Smile Campaign AC2: Problem Solving

Smile Campaign AC2: Problem Solving:

In formulating my ideas in my initial research, I have come across many problems. In this segment - I will document problems I came across - and how I have used problem solving skills to overcome these obstacles to further the quality and effectiveness of my final product.

Rationale: What is the premise behind my advert?

Excerpt from Production Journal, December 16th: 

"I am going to base my advert on the effects of austerity, lack of job opportunities and the current social standing with the nation in tiered lockdown as so that the advert will truly appeal to the issues facing our community, as stated by the brief - we must make this advert appeal to the community. I interpreted this passage from the brief, "the community", to mean Sunderland as it is where I reside and is where my college is located. Sunderland has notoriously been affected by austerity and poverty. In my research, I have found that when income inequality increases - so does cases of mental health disorders. This is due to financial pressures, a feeling of social responsibility to be able to pay for your needs - but many people cannot afford to do this due to their income. This is a point I will raise in my advert but it is not the central premise.

The central premise of my advert is to make people smile - in which I will inform the audience about the many benefits it has. As the advert is about happiness - I want the message to be positive overall, so I need to dedicate equal time to discussing serious matters such as mental health with more informational content about how smiling is good for the body and mind. I will make the TV advert more involved with the mental health angle - I will still use this in my print advert but seeing as print adverts are meant to give people information quickly, as opposed to a TV advert in which your viewers are attentive. Due to this I will base my print advert around the physiological benefits of smiling."

Excerpt from Production Journal, 4th January: 

Due to unforeseen circumstances - I am unable to do any location shooting with the desired participants at notable iconic locations within Sunderland - this is due to the Tier 4 lockdown imposed by the UK government and simiarly due to my own concerns about my health and that of my family's health. This though raises the question: how can I make an advert about the benefits of going outside and not confining yourself indoors when, 1) the government have strictly imposed rules that people are to not go outside for any reason unless essential work, shopping, or exercise - perhaps encouraging people to venture outside would hypothetically reflect badly reflect badly on the "Smile Foundations". I would've mentioned exercise - but I think this isn't as compelling a pitch to base my advert around especially given that it has too loose of a tie to the central concept of smiling. While exercise does affect your happiness in a positive way; I decided to discard this idea. While brainstorming ideas for a new attainable concept regarding what to do with 

Rationale Feedback:

I shown my rationale to my fellow student, Lucas. Providing my rationale to another student allows me to receive constructive criticism about my ideas so I can make necessary amendments to my idea. Being a member of my local community - Lucas folds in with my intended audience. I feel that as I am aiming my advert towards members of my local community - receiving feedback from a potential audience member will help me orient and tailor my advert towards the needs and interests of my target demographic. 

Rationalising word choices in the script for the advert:

Script:

"Stress - It affects us all. With the Covid-19 pandemic - now more than ever is the time to promote mental health awareness. Even though we cannot see one another - check up on your friends - you never know who needs help. Communication is essential to lead to a healthy lifestyle - so greet people with a smile. The Smile Campaign - fighting back against stress with a smile."

Direct Address, using imperative verbs - 

Referring back to my research for AC1: Initial Ideas - when researching effective ways to convey a message to an audience - I brought up direct address as an effective mode of address when it comes to addressing your audience directly. I cited many of the benefits of using direct address - a feeling of inclusivity which makes the audience feel like they are more involved in what the advert is trying to put across. Building on my initial research, I kept this in mind whilst writing my script - making sure to use direct modes of address - "check up on your friends, you never know who needs help."

Wording choice, using certain pronouns to portray community -

in the opening sentence of the script, "stress - it affects us all" I intentionally used direct mode of address by using first-person pronouns in the form of "us".

Rationalising usage of shot types in my advert:

Graphic match –

A cut from one shot to another that look visually the same (possibly linked by a similar shape, a similar colour etc. They are there to show us a clear link between two scenes. Given that my advert contains several different people - each with the same relative placement on the screen - a viewer can infer that there is a commonality between the people shown on screen. I think this is important when discussing topics such as mental health, as in my research conducted in AC1 - mental health conditions can make one feel as if they are isolated. I want to promote a sense of camaraderie and community. I have used graphic matches between shots to convey a sense of community between people of different ages and backgrounds.

Medium Close Up - 

Rationalising lighting choices in my advert:

Building upon the foundations placed in AC1- in which I briefly described different types of lighting, I must decide how certain shots will be lit in my advert. Given that the primary goal of the advert is based around smiling, ergo happiness, I want to convey a similar mood with how the shots are lit. Once again referring back to my initial research in to lighting - I believe using high-key lighting will be more effective in terms of this advert - as high-key lighting conveys a feeling of open-ness and friendliness through making the scene seem bright and by extension inviting. This same effect would not be achieved by using low key lighting, in which a shot is intentionally dim, creating many shadows - to convey a sense of untrustworthiness. This is not the effect I wish to create - I want my audience to trust the message of my advert.

Shooting locations:

It is industry standard to plan and scout locations prior to be shooting.

Thorney Close, Sunderland

Grangetown, Sunderland

Cast List:

Radeya Begum

David Andrews

Robert Andrews

Equipment List:

Iphone 5

Iphone 7