History of Stop Motion Animation. RESUBMISSION.

Rushes Log.

Advert evaluation.

Spotify: For Students.

I created an advert for Spotify to advertise the fact that they were selling Spotify Premium at half price for students.

My persuasive technique was set to be humour as in my initial research I found that it was the most preferred and enjoyed advertising technique, followed closely by repetition which, whilst my focus group stated that although they didn’t always enjoy the advert itself the fact that it was repeated meant that it would get stuck in their head and have them thinking about it for days after. Although whilst editing I found that I hadn’t quite used humour as intended, to combat this and ensure my persuasive technique that I was planning to use was enjoyed I stuck closely to the idea of repetition and did this by using fairly similar shots and the same music track throughout. Repetition can build brand familiarity, which is what I was hoping to achieve by creating similar shots and following the same genre of previous Spotify ads, however it can also lead to consumer fatigue, where consumers become so tired of an ad that they ignore it or purposely avoid the product the ad is attempting to sell. I found that whilst creating mine I was able to avoid becoming too over-repetitive through having shots that weren’t extremely similar and by using a soundtrack that wasn’t extremely popular or a soundtrack that had a repetitive jingle that can get old very easily. Another advertising technique I used was the bandwagon technique. I attempted to show this through the group of teens shown having fun with the product and the catchphrase being “The soundtrack to your teen years” which makes attempts to convince the customer that others are using it and they should join the crowd as well as implying that if they don’t purchase the product they will be left out. However a limitation to this I found was that it can be a very patronising technique, even if it did work on the majority of people. 36% of my focus group commented that the writing, that I was using to attempt to show what the customers could be gaining by using the product, felt childish and made them feel as if they were being talked down on.

I was surprised to see what advertising technique my chosen demographic thought I was showing, with the most thought of technique being Humour followed by Sex. I can see where people would see Sex as an advertising technique as throughout there are people in swimming costumes and then a scene where two girls remove their bikini tops. However the swimsuits were not intended to be portrayed as an advertising technique which people took it as, this showed me that I need to be careful when looking at and using Sex within an advert as you can intend for it to be taken one way and it’ll just be taken as another.

My idea has changed a lot from the initial concept that I had in mind, in terms of content and pace. Originally I had decided to show a variety of teens around Brighton; on the beach, on the pier, running, studying and in the sea life centre. I was also intending to use more than one song within it, to create a more diverse soundtrack. However as I was editing I realised that although I would have been showing the customers a variety of people using the product I wasn’t really driving home the benefits of what the product can give- using the Bandwagon advertising technique. So to fit this I decided to have it focused in one location (the beach) so as to be able to fit in enough shots from this specific location to drive home the point that having Spotify makes a day better. However if I were to re-film this advert I would definitely include the range of shots I had initially planned as most of my feedback stated that they felt the shots were too boring and that they ended up losing interest in the advert, 63% of people said that the advert could be improved by having a range of alternative shots in the ad compared to the footage used.

Before I filmed my advert I looked at a range of pre-existing ads for music apps, mainly a range of previous Spotify apps and ads such as Apple Music. Now that my ad is finished I recognise a lot of similarities between my advert and previous ones where I incorporated successful ideas that I enjoyed and ideas that my initial focus group said they enjoyed. The main similarities focus in on the lack of a voice over, a soundtrack that displays a light hearted carefree tune and often, text throughout the video. However there are also differences with my own advert, such as where I have taken my own interpretation on the writing that displays what you have to gain from the product, I added a variety of colour and mixed the font size up. This was to alter the text from something potentially dull to writing that fit the Spotify brand identity which they state to be “A bold and explosively colourful brand identity.” I also used a lot less people than what you would usually see in one of the adverts, this was to create a more intimate feeling video where you could see the closeness of the friendship group and as a customer you could picture yourself there with the people having fun.

Getting feedback was key throughout the process of creating and then evaluating the advert as it enabled me to gain insight to the advert through the eyes of the people the ad was aimed at (students aged 16-24). The first form of primary research I gained was through sending out a survey through social media which helped me receive a variety of responses from those within my target demographic; sending out a survey via the internet was extremely beneficial as I received a large number of responses that I would not have been able to get otherwise. It provided a way for me to be able to see exactly the type of responses people that see the advert would have as the survey was seen by many people from all over, vastly different to the responses gained through a focus group as those responses are all people from the same area (Brighton).

Gaining responses from surveys was tremendously helpful as it gave me clear set quantitative data that I was able to use in graphs that allowed me to clearly lay out my data and evaluate it, rather than having to dig through general comments. It was very straight to the point and allowed a variety of responses to be condensed into clear set percentages that made it easy to see what the responses were. I was only able to use percentages because such a large number of people responded to the survey which was an additional benefit to this method. I was able to gain clear data on things like what time the chosen demographic thought the ad belonged on, which was made clear and easy to analyse by using the quantitative data to create a graph.

Having a Focus group was extremely helpful as it allowed me to get straight, clear answers from my demographic and instead of having one sided answers like the ones you get from a survey I was able to have conversations that followed up a question and allowed me to be adaptable in the questions I was asking by letting my questions be contingent on their answers. As well as being extremely helpful when gaining feedback the fact that I didn’t know everyone in the focus group well was ideal as it allowed me to gain valuable insight into how my target demographic reacted without questioning if they were letting their personal attachments to me change how they reviewed the advert.

By doing a Focus group I was able to receive personal responses such as; “Looks like the sort of ad you would expect from Spotify, very professional.” and “The continuous fast paced cut editing made it really fun to watch, even though the shots were all very similar.” This helped me when looking at what went well and what I should keep. They also gave me clear criticisms to work with, like; “Didn’t really show the use of Spotify.” and “The advert works well for people that already know about Spotify as a brand, however it’s not very clear for people that haven’t heard of it before.” These were the most helpful as the qualitative data was personal and easy to use when looking for directions.

Focus group and Survey results.

Final Advert.

Spotify Advert: For Students.

Evaluation Powerpoint.

Production schedule.

Risk Assessment.

Storyboard,

CAP guidelines.

3.1- Advertisements must not materially mislead or be likely to do so.

My advert will not be misleading anyone as it merely shows people using the product and enjoying it. The advert will be showing how much fun you sre able to have with the product.

3.4- Obvious exaggerations (“puffery”) and claims that the average consumer who sees the advertisement is unlikely to take literally are allowed provided they do not materially mislead.

My advert is attempting to convey the idea that with the object people are able to have fun and because of that be happier. However, this may not apply to everyone and although it is a slight exaggeration it would not be considered "puffery" as I will ensure that I show an accurate representation as to what using the product is like.

08- Distance selling, rules governing marketing communications that allow readers to place orders without face-to-face contact with the seller. Covers cancellation and refunds.

I will be adding in information on the financial side of the product at the end of the ad, on it I will ensure that the customers are aware of their right to refunds and other such things.

10.1.2- Betting systems and products that are intended to facilitate winning games of chance.

In my ad there will be some shots of people playing in an arcade on the pier, however I intend to make it clear that they are not taking it seriously, that they are merely playing with freinds and doing it for fun.

32.1- Broadcasters must exercise responsible judgement on the scheduling of advertisements and operate internal systems capable of identifying and avoiding unsuitable juxtapositions between advertising material and programmes, especially those that could distress or offend viewers or listeners.

I will be making sure that my advert is played during the time that my target audience is watching, which thanks to my focus group I am aware of.

1.1- Advertisements must reflect the spirit, not merely the letter, of the Code.

To do this with my ad I am ensuring that I have fully read through the CAP guidelines and have followed all relevant rules to my advert.

Location Plans.

Location: Brighton Seafront

Will be using shots involving people on the beach, people in the sea and someone jogging along the promenade. Will not be having any privately owned property in any of the shots, any shots that are wide shots will feature the pebbles and ocean.
The bonuses of filming at this location include; natural lighting, no cost for facilities, minimal cost to travel, if the shoot will take more than a day the setting will stay the same. close to the town centre- easy for those travelling and for the purchasing of refreshments. However there are also drawbacks to using this location such as; the large body of water that is the sea which can be unpredictable, there are no power sources, it is a public area so there is a chance of pedestrians getting in the way, it is also outside meaning that the shoots will be weather permitting, people will need to travel to venue, once the sun starts to set filming will have to stop as there is no other lighting.

Location: Brighton Pier

Will be using shots involving people on rides on the pier, in the arcade and walking around the pier.
Strengths to filming at this location are ones such as; minimal travel cost, close to town centre and train station if needed, pier provides own lighting so not limited to day filming, food available on location, people already around to ensure the well-being of those on pier so if something goes wrong help is very nearby. Limitations to this location; it's a public area so pedestrians may get in the shots, no power sources, cannot control for noise, may be weather permitting and I cannot control for which rides will be open when filming.

Location: Brighton Sealife centre

For this location I will be following a couple around as they look at the attractions at the centre.
The strengths to filming at the sealife centre are ones like; inside so weather is irrelevant, no cost for facilities, close to town centre, sealife centre provides own lighting and I do not need to provide animals for the scene as they are already at the centre. Limitations to filming here however include; the centre has specific opening and closing times which will have to be worked around and it is in a public area so I cannot account for pedestrians in the area.

Pre-production: Synopsis.

 To advertise Spotify premium for students I have decided to create one 60 second advert that will show how often music is in peoples lives and how music makes everything better. Showing how they would benefit from being able to have music everywhere. My advert will be focusing on people aged between 16-14 as they are likely to be students and therefore fit the product requirements. I will be targeting both males and females within my advert as my research found that both genders were likely to use Spotify. I will use a diverse range of people to act in the ad to highlight how it really is for everyone. The advert will use a load of candid shots of teens having fun and doing everyday activities. I will be cutting between five different activities with a range of people taking part. As the ad is being marketed at all teens I will be incorporating a variety of hobbies and activities. The use of the different activities will work to create an aesthetically pleasing compilation of where Spotify can be used, showing how it fits in with all everyday activities. As having access to music easily and on the go is the focus of this ad, I chose it because the product appeals to my demographic already, because of this people will already be interested in the product all my ad has to do is sell it. My ad will be called "The soundtrack to your teen years/youth." This is to imply how key having Spotify is to a person and that they should invest in it to make the most of their youth. With the advert my goal is to get across the idea of how fun music can make things, that music makes things better. The activities that I will be showing will be stereotypical ideal activities that young people do, the advert will suggest that with music you too can have as much fun and be just as idealistic as the people in the ad.

My focus group helped me develop some ideas with this advert as after showing them some previous ads that had been done they commented that they really enjoyed the focus on the candid style as it made the ad seem a lot more fun and carefree, almost as if they themselves were a part of the action. I also found out, through my focus group, that a narrative was the advertising type that they most enjoyed was a narrative. Following this I will be creating a narrative within the different people that the camera involves. 

FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS.

Firstly, do you yourself use Spotify?

 

 

If so, how often do you listen to it?

 

 

If you don’t listen to it, can you please explain why?

 

 

Please watch these videos so that I can collect your responses after.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fZBqV_yMq4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_tsgbQt42Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMGwPYGPEJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1QLMHgX_VU

What in particular appeals to you from these ads and why?

 

 

What stands out as being weak and/or irrelevant?

 

 

Which ad is the most visually appealing to you and why?

 

 

Which ad is the most conventional to you? Why?

 

 

Which advert is the weakest? Why?

 

 

Which advert do you like best? Why is it the best, would it persuade you to buy the product?

 

 

 

Data.

PITCH

Contextual Study – Advertising

Three - When stuff sucks #makeitright (puppet advert).

This advertisement is a Mini Fiction, this is a small fictional narrative that involves a main character that is there for the audience to identify with. The main character will go through something that the audience is intended to identify with. This creates a comnection with the audience and the advertisement as they see themselves as this main character. This main character overcomes their problem, which in this adverts case is their lack of anything going 'right'. This ad is also a part of a series, this is different from the usual stand alone ad. Standalone adverts are a lot more common. However a series can help to build a strong narrative and get the audience invested in where it's going to go and where it might end. For this particular series they have done four videos.

They have used a slogan in this advert as a persuasive technique, they use the hashtag statement "#makeitright". This is repeated and used throughout to suggest that without their product you can't be right which targets the audience and will make them remember it as it is a bold, clear statement.
The brand keeps an upbeat, fun and frienly identity. The use of the main characer being a puppet from the muppets appeals to those that would have watched the muppets and even children which could help show that they are a family friendly company. Linking to this I think that they have tried to target this at people aged 20-35. This is because it applies to those looing for a committed brand and also those looking for a brand that will be able to keep up with whatever they might need.
The advertisement very obviously sticks to the regulations, this is clear by the fact that it is such a family friendly video. They play this before movies at the cinema and during daytime TV hours, which implies that it sticks to all the regulations. The video is very harmless and fun.

John Lewis Christmas Advert 2015 - #ManOnTheMoon

This advert has also been done in the style of a Mini Fiction. It invloves a narrative that really connects with the audience. We are given this advert from the point of view of the young girl in it as she watches the 'man on the moon' we experience the same feelings as this young girl which creates an empathy link between the audience and the product, because we are feeling as sad as this young girl we then get to revel in the relief and beauty that is the fact of her sending the man a gift so he is no longer alone. This really plays on our emotions and heartstrings. They have used pathos as their persuasive technique, the advert invokes a strong emotional response in those that watch it.
John Lewis is a very upper class brand that provides very family orientated products. This advert highlights the importance of family and being together which fits in with their genre of brand that they have marketed themselves for.
Their target audience is those between the ages of 25-40. This is clear by the very obvious family feel that they have created with it. The use of the little girl will appeal to those with younger children prompting them to identify with their parental instincts and family expectations.
This advert complies with the regulations and codes that need to be followed before being put on TV. I don't think it's been documented because there is nothing that is untoward in it. The advert is one that invokes sadness and longing, I think that everyone connects with this advert in some way and becuase of that they don't see it as something that needs to be reported as everyone is happy with it.

Issues of regulation surrounding the advertising industry.

CAP stands for- Committees of Advertising Practice. They write and maintain the UK Advertising Codes. They also have words with the inmdustry and give specialist advice and ensure that any ads made comply with the guidlines.
ASA stands for- Advertising Standards Authority. They have the largest amount of influence over all the advertising in the UK. They work to enforce the advertising codes. They work with the oublic, such as when someone complains about an advertisement they then look and check whether the ad has stuck to the guidlines that CAP writes.
BCAP is the UK Code of Broadast Advertising. The BCAP code is mandatory for everyone wanting to post an advert in the UK, on all platforms. All advertisers are expected to work with the code.
OFCOM is the communications regulator for the UK. "OFCOM operates under a number of Acts of Parliament, including in particular the Communications Act 2003. Ofcom must act within the powers and duties set for it by Parliament in legislation." They mainly work to ensure people that watch television and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material and that people are protected from being treated badly in either TV shows or radio programmes and that their privacy is safe.
We use regulation for a range of reasons such as, ensuring a fair technical standard, to encourage competition and to protect the public. Regulation provides public safety and equality in TV, radio and other advertising.
"Misleading adverts produced by Gatwick Airport about the noise from a new Heathrow runway have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)."

RESEARCH METHODS AND TECHNIQUES.

Research Techniques are ways to obtain information from various sources for whatever your need is. There are four main techniques that are used which are key when creating something for the media industry. Market research is done by collecting and analysing information about the market that the product will be a part of as the product will be competing for audience and revenue, this means that in order to know how best to advertise you must have an awareness of the audience target, statistical data about your audience, knowledge on any product competitors. Another, just as important aspect of research is product research. This is related to the production of the product itself; it provides content for the product and allows you to research commercial viability. Audience research is important as knowledge on the target audience is key to creating a successful advertising campaign. You can look at items that are similar to the one you will be advertising and collect and analyse how successful it was with the target audience, audience ratings and product sales.

There are two main types of research, quantitative and qualitative.

If you want to get inside your customers’ minds you need to do qualitative research, this gives valuable insight into your target audience, your product and the market you will be releasing this product into. Qualitative research is about finding out not just what people think but why they think it, doing qualitative research also helps you to discover your customers feelings and thought processes, such as why they buy a particular product. Face-to-face interviews and group discussions are the best way to get good in-depth feedback which is needed when you are developing a new product or coming up with a new advertising campaign, it will help you gather reactions and can help you refine your ideas.

Quantitative research involves things like a questionnaire or a survey, these can help when creating adverts as it enables informed decisions with hard statistics. By using quantitative research you are able to gather opinions in a structured way which then allows for the use of hard facts and statistics to be used without doubt. With this research it is important that you do the surveys on a large representative or your target market as this ensuring reliable statistical results as there is a larger population validity.

Another key part of research is Primary research which is information that you have gone and gathered yourself, such as surveys, focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. Primary evidence is used so often because as you are carrying out these studies yourself you know the reliability of the research that you have done and are able to update information if it's needed. A good example of Primary research is a focus group, you will get a lot of different opinions from everyone in the group. Another good example of a primary research method is Questionnaires, this is very useful because you will a lot of different data in the questionnaire.

Secondary research is the most common method for collecting data. Secondary research involves collecting data from pre-existing primary research that someone else has done/ You are looking for information that has already been gathered. You may find your secondary research anywhere, for example you could find it; online, in a book, magazine article or a marketing report.
Secondary research is often done first as it enable you to find information out about your chosen subject and gain experience in it. You can use secondary research to establish a connection between the information you need and what you already know and what you then need to find out. Researchers are often attracted to secondary data because getting this information is much less expensive than if the researchers had to carry out the research themselves.

Audience research is a systematic and accurate way of finding out information on those that will be your intended customers. Audience research is key as you find information about the sort of times these people, for example, watch TV- so that you know when to air your advert. By doing audience research you are gaining information about how to catch your target audiences attention and what it would take for them to want to purchase it.
Market research is done to look at already existing products and how well those are selling and why they are. This could help you to become aware of possible conflicting companies that may be selling similar products, you are then able to locate the weaknesses of their advertising campaign and ensure that you don't make the same mistakes.
Production research helps you to become aware of what fees you are looking at, any possible problems  that could arise, and how we would effectively combat them. This research also benefits overall sales as you can find out how to be most cost-effective when looking at your profit and during the purchasing of the materials that will be used to create the item.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2xUD_yXG2k


This was done before I created my animation. It is a stop motion animation vlog.

Evaluation of final animation.

EVALUATION.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9zxZDYats

When I first tried to create an animation and did a small test I struggled with a few things. Such as; Having enough patience to wait for the photo to finish taking before reaching back in to adjust the piece and move on to the next frame, because of this many times I found that my hand was in the frame. However this was an easily adjustable and fixable mistake as I knew for my main piece that I would need to ensure that I wasn't too overeager and that appropriate time would be given for the camera to take the shot. I also struggled with the lighting, as it was difficult to keep the lighting constant as we were given limited time in a day to record the video and because of this the light was prone to change, even though we aimed to keep it the same. This wasn't a large issue with my test animation because it was so short, however because my main piece took place over the course of a few weeks there are obvious lighting differences even though I tried to keep it the same.

 

Here you can clearly see the obvious lighting change.

I looked into some professional animations to compare the quality of work to mine and be able to understand what standard of work they are held to. To do this I originally looked into Wallace and Gromit, this was because they use plasticine to create the characters and their surroundings. As my piece was not done in a professional studio or setting it became very clear that we had different materials and locations to work with. However even so, what my piece lacked that was very clear in Wallace and Gromit was well rounded characters. In my piece I struggled to create the characters and then keep those characters shapes, whereas in Wallace and Gromit and those that create it they will have had multiple models of the same character just in case anything were to happen. My lion especially, being the largest character, was difficult to keep up. I think this is because the shape was not smoothed to a finish, I originally did this so that I would have some give in the plasticine when moving the character although it just seemed to make it look unfinished. I found that my set was very basic in comparison too, originally I wanted it to be a very basic set so that the focus was on the characters and the storyline. However after looking at Wallace and Gromit I think that a more complex set would have given my animation another layer that would have worked with the already existing piece to create a higher standard of work.

A limitation that I encountered whilst creating my animation was trying to keep a consistent pace, this was difficult as it was hard to judge how quickly or slowly the characters were moving and how much you had moved the piece from its last position, it only really became clear once you watched it back. It was also quite difficult to ensure there was a consistent image quality so it actually looked like a continuous video instead of a series of images. I struggled with this at times as the lighting would be slightly different and the character may not have had moved as fluidly as hoped. However I think I managed to overcome this issue, the finished piece looks quite fluid and aside from lighting changes I think that it looks like a continuous video. Some advantages of using stop motion animation I found was the fact that I was so largely in control of what was going on, the shots were because of me and how I, myself influenced them rather than relying on someone else to do what I needed. The pace of the piece also proved to be an advantage as I was able to work through the animation each shot at a time, which allowed me to retake any shots as I felt it needed.

I created a questionnaire and made it available, alongside my animation for people to watch and answer. This was to garner some responses that I could use to evaluate my animation and know what I did well in and what could do with improvements. Overall most people enjoyed my animation; they enjoyed the creative aspects and found that there was a well-developed storyline which helped to create a well-rounded piece. The average ‘overall edit’ score was a 7, I think that this is good as 10 was very good within the scale. I think that this is a good score because it leaves room for improvement yet implies that my animation techniques were good. As this was my first attempt at a lengthy animation I am very happy with this score.

My ‘overall success’ score was also a 7, I think that the reason it wasn’t anything higher was because it could have been better, this could have been done by making sure the lighting was consistent and that there was enough time for the voice over to speak. At times the video may have been jerky and not as fluid as it possibly could have been. However I think it got an overall score of 7 also because of how well I managed to portray the storyline, I struggled with ensuring that the story and plot was clear with the limited about of time I had to work with.

 

Personally I am happy with my animation. It took me a while to get started and keep a consistent pace but I feel that I was able to do this by the main piece. One of the aspects I am most happy with is the movement of the animals/characters, this is because it was difficult to work with such small pieces and know just how to move them, I think that I was able to create movement well. However something that I would change if I were to create another stop motion animation or if I were to go back over the animation and re-do it, I would definitely change the lighting. I didn’t realize what a large impact the lighting had on the loom of the final piece and now that I have had the chance to look over it I think that it really affects the quality of the animation.