Further Textual Analysis
Twinings Tea Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTmLBiBFMPM -Link to Ad
In this ad an artist called Tom Parks uses tea cups filled with Twinings Infusions Tea to create a piece of art. The final piece was a landscape with a waterfall.
Camera Work
This first extreme closeup shot is effective because it sets the scene for the ad well by showing a teapot being filled it shows clearly what the ad is about.
This wide shot is effective because it gives context to where the ad is taking place and who the person starring in the ad is and what they do.
This MCU is effective because it creates a personal connection to the man in the ad and makes the audience feel like they are part of the process of making the art.
This wide shot is effective because it starts to build up the storyline of the ad and gives further context to the environment.
This MCU is effective because it highlights what is being advertised by showing the wide variety of teas available and is aesthetically pleasing to the viewer.
This closeup is effective because it uses a tight focus to make the audience focus on the product being advertised.
This closeup is effective because it shows the tea in a clean and aesthetic way which catches the audience’s attention and makes them want to try the product.
This wide shot is effective because it uses a low angle to create a very interesting shot which makes the viewer intrigued to see what has been made.
This over the shoulder shot is effective because it builds tension for the audience to see what has been made.
This wide shot is effective because it shows the final piece of art made, this shows effectively the variety of teas there are and gives the impression that this tea is beautiful and versatile.
The final shot of the ad is a closeup of the differently coloured teas with the Twinings logo in front. This is effective because it gives the audience a lasting image of the brand as well as the message of the ad.
Sound and Music
For the first 6 seconds of the ad it only uses foley sound effects that match the action on the screen, for example the tap running and the kettle boiling. Then at 00:07 music starts to come in which lasts to the end of the ad as well as the foley sound effects. Then at 00:13 some voice over starts which talks about the product and gives the tagline at the end.
Title/text used
Throughout the ad the main text is the Twinings logo on the tea boxes which make several appearances throughout. The other text can be found near the end of the video where the words “Samples subject to availability. Over 18’s, see website for details.” can be found on the bottom of the shot, this gives more information to something said in the voice over. The final piece of text is right at the end of the ad where the Twinings ad is placed in the centre of the shot, with the words “Try a cup free at Twinings.co.uk” underneath.
Editing techniques
The editing techniques used in this ad are all quite simple. They use smooth, simple cuts between each shot. This is effective because it makes the ad fast paced so that the audience stays interested in the product.
Theme/style
The theme of the ad is to present the tea in a fun and cool looking way. The style is quite cool and artistic, it gives the impression that this tea is meant to be drunk by freely expressive people who are young and artistic.
PD tips Tea Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWQtX0-9aZ0 -Link to ad
In this ad Johnny Vegas is talking to the Monkey about PG tips tea and how and why it is better than other brands.
Camera Work
This MCU is effective because it is a clear opening shot which gives the audience context into where the scene is taking place, the shot also contains a box of PG tips tea box which shows clearly the product being advertised.
This wide shot is effective because it introduces the character of Monkey and gives more context to the situation. It also further advances the action in the ad by highlighting the conflict in it.
This closeup is effective because it makes the audience feel closer to the action and shows the emotions being shown very clearly.
This MCU is effective because it introduces the Monkey character in more depth and moves the storyline of the ad along by showing the two mugs which are being used to compare PG tips to another tea brand.
This MCU is effective because it ads humour to the ad whilst referencing an ongoing joke that is referenced in several PG tips ads.
This MCU is effective because it is the climax of the storyline where they are comparing tea’s whilst also maintaining the humour of the ad by having the digger there. There is some symmetry in this shot with the monkey holding two ketals and pouring them into two mugs.
This closeup is effective because it is directly comparing the tea’s and showing clearly which tea is better (PG tips). They have made the PG tips tea look more appealing than the other tea.
This MCU is effective because it ties up the storyline of the ad well by coming to the conclusion that the PG tips tea is the best.
This wide shot is effective because it adds humour to the video by showing Johnny stealing the tea off Monkey, which emphasises how irresistible the tea is.
The final wide shot is effective because it has the company slogan as well as the logo onscreen so that the audience is once again reminded of the brand of the tea.
Sound and Music
From 00:00 to 00:03 there is a whistling tune in the background, whilst the audio of the conversation between Monkey and Johnny can be heard throughout the video. At 00:10 Music starts to play whilst Monkey makes the different teas, this carries on until 00:20. Foley sounds can be heard throughout the video for example the tea bag being dropped into the mug, the kettle and the water being poured. This makes the ad more realistic as the audio matches the video well. At 00:25 a sound effect can be heard when Johnny moves his hands quickly in a ninja like way, this adds humour to the ad. Finally at 00:28 the sound of an owl hooting can be heard, this references some of the conversation earlier in the ad and it has a comedic effect.
Title/text used
The only text that can be seen in the main part of the ad is on a teabox which is located in the background of some of the shots and it is branded with the PG tips logo. At the end of the ad the words “you, me & a cuppa PG” is shown on the screen alongside a tea box with the PG tips logo on it. This is the slogan of the company which is memorable and catchy.
Editing techniques
The editing techniques used are all quite simple and straightforward. The cuts between shots are quick paced to keep the audience interested and the ad flowing. At 00:10 they use a transiting that wipes in a circle to cut to the next shot, this adds some interest to the editing and looks exciting to the audience.
Theme/style
The style of the ad is quite relaxed and calm, it’s just two guys drinking tea in the morning, with added comedy to make it interesting and funny for the audience to watch. The theme is showing an intriguing way to compare the brands and show show PG tips is the better brand of tea.
Research and Experiments
How to direct
Write down what it is that you want to find out
My ad will have two actors starring in it, I need to research how to direct so that I can get the best performance out of them and make sure that it matches my vision.
What methods did you use to find out – primary/secondary – add in links?
I looked at these secondary sources:
https://www.lightsfilmschool.com/blog/how-to-direct-actors
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-direct-actors#12-tips-for-directing-actors
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/2013/07/dos_donts_acting/
Write up what you have found out – sum up what you have read online
The Lights Film School says in an article about directing actors that the director should “let the actors interpret the story and feel the emotions of the scene”. In a Master Class article it also says that you should “Include your actors in your process… ask your actors if they’d like to look at your shot list, lookbook, storyboard”. This implies that the key to directing actors is to let them take control over their character, so that they can bring their personal style to the character. As long as the casting is right you should be able to trust the actor to portray the character in a way that matches your vision as a director. You should be able to give them direction in a calm and respectful way so that they can fit your vision without stunting their creativity in their acting, making it seem forced and unrealistic. John Badham says that it is also important to “make any actor feel at home, in auditions, in wardrobe or on the set.”. This is important because by making an actor feel comfortable they are able to give their best performance which will greatly improve the quality of the film. To be the best director possible and to create the best outcomes with your actors it is important to respect their creativity by letting them have some creative freedom and bring their personal style to the character, also you need to be able to have clear ideas of what you want so that you can guide the actors.
Draw a conclusion – sum up what you found out
From doing this research I have learnt that it is important to let the actor take control over their character and to make sure that they know your vision as a director and match that in their way. There is a collaboration between an actor and a director so they both need to be working together to create the best outcome possible, and if a director is too controlling then the actor can’t work well.
How will this help your project? Explain how this will help you with U8 – try and be as specific as you can?
This will help my project because by learning how to work well with actors I can be sure that the acting performance in my project will be the best it can be. This will help with Unit 8 because my ad has two actors in it and by completing this research I know the best way to direct them so that they can match my vision for the ad.
Continuity Using multiple shots in one scene
Write down what it is that you want to find out
I want to find out how to successfully use continuity to make my ad flow and make sense visually.
What methods did you use to find out – primary/secondary – add in links?
I looked at these secondary sources:
https://www.learnaboutfilm.com/film-language/sequence/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-maintain-continuity-in-film
Write up what you have found out – sum up what you have read online
Tom Barrance says that to keep continuity in your film you need to follow the “continuity system” which is a set of rules to follow. The rules are: “Match on action, The establishing shot, Shot-reverse shot, The 180 degree rule, Eyeline match, The 30 degree rule, The point of view shot, Cross-cutting and Continuous sound”. By following these rules your film should flow well and look like it is one continuous piece. The rule “Match on action” says that you should film two or more versions of the same action, framing each shot differently and from different angles that you can cut between when editing. It also says that you should “edit on the action” so that it looks smoother. The Master Class article says that you should “Maintain detailed continuity reports” and “Keep your shooting days close together” in order to maintain continuity. A continuity report is where you write a detailed list of the conditions of the shoot, for example the camera settings, the weather and any differences from the script. This is beneficial because then you are able to keep track of the exact condition of your shoot, so can replicate this whenever you need to and be sure that you won’t have any continuity errors. By keeping your shooting days close together you can be sure that the surroundings of the shot are as similar as possible. For example if you shoot on days that are months apart the weather will have changed, all the greenery will look completely different and things might have moved like a bench might be removed from a park. However if the shooting days are close together then there is much less chance of this happening meaning that there will be no continuity errors which will make your film more realistic.
Experiment if possible
https://youtu.be/MVKtE2rtc3o This is my experiment on “Match on action” where I have multiple shots of the same action each with different framing and I have edited on the action so that it looks smoother. I think that this experiment was successful because the action feels smooth and like it flows well. I also used the 180 degree rule by keeping to one side of the axis that the character was walking in. However the final shot in my experiment where I film the character entering the door from the inside, does not flow as well as the other two shots, this could be because I have gone a full 180 degrees from my first shot and by switching sides of the door it is slightly confusing for the viewer.
Draw a conclusion – sum up what you found out
After experimenting with continuity I can see how important it is to keep track of it throughout the production process, so that your film flows well and makes sense visually which will keep the audience interested. If your continuity is poor then the viewer can’t keep track of the action which makes your film hard to watch and understand which will not make the audience or the client happy.
How will this help your project? Explain how this will help you with U8 – try and be as specific as you can?
Doing this research will help with my project because I will be able to make sure my ad keeps to the continuity rules so that it makes sense visually. This is important for an ad because its main purpose is to grab the viewer’s attention and keep them interested, and by having good continuity this will be achieved more easily.
How to get the best quality audio when two people are having a conversation
Write down what it is that you want to find out
I want to find out how to achieve the best quality audio when recording a two person conversation.
What methods did you use to find out – primary/secondary – add in links?
I used primary research in the form of my experiments which are linked below. The secondary sources I used are: https://www.videomaker.com/how-to/audio-how-to/everything-you-need-to-know-about-shotgun-microphones/
Write up what you have found out – sum up what you have read online
Firstly I identified the different mics that I had access to in college, which are a shotgun mic, a lav mic and a condenser mic. As the condenser mic is in a soundproof studio this would not be practical for my shoot because I need to record the audio at the same time as filming. That left me with two options, using one shotgun mic or two lav mics to record my audio. According to Stephen Mandel Joseph “One of the biggest advantages that shotgun mics have is their narrow pickup pattern.” This means that shotgun mics clearly pickup voices. They also work from a distance meaning that the mic can be out of shot, this is important because having the mic in shot will take away the realism of the video which will make the audience less engaged with it. The disadvantage of using a shotgun mic is that it will be picking up two voices meaning that it won’t be as close to each source as would be best, this could make the quality of the audio quite poor. Also shotgun mics pick up a lot of background noise, this could be distracting for the audience and make the quality of the audio worse. 4K Shooters says that the advantage of a lav mic is that “you can place it much closer to the person that you’re recording” this is important because one of the keys to getting good quality audio is having the mic as close as possible to the source. By having the mic at the correct distance from the source the quality of the audio will be much clearer. Also by using two lav mics I will be able to place the mic close to both people at the same time meaning the quality will be good for both people. Lav mics also don’t pick up a lot of background noise which is good because background noise can distract the audience. A disadvantage to using lav mic is that they are positioned on the character lapel meaning that they are visible on camera, this can make the film look less realistic and more unnatural which the audience won’t like.
Experiment if possible
Lav mic experiment.WAV this is my experiment where I used two lav mics to record a conversation between two people. The lav mics picked up the audio of both people very clearly. There wasn’t as much background noise picked up as well. This is because, as seen in the picture I took whilst completing my experiment below, With the lav mic I was able to place the two mics close to each of the people and record them both off one marantz kit. By having the mics close to both sources I was able to pick up both voices clearly, this made the audio of this recording a higher quality.
Shotgun mic experiment.WAV this is my experiment where I used one shotgun mic to record a conversation between two people. The shotgun mic was positioning in the middle of the two people for my experiment, as seen in the photo I took during the experiment below. Because of this I wasn’t able to have the mic the correct distance from both sources, meaning that the voices are quieter and less clear. This overall reduces the quality of the audio. Also the shotgun mic picked up more of the background noises in the recording.
Draw a conclusion – sum up what you found out
By doing this research I have learnt that the way to get the best quality audio of a conversation between two people is by using two lav mics. This is because the lav mic picks up both people’s voices clearly and doesn’t pick up much background noise, this means that the audience will not be distracted by background noise and will be able to hear the character clearly which is important so that they can understand the storyline of the ad.
How will this help your project? Explain how this will help you with U8 – try and be as specific as you can?
This research will help with my project because I now know how to get the best quality audio for my ad. This will improve the overall quality of my ad and make it seem more professional, which will make the audience and the client happy. By having good quality audio the audience will be able to understand the ad more clearly and will be able to enjoy the humour in it as well.
Colour Correction
Write down what it is that you want to find out
I want to find out how to use colour correction to get the most aesthetically pleasing project and compete it to a high standard.
What methods did you use to find out – primary/secondary – add in links?
Write up what you have found out – sum up what you have read online
Justin Odisho begins by explaining the lumetri scopes, and their purpose in helping you to accurately understand the colours in your shot and how they need to be adjusted. He then goes on to break down the lumetri scopes, explaining how each graph and scope represents the colours and the level that they are present in the video. This is useful because you can see clearly if one colour is too strong in a shot and adjust that accordingly. After this, Justin begins going through the Basic Correction tab. He explains how to adjust the white balance, the exposure, the contrast, the highlights, the shadows, the whites and the blacks. He demonstrates how to adjust each setting to create the perfect colour in your film,and explains how this is reflected in the lumetri scopes. He goes on to explain how to use the white balance selector where you can click on a part of the image that should be pure white and the setting will automatically adjust the temperature and tint to make sure it is pure white. However Justin explains that the Basic Correction tab isn’t the place to get creative with the colour, this is achieved with the other tabs, the correction tab is to make sure your white balance and exposure is correct and that the basic colours of your film are right. Justin finishes by explaining how to adjust the exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites and black to achieve the best outcome and how you can click the tick mark to see a before and after of the adjustments you’ve made so that you can see the difference clearly and see if it has improved. Colour correction is important because it allows you to fix any mistakes made when filming and makes the project look more professional.
Experiment if possible
Using the knowledge I gained from watching Justin’s video I attempted to use what I had learnt on my ad.
This is how the raw footage looked when I first uploaded it onto Premier Pro, the problems with the colouring in this shot is that the whites are too yellow and the shot is too dark meaning you lose some clarity in the image and cant see the actors faces properly. Overall the shot is too dull and looks boring and ugly.
This is the shot after I adjusted the colour setting. This shot is better because the whites are more white and the image is lighter meaning that you can see the details of the image clearer. After the adjustments, the image looks less dull and more interesting with the brighter colours being more attention capturing and also more aesthetically pleasing.
I achieved this improved image by making the temperate a lot cooler, this removed the yellow colour and made the whites appear as pure white which looks alot better. I also adjusted the exposure, highlights, shadows and whites. I did this to make the image lighter and clearer so that it looked less dull and more bright which would fit the young theme of the ad better.
Draw a conclusion – sum up what you found out
By doing this research I learnt how to use a basic level of colour correction and how colour correction can improve the quality of your video and make it more pleasing to the eye. This is important because it makes the video easier to watch and can emphasise things like the feeling behind the film by using different colours. Overall it adds to the experience of the film and makes the audience understand the film better as well as enjoying it more visually.
How will this help your project? Explain how this will help you with U8 – try and be as specific as you can?
This research will help with my project because by learning how to use colour correction effectively I am able to improve the quality of my ad by making it look more professional and more aesthetically pleasing. Also I am able to target my audience by using brighter colours rather than dull, boring colours. By doing this research I will be able to improve the overall feel and style of my ad and will create a more interesting ad.
Laura Altman 