M104 REFLECTION

My Reflection

Being a Millennial myself who runs digital marketing agency, I am the quintessential candidate/exhibit/case-study that this overall study can be taken place on. My business relies heavily on Social Media to promote our services to the world, free of charge.

Now for a start up company with no allocated budget for marketing and advertising, using the multiple social media platforms to make our local community and the world aware of us, FREE of charge, was a pivotal process in attaining the level of exposure we currently now have. Social Media, primarily Facebook and Instagram, have allowed us to reach a wider terrain than we are normally used to. Conventional methods of marketing Such as television advertisement, are methods that many businesses cannot afford to pay for.

Enough of the technical jargon, When it came to the production of the documentary, it must be made clear that the process was some what rushed and this was majorly due to the fact that i changed my topic halfway through, which inevitably required me to start the entire process from the beginning around the end of July. Now with the experience i have with film and content production, I would back myself to shoot and edit an entire production of this magnitude in less than one week, to a very high standard. However, the only thing that I seemed to struggle with was the actual written account and documentation of the entire process. Before I chose my topic area I had to make time to study the background and history behind it. In addition, for me to present a balanced argument I must make sure that i have covered and weighted up both sides of the coin, doing as much as possible to remove any sentiment and affiliation between me and the chosen topic.

Whilst researching on the conventional methods of advertising, most of them seemed to be straight forward such as television, radio and newspapers. I began to strategise about what i actually wanted to create,, whether it would be an animated piece, a short film or a documentary. Although i hadn’t yet concluded which expression i wanted to create, the one certain thing was that I would be focusing on at least one business owner not including myself, however as time went on and i decided a documentary was the best expression to reveal this research, I decided assembling a collective group of business owners would be the best thing for me to do, especially if i wanted to ass more weight to the argument. I came up with a number of at least 4 business owners, that i would have to interview to gage their views.  Now began the headache! Actually finding these business owners to interview seemed to be a problem. I had contacted a few owners directly to arrange these interviews, some would ignore my requests and many wouldn’t honour the arrangements we had made to film, leaving me stranded and loosing valuable time.

As a founder of a digital marketing company, I have the opportunity to work directly with other company bosses. Through some of the relationships that I have built overt the years with them, I was able to arrange four informal interviews over a 3 week period, between the first week on august to the third. This meant that By the time i had finished filming the interviews, I would only have a maximum of one week to complete the edit of the entire documentary and scribe the complete reflection of this research process alongside it. I really don’t and didn’t make things easy for myself.

Now it must be made clear how i actually managed to get all these interviews done with all the panellists consent. All for panellists needed my companies services at some capacity & whilst we were providing this service for them, I took it upon myself to ask them all, in my own unique way, if they would be happy to answer a few brief questions about advertising and what all their favourite methods of advertising were. Now this was definitely a ‘Hail Mary’ throw just hoping for the best possible outcome and luckily enough, all arrangements went accordingly.

Now with all that being said, The quality of answers from at least  two of the panellists did not sit well well me. They did not grasp the questions that I had been asking them, therefore this led to long winded responses and a lot of off topic moments. In contrast to this, There were two panellists who grasped exactly what I was trying to achieve through this research project. They were able to articulate themselves very well and present arguments for and against why they did and did not use social platforms as stream of advertisement. One of the panellists, Michael Omoniyi, carried a high level of business intuition, which led me to carry out a more in-depth analysis on him and his business operations.

I was able to retract some valuable content from Michael which was rather bitter sweet. This extra information made up for the lack of substance provided by the other panellists and additionally allowed me to capture several cutaway shots which is always a positive. Overall this segment of the process has revealed to me that vetting/screening panellists or any sort of talent before creating a production, has to be paramount. This way you know exactly what those people are about and gives you a sample into what you can expect.  I cannot really go back and reshoot the entire production again because of time, but I will definitely screen all talent from hence forth, to avoid disappointment and wasting time.

Moving on, another factor of production which could have been managed better were the choices of location. It is granted that I began production quite late for this project and this had a knock on effect on the cast/talent that elected which also had a domino effect on the locations that were used. I was reacting to scenarios rather than dictating proceedings. By establishing one fixed location to shoot the interviews, I believe it would have made the visuals of the documentary much more pleasing to the eye, due to the consistency of location, Additionally one fixed location would have allowed me to be in control of the lighting, the levels sound and other crucial aesthetics which can make or break a project of this magnitude.

The Video above breaks down the importance of Location Scouting for Your Independent Film or project. The presenter speaks in depth about what is important when choosing a location and problems that can occur. She touches upon why it is important to consider sound when it comes to choosing your location. If one of the locations you have chosen is next to a train track, but your film has character dialog, then it would clearly conflict.

Location is a crucial  factor that can take your production to the level of award recognition, The piece above sheds light on how some of the most captivating films in modern history have all had locations which brought the stories to life or took them to another level.

The Editing Process

The editing stage proved to be a period of trials from the on-set. Crucial footage I had captured from one of the panellists had gone missing and I now believe i deleted thinking i already had another copy elsewhere. Such a fundamental mistake could have potentially tarnished the practical aspect of this research project, due to the fact that the footage that had been deleted contained interesting notions for and against social media advertising that i seriously wanted to reveal through this production.

This is the only remaining footage from panellist and co-director of Revive Sport ‘Hamid Addai’. If you watch the video above, it is clear to understand why i cannot solely use this clip within the final production. What he says in the clip above has nothing to do with the questions I am trying to answer. It doesn’t shed any light on social media marketing, or conventional methods of advertising, but rather motivates viewers to chase their dreams. It is a real shame that the footage was lost because as i shared above, he made some interesting points which would have tied in well with the clip of him above!

After losing that clip, it inevitably changed everything. It changed the initial approach I had to piece all the footage together, it changed the the story and narrative i was striving to create through the documentary and it ultimately changed the overall duration i had in mind for the completed edit of the documentary.

The next step I took after losing the footage, I decided to  Use all the footage i had captured from another panellist to construct a documentary solely about that one person. The reason why i chose to solely focus on this person is because he offered the most value in regards to the questions that i was trying to answer. He like my self, is a millennial who runs a digital business, therefore one would believe he would know what he was talking about. With all this in mind, I decided to create a short documentary called “Millennial”. This documentary follows the journey of Michael Omoniyi, as he plots to raise £100,000 for his start-up company “The Common Sense Network” using Social media and other digital streams. I encountered some interesting views from Michael as he shed light on how tricky it is to run a digital News Platform, but eluded to the factors that drove him to develop such a concept.

 

The software I used to edit this project was final cut pro. The overall length for the draft video was 6 minutes 19 seconds, which could change depending on whether things are added or removed from the film. I chose to use Final Cut Pro 10 (FCP X) due to the fluidity and extra effects it offered me to make sure that my visuals stood out. Furthermore with the varying range shots that i had gathered for Michael, I decided to experiment with the edit and make it into a ‘vlog’ styled video, similar to that of Gary Vaynerchuk.

Vaynerchuk’s Videos are daily documentations of his life in business.

This is the first draft of my final project Titled ‘Millennial’. I have decided to call the documentary by this tile because it relates perfectly well to the narrative of the piece. A young man born in the 21st century, who has launched a Digital News outlet birthed to to take on and break the status quo of how conventional news is presented to the world. The word Millennial doesn’t only fit the documentary well, but it epitomises the subject Michael very well. An ambitious twenty something, born in the social tech revolution.

The hashtag is a key unit used on social media platforms for a few reasons. Firstly it reveals to your audience the focus of your statement and secondly once the hashtag symbol is placed infant of a word, it automatically transforms that word into a clickable link, that will lead your audience into a community of people who are also talking about the same thing. Television stations such as BBC and ITV incorporate the hashtag symbols in their programs, this is so the audience will use that hashtagged word on social media to generate a conversation about that particular show or event, 

There is a purpose behind why there are clips graded in black and white. I recollect the first time that i watched 12 angry men, although it was in black and white, it made me focus more on the story of the film and how each charter carried themselves. Overall it made me engage more with the film because i had to dig deeper and forget about the visuals and any effects. This is the same experience I want to recreate for the audience of my documentary. That they will assess beyond the visuals & soak up the value being given to them.

Although I had footage from other panelists, I did not use them because focusing on Michael alone, makes the documentary look more professional and pleasant on the eye.

The footage above reveals a clip of the panellists i deliberately chose not to use. The first speaker in the clip above (The Female) does really go into much depth about which advertising channel she and her partner uses, in comparison to Michael, who goes into thorough depth about it all.  The second panellist in the video (The Male) revealed to us more valuable information than the lady, however as mentioned above, I Chose not to use his segment because i wanted to keep the constancy throughout my final piece, both visually and in terms of the value their giving.

After managing to salvage something out of the footage I had, It was a blessing in disguise as it made me think quickly on my feet in regards what the next course of action was. The ‘Millennial’ Documentary I believe is a visual answer to the point I have been trying to make throughout this project. Which is “How to effectively use Social Media to market your business”. The Video itself is a tool of visual advertising, It is created to not only promote the the persons product or service but it also doubles down as a form of propaganda when Michael pleads with viewers to contribute towards the fundraising campaign for his company. Social media users rarely want to read anymore. Its purpose is to inform you and entice you.

We are visual creatures who want to watch things as opposed to reading. This is how we consume informative data and this why companies such as Facebook have acquired photo & video sharing platform ‘Instagram’. They understand that peoples attentions are swayed by visual motions and a large majority of the worlds population live on their mobile devices. We may not all appreciate being bombarded with online commercials and unskipabble adverts whilst browsing the web, but small scale businesses and startups must realise that there are only a few practical and affordable methods of getting your business seen by potential consumers global, and that is through quality, disruptive, visual marketing. Executed and streamed through social media. It is the cheapest and must effective method to engage your consumer.

What do I mean by Disruptive?

For the audience and potential Consumer to be drawn to your advert, you must have something there to entice them. That old adage that count be true enough and that is one predominant method used to entice people to watch adverts, however like the image above, having an open ended question accompanied with an intense image, is also something that would draw audience attention.

Disruptive simply means doing something outside of the norm and this method along with half naked women or extremely bright colours, are ploys of disruptive marketing used by tech  companies who also understand the psychology behind getting human attention.

Simple but Disruptive

M104 PROCESS & STRATEGY

Strategy

Before I began the journey of filming, I really contemplated documenting the whole process as a video process. But as a business owner and full time student, finding the time to do this would have been very difficult. One could say that i could have made some time, however to make it the quality that i would have intended, i would have had to allocate time on a daily base to get that done.

Now to make the film/documentary that i intended to make. I must plan ahead of time to ensure that there is a clear strategy and everything runs accordingly. With the topic that i have positioned myself to tackle, it would require me to assemble a balanced panel of business owners who have experience in marketing their own products and services. The easiest route to go down in this instance is to locate one person for and one person against. However for this research topic to have stronger depth and credibility, It would require me to assemble more people on each side of the argument. Or to create a questionnaire based around my subject area, which i will present to a pool of people.

If i am to create a questionnaire, I will have to figure out which method of distribution i would use to get it infant of the business owners that i want and desirably require. Ironically the most efficient distribution channel that i could use to push the questionnaire is surprise surprise Social Media. A platform like Twitter (2006) has an integrated component which allows you to run election styled “poles” with a means to an end, where people cast their vote or answer to the question that has been asked. Alternatively, i could just email business owners directly with the questionnaire, however there is no guarantee that they will see it or even get back to me. The penultimate method i could utilise would be to print the questionnaire’s out and hand them out to business myself, once again there is no assurance that they will accept to actually answer the questions, but it would be an opportunity for me to explain to them what I aimed to accomplish through this study.

Finally the a method that would make feasible sense to adopt would be to arrange telephone interviews with the business owners directly, that way they would know in advance  what we were trying to accomplish. In addition i would use this opportunity to also get firsthand insight into how they personally marketed their own businesses. And I believe this level of primary research would add substantial weight to my overall argument.

When assembling my panel, I must take into consideration that all the subjects that i choose to use must be from a different demographic. Different ages, different ethnicities, different backgrounds. This is all because the reason the way they have been programmed in life, would influence them execute uniquely from one another.

I have chosen to focus on 5 subjects in total, including myself as the co-founder of digital marketing agency. The 4 other subjects are all from African and Caribbean decent. Some offer a wealth of experience in Business and entrepreneurship in West Africa and America respectively, others are aspiring directors and founders  of new Digital start-ups in Europe.

Panel Profile

Jacob Collins-Brown – 23 (Myself) is the Co-Founder and Creative director of Revive Media LTD. A digital marketing agency based in the united kingdom. Jacob has a wealth of experience when it patterns to creative arts and disruptive methods of engaging an audience. His Company is built to draw consumer attention to a product or service. So it maybe inevitable that he would opt for using social media as a primary marketing tool.

Hamid Addai – 18 is the Co-Directror and Strategist of Revive Sport, a subsidiary of Revive Media LTD. Revive Sport is a digital based platform used to promote athletes.  Once again, it maybe inevitable that Hamid would adopt to opt for using social media as his business primary method of advertisement.

Michael Omoniyi – 22 is the Founder and CEO of The Common Sense Network (TCS). A digital news outlet established for experienced millennials to share global news through their own understanding. Although Michael’s company is primarily on a digital platform, however during the fundraising campaign for this Start-up company, it is rather compelling to know that the method he chose to use was to simply and revolutionarily ASK PEOPLE.  This state of the art method of engagement, has landed his company in the driving seat to achieve their financial target during the fundraiser. it must be made aware that they also opted to use social media to push their fund raising campaign to a wider audience, which is understandable and advisable. But the mere fact that he chose to speak to people directly for such a thing is rather captivating.

So it is clear to identify that these three subjects i have mentioned are millennials who have all grown up during the social media bubble. This means they are more likely to utilise social media platforms more than any pre millennial, for the mere factor that this is what they have growing up knowing and doing.

Apostle Sharon – (N/A) is a Senior Leader in at a parish (Charity Organisation) in Detroit Michigan.

Pastor Lynss – (N/A) is a former entrepreneur from West Africa, Nigeria.

Although i was not able to find out the specific ages of the final two subjects, I can confirm that they are pre millennials who were not born or raised in during the social media bubble. One may even go as far as calling them ‘Baby Boomers’. “Baby boomers are the demographic cohort following the Silent Generation. There are no precise dates when the cohort birth years start and end. Typically, they range from the early-to-mid 1940s and end from 1960 to 1964.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers)

You may ask why i haven’t chosen a Panellist from a alternate demographic, such as a Male and  female caucasian or a pre millennial Arabian male. Well the reason behind this lays in the fact that I myself derive from an African background and the people that I am surrounded by the majority of the time, are people from a similar background to me (Family not included). This may be because i feel like i can automatically relate to them. With this being said, as a business founder, developer and overall visionary i seek council and strategic guidance from mentors who have already accomplished a few of the goals i am to achieve. These Mentors are pre millennial caucasians, who were raised in the western hemisphere.  All in all, this is why the quamionare I plan to carry out, will act as such a counter weight throughout this entire process and an opportunity to engage different voices and viewpoints.

Interview Techniques

Before I start the production of this project, i must firstly take a few things into consideration.

• The types of questions I would be asking
• The number of panellists/subjects I would be focusing
• How long would the final Documentary be
• What equipment would I need to create the documentary
• What Camera angles would I need to use to engage the viewer of the finished documentary
• What effects would i need to incorporate during post-production to bring the documentary to life
• The Locations I would be using to host the interviews

With all of these things to bare in mind before production began, I began to do research into how interviews were created both from a visual standpoint and secondly try and construct a list of questions that i could use for the panellists.

I will be using only one camera during the interviews, so the video above provided me with a lot value on how to utilise the equipment i had at my disposal. The video talks about camera positioning throughout an interview shoot & also reveals some tips on how to make interviewee feel comfortable in your presence.

This video presented me with some insight into how to light an interview set. They reveal how to frame your subject and the do’s and dont’s when it comes to the composition of the shots  (e.g where the subjects head should and shouldn’t be).

The video above sheds insight into how to place your microphone on a subject, something that a lot of videographers would take for granted. When it comes to interviews, the quality of the sound you are retracting from the subject has to be second to none. No cracks, not breaks, just pure sound. It is advisable to use a microphone which ensures the sound being picked up, will be smooth. Once you have gathered the sound bites, you are able to moderate the sound levels to your taste during post production.

Casey Neistat is a world renowned Youtube Vlogger. He travels the world documenting his journey and sharing his views on on society. The style of edit used in his videos, specifically the one above is very unique. The method used to piece each clip together, is a technique i want to adopt when filming myself whilst I document the journey through this research process.

Equipment & Software Used In Production

• Sony A6300 – 50mm
• Final Cut Pro 10
• Lapelle Mic
• Box lights x3
• Black Back drop

 

Filming – Michael Omoniyi – Day 1

Location: University library

Day One of filming began With Michael Omoniyi. After asking him a few specific questions about his business, what inspired him to to go into entrepreneurship and finally what methods of advertisement  him and his company adopted. Although it took multiple ‘takes’ to make sure the visuals and what was being said were clear, concise and as authentic as possible, the way the subject articulated himself and because of how valuable i found what he had to say, I decided to do a more in depth analysis on him and his business which proved to be valuable. This was all during the period of time when his business, were in the ‘Kick Starter’ (Fundraising) stage of their start-up company. I was able to get more insight into how and why he used multiple methods of advertisement, both old and new, to make people aware of what his company were doing.

Filming – Hamid Addai – Day 2

Location: The Subjects house

Day two of filming proved to a struggle. This was due to the Panalisit’s lack of thorough insight, into why his company chose to solely use social media to push their agenda. The one dimensional answer i received from the Panellist, made me question the initial approach i took to assembling these people. I should have vetted the panelists before hand to make sure they were up to the standard. This would have ensured that the quality of answer and business insight across the board from all the panellists, would have been valuable and added more weight to my overall research topic. I am now contemplating to feature this panelist as little as possible, only using the most relevant things that were said.

Filming – Apostle Sharon & Pastor Lynns – Day 3

Location: Church Building

Similarly to the second panellist Hamid, Apostle Sharon did not give me clear concise answers to the questions I was presenting to her. Although the answer she gave me was strong overall answer, derived from her own experience as a charity leader , it didn’t really scratch the surface of what i required for my research. Pastor Lynns on the other hand was very clear and concise with his answer. He was able to elaborate on the marketing method he adopted when he was trading as a business man. He was also able to shed light on why social media, in all its power and domination, wouldn’t have been much help to him or his business, which i found to be very interesting. Similar to the second Panellist Hamid, I will only use a synopsis of Apostle Sharon’s interview as opposed to using the full thing.

M104 RESEARCH

MY CHOSEN SUBJECT AREA

I have chosen to focus on Social Media and the impact it can have on a businesses ability to promote and advertise their services.

What is Social Media?

Social media are computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media)

It may be hard to fathom, but there was a period in human history when Facebook and Instagram didn’t exist. Ladies and gentlemen, there was a time during humanity when the worlds favourite search engine Google and its other half Yahoo didn’t exist. Brethren it may be hard to believe, but there was a time when even the internet did not exist.

If all of this was the case, then how did global businesses advertise their products and services to the rest of the world?

There was a period of time when people actually read newspapers and newspaper advertisement actually meant something. It made a substantial difference for a businesses as they were able to gain the attention of readers and potential consumers of their product. However if we compared print media advertisement to online advertising, it would seem that the more efficient and productive method would be the later. A report by ‘Chron’ stated that “One of the biggest differences between online advertising and print advertising is the scope of advertisements. A single website or Web ad can potentially reach customers anywhere in the world. The circulation of newspapers and magazines and the logistics of sending direct mailings to customers limits the number of consumers that print advertisements can reach. This means online advertising can potentially reach more customers in more places and allow small companies to do business far outside their local area”. (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/online-advertising-vs-print-advertisements-41549.html)

What is Advertising?

One of the most important ways in which your business can be made successful is advertising.

There are many different forms of advertising, but there are a few companies, if any, that can survive without some form of advertising. Advertising can be quite pricey, so before you post fliers, print brochures and build billboards, research the different options to choose one that is right for you.

The first step to choosing an advertising method is to determine your target audience. Different age groups, political points of view, genders and ethnicities will respond to the same advert differently. Where does your consumer live, Where do they go to school or work, How much are they willing to spend for your product or service?

Answering all of these questions and more will help you determine not only the tone of your advertising, but also the advertising method you may eventually endorse.

Multimedia is one type of advertising. This includes television commercials and radio advertising. Both can be very expensive, but you have a lot of freedom to create a specific image for your brand and advertise it to the global audience that television and radio both have. Billions of people now surf the world wide web on a daily basis and One factor that can elevate your businesses online presence is a high quality website. A website represents your online shopfront for your business, so you must ensure that it is easy to use understand for your consumers. additionally, you must ensure that your business website is mobile phone compatible, due to the rise in mobile phone usage over the last 20 years.  Creating a website can be time consuming, but this can potentially reach more customers than all other forms of advertising put together.

Print advertising, however may be more beneficial if your target audience is less likely to use the internet. For example if you have a dance class for over 70’s, you are most likely to reach more people with a newspaper or a flyer, than through the internet. Newspapers are a great place for adverts, since most people receive them for free a copy for free everyday for their daily reads.

Similarly to SEO, where your consumers actually come to look for you, The Yellow pages in the UK, is the printed variation of SEO to an extent. Consumers search specifically for what they need, when thy need it.

There is also a certain amount of advertising thats needs to be done after you reach your customer. Business cards and complementary gifts can be given to your consumer once they have used your product or service, this is so they specifically remember your company every time they come across those things. Additionally, constructing a mailing lists allows you to have a database of previous customers you van advertise to, every time you have a promotion or new things coming up. Whatever method of advertising chosen, one must remember to ensure it appears professional and memorable so that customers get a good first impression of your company.

Key Words

Advertising – The business of trying to persuade people to buy products or services. The word ‘advertising’ derived from latin word ‘adverter’ which means ‘to turn attention’.

Advertisement/Advert/Ad – “A picture, short film, song or print, which tries to persuade people to buy a product or service. A commercial solicitation that is a form of communication designed to sell some commodity or service.  Adverts are prescribed to Inform, Persuade and Influence.

According to Merriam-Webster, “The action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements” –  (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advertising)

 

Objectives of Advertising: 

• Convincing the consumer to buy the new product or service that has been introduced into the market.
• Keeping existing customers to stay using your product or service and for this, the advertiser generally brings an update or a variation of what they previously offered to their existing customers, so that they keep on buying that products.
• Attracting your competitors customers
• Getting your previous customers back, who have switched to their competitors. The advertisers ill deploy methods  to attract those customers back, such as discount and loyalty bonuses.

Function of Advertising

• Builds awareness of products & brands
• Creates a brand image
• Provides product & brand information
• Convinces people
• Provides incentives to take action
• Reinforces the brands name and image in the public sphere

Key Components in Advertising

• The Advertiser – (The person or company selling their product or service) The One who pays to get the product advertised.
• Media – The method or channel through which the advert is distributed to the world
• Advertising agency –  Using their creative expertise, they create, design and place the advertisement  campaigns into the required media channel.
• Vendors/Suppliers – These are people who would assist advertisement agencies in creating and distributing the adverts. Vendors and suppliers could also be, Studio space owners, camera men and actual talent (Actors/Extras? that would be used during the advert.
• Target Consumer -A specific group of people whom the advertiser wants to reach.

Advertising is expensive but without it, you often cannot build a successful business.

“Advertising has become such a routine part of everyday life that we rarely stop to think about the significance” – Justin Lewis 

What is Print Media?

According to the Oxford online dictionary, print media is defined as a Means of mass communication in the form of printed publications, such as newspapers and magazines. ‘the campaign is currently running in the print media’. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/print_media)

Conventional advertising Methods and the Costs involved

(https://www.webpagefx.com/blog/business-advice/the-cost-of-advertising-nationally-broken-down-by-medium/) After Studying WebpageFX’s forum on conventional methods of advertising, this is what i derived.

Here are examples of conventional Print Media platforms, that can be used to advertise a product or service: Newspapers as mentioned above, are one of the conventional routes and methods for a business to advertise their product or service. Depending on the type of advert that business wants to run, there is a huge variation in cost. A text based advert would on average cost $11 (£8.51). A full page Visual, Graphic design or photography advert can be $100,000. From there, to actually run these adverts, it could cost a whopping $113,000. This just seems absurd to me.

Although this method of advertisement guarantees exposure for a business, WebpageFX believe “one of the big drawbacks to newspaper ads is that they get little notice compared to TV, magazines, or online ads. Like magazine advertisements, the cost of newspaper ads varies depending on the circulation of the paper, size of the advert” (https://www.webpagefx.com/blog/business-advice/the-cost-of-advertising-nationally-broken-down-by-medium/)

Another method of conventional Print based advertisement are Magazines. However unlike Television and radio adverts, magazine ads only run once. The initial set-up cost for this method could range between $500-$400,000. The factors which determine these fees the photographer the business may choose to use, the talent they may employ and whether or not the business chose to use the services of an agency or not. Following this, it may subsequently cost a business $250,000 to run a full page add.

Once again as a business owner, all this method of advertising would offer me is national or global exposure. Depending on the genre and overall reach of that magazine. The prices involved within print media advertising do not seem feasible. The opportunity cost to spend a fraction of these amounts to advertise on a platform like Facebook, where i can pre-determine exactly the type of people I want my advert to reach, with gjurentted results and analytics for me to analyse once the campaign is over.

WebpageFX believe that “While advertising through a national magazine costs less than advertising through national TV, it lacks the dynamics and level of narrative that an action-packed ad can deliver. On the plus side, your ad will stick around for longer than 30 seconds, but are the costs of magazine advertising really worth it? Even if you only advertise in the local sections of magazines with national distribution, marketing costs can be quite hefty, making this a poor move for most small or midsized companies. And why cast such a large net advertising in publications that may not appeal to your target audience” (https://www.webpagefx.com/blog/business-advice/the-cost-of-advertising-nationally-broken-down-by-medium/)

I belive It is a clear indication that  Digital mediums of advertising will inevitably surpass print advertising as the prominent source of consumer advertising,

Now with all this in mind, the most prominent form of current conventional forms of advertising is Television. The set up cost for a running an advertising campaign on television, ranges between $60,000 – $8,000,000. These costs would cover the Filming, design and production of the campaign.  Also whether or not the business employs an agent to take care of all proceedings contributes to the overall costs. Other factors are the television network or station that you chose to advertise on, would have a clear contribution to the overall costs involved.

The average cost for a television advert is $342,000. WebpageFX believe that Television ads are “Expensive, wasted impressions on unqualified customers” (https://www.webpagefx.com/blog/business-advice/the-cost-of-advertising-nationally-broken-down-by-medium/)

The advertising costs associated with TV are expensive, and making a TV ad is a complicated process. While many people all over the world watch TV each day, the costs of designing and producing an advert can really put a dent in your company’s budget. In addition, you’ll pay between thousands and millions of dollars for a 30-second advertisement, making television an expensive media advertising cost right out of the gate. While some TV ads can be very effective, you really need to ask yourself if the cost of advertising on TV is going to be worth it for your company. One must also keep in mind that people may just not want to see your tv advert, I mean in this day and age not a lot of people will tell you that they have an infatuation with adverts, its even quite the opposite. Some may go as far as saying they despise adverts, i personally do. Why Spend millions on a 15 to 30 second video that people will change the channel over because it just interfered with the show they were watching.

Digital Methods of Advertising

There are various avenues for business to digitally explore when it comes to advertising. The tech bubble which we are currently living in, makes it easier and more financially  feasible for a company or business to reach their consumer with their product or service.

One aspect of Digital advertising utilised by businesses is Social MediaMarketing. The likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are holders of the most priceless nuggets of information every business requires. This priceless golden nugget that i am referring to is ‘Private Information’, of what each users interests are, where that user lives and how old that user may be.  These Social Platforms monetise this private information by allowing companies and businesses, to advertise their product and services on these social platforms. The business will have the option to select the audience demographic they want to reach with their advert, they are also able to select the regions within their country that they want to reach and they are finally able to select how long they want their advert to circulate for. From as little as £20, a business can reach 15,000 people with their advert with an assurance of guaranteed views, of which you are able to get direct analysis of where those views/interactions came from. With Over 2 billion global users  on Facebook and 600 million plus global users on Instagram, these social media platforms have made it tremendously easier for business to reach the world without spending millions. Social Media advertising seems to be simple, straight forward and affordable. You chose how much you want to spend and how long you want the campaign to run for.

Another Method of Digital advertisement is SEO (search engine optimisation). According to Wikipedia, SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine’s users; these visitors can then be converted into customers. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization).

With this method of advertising, you are targeting people who are actively searching for the product or service that your business has to offer. Unlike the audience of traditional advertising, who may just change the channel once your advert comes on, or throw away your leaflet or flyer as soon as they receive it. With SEO, you are spending money on people who are actually interested in your business.

Below are a few of the questions I am to tackle through this process of research.

• ARE MORE BUSINESSES STARTING & SUCCEEDING IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA BUBBLE?
• WHAT IMPACT DOES SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE ON A BUSINESS?
• IS SOCIAL MEDIA BETTER THAN CONVENTIONAL MEDIA?

Bubble – Used to refer to a good or fortunate situation that is isolated from reality or unlikely to last.

Viral – an image, video, piece of information, etc. that is circulated rapidly and widely on the Internet.

 

These are Entrepreneurs Who are running “Startups” and lucrative companies during the Social Media Bubble.

Gary Vaynerchuck 

Gary Vaynerchuk is an American serial entrepreneur, four-time New York Times bestselling author, speaker and internationally recognized internet personality. First known as a leading wine critic who grew his family’s wine business from $3 million to $60 million, Vaynerchuk is best known as a digital marketing and social-media pioneer at the helm of New York-based VaynerMedia and VaynerX. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk)

Vaynerchuk is an angel investor and advisor to Uber, Birchbox, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, among others. He is a regular keynote speaker at global entrepreneurship and technology conferences.

Steven Bartlet

Steve Bartlett (born August 26, 1992) is a British entrepreneur, investor, public speaker, internet personality and the Chief Executive Officer of influencer marketing agency Social Chain. He received the Lloyds TSB young entrepreneur of the year award in 2013 for his success in creating a web based platform aimed at students. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Bartlett)

Gets you to reach a global audience, which would to have been efficiently impossible before hand.

Donald Trump

Donald J. Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States of America. Trump is a polarising figure who splits public opinion amongst the masses. With this being said, Trump still takes to social media to shed his own personal views on certain issues, with a high possibility of retaliation from the masses of social media users online. Away from politics, the fact that Trump has always been in the public eye bodes very well for his businesses. This is because by being in the public eye, his name and brand (The Trump Name) will always be relevant in the public and media sphere. It will continuously generate waves of traffic to his businesses and the fact that he is utilising social media to  communicate with the world, will only enhance his relevancy.

By keeping your name in the publics mouth, they are either speaking about you in a positive manor or in a negative manor. Either way they are still speaking about you. Love Him or Hate him, Donald Trump knows how to utilise modern tools of communication, such as social media, to keep himself and his brand extremely relevant.

Rupert Murdoch 

Rupert Murdoch  is an Australian-born American media mogul. His father, Sir Keith Murdoch, had been a reporter, editor, and senior executive of the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper publishing company, covering all Australian states except New South Wales. After his father’s death in 1952, Murdoch declined to join his late father’s registered public company and created his own private company, News Limited. Murdoch thus had full control as Chairman and CEO of global media holding company News Corporation, now the world’s second-largest media conglomerate, and its successors, News Corp and 21st Century Fox, after the conglomerate split on 28 June 2013. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch)

With the evolution of social media, News is now being consumed digitally via the internet, mobile devices and podcasts. The conventional approach of consuming the news through news papers and television stations are slowly starting to dwindle.

Social Media allows the general public to share their own opinions on events across the world in live time. It is a platform for the average man to be heard alongside the major corporations and oligarchs who control conventional media. Modern news distribution is controlled y a elect few of people anymore, the average joe can now create and dictate his or her own narrative. Millennial companies such as ‘The Common Sense Network’ (TCS) is an example of an anti-system, pro-humanity company erected during the digital tech boom of the recent few years.

TCS the mainstream media is broken and it has been for a while. 6 companies control 81% of the news media market and 3 networks dominate all of news reporting. These networks have many ties with people and organisations that want to influence what’s reported—think billionaire owners, mega-corporations, Russian oligarchs and big-money advertisers. They believe ‘The Common Sense’ network is the solution. Rather than waiting for the mainstream media to change, they want to do something about this problem. By attempting to take power back from the elites and hand it back to the ordinary people. TCS network will be a major independent platform, free from compromises and partisan agendas that come with a dependence on corporate advertisers and the ultra-rich. Their our only agenda will be to work in the interest of general public and will also be funded purely by the general public.

With the emergence of these disruptive social relics, conventional advertising and media conglomerates have had to adapt and that is what The likes of Rupert Murdoch have done.

 

 

Carl Icahn

Carl Celian Icahn (born February 16, 1936) is an American investor and business magnate. He is the founder and majority shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a diversified conglomerate holding company based in New York City, formerly known as American Real Estate Partners.

Icahn famously took to Social Media Twitter to make a comment about technology giants ‘apple’, which sent the stock prices of the company through the roof. (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/carl-icahns-tweet-worth-8-billion-for-apple-investors-2015-05-18)

 

The Benefits of Social Media Marketing in 2017

A business is able to pay a social network a fee, to virally market their service to that platforms global audience. They will receive analytics from that social media network, e.g Facebook or Instagram, who will present that business with the exact type of people who are interacting with that businesses promotions and adverts. The Efficiency and precision in this method can only be matched by handing out questionnaires or adverts to the different yourself. This is time consuming therefore a clear level of inefficiency.

• Its Free
• With Social Media, you have the ability to reach billions of people around the world with your message and campaign.
• Its a great source for market research. Users will discuss topics with hashtags and the business will be able to search that topic to see what other people are saying about it.
• Businesses can interact with each other. This allows you to attract consumers from other brands.
• You are also able to track how your competitors are doing on a consistent basis
• Allows your consumers, potential consumers or followers  to communicate with you quickly and easily. If there is a complaint about your product or service, it can be dealt  with which demonstrates that your company are prepared to resolve issues and want to make the over consumer experience as pleasant as possible.
• Social media is a more cost effective method, which allows companies and brands to tell their stories to the masses.
• Facebook remains the most popular social media platform, with an estimated 2 billion users on the platform. Just over a quarter of the entire earths population.

These figures are staggering and as a digital business owner, I would do everything to make the most of all social media platforms, purely down to the global reach they carry and the fact that with marketing pound or dollar I invest, my company has the capabilty to reach thousands upon thousands.

In the era of intense mobile consumption, a business owners greatest practical method to engage an audience is to utilise social media to create awareness about their product or service. From this they would be able to build a community of followers not just within their region, but from around the world. Due to the simple user experience and the level of accessibility, all one needs to do is to master each component of that platform. There are even companies and consultants, who make a living teaching businesses how to maximise their presence on social media and how they can convert and monetise that presence into consistent income. This just goes to show the value of social media for a business.

Negatives About Businesses Using Social Platforms

On the other hand, although social media is a platform for business to directly communicate with consumers, in the same way, clients and consumers also have that same access to you.

I recollect an incident where a famous figure on television, took to social media to try and tarnish our brand and integrity of the company. Even though this woman was being unjust, immoral and just making things up, her 200,000 plus followers would take whatever she had to as gospel and inevitably side with the woman. Now this aspect of social media interaction can seriously hinder a businesses ability to grow on social. There are people who value their rights to express themselves however they deem to be appropriate.

• If you’re not able to understand how to use social media effectively you may find yourself wasting a lot of time. You may then find yourself in a position where you have to  hire an agency for you, which is overall cash loss. So not only have you wasted time, you are now wasting valuable capital all on something you do not understand.
• Something i have personal experienced and encounter on a daily basis as a business owner who uses social media, is that I always find myself procrastinating. There is a a lack of discipline that can be triggered by surfing social media, so to dedicate my complete time time to it always comes at of potentially wasting time. It requires extreme focus and diligence.
• You must be careful what you say or post on social media as it may be used against your company and cheapen the brand

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Slide show above is an example of an online promotion, executed using social media platform Instagram (2010). It was a social media campaign run to promote one a clients viral initiative. With a marketing budget of £20, we were able to reach a total of 26,397 with 3,583 directly  watching the promotion, Some of whom followed through to click on the link attached directly attached to the advert. Business are not able to be accountable for every pound spent on on marketing, the way Social platforms have allowed them to. We are able to observe the different demographics of people who pay direct attention to our content and the types o things they gravitate to more. Through age, gender and location. This level of detail is very valuable and i as a business owner would not mind paying for this degree of service.

 

INFLUENCES

My Initial ideas For my Final Project

The First initial Idea I had in mind for my final assessment, was to create a documentary piece titled “THE GREAT COMMISSION”. This project would have been created to highlight a prescribed practice in the Christian faith, where believers must reach out to the world and infuse them with the “Good News” (GOSPEL) of Jesus Christ.

“In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. … It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing ministry, missionary work, evangelism, and baptism” – Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commission)

Key Words

Christianity – “the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, or its beliefs and practices”

Missionary – “A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to proselytise and/or perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development. The word “mission” originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning “act of sending” or mittere, meaning “to send”. The word was used in light of its biblical usage; in the Latin translation of the Bible, Christ uses the word when sending the disciples to preach in his name. The term is most commonly used for Christian missions, but can be used for any creed or ideology” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionary

Commission –

• An instruction, command, or role given to a person or group
• A group of people entrusted by a government or other official body with authority to do something”

Apostle –

• Each of the twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ
• An important early Christian teacher or pioneering missionary.

Biblical Scriptures about the Great Commission 

Matthew 28:16-20 

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Structure of Production

• Interview keynote speakers, evangelists and apostles. Extract exactly how they feel about the current state of the body of christ. This will be a collection of veteran speakers in  leadership meshed with younger missionaries, who travel the globe to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all that will hear.
• Share my own overall opinion on “THE GREAT COMMISSION”. Is it Outdated or can these teachings still infuse the germination that we living in right now.

The Style of Production I want to adopt 

• Black and White (Engages even more as it will cause them to concentrate even more on what is being said rather than what may be on screen. Classic Films like 12 Angry Men are prime examples of Monochrome films with powerful narratives and depth.There may be a lack of captivating angles and closeups, but the audience hang onto every word that is being said, which goes to prove the power of a strong narrative.
• NBA Interview styled Headshot
• Vlog Styled Edit

Visual Inspirations of what I want my piece to look like 

 The production of the video above, specifically in regard to the camera positioning and the location of the lights. I believe It allows the viewer to feel like they are directly engaging with the subject. Brilliant lighting and captivating headshot.

This Particular Documentary has a “PEE” (Point Evidence Explanation) style that I find to be very effective for getting the overall message across. I may choose to adopt this style to get my overall views across to the audience, but importantly also balance my overall argument with opposing views and remarks.

We live in the age of Vlogging and in a season where people consume their news, films, sports and generic entertainment through  their mobile devices and laptops.  Gary Vaynerchuk is Media Mogul who utilises “vlogging” to document all the key facets of his day to day life.

Vlog – a record of your thoughts, opinions or experiences, that you film and publish on the internet. (According to Cambridge dictionary – http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/vlog)

Due to the way people consume in this day and age, This style of filming and editing is something that i will consider implementing within my own piece.

Documentary Creators

 

Reggie Yates was born on May 31, 1983 in Archway, London, England. He is an actor writer and director, known for The Voice UK, Top Of The Pops and Doctor Who. Reggie is establishing himself as a documentary maker on the BBC and in early 2011 he fronted the leading BBC3 show Autistic Superstars for which he received a prestigious RTS nomination, and a follow up series ‘Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You’. Reggie filmed a documentary, ‘Inside Teen Gangs’ also for BBC3 which was broadcast in 2012 followed by a new three part series shot in South Africa for the BBC. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0946815/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm)

Yates Creates documentaries with substance. He understands the importance of uncovering  topics that society decides to overlook and uses the platform he has, to bring those issues to the for front. He aims to unravel the truth and importantly air the perspectives of the people in uncharted territory.

 

He Puts Himself in the shoe’s of societies unwanted and travels to tropical nations that are deemed uncharted, all with an aim of trying to remove the vail that society has put over so many peoples eyes.

 

Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp is a famous television Soap Star, for his role as ‘Grant Mitchell’ in award winning BBC series ‘Eastenders’. Kemp has transitioned into a Documentary juggernaut, with his riveting encounters with some of the worlds realist gangs, on Documentary Series ‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ (2004). Kemp’s fearlessness consistently to step into global war zones and ask the questions everybody wants to ask, to the scariest gangsters on the planet, has given me a boost of confidence to step out in confidence and find out exactly what i need to find out, with no limitations.

M104 Final Project Submission

M104 Final Project Submission

 

 

M102 MOTION | PROJECT

“Final Submission for Motion Project”

For once in my life, I am actually lost! The Isadora program has startled me and caught me of guard. The Analytic’s and Interface remind me of a written program for a PIC electronic chip (Micro electronic chip). I wasn’t the greatest at programming then and I’m still not the greatest now.  I believe it will take me a while to grasp the process, but once I have overcome the initial fear & hiccups, I will be able to explore the creative benefits of this program and potentially implement it into my future projects.

I Chose to shoot my piece in the style of a Dance/Music Video. This is because I come from a back ground filled with music and natural rhythm, so this piece demonstrates the intricacy of cutting to the beat of the music, which in its self creates its own notion of dynamism. Furthermore, I also Chose to use a piece of music from the “Afrobeat” genre of music, due to the ambience I believe it creates for the dancers/performers and also the percussion instruments used in the beat of the track acts as a easy indicator to cut-to during the editing stage.

Reflection

The Process of this Project has taught me to be open minded to new tools and concepts. It has taught me to engage further in understanding new ways to  innovative all my work. After countless hours of trying to grasp Isadora, I finally and inevitably retreated back to using FCP (Final Cut Pro) and its trusted bank of captivating effects. By using these effects,

I am able to recreate similar effects to that of Isadora and Studio Artist 5.  In Overall Reflection of The piece, I believe Isadora has clearly introduced me to new creative tools which can enhance my overall skillset, Not only in film but in project and concept creation. It Also allowed me to come across some gems on FCP which i didn’t know were there

M103 21ST CENTURY NARRATIVE

M103MC Final Film Submission

Reflection

This Unit has been a struggle due to me having to create the short piece of film by myself. Although I have experience creating content from scratch, Putting together a short film together within a short period, proved to be a struggle and I contemplated many ways to make the process easier for myself without losing the quality of the Production.

I contemplated creating a story which had only one character, similar to films like 127 hours and even I AM LEGEND to some extent. The character in my story would share a narrative of his life and the experiences he has overcome and is currently battling through. However as i was planning, there were particular events in america which caught my attention. Something that deeply resonated with me and stirred me up to voice my opinion in some sort of fashion. There have been several unlawful murders and attacks, on members of the African American society throughout America and a predominant amount of these crimes have been committed by members in law enforcement. There was a period of time that overtime I would turn in the news, I would see a black mother crying her eyes out at the loss of her baby boy, who had been murdered in cold blood. Now as a nationalised brit, one many wonder why events in america may have any sort of bearing on me?

My answer to that would be this: The news and television coverage that these incidents were receiving bothered me extremely. News networks would consistently black ball the murdered black males and at times publish fabricated stories about them to try and paint a negative picture about to almost justify their killings.

Aswell as the the unlawful murders by law enforcement, there have recently been riots and up raw in Charlottesville. ( http://abcnews.go.com/US/white-nationalist-featured-documentary-surrenders-charlottesville-police/story?id=49392984 )

There are racist anarchists parading the streets of virginia exalting white supremacy and denouncing all other walks of life. As we know this nothing new in american society, but the fact that in the 21st century, there is still genuine hatred because of somebodies colour or religion, is something that needs to be spoken about more in the media. Innocent souls are being lost on a daily basis because of what they look like and what they believe in. The masses need to be educated against ignorance and this is what drove me to create “Bubba Jay”.

Bubba Jay is a satirical comedy created to shed light on the issue of racism in America. There is a character in the film who shares an experience with his children about how him and his friend were confronted by an army of white supremacist, led by his neighbour who he greeted every morning.

Creating the Characters in this piece proved to be an experience because i have never produced a comedy before or created anything with such cultural significance. I purposely chose to narrate the story from a males point of view, which is significant because it is the male who experiences the predominant amount of brutality on the streets. I then decided that this male figure should be someone who educated his children about the oppression taking place, so they would know how to operate when they stepped outside of the house.

The Pace of dialogue used was inspired by the famous dinner scene from ‘Pulp Fiction (1994). You really have to pay attention to what is being said, but once you grasp it, you appreciate the the artistry and authority of the script developer.

The choice of Music I chose to use, was purposely selected and deployed as some kind of counter weight to the intense topic that is being talked about. The country music and the American accent are all ploys used to sweeten the harsh reality of the narrative being displayed

I chose to make this a comedy because the topic i am tackling is very personal and requires a level of caution when it comes to the approach and overall execution. As a Black male myself, I drew upon an experience i had as a youngster when i was racially abused by an elder white lady, who barged into me and then took the opportunity to call me a ‘black bastard’. Now I had never experienced something like this before and haven’t experienced anything like it since, but I really struggled to grasp why this woman used such language after SHE bumped into me. From then on, I knew that ignorance and racism actually existed, even in this nation.

The comedy sketch is filmed in monochrome because I want the audience to pay attention to  the message being converted through the film. Films such as “12 Angry Men” and “Schindler’s List” demonstrate that the narrative and story of a film can outshine the visuals aesthetics of the film.

The American accent is used to make reference to the current events taking place in America.

Editing

I chose to purposefully edit the film with consistent jump cuts because it speeds up the overall video. Initially the film had no jump cuts but had a duration of over 6 minutes. After experimenting with certain techniques, i felt the film would be visually more creative if I adopted the jump cuts especially in conjunction with the use of head shots, shot on a 50mm lens (1.4 f-stop).

The style of edit used in the shot sketch, also replicates the Modern way of storytelling. This new stye of creating a film is called blogging. A sensation which has taken content creation by storm. The ‘vlog’ method allows the audience to experience a more personal and intimate encounter when they are watching, almost as if they are directly being spoken to by the person on screen.

Furthermore, Modern productions incorporate branding icons through out the films and shows, such as hashtags for social media or logos. This is to make the audience aware of who made the production and what it is about.

Why I didn’t Make my Script into a film?

Well It must be made clear that I was working on my own throughout the practical filming process of this assignment. To recreate a project of that magnitude on my own would have been extremely challenging and as time went on and through the process of trying to assemble a cast of people, from all around the country to be a part of my film, time was running out and peoples commitment levels were wavering. This prompted me to focus on different avenues of production and to also look for a new narrative plot to explore. With the amount of time that i had to operate within, I decided to focus on current events around the world, which not only had an inserting narrative but something i could compile into an interesting piece.

I believe This film has significance because of the underlying message behind it and education value some may deem it may posses.

 

Film Script Submission

(Script embedded in link below)

SEEKING NEW SCRIPT

During the Process of finding out what the assignments were for this unit and finding out the exact criteria’s  we were being accessed on this term, I had in the back of my mind that this could potentially be a stroll in the park. This was initially due to the fact that writing scripts and creating cinematic shorts, were practices that i have engaged within in the past.

Before the film development  could take place, Constructing the script was first on the agenda. The ideas i initially had for my script derived from the types of content that i personally like to watch and read. Programs like ‘The Wire” (American Television Series) and Top Boy (English Television Series), set a foundation for me to cultivate plots  and create unique characters from.

Plot

The life of two close friends, who grow up in an underground town, surrounded by drugs, money and desirable females. Growing up, these are the only components they chased in life, until one of them receives an opportunity to leave that lifestyle behind. But will he take it?

INSPIRATIONS FOR SCRIPT

Topboy (2011) is an urban television series set in modern London. This drama takes viewers into the housing estates of East London. There is tension between the drug gangs that operate almost openly and those who strive to live honest lives against the odds in the crime-riddled area. (https://g.co/kgs/USRLKG)

Kidulthood (2006) A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435680/)

Layer Cake (2004) An unnamed mid-level cocaine dealer in London makes plans to step away from the criminal life. Before he can cut ties, the dealer’s supplier Jimmy Price draws him into a complicated pair of jobs involving kidnapping the teenage daughter of a rival gangster and brokering the purchase of a large shipment of ecstasy pills from a dealer. (https://g.co/kgs/4QXaVS)

Trainspotting (1996) Heroin addict Mark Renton  stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends — Sick Boy , Begbie, Spud  and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can’t escape the life he left behind when Begbie shows up at his front door on the lam, and a scheming Sick Boy follows. (https://g.co/kgs/EdWUFF)

Paid in Full (2002) In the late 1980s, Ace is a young man employed by a Harlem dry cleaning shop, working hard to stay out of the drug business. While making deliveries, he meets Lulu, a drug dealer who convinces Ace to join him. Ace recruits his friends Mitch  and Rico, and the trio become major players in the Harlem drug underworld, a violent business that will test the friends’ loyalty and wits as the money rolls in and the dangers grow beyond their control. (https://g.co/kgs/kgpX5x)

 

My Pitches

• Two boys from the slums of an underground city. One of them is trying to flee the gang wars, but the other does something which lands them both in an immovable position.
• Two friends are days away from their regional athletics championships, which will be watch by olympic scouts. Whoever wins the race will be selected. Boy One has his eyes fully focused on the prize and is training hard. Boy two, a naturally gifted specimen, who is adored by everybody isn’t taking it as seriously. With a days to go, Boy one is contemplating to sabotage is friends race by poising him. Will the drive to win push him to do it?

 

M101 DADA | PROJECT

The Dada assignment, in my eyes, is a chance for me to utilise some extrovert software, such as Studio Artist, in cohesion with my introvert way of doing things.

With the assignment that we are undergoing, I plan to utilise Studio artist to enhance dance and body movement. I look forward to accessing the vast amounts of effects that the program has to offer.

Studio Artist Interface/Layout.

It was interesting to analyse, that the format and interface of Studio Artist was very similar to the Adobe creative Suite softwares, more specifically Adobe Photoshop. The process of manipulation and editing with Studio Artist, seemed daunting initially, but once i got the grasp of how to import my clips and add the varying effects, I gradually became more comfortable with the process.

Final Cut Pro 10 Interface/Layout during the editing phase of my Dada File

Once the frames had rendered, I transferred the final export across to Final Cut Pro, in order to add more manipulation and to primarily extend the 10 second footage to 30 seconds.

Above is the original 10 second clip that I chose to manipulate through Studio Artist. As you can see, it is a Medium-Long shot captured in day light.

Above is the completed submission for the Dada Mock Project. As you can see, there is a clear difference in comparison to the original 10 second piece. The effect that I chose to utilise in Studio Artist, was the effected coded T-Diff1 4 (426), under ‘Temporal Image Operation’. Not only does it transform the videos saturation from coloured/Daylight to Black & White/Darkness, It also added a jerky/robotic effect to the piece, which particular complimented the Dance and body movement the video originally exposed.

All in all i was happy with the outcome of the final export, but I would also like the opportunity to experiment the various effects with different types of compositions and body movement . The more practice is get on this appliance the better and sharper I hope I will get.

Visual Highlights from the ZERO DADA Interim Presentation

It was interesting to analyse, that there was quite a lot of fascination from the Chinese Students whilst my DADA piece was being projected. I primerily  put this down to the effect, I chose to adopt on Studio Artist. They could have also been captivated by the Body movements of the subject in my piece. I also noticed that whilst my DADA project was being projected on the university walls, it wasn’t really clear to see. This was due to the low contrast and dark colours used in the piece. I will bare this nation in mind for the next projects that we embark on.

M101 KINO | PROJECT

My final Kino Piece.

My second piece for Kino.

This Particular video does not feature any representational shots or shots that pattern to narrative. Ideally, I wanted to create a piece which created a sense of surveillance, through the use of Human Characters, accompanied with a dynamic range of shots.  After Being advised to withdraw all human elements from my piece, I believe it made the final outlook less cinematic as I initially intended. One of my tutors made a comment that my 1st submission resembled the opening credits to a television series which was a very interesting comment. I personally deemed the 1st submission to be a quality piece which echoed surveillance and highlighted detail very well. However, If i would  have created an original score or complied some studs to gather from scratch, rather than using a generic track, it would have enhanced the Kino level of my overall piece.

We have embarked on our third assigned assignment which is the Kino Project. This process will require me, as a creative, to look, observe and process beyond my “directors” eye or my own personal human eye. It requires me to develop a surveying eye, where i study and assess what i see, beyond that very first encounter where my eye actually sees it.

With the Skill of sound manipulation that I gained through the Sound Project, i must reutilise this to create another original compilation for the Kino Project. Creating sounds of surveillance from scratch may be difficult however there are some established sounds that I plan to adopt in the begging so that i can gage into the standard required for this assignment. These established sounds include; alarms, sirens, the zoom of a scope/lens and the ambient sound within an airport when passengers are checking in and out.

By creating a compilation of these sounds, I will have a montage of quality surveillance sounds which then can be edited via Adobe Audition to accompany the visual shots i gather throughout this process.

Initial Ideas and  Techniques.

To create a sense of observation, one particular lense i would like to utilise is the Panasonic 100-400mm or 100-300mm. With this Lense attached to my Panasonic GX8 (or GH4), I plan to capture some shots from an elevated platform, which could either be a rooftop or a high vantage point in a hotel. From these locations, i will be able to utilise the ridiculous zoom capacity of these lenses and also more importantly, it creates a an essences of surveillance and observation, as i plan to track the publics movements from a high vantage point.

Kino Shot list

Extreme close – used to assess  the object in detail. This shot can be utilised for smaller objects. This shot will be captured with a 20mm lense.

Wide shot – can be used to capture the scenery all in one before thorough observation begins . This shot will be captured with a 12-60mm or a fish eye lense.

Medium close – can be used to observe the human body in detail. Can also be used in synergy with the extreme close up to enhance the broader scope of the object being observed. This shot will be captured with a 12-60mm lense.

Long shot – can be used to survey the object from a distance. It can act as some sort of surveillance camera to really capture clear and precise movement. This shot will be captured with a 100-300mm lense.

Kino Plot

I aim to find as many long alley ways as possible so that I can exploit the narrow corridors and the depths of field this can potentially create. Surveying from a roof top would also be a location that can really test ones Kino Eye. The observational focus this location would create, is why I believe it is a hot spot to exploit my Kino eye. In terms of surveying the human body, the one place that jumps to my mind are gymnasiums and swimming baths. In these locations, I will be able to utilise the medium and extreme close up, to track the human body and really capture the pulsating veins and drops of sweat.

Day One of Filming

Day One of Filming was an opportunity for me to really explore certain shots and techniques. It was also a chance for me to utilise the marco lense (20mm) in tandem with the bigger glass lense (100-300mm).

A compilation of Shots, that i captured during Day One of filming. (Edited on Final Cut Pro 10)

The 20mm lense  was my go-to lense because of the close observation i wanted to obtain. The Depth of field this particular glass creates, has inspired me to really utilise this glass during my observation of the human body. In regards to the 100-300mm lense, It proved to be quite temperamental during filming. I believe this could have been due to the fact that not only did i film in very low light, i also filmed through a double glazed window.

However the benefit of the double glazing, presented itself through the permeating lights, which created a strobe effect as the camera focussed.

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This Slide Show reveals the pixelated lights, captured using the 100-300mm, as i filmed through the double glazed utopia.  I call this Shot the KINO EYE because of the shape of the light fragments and also, the distinct blue light fragment in the centre, acts as the perfect Iris.

I captured this shot from a high vantage point because i wanted the opportunity to somehow overlook the entire landscape of Manchester City Centre. So when i accidentally bumped into these pixalating lights, it really expanded my thinking in terms of what KINO really is. I was able to see and capture all the fragments of light particles which formulate the master light. If this is not KINO then i don’t know what is. This has inspired me to really focus on the small fragments, that formulate the bigger picture of the subject.

This Shot was captured with the 20mm pancake lense. We are able to assess the water particles which have coated the metal railing. The Focus is intriguing due to the sharpness, the 20mm pancake lense harbours.

F O C U S. A compilation of shots, put together on Final Cut Pro, to create a mock promo.

Day Two of Filming

During this Session, the key practice was to observe human movement. I followed My sister around a public park which really gave me the opportunity to break into the 100mm-300mm glass lense and really put that focal range to work. The Pancake  20mm Lense also played a hand during the session as i was able to attain shots of my sisters features and the 20mm lense allowed me to really study these features in crisp detail.

I still Don’t really have a clear Idea of what my overall Kino piece will consist off, however these sessions allow me to capture a lot of footage and experiment my observation and surveying skills through the lense of the camera. In addition, I have been capturing some crisp still images which also display remnants of the Kino Eye. This has given me an idea to merge the still Kino Images with the Live footage that I capture. I believe It will give the piece a unique feel, moreover some viewers may find it easier to observe (Kino) a still image as opposed to a live moving image.

Compilation of Shots Gathered from Day 2 of shooting for the Kino Project.

To create a feel of surveillance, I opted to incorporate some shaky shots to add authenticity to the story that i am trying to tell. The majority of footage was captured handheld, however by utilising these unsteady shots, it creates frantic movement which replicates someone being watched from a distance.

Wide angle shot captured using the 100mm-300mm lense.

Editing footage gathered from day 2 of filming for kino.

Over the shoulder shot allows the audience to access whatever the subject may be doing.

Day 2 -I Merged Footage with still  pictures- watch in 4k)

After Studying Dziga Vertov’s Pioneering Phenomena “The Man With A Movie Camera”, it was interesting to analyse the techniques that the director had adopted to incorporate the Kino approach.

The camera lense resembles  the all seeing eye on the american dollar bill. It is in control of everything  the viewer can see. Vertov goes to extreme lengths to capture captivating shots, which would have offered audiences in that era, a cinematic experience and taken them on an enthralling journey around 1920’s Soviet Union.  (on top of the bridge structure/ underneath the train as the locomotive goes over him).

Vertov also adopts to utilise still images within the production. This is a Kino technique  which allows the audience to lock-in and focus on what is being displayed on screen, as opposed to being distracted by human and camera movement.

Key TechNiques Used by Vertov

• Shots of buildings and architecture
• Shots of objects and mechanics
• Specific Soundtracks were used to accommodate the some of the on screen narratives. Such as the Woman giving Birth and the Couple getting married.

Similarities Between My shots & Vertovs film

Following a subject round who has a camera. This is similar to what I have adopted in my own piece..

Surveying/observing people..

Repeated shots for emphasis..

Body movement/ sports shot in slow motion..

No dialogue can be heard from the film, just the actor which plays throughout.

Post Production For Kino

It has dawned upon me that this process of montage and observation, doesn’t allow me to implement a clear narrative structure which i normally opt for and this seems to be taken its toll during the editing stage of the Kino Process.

 Screen Grab from My Kino Edit on Final Cut Pro X.

I am personally always methodical when it comes to editing and have a clear indication of what i am to achieve, when i piece certain scenes and transitions together during editing. However this process has somewhat bamboozled due to the fact that i really have to think in depth before i stitch each frame together. I am really having to adjust my ingrained style of working and really think on my feet with this one.

The first minute of My Kino Project thus far…

The 1st Draft of my Kino Project.

Throughout this process, I have taken a literal approach to Surveillance and observation. This is what i have tried to portray through my Kino piece. The framing  of the Shots within the video, have purposely been allocated to convey the dynamism, which only adopting the Kino eye allowed me to do.

There are two subjects which I chose to focus on in this Project. The Observer/Surveyor (The Black Male) and the surveyee’/observee’ (The Black Female).

In retrospect, the way in which I edited the 1st draft of the Kino Project doesn’t necessarily convey clear enough, that the black female is being surveyed by the older black male. However if I were to rearrange a few shots/scenes which interchange between both the male and the female, the Kino Style i am attempting will be more successful. Rather than showing two separate stories, which draft 1 currently is.

2nd Draft Of My Kino piece 

In this particular edit, i have purposely chosen to utilise the jump-cut on numerous occasions, especially within the same frame and scene. After analysing Vertov’s ‘Man with  a Movie Camera’, It is clear to see the effect the jump-cut had within that piece. I personally believe that it brought that film to life and made it more interesting for the viewer to watch. I believe this effect enhances the dynamism, that I’m trying to convey within my piece.

Why Black & White

I have personally only watched just over a handful of Black and White Films, From ’12 Angry Men’ to ‘Schindler’s List’. Due to the lack of saturation on screen, the viewer/audience really have to pay attention to what they are actually taking in. This allows them to really focus on the narrative of the production and in this case, It will allow the audience to be alert to the dynamic shots and cuts i have deployed within my piece.

 Class/General Feedback 

After a class viewing off our individual Kino pieces thus far, It was interesting to analyse  peoples work as i tried to understand, the Kino approach each creative chose to endorse.

In retrospect to my own work, The general consensus around the class was that my Current Kino draft was well put together. Some people praised the completion of shots i used, whilst others applauded the editing technique I endorsed. However, although a lot of people may have marvelled at my Kino Draft, some believe i should experiment even further by stripping away the narrative that my Kino Currently has with the Man and young Lady.

They believe by focusing on the more abstract shots, such us the crying leaf and the dripping rail, It will enhance the dynamism of the overall piece, making it more abstract and less generic.

I will and MUST take these constructive opinions on board, in order to take my piece to the desired and required KINO level.

Final Thoughts

I Have complied a piece of work that I am proud off. I never knew I had the patience to create such an abstract compilation and moreover, i never knew the importance of really accessing your subject with a dynamic gaze, which the KINO EYE inevitably is, before you start filming.

I was able to gage the view of “the fly on the wall”  due to the fact that I was able to capture some interesting shots and movements, whilst my Kino senses were activated.

At times,  It felt like I was in an old western Classic Starring Clint Eastwood. All because the Kino Process requires you to shoot from the hip. There is no time to capture the perfect shot, you just have to draw your camera and shoot, before you miss a moment that is remarkable.

More than anything, this entire process has enhanced my dynamism and ability to access the beauty in every scene and shot that I capture. All because I am looking with a different eye now. The Kino Eye.

MY | VISUAL | BLOG

WELCOME TO PLAYER DIARIES

Welcome to the PLAYER DIARIES series. In Episode 1 of the series, we catch up with aspiring footballer “Hamid Addai” as he shares with us an insight into the struggles he faces even at that level of football and what ultimately keeps him motivated through his journey.

Hamid is a promising talent who has been through trails and tribulations on his journey to the top. He has encountered set backs which have strengthened him to be in the position he is now. Through Revive Sport, Hamid wants to shed light on his journey, what he encountered and overcame. Hamid importantly revealed to me how his faith helped him through these trials and how his prayers and trust in God continues to carry him through.

‘PLAYER DIARIES’ COMING SOON! 

For all aspiring athletes and footballers, if you haven’t already subscribed to the ‘Revive Sport’ Youtube page, then go and check it out at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQ0JLUSyJCSdcmuanPAeZw?view_as=subscriber

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!

 

WELCOME TO REVIVE SPORT!

For all you Sports enthusiast out there, check out https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQ0JLUSyJCSdcmuanPAeZw?view_as=subscriber

Revive Sport is an exiting new digital platform established for athletes to share their transparent journeys through sport, to the rest of the world. Website and journals coming soon (Powered by Revive Media).

 

Mock Promo Created By Jacob Collins-Brown.

FOCUS. A compilation of shots, put together on Final Cut Pro, to create a mock promo.

This Shot was captured with the 20mm pancake lense. The Focus is intriguing due to the sharpness, the 20mm pancake lense harbours.

Semester 1 Reflection & ZERO DADA Interim show

Visual highlights from our interim show.

It has been a very creative and enthralling experience thus far. The first semester proved to be interesting and eye opening, mainly because I have grasped the critical importance of  sound and the key practice of observation.

From a practical standpoint, I am not convincingly thrilled with what i have produced thus far. I believe because I came onto the course already harbouring a set of practical skills, It was comfortable to fall back into what i already knew, rather than embracing the new tools and practices that the program had to offer.

Looking forward, I aim to merge my current abilities with the new skills and wisdom that will come this coming semester and beyond. I want to give 100% of my everything to prove to myself that I am more than capable of producing quality content, not only from a visual standpoint, but content that also stimulates the viewer/listener.

Manchester Black History Festival

Manchester Black History Festival (MBHF)  Promotional Video created by Jacob Collins-Brown 

These past few weeks, I have had the task of creating the promotional video for the Manchester Black History festival, which launched in November 2016. Before the Sound Project, i would have disregarded the importance of sound and not paid any attention to how the noise coming out of a film can make or break a piece.

Although the visuals are very high quality, I could have used a lapel mic to capture the audio, just to enhance the credibility of what i had created. All in all I am happy with the visual content, But for future projects, i will make sure that i prioritise sound as much as the visuals i capture.

G R U V V E

Gruvve Inc promotional video created by Jacob Collins-Brown.

I have been given the opportunity to create the viral & promotional  video for Gruvve Inc.

Gruvve is a web and mobile app that connects friends and other people through all events. The Gruvve mission is to provide a platform for the general public to connect friends through various events via its online platform and application.

My only issue with this piece, resides in the quality of the voice over used. The sound Project has opened my eyes and ears to how critical sound is to any visual projection. All in all that is my only critique of this video. Some fantastic shots and a good story, but the sound needs improving.

 Gruvve Inc Logo

T A T E | M O D E R N & S t. P A U L S | C A T H E D R A L

Highlights From Tate Modern & St. Pauls Cathedral created by Jacob Collins-Brown.

This Week we embarked on a journey to Tate Modern Gallery to visit the current turbine Hall installation “Anywhen”. The purpose of this trip was i believe, provoke some kind of idea into our minds, which we would be able to endorse specifically for our Sound projects and future projects we would have to manufacture.

The layout the Gallery was unique in itself, due to the large amounts of space which surrounded us on each level of the gallery. This created an airy sensation within me throughout my time spent in Tate Modern. The unique sounds within Tate Modern most definitely aided my thought frame, in preparation of assembling my sound project.

We also visited St. Pauls Cathedral where we had the opportunity to View Bill Violla’s exhibition at that establishment. I was captivated by the arrangement of his work, specifically the positioning of the frames/television screens which had the Violla’s work circulating  on it.

C H U C K | G A L L E R Y

Chuck Gallery promotional video created by Jacob Collins-Brown.

This Weekend, I was presented with the opportunity to create the Promo/Exhibition video for an Art Gallery based within southern Manchester. Chuck Gallery is the first privately owned African art gallery in the North of England. They are host to some truly remarkable pieces of art, which captivate everyone that set their eyes upon the gallery’s collection.

Chuck Gallery Exhibition video created by Jacob Collins-Brown.

The gallery hosts the art of some of Africa’s most decorated crop of creatives, specifically from the western region of the Continent.

P A R I S | S C O P E

Highlights of Paris created by Jacob Collins-Brown.

This weekend I embarked on a trip to Paris, the capital city of France. My main aim wasn’t only to explore the city for the first time, but to also gather some footage for my personal archive. This Historic city hosts some of the most remarkable landscapes i have come across & the multicultural nature of the city, exhibits the vibrancy of this truly iconic utopia.  #Paris #France #Culture

M E D I A | C E N T U R I O N S

The Focus we deploy from the on set will benefit not only our individual creativity, but enhance our collective skillets as a UNIT. These are a few of the Masters Students i will be making my journey with over the next year. It will not be an easy road but great preparation and being around new creatives, will allow me to excel throughout this coming academic year.