lives and doing sports, going against their parent's agenda. Through this whole advertisement, the Nike shoes are highlighted.
1. Target Audience
Kids at the age of 8-15 years old (at any gender) who are active with sports and want to have friends.
2. Message and Purpose
The central message of this advertisement is that children should be able to express themselves as active sports enjoyers and that they shouldn't be boring like the adults; listening to their nagging and worries. The message that they are trying to send is that as children, they should be able to be adventurous and risk taking instead of being confined to rules set by parents. By doing that, the children would seemingly be cool and prove the parents wrong while doing "cool things". By sending this message, the goal of Nike is to grab young children's attention, those who are wanting to be "free" with what they do and not be restrained. This may make the children watching this ad want to convince their parents to buy Nike products for them.
3. Meaning and Interpretation
The visuals are very exaggerated, with very obvious editing effects and some scenes use camera angles that exaggerate the features of the children in the video. There is a lot of movement in all the scenes and almost all the scenes have shaky movements, rarely static. Some scenes even use text or doodle elements to highlight certain phrases that are said in the video. As for the audio, they used very upbeat, active music that is usually listened to by young children. With any exaggerated activities in each of the scenes, the voices of the children speaking will also be distorted accordingly, creating a more immersive and interactive atmosphere throughout the advertisement. This promotes more engagement for the audience watching it, making them less likely to become bored.
4. Effectiveness
The advertisement is quite effective in attracting the targeted demographic. In the first part of the ad, there was a mural featuring some popular soccer players that most sports passionate children will recognize. It was also quite relatable for most children in most parts of the world because of the nagging and worried parents who limit them from doing the things that they want to do. It also uses humor since some of the exaggerated movements are also quite hilarious.
5. Personal Response
I quite liked this advertisement since it isn't static and boring to watch like most advertisements. I really enjoyed looking at the different effects and camera movements they used. I think that it was really smart to make it quick paced as nowadays, children and teenagers use apps such as tik-tok that gives them small doses of dopamine every time they scroll and I think this advertisement has quite a similar effect.
Storyboard Mise-en-scene Research:
Here is the research I did for the specific mise-en-scene I used to convey the settings that my "actor" was placed in.
Hairstyle:
For the hairstyle of my actor, I took inspiration from one of the popular hair styles during the 1970s. Here is one of the pictures I took reference from:
Clothes/ Attire:
For shot 11.1 on my storyboard, I based the sports clothes that my "actor" was wearing on the typical 1970s teenager sports attire. Here is an example for reference:
For shot 12.2 on my storyboard, my actor can be seen in a party. In this scene I based her clothes on the 1980s popular party outfits. Here is an example for reference:
For shot 13.2 on my storyboard, I took reference from the typical 1990s women's office attire. Here is an example for reference:
The reason I made the clothes accurate to their time periods is so that it would create a better sense of passing time. This would make the scenes look more realistic and cohesive.
Shoes for the "creep" in shot 14.2:
Shot 14.2 depicts a man who has harassed my "actor's" daughter, on his knees in pain because my "actor" stepped on his feet. In this scene, I made the "creep's" shoes based on the 1990's men Adidas shoes. I chose to do this as Adidas is Nike's biggest competitor and by having the "creep" wear Adidas shoes, it connotates that people who wear Adidas shoes are bad people/ creeps.
Here is the picture of the shoe I used for reference:
Reflection:
Actually, doing the research for the storyboard was quite fun because I got to add certain elements along the process to make my advertisement seem more realistic. I think that the little details I added (mise-en-scene ) actually made a difference and I think that it was worth it to do the research. The process wasn’t long either since I was doing it simultaneously while making the storyboard. I think that if I were to do it again next time though, I would do the research beforehand so my storyboard could be more flexible and adjusted based on the research.
Week two: - Introduced to the brief. Week three: - Researched and analysed ads. We learned about demographic and psychographics and analysed each of the ads based on the target audience.
- Camera angles and movements (made a video). My partner was Rachelle and we made a short video featuring the Jenga game. - Started researching for the storyboard. I’m planning on making my storyboard based on Nike. Week four: - Learning about mise-en-scene. It was interesting to see that so many different elements fall under this category. Before I learned about this, I didn’t really consider that it was such an important element in evoking emotions in the audience. - We did some target analysis research for storyboard project. This will definitely come in handy to decide certain elements for my storyboard.
Week five:
- Learning about sound (diegetic and non-diegetic)
- Learned how to storyboard.
Week six:
- Did analysis of A Quiet Place clip.
- Learned about edits.
- Started our storyboards.
Week seven:
- Unit test (camera angles and movements).
- Working on storyboard draft (I was still confused about what to do for the scenes in the middle of my storyboard but brainstormed some ideas with Mr Nick).
- Another text analysis.
Week eight:
- I started working on my final storyboard. I think it will take quite some time to finish as I forgot to consider the pacing of the frames beforehand. So far, I’ve done only 6 frames so I definitely have to do some work at home.
- I also started doing the detailed self reflection which was alright but it also forced me to see the flaws in my storyboard plan.
- I also started my brief presentation for the storyboard project.
Week nine:
- We have been introduced to the Effects Theories. So far, we’ve only learned about the passive side of the theories. I think it isn’t too hard to understand however I probably will have a hard time remembering the names of the theorists.
- We are also still working on our final storyboard. I think my time management might be a problem but that's alright, I’ll work hard on it during the weekend! I’m thinking of changing some frames of the storyboard to portray the strength of women.
Week ten:
- I finished finalising my storyboard, made annotations and also finished making my critical self reflection presentation. I worked on it largely throughout the weekend but managed to finish it on time (which I am very proud of).
Reflection:
I think keeping track of my process by using this weekly progress post actually helped me stay ogranised as I know what part of the project I have already completed. This saved me some time so I didn’t need to keep checking all my files to see what I have already done. Next time, I will make the weekly progress more detailed as I didn’t understand it’s importance at first.
- In the first two scenes, the two subjects are introduced by using the “over the shoulder” shot. This camera angle allows the audience to see the expression on both the subject’s faces, giving them an overall idea of the situation. This camera angle also helps to show the tension between the two subjects who are playing the jenga game in more of a “battle atmosphere”
POV
- The POV shot in the 3rd clip is being taken in the point of view of the jenga tower. This camera angle shows the feelings the two subjects have towards the jenga block being successfully taken out. In this shot, the subject (Jasmine) can be seen distressed by this situation while the subject (Rachelle) seems more nonchalant about it. This camera angle was used to show the standing the two subjects have in this short video, this being that Jasmine was at a disadvantage compared to Rachelle.
Extreme Long shot
- In the last clip, the extreme long shot camera angle was utilized to show the overall environment of the “battleground” after the jenga game was over. This shot shows the jenga blocks being arranged in a strange way (supposedly destroyed), allowing the audience to interpret how the game ended. This shot was intended to leave the audience with the feeling of suspense.
Camera movements:
Pan
- Pan is a type of camera movement where the camera stays in the same location but rotates horizontally, either left or right. In the 7th clip, the camera follows the subject's hand which then reveals the Uno Stacko, and the Uno block that the subject (Jasmine) is about to take.
Push in
- In the 5th clip, the camera is moved towards subject (Jasmine). This helps to draw the attention of the audience to the subject's thought process, where the subject seems to feel very anxious and defeated.
Reflection:
I think that this was definitely a unique experience since I have never really made a short video like this before. It was definitely experimental and me and Rachelle had fun while trying out funky camera angles. I never thought that I would be able to make something like this even though it looks simple. I’m proud of the outcome even though we accidentally recorded it in portrait. Something I would do differently in the future is to choose the background music before making the video so I could adjust the scenes based on the mood and energy of the music.
