Evaluation
for Gateshead College Advert by Harry Cassidy
To
create my advert for Gateshead College, I had to go through several vital steps
before shooting the video actually began. Firstly I had to come up with an
idea, through quick discussions with classmates and rough drafts of some ideas
I was able to finalise what I imagined. After writing my idea down I was tasked
with creating a pitch to show the rest of the classmates, which is now featured
on my blog, about the idea I had come up with, as well as showing them how it
fits with the intended target audience.
After pitching my idea to the
class I was then tasked with creating pre-production documentation which I
would need before shooting, these documents include a risk assessment of the
areas I would be filming, equipment needed for the shoot, camera shots and
angles, scripts and storyboards. All the while keeping a production diary of my
progress, this can also be found on my blog.
I started with noting down the equipment I would need for
shooting the video around the college, which was necessary because we would be
able to consult the equipment page to check if everything was in order. Since
we had a small team we wanted our equipment to be basic, so at any time we
could move the equipment list to the next location to cut down on time filming.
After finishing the equipment list I began working on a
script for the advert, when I first started on this project I wanted to have a
narrator talking at the beginning sequence, however during filming I decided against
the narrator and worked towards having students talk during the advert instead,
which I felt worked better because it could be seen as more relatable to
teenagers.
Whilst I was refining the script I also worked on the
storyboards for the advert, mapping out the different scenes I wanted to film.
These storyboards helped me figure out the structure of the advert, and how
long I should shoot each part for. It also helped me decide which angles and
shots I wanted to use for filming; however these changed somewhat when we began
shooting.
The final piece of documentation I worked on was the risk
assessment for the different locations my team would be filming at. Most of the
risks focused around the equipment we’d be hauling around the locations, such
as wiring and heavy items, a simple note to my team to be careful with the
equipment and watch their footing reduced all chances of their being an
accident. However risks such as weather problems were a little more
unpredictable, we had hope that the weather would hold up so we could record
outside.
On our
first day of filming I focused on the students’ interview, since that was a
major factor of the advert I wanted to spend the most time on it. I spent 10
minutes talking to each interviewee about the college and the media courses so
it was in-depth and I had a lot of footage to choose from. The interviews went
well, and I was able to capture a lot of detailed and interesting answers from
each interviewee.
On our second day of shooting I was able to play around with
the camera, capturing places around the college I thought reminded me of media.
My team captured footage from the music, radio and art department;
unfortunately we were unable to film anything in the theatre due to conflicting
schedules with other students. Whilst it would have been nice to capture some
footage of the stage I felt the footage we had already caught was sufficient in
sending the message across about the media departments.
Immediately
after finishing capturing footage around the college we began editing using
Final Cut Pro, since we had little experience using this software it took some
time getting used to, however we quickly overcame these difficulties and became
proficient in using the software. I started by cutting down the shots of the
interviews, choosing answers I felt best fit the adverts description. After
choosing the answers from the interview I padded the advert out with the
different shots I collected on the second day, next I chose a song that was
timed well with the advert and had a “joyous feel to it”, I went with the song
“26th by PrototypeRaptor” as it fit the description perfectly (and
it was also free).
On the second day of editing I used my time to further
smooth out some of the scenes so they transitioned from one to the next. I also
added a quick introduction to the advert, ended it with the Colleges website
address and watched the advert to check for mistakes or bad edits. After being
happy with the final edit I posted it on Youtube and awaited feedback.
After
receiving back my feedback sheets, I began to count the overall rate of the
advert.
Overall rating: 28.5 out of 30
My adverts reception was more than I hoped for; I expected
to get at most a 25 due to the average quality of the video, however this tells
me that the current condition of the advert is great and I should consider
leaving it as it is.
‘Was the Advert the right length’ comments
“Yes” x 3
“Long but it’s
really good”
“Yes, wasn’t too
short or too long”
“Yeah it was a
good length”
The overall thoughts on the length are as I hoped, however
some did consider it too long; in the future I’ll have to keep note on the
overall length of my advert, and consider cutting down some scenes to fit the
45 second mark (as mine was over 1 minute).
‘Do you think the advert successfully targets 16 year olds?’
comments
“Yeah it’s got
good information in”
“Definitely”
“More for
parents or mature 16 year olds”
“Yes” x 2
“Yes – Although
the music might not”
The majority of the test group think that whilst the advert
does target my intended audience, the music does not fit into the overall
audience. In the future I will have to look for a large variety of music and
choose a song which might fit in with the audience.
‘Does the advert have enough information about the course?’ comments
“Yes” x 3
“Yes the girl
really explains it!!”
“Yes, people (students) on a course at Gateshead
College speaking about the college/course”
“Yes it gives
good persuasive information”
The feedback for this question was exactly what I was aiming
for in my proposal. I wanted an advert that told you about people’s experiences
on the course as well as their opinions, I was able to convey that and give out
information on the course without being too obvious.
‘Any additional feedback welcome!’
“Really good =)”
“No. Very good.”
“Hold the
opening graphics a bit long so you can read and set the video up”
“Highlighted all
key areas!”
The additional feedback allowed the group to tell me
anything else they either liked, disliked, or wanted improved on the advert.
Luckily a lot of the feedback was positive with one constructive criticism that
I can remember for the near future.
My
advert was given a largely positive response, people noted that my advert held
a lot of information about what to expect at the college and what to expect as
part of a media course. I was also given valuable constructive criticism which
I will be able to take into my next media project, I need to keep check on the
length of the project and I need to be careful of which song I choose; it needs
to relate to my intended target audience and still fit in with the style of the
advert.
