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Client Brief

 MARS ™  2020 - The Production must fulfil the following: Shoot for 20-30 second run time 720p resolution We are appealing to a lockdown theme keep titles and pricing minimal as we would like to input this information closer to release  "Ben's Original" product MUST be present use included "Ben's Original" logo MUST be shown for 8-10 second Use the included 'Afrobeat' track    AESTETIC: warm, modern, minimal, intimate Here are the included files to use during production: CLICK HERE All assets must be used and so must the Ben's packaging.

Introduction

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 My client scenario from MARS ™  states that I will create a 'lockdown advertisement' - for the minute rice brand 'Ben's original'. I have decided, for my production, that I will create a cinematic and close up look into the cooking and serving of 'Ben's Original'.   Primarily, my idea will focus on movement and sound to create hunger in the viewer. Ideally, the advert will entice an audience into wanting to purchase the product advertised. Quick cuts, tracking shots, and extreme close ups will help to sell this idea. The advert has to take place in a regular kitchen to simulate the actions of a real meal preparation.   The packaging will need to be included in the shoot, as well as the contents itself. This will mean that the full process of cooking the rice will be shown.  As in, brand advertisement and cooking step-by-step. In terms of target audience -  The advert will appeal to all people ages 18+, typically, low income consumers such as stud...

Commercial Themes and planning

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1990 - This commercial presents themes of usefulness. We can see the food type used in both a professional scenario, and home cooking. These are themes of practicality, and ease of use (I plan to follow up these themes in my production). Stylistically, the commercial displays close-shot imagery with happy faces and positive expressions. The Aspect ratio is of 4:3 (to suit 1990s televisions) and the colour grade is dull and flat. During the 30 second commercial, we are exposed to the idea that everyone is the primary consumer of the product. We are shown this through snap shots of a diverse aged family, sharing 'uncle bens rice' together (see 0:12). The viewer here is also given a smart narrative. This is because it works shot by shot in a term I call  "action/reaction narrative". This is where shots alternate between an idea and an example use, back to back. This works as follows: Establishing tilt shot of tower Introduction to 'uncle bens - classic recipe' Cu...

Pre-Production

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Digital Storyboard / Shot Types: Here is a digital storyboard created with storyboardTHAT.com . The premise of the commercial is to show the viewer a very fast-paced lesson on how to make 'Bens Original Rice'. It will follow a cinematic style, with steady camera movement and speed manipulation. A few transitional shots will be applied during Post-Production (such as tilt to next frame, image wipe). Shots will be mostly very tight, mixing close up with extreme close up. This is to create an intimate feel that brings the flavour and texture of the food right in front of your nose.  The main goal here is to digitally simulate fluidity between shots. My plan is to use sound and digital composition manipulation to bring the audience along with the movement of the subject. All shots will be shot at a 18-24mm ultrawide but framed as a close up and stuck down by legs. This is to allow for more creative freedom in Post-Production. Original Hand Drawn Concept Lighting: Before I begin l...

Production

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 Final Product : Production Process : This is the final set choice for my production. I only had desk lamp on hand. this being said, it was a very bright lighting choice with a daylight bulb perfect for the shoot. As the light spill was too wide, i decided to wrap the lamp in foil to focus the lighting path down to only affect the subject. I also used a piece of foil as my bounce board. The bowl was underexposed as I had predicted; and position the reflective foil just out of frame helped me to fully light the subject. The set itself was an old wooden table - The round shape helped sell the effect of the light fading into a void. and the rough staining on the table, alongside cuts and scrapes, helped to add texture and character to the shot. I was still somewhat unhappy with the look. And so draped a long piece of material that I purchased from my local fabric shop. This not only helped me  achieve a "two tone" look on the table, but also meant that i could line up my shot pe...

Evaluation

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  1. Explain through evaluating how you developed the task you were set. Discuss the ideas you had. When I first chose my task, I discovered that i would have to produce a short commercial about food at home. Many ideas went through my mind for what i could come up with. But it was mostly vague ideas mashed together. Eventually, I decided that my product to advertise would be 'Uncle Bens Rice'. However upon researching the brand, I realised that they were due to rebrand. This was perfect. It meant that I had a real excuse to create a commercial with this in mind. Instantly, my mind was racing over ideas for how I  could visualize the task. Whatever I  came up with had to be fresh and not yet seen from the brand before. It marked a new era of Bens rice, and so a new visual style. Their minimalistic, stop motion style was good for them. It grasped a certain audience and kept them hooked. However, in the modern age, class and eccentricity is the talk of t...