Road Safety

Use of a voice over to connote the importance of paying attention when driving, this going to be a massive aspect of my advert as I need to make sure that i get the Voice over right that the audience will take it seriously and understand the inner importance of the advert. However I have found a common issue in watching many of these adverts and that is the fact they generally crash the cars which denotes how dangerous driving is this works well with the voice over as it doesn't allow the audience to second guess their judgement in thinking that multi tasking while driving is oaky. I would be unable to produce this section of the advert as I do not have a budget in which i can crash car let alone doing it safely, furthermore many of these shots are down using a chase car which enables the director to get the cars moving from a range of angles instead of the traditional pans and mediums generally used this make the advert more exiting but also create tension which is a key aspect of these types of adverts as it makes the overall meaning a lot more important. The use of Mise - En - Scene and props were very detailed and effective in this advert as with the use of ambulances and equipment the director was really able to stage the accident as if it had happened. This is an important convention of these types of adverts as it really denotes how serious and dangerous driving can be. Additionally a range of Close ups are used to connote the shot reverse shot as the audience is able to see the pain and up set caused by the crash with a mum crying and the driver looking on in heart ache. I would not be able to use the majority of conventions shown in the advert as they are too technical and not with in my capabilities of the school equipment I therefore decided to look at other example to see if they were more with in my grasp additionally i wanted to see whether or not the adverts still connoted the same importance if they didn't use the crash or range of chase shots. 

Use of Non - Diegetic sounds to create a up beat and energetic rhythm that is matched by relatively fasted paced editing. This is used for two reasons as it makes the advert a lot more engaging for ht audience but also allows the director to build up tension very quickly. Furthermore the first set of shots connote the drivers capabilities and skill whilst riding the bikes, using a range of long shots and pans to connote the riders skill as he goes for a country ride. This is not conventional of these adverts as they generally try to connote the rider / driver lack of skill. This advert is clever by adapting every day signs and symbols and changing them to the correct through process of the rider this is clever as it denotes what a rider show be looking for when on their motorbike to maintain safe. This is something that I am more capable of doing although it still does use a range of shots that are convention in this type of avert that i would be un able to produce with the range of equipment i have at school. 

Just taking these type adverts as a guide of what the common codes and conventions are of an safety campign, I realized it would be very hard for me to produce something that was effective. This was the main point of the advert as it should demonstrate a situation where the river is to fault then using a range of close ups from the chase car to connote the speed and lack of control these are conventions that i would be un able to re create with the school equipment, these are conventions that really make the advert effective in connoting the importance of driving. It was the use use of mise - en - scne needed when producing adverts similar to this i realized that creating an effective road awareness advert would not be worth while.

This is why i decided i would take aspects that i have learnt from watching these Ads such as the use of close ups to connote importance and   detail, or having an up beat tempo to create tension or excitement. I will now create an questionnaire to see what the general public would like to see from an advert. 

Radio Advertisements

Creating an appealing commercial, sending a clear message, having a clear message and booking the right time slots on the right radio stations to reach your target audience. Other factors could be choosing, a humorous or serious tone, background music, special effects and dialogue to create a picture in the listeners mind.

Because a radio audience can be busy doing other things whilst listening, we do not pay full attention listening to it unlike with television, which demands more attention, but you can listen to the radio whilst you are driving, working, or surfing the Internet. If you get your message across often in the same time slot, you will probably hit the same people with the same message.

Starts of with a help line between a English and American people.

It then goes onto instructions about fitting a household good, this has nothing to do with snickers and the audience would not know the radio advert is to advertise snickers with the first 10 seconds.

Then the American voice swaps to a more authoritative and angry tones man, this instantly will grab the audiences attention as the tone of the voice is very informative but its because of the tone that people will listen as its such a contrast to the first half of the advert this is what makes it stand out even more.

The word “pride” and “man” is said a lot this is because he is trying to make the other man feel less manly as he is using a manual. But also it makes the product more targeted to man, as it is directly linked to Snickers being a mans chocolate. This is then further connoted by “get some nuts” although the chocolate mainly has nuts in it but it also refers to the main buyers being male.

Then at the very end a pre recorded message is played allowing the audience to refer to a website so they can find out more about the product, but also the advert.

Yet again the advert takes up a large amount of the adverts time, and the details and information of the product is rushed at the end this is because it is generally boring and the audience do not want to be smothered with information. 

Branding Conclusion

Branding is what separates the unique brand or product from its competition and allows for the consumers to establish a difference between the markets. For example Coco-Cola has branded their product very similarly over the past decade or so, this is generally because they need to make sure the audience remains familiar products style.  

By branding the product it makes a unique statement to the market, this means that using a brand the advertisers do not need to concentrate so much on advertising product, logo and company name. This is because the brands name would have been built up and many consumers would have built up a relationship with the product therefore easily recognizing features, like a name, or slogan or bottle shape for example.  If the brand is really good like Coco-Colas, the design will be iconic, therefore the products style is being used for many similar products today, but also in the way it is advertised, with large titles, a vibrate colours and constant reminders about the product style.

In many of the Coco-Cola adverts they connote how they are helping the world in one way or another, this implies to the consumers how the brand uses some of its funds and contacts to help others. There most recent contribution is a Coke van providing free drinks to less fortunate.

To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating your brand strategies through your company at every point of public contact. Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects.  I believe that Coco-Cola has done a very good of create a well know and recognizable brand globally, they have done this by one advertising over many different mediums, but also advertising in such a way that will gain the consumers trust and make them want to purchase the product as they believe it will help the greater cause in some way.

Overall then I have looked at branding because it is a useful feature for my adverts, as I can look at previous product and how they have created a brand around there product, then how I can work out a good way of purveying my product to the consumers which will encourage them to want to purchase the product. This will work in the same way for advertising a campaign.

Branding

Early 1800's

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable and well-loved brands in history. The reason for this is their strong advertising and marketing, Coca-Cola has always relied in advertising to promote and market their brand, and this is why they are always on top of their game, after having been in the market for more than a century.

1930's

There is little creativity found in the first ad, just some text. No fancy fonts, no images. The first newspaper ad showed the company’s first punch lunch link ‘Delicious! Refreshing! Exhilarating! Invigorating!’

The image of Coca-Cola Santa Claus appeared through their advertisements for three decades. Because of Coca-Cola advertising, the Santa Claus we all know and love today came into being. The Coco-Cola Santa has not varied too much over the decades of use this is because the audience has gown to know and recognize its design.

1960's

As you can see previously, until the 1960′s Coca-Cola advertising shows people holding their drink in a glass rather than the iconic bottle. This was where the brand could begin to establishes is iconic bottle shape which is still used now.

2000's 

The ad campaign was launched in 2006 and it’s main theme centers around people drinking Coke and feeling happy and positive. You drink Coke, you feel good. The campaign has optimistic and positive vibes, and it captures the very essence of life.

The Happiness Truck appeared in various countries like Rio de Janeiro and the Philippines. You can see in the videos the authentic happiness the people get when they receive their Coke surprise.

Pop- Ups

Pop up ads is a form of online advertising intended for the World Wide Web, they generally use a new web browser window to display the advertisement. It obscures the Web page that you are trying to read, so you have to close the window or move it out of the way.  This is an example of a lot of pop ups on one page, you can see they are all quite similar in size and layout. Furthermore most pop ups are made from javascript.

Pop ups are an effective marketing tool, as they are an easy way to force people view your new window therefore there is more chance of them being interested in the offer as there is a smaller chance of the viewer just ignoring the content. They are used because they are simple to make although they regularly annoy the consumer the consumer is unable to get away from the fact of looking at the ad therefore the company has a better chance of having another view or customer. 

Analysis R8

The R8 adverts begin with a pan of the work shop which allows for the audience to understand the conditions that the car is produced in. A long shot has been used to capture the spotless and perfect conditions the car is made in, additionally with all the walls and flooring white which further connotes that the car is produced with only perfection in mind. Furthermore unlike most car manufactures there is only 1 car in the workshop instead of it being mass produced by robots, this connotes the cars purity and supreme class as it is the only one made with extreme car and concentration. This sense of perfection is carried on by only 2 skilled specialists working on the car, implying that the car is made by the very best people to be the best product that it possibly can be. The car makes it first entry using a motion blur, this creates a cinematic like atmosphere to the advert as the car floats onto the lift this is not a normal technique used in adverts as they are generally a lot more to the point where this advert is creating an atmosphere instead. Additionally the motion blur makes the advert feel more grand and unique as it’s the only one but the car is flowing and much more unique than many other car based averts.

The non diegetic sounds is of a grand piano creates a very cinematic atmosphere which is something that is not generally found in adverts this is a good feature as it is uses different techniques and makes the car and advert very professional. The pace of editing keeps in time with the music, this means that the editing is rather slow and peaceful, it keeps up with the music very well to create a sense of grandeur about the workshop and how they make the car, you could say the music and editing go together to create a sense of perfection and class. This could imply that the R8 is made differently to every other car and you will be getting perfection from how the product is made and finished.

The director carries on using the motion blur with the technicians this helps him to manipulate the time by speeding up the process of how they would have made the car. The colours of the overalls allow for the cinematic atmosphere to flow through and it adds to the colours In the advert, the use of the colours make create for very grand and rich visual experience for the audience. A close up of the engine bay allows for the audience too see how spot less and in place the engine is, this creates for the sense of perfection to carry on as there is nothing out of place where we would most likely expect to see things unorganised. Additionally where the close up of the engine bay the Audi emblem is the only part of the engine bay which is not in soft focus this draws the audience attention to the badge, the director has done this for a reason as they want to state who produces the car and they are very proud of the fact Audi make s the car.

The car remains centred throughout its time in the advert this connotes its importance compared to everything else in the advert, but also the fact that it is the only thing in the whole workshop is a great way to further connote the cars importance in the advert.  The camera the tracks along the bottom of the car where we find that yet again it is spotless this helps connotes how Audi is striving for perfection, in addition to this track sequence opens with a medium long shot of the car being raised on the lift we see how smoothly the car is raised it almost looks effortless these are techniques that makes the environment for the car seem to be the best that it could possibly be therefore the car is being made to the best that it can possibly be. The advert is thriving on how hi tech the car is and how they are using technology to make the car as perfect as possibly. A technology that the audience may not expect when they see when a car is produced is laser, this is an extremely expensive but precise way of measuring al the components and making sure that they are perfectly correct in everyway before the rest of the building process carries on.

To help go with what the audience is able to see on screen the music lyrics are directly related to what’s on screen this denotes the message of perfection that you will receive buying this Audi. “wait wait…” is played as the chorus of the song this links to Audi taking a long period of time to make their cars s they are wanting each component and section to be perfect. The advert then comes to a close with a 5 second pan of the finished product, but this is the first time the audience is able to see exactly what the car looks like, we have seen the process of how it is made and to what level and skill each component is fitted to the car. Therefore the pan captures the cars beauty but also technical appeal as it has been very skilfully made and every component has been very thought about to make sure it can be the very best it can be. At the end the screen comes to a white background, with a large R8 and – slowest car we’ve ever built, this implies that they have spent a awful lot of time making sure that the car is to the best that it possibly can be and there is no way of improving it anymore than what they have done.

This advert has carried on a convention that I have found in most of the adverts that I have analysed this is that the brand of the product or the products name is not made 100% obvious during the advert but as the advert closes there is a blank screen with the logo or slogan so that the audience is reminded about the product and brand. Additionally I found that this advert was very peaceful and slower pace unlike some of the other adverts that I have analysed however it works just as well is providing its product or message this is because it uses a very different way of capturing the content with a more cinematic feel this makes the advert more grand and elegant comparing to some adverts on TV today. Additionally the sound track used helps connote the atmosphere and has been very cleverly chosen so that it is parallel to the visuals on screen. 

Analysis think bikes advert

The advert begins with a POV of a passenger in the car during the shot all that we can hear is the diegetic sounds of the car moving. The POV last for around 10 seconds, but we are able to see the camera looking right then left briefly at a junction. As the car begins to pull out, a bike suddenly rushes into screen, the same POV is used so that the audience is able to see the crash close up and realise the brutality of an accident much like this one. During the crash we are initially able to hear the tyres screeching, however these noise becomes loader, therefore it is a possibility the screeching has been placed over the top, and is therefore a non diegetic sound. The screen immediately turns black to connote a sense of danger but also makes the crash more life like and believable for the audience, this is important as it is connoting meaning therefore the audience needs to believe it and realise the dangers about not looking.

After the black screen, we are able to see the damage and brutality of the crash, however what captures this would be the same POV as in the car. The reason this has been used is so that the audiences is able to see how it has affected the people inside, as the camera is shaken from side to side as if the person is stumbling, this only connotes to how brutal the accident was. The camera is being used in a POV high angle looking down on the biker, who is on the floor, not moving. The camera usage has been used to connote the biker’s weakness and forces the audience to realise how dangerous driving is and what could potentially happen at a junctions, but also how careful they have to be with motorcyclist, as they have no protection. At roughly 14 seconds non diegetic sound have been added in the form of a voice over, as it reinforces the point of the advert, “ how close does a biker have to be before you see them” this plays is the same question that the audience will be thinking whilst watching the advert and makes the think about looking out for bikers when driving. Furthermore it move onto breaking down the crash into steps, with it saying “here” after as it’s to late and the damage has been caused.  But also during with crash with the bikers POV, this denotes the brutality of the crash and shows the fearfulness in the driver’s facial expressions. I think that the POV is a great way for the audience to see how easy it can be done, how quickly and how little protection the biker has, it will stop most people from just pulling out and not looking properly. Then finally it shows us how to properly see the bike, as we can clearly see the bike far away with plenty of time to stop. The voice over even goes over the correct procedure of looking, look, look, then look again to reinforce the pint about looking for motorcyclist.

Finally the advert finishes with a black screen, with white lettering Take longer to look for bikers, this is centred and bold so that the audience knows it’s very important and means they should be take there time. Additionally the logo of the advert is places at the bottom left of the page, as it is not the most important bit of the screen but still means the audience can see who makes the advert.

Overall I think this advert works very well because of the camera usage as it denotes how brutal the crash, but also connotes how fragile the biker is and how quickly things can go wrong. Therefore the advert does a very good job of making the audience take a step back and think about what the advert is trying to convey to them and how they can go about driving differently to insure the safety of bikers. 

Research re think

After having a decision with the class about what each of us has done and where we need to go within our research to prepare ourselves for planning our projects. In addition to our discussion we were set a task of doing a presentation about the our blogs and our progress, this was a really good task as it allowed for me to understand what things I have been doing and what I need to do for my research to carry on and to start planning.

To do –

Must look at magazines on my brief for background information, and related websites and online magazines.

Do some target audience research, questionnaire, and comparisons of adverts, styles. What I want is as much information about what my audiences likes to help me get an understanding about how I am going to plan my adverts.

Do some more research into radio, advert sequences.

Analyze several more adverts.

Write up my codes and conventions that I have worked out from analyzing several adverts.

One thing that I have to do is begin filming or practicing some shots to get a feel of using the camera again, but also to use the editing software and learn some more techniques.

Overall this task has taught me to look at the larger picture and do some more background research to help me start my planning. This includes much of the list above but also do go back and look on what I have done and need to do. 

History Conclusion

In my research I have been a analysing advert to give me a understanding of the codes and convention used to allow the director to reach out to his audience. But I did not only want to see how the adverts where like today, but to see if they have changed over time. Therefore I decided to analyse a advert from the 60’s and one from 2010, I then made sure that they where selling the same type of brand and preferable product so it was a fair analysis and example.

After analysing the adverts I felt it would more worthwhile to actually pick out some differences in the adverts and discuss why these things are different and if the time gap could be the cause for the changes. I found that one of the main differences, which I was able to pick on straight away, was the use of diegetic and non – diegetic sounds.  As in the 60’s a lot of dialogue was used to promote and demonstrate the products ability to clean dishes and keep hands soft, this did make the advert seem as if it was dragging on and could potentially lose the audiences attention, but more importantly I felt the dialogue caused for the advert to be around a minute this for me was too long and meant that they where unable to make the product stand out against the competing products. This was not the not a problem in the 2010’s advert as I found that it had a lot more non – diegetic sounds in the form of a voice over, additionally there was very little dietigetic dialogue. I found the up to date advert was easier to watch and allowed me to know a bit more about the product but also have a demonstration of some sort. Overall I found that the voice over worked was a lot clearer and concise than the dialgoue due to it being more to the point, furthermore this meant that the advert was only 30 seconds and not 1 minute.

I found that the transitions were used differently in the two adverts with the earlier advert having longer shots this could be down to the dialogue, however the more up to date advert uses a much quicker editing style this keeps the audiences attention but also allows for some close ups to be used this makes the advert seem more intense as the product is constantly in the audiences face. Where as the 60’s advert uses a slower pace of editing in its advert, this meant that the audiences where not able to see many close ups of the product but just a variety of two shots medium shots and mid shots made up the majority of the advert, but instead of using a close up and a quicker paced editing they have opted to use a zoom instead of a cut to the product. This must have been done for a reason as it allows for the audience to gradually see the product, it takes the product from being in the back ground to the foreground and in the audience face, it can create a sense of importance for the audience.  In the 1960’s advert we find that the product is being sold a lot more directly to audience where dialogue is being used to so that the audience is able to see how good the product is while they are talking about the affects of it.

Overall the adverts use some different methods over the time to sell and advertise the same product. I feel that the modern advert is more grabbing and gives the audience a better understanding of the product and its capabilities with the use of close ups and a quicker pace of editing creates more importance rather than using a zoom or having dialogue. 

Codes and Conventions

After doing some research in other adverts I found the codes and conventions were very broad as all types of adverts that are very  specific i their construction. I therefore decided it was going to look at common codes and convention of media and then after gaining a better understanding of my specific genre of advert i would then apply the codes and conventions using the specific text. This is a pDF that i found which really helped me it mean that i had a rough guide to what-codes and conventions were and how they were appropriate then using my analysis of existing pieces i will be able to construct amore detailed and specific set of codes and conventions that i will later choose to use, challenge and develop when creating my campaign. 

The media construct reality.

The media have their own forms, codes and conventions.

The media present ideologies and value messages.

The media are business that have commercial interests.

Audiences negotiate meaning in media.

Media mediate reality via the use of recognized codes and conventions, and the credibility or realism of a media text may be judged by the degree to which the audience identifies with what is being portrayed.

Media students identify three categories of codes that may be used to convey meanings in media messages: technical codes, which include camera techniques, framing, depth of field, lighting and exposure and juxtaposition; symbolic codes, which refer to objects, setting, body

language, clothing and colour; and written codes in the form of headlines, captions, speech bubbles and language style.

• the media produces meaning by using conventions 

• audiences produce meaning from the interaction of the conventional material in the text, and their understanding of conventions

• the conventions that the media uses have a history - they come from somewhere and they are responsive to historical forces

• conventions are not natural but are cultural - they have cultural specificities - they are now somewhat universal - here we can probably think of advertising.

• the systems of codes that make up the convention can be clumped together under three broad headings - technical, symbolic, verbal/written.

By the term 'code' we mean a communication system which contains elements which have an agreed meaning and which can be combined

according to agreed rules. This could be the English language, Morse Code, a 

raffic policeman's hand signals, film etc.

It is a fundamental premise of Communication Studies that all communication takes place via codes:

A code is a rule-governed system of signs, whose rules and conventions are shared amongst members of a culture, and which is used to generate and circulate meanings in and for that culture.

Fiske (1987)

A code must consist of:

• a set of signs which carry meaning

• a set of agreed rules for combining those signs together

Since it is the case that the codes we use are the result of conventions arrived at by the users of those codes, then it is reasonable to suppose that

the values of the users will in some way be incorporated into those codes.

They will, for example, have developed signs for those things they agree to be important, they will probably have developed a whole array of signs to draw the distinctions between those things which are of particular significance in their culture.

In other words, you might reasonably expect that the ideologies prevalent in those cultures will have been incorporated into the codes used:

...'reality' is always encoded, or rather the only way we can perceive and make sense of reality is by the codes of our culture. There may be an objective, empiricist reality out there, but there is no

universal, objective way of perceiving and making sense of it. What passes for reality in any culture is the product of the culture's codes, so 'reality' is always already encoded, it is never 'raw'.

Fiske 1987 

Social Values and Representation

• Social values are the unwritten laws by which a culture lives. They are so transparent that

they may exist without us even realising their impact.

• Social values may remain constant across generations and cultures or they may vary.

• Social values are partly based in reality and partly aspirational.

• Social values may or may not reflect people’s bahaviour but always reflect belief.

• Media products are crafted to suit an audience, they must reflect the basic beliefs and values of the target market or that market will not buy the product.

• Most media texts support dominant social values and as such are a cleverly crafted amalgam of cosy familiarity and fantasy.

• Texts that challenge social values are less common although they proliferate in times of social upheaval and uncertainty.

• Some texts simultaneously support and challenge the values of the time and place of production.

Social Values may be one or more of the following:

• Dominant

• Traditional

• Emerging

• Subcultural

• Oppositional

Further Reading:

Swinburne Home Page http://www.swinburne-senior-sc.edu.vic.gov.au/media_studies_links.html

The Media and Communications Studies Site http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/