In order to effectively utilise my footage whilst editing, I kept it all organised in bins that I altered to detail information about each piece. Such information included names, whether or not I saw usage, colour-coded labels, descriptions, media start times, media end times, and media duration times. This not only helped me to navigate through the many clips that I had stored, but also enabled me to quickly remember the content of each clip so that I could easily decide if and when I wanted to use it.
One particular disadvantage of such bins would be their inability to accept new footage once they had been created. This meant that I would have to ensure that all footage had been gathered and uploaded before information was changed for clips, or editing commenced. However, for my final project - which revolved around the creation of a music video - since filming required huge amounts of time, due to being performed as stop motion animation, I needed to gradually film parts and edit them before all recording had been completed. This resulted in me having to upload seventeen times, with each new collection of footage being placed in a new bin, resulting in the task being rather cumbersome.
One of the major aspects of this course was the concept of editing film in order to produce finalised pieces of work from many practical segments. By the time that the course came to an end, I had developed two large pieces, as well as four additional films that were purely designed to advance my practical skills.
My first and main editing assignment involved filming and editing a short film capturing the visible and audible style of the British new wave genre in cinema. In order to create my film to be as accurate to British new wave cinema as possible, I made sure to use as many possible editing techniques that are in favour of such a style. Although the footage was all filmed in colour, during the editing stage, I changed it to appear in monochrome, as it made the British new wave aesthetic even more prominent. Despite some films of the genre having been filmed in colour - such as Tom Jones (1963) and Alfie (1966) - it seemed wise to follow the colouration of the majority of British new wave instalments, many of which few people today will be familiar with. To further relate to the period of filmmaking at hand, all the shots contained within the film are long, and progress from one to another through jump cuts. Such cinematography was commonplace in this genre, as the long shots helped to mesmerise the audience, whereas the jump cuts worked to make the audience remember that they were watching films. Essentially, most films of the new wave genre, regardless of their country of origin, have a visual, static effect to them, due to the cameras used to film them being cheap and underdeveloped. Therefore, although my film was not recorded with any camera that would cause such an effect, I did apply a similar texture during the editing stage, in order to capture the same aesthetic. Through detailed research into British new wave editing techniques, and the clear organising of footage into bins, the piece proved itself to be rather commendable and honourable in regards to the subject matter. Whilst I was planning my British new wave film, I was required to record footage that would used in four short films. For a certain day in each of four weeks, in order to improve my practical skills, I was provided four hours to film enough footage which would then be edited throughout the rest of the week, to produce a finished product. Such products would present new editing techniques that I had learnt in order to improve upon my knowledge of film development. For my first challenge, I filmed the college in a mysterious and haunting manner by not including any people, to give off the appearance of all previous occupants having suddenly vanished. Overall, since I had never used Adobe Premiere Pro before editing this video, I learnt the basic concepts of the software, such as importing, structuring, snipping, and reversing clips, as well as overlaying and fading music, all before exporting the completed video. The second challenge involved me spending a few seconds filming four other students located in certain positions within one room. Each time that I stopped filming, the others would move to different locations or alter their poses for me to record. The camera would remain in the exact same position so that only the people within the film would represent change. In terms of editing, I layered the Nintendo Wii theme music over the footage, before cutting the length of the clips down, and structuring them so that each time that a new note began to sound, a new clip would play. Therefore, the main lesson learnt was how to match footage to music. My third challenge was editing footage consisting of two students within a chase sequence. During the editing of this film, I learnt how to create iris shots, meaning that a black circle opens within the middle of the screen in order to begin the film, whilst another closes to end it. I also learnt how to input still images - in this case, title cards - as well as text, which was used to present the characters' speech, and narrate a part of the story. Additionally, discovering how to remove the colour from the footage helped keep the film remain true to 1920s cinema. The final technique that I gained understanding of was overlaying multiple pieces of footage, as the whole video plays with a film grain effect present. To complete the fourth and final challenge, I needed to gather footage found online, before editing it to play in sychronisation with music. Ultimately, I would not say that I learnt anything new from this project, but at least I was highly satisfied with the outcome. At a later point in the year, I was tasked with creating a music video for a song that did not already have one. To execute my overall ideas for the visuals, I decided to film and edit the video in a style of stop motion animation. Ultimately, the main aspect of this project was the practical work, as almost all materials used in the video were crafted and manipulated by hand. It would seem that the only editing aspects were the organising, snipping, and structuring of clips - none of which were new to me. This did, however, take an very large amount of time to execute, as most stop motion animation projects do. Also, it is important to remember that segment of the video is a general reflection of the song lyrics. Therefore, the segments had to begin and end as soon as the corresponding song verses do, which means that timing is key. Overall, my video has been edited to meet this requirement very well, due to careful resizing and placing of each frame.
Several crucial tasks of this course involved developing pieces of practical work in regards to film production. By the time that the course came to an end, I had developed four large pieces, as well as four additional films that were purely designed to advance my practical skills.
The course commenced with researching into the studies of camera and lighting features. This included multiple subjects, such as ISO, aperture, shutter speed and frame rate. Despite providing substantial amounts of detail for the explanations of such features, it took me quite some time to effectively make use of them. As I was constantly forgetting how to control each, I decided to write down the locations of them in terms of the camera. However, due to receiving different camera models each time that I was required to film, my writings did not help as much as I would have liked. Eventually, I had gained an adequate understanding of controlling the features, and so I was able to complete a total of seven experiments. My first was to present the effect of a focus pull, which had a successful result. The five that followed all revolved around testing certain ISO levels within particular environments. Four of these experiments specifically requested of me, and so although all but one appeared unsatisfying to the eye, they were all considered a success due to only following instructions. The final one, however, involved creating my own test, which turned out to be boring and ugly. My final experiment was to exhibit the effects of shutter speed on movement. Although this took a significant amount of time to complete, the product of a water fountain spraying liquid at different speeds was worth how long I spent gathering my footage.
In addition to experiments that I filmed personally in my own time, I also researched and witnessed others test three different lighting techniques known as Rembrandt, butterfly and split lighting. This helped me to increase my knowledge of professional film lighting by learning how to create certain effects, and when said effects should be used.
A major assignment of this course was to write an essay about a certain type of new wave cinema. Choosing to focus on the British genre, I spend many hours researching the history, filming techniques, and installments of the subject. Once the essay had been completed, I used the knowledge that I had gained to create my own new wave film following the styles of the three 1960s motion pictures that I had discussed in my written work. After planning to film my father working around some of the rural areas outside of my hometown, I ensured that my camera battery was fully charged, as I would not be able to provide it with more power when outside. Due to most British new wave films having been produced with very little equipment, and since cameras were often held by hand, or fixed onto cheap support stands, I was able to complete my film using nothing but a simple video camera and tripod. Additionally, most films of the era that I was trying to recreate were not lit by professional equipment, but merely by the cameras themselves and the daytime. Therefore, I took advantage of this by not using any external lighting sources to help produce the film, as the daylight provided enough brightness for the visuals to be seen efficiently, as well as relate to the style of filmmaking at hand. Unfortunately, there were a few shots that featured some sky, meaning that the very top of the frame was slightly overexposed, which was not, despite the cheap budgets and rushed filming, in keeping with British new wave cinema. In order to improve upon this flaw, I would either ensure that no sky was filmed, or alter the lighting features built into the camera.
As I was planning my British new wave film, I was required to record footage to be used in four short films. For a certain day in each of four weeks, in order to improve my practical skills, I was provided four hours to film enough footage which would then be edited throughout the rest of the week, to produce a finished product. For my first challenge, I filmed the college in a mysterious and haunting manner by not including any people, to give off the appearance of all previous occupants having suddenly vanished. Since this task was mainly performed to give me footage to edit so that I could familiarise myself with editing using Adobe Premiere Pro, I only learnt very basic practical skills from it. As an improvement, however, I would try to again record the shots captured outside, as they appear somewhat overexposed. To prevent this problem, this most reasonable option would be to set the camera so that the daylight does not appear too powerful, causing the colour to look slightly blanched.
The second challenge involved me spending a few seconds filming four other students located in certain positions within one room. Each time that I stopped filming, the others would move to different locations or alter their poses for me to record. The camera would remain in the exact same position so that only the people within the film would represent change. Overall, it would not be unreasonable to say that I did not learn anything new from this experience, as the main challenge was encountered during the editing of one-hundred and fifteen clips. Nevertheless, in terms of improvement, I would use external lighting to keep the tone consistent throughout the film, since it does alter very slightly as the film progresses.
Unfortunately, I learnt nothing from the third challenge, as I was not at all involved in the production of it. Therefore, once again, the main lessons arose from the editing section.
For the fourth and final film challenge, it was not even possible for me to learn anything practical, as my film had to consist of nothing but found footage. Regardless, this proved to be a blessing, as once I had finished the editing stage after many hours, the film turned out to be by far my favourite of all four. Later into the year, I was tasked with creating a music video for a song that did not already have one. To somewhat simplify this task, I chose a song that consisted of many lyrics that I could mirror using materials. This, however, enlarged my challenged, rather than shrink it, as I came to the conclusion that I wanted to record this through stop motion animation: a technique that I had always adored, but never once used before. Due to this, the video took many weeks to produce, and although I eventually finished the filming and editing, it was not before the deadline. Thankfully, this did not matter, as what I had completed before proved my understanding of music video production. Unfortunately, due to not having a professional setup to film the video, certain aspects of production are rather deficient and unsatisfactory. For example, the lighting is not at all consistent throughout the video, as although the window blinds were closed constantly, the outside environment still managed to affect the saturation and colour scheme.In terms of camera positioning, what with creating a stop motion video, the device had to be kept in the exact same position for the whole of production. This requirement revealed itself to be slightly more difficult than I initially imagined. The camera had to be removed multiple times from the tripod in order for it to be charged. Usually, charging would occur between each new segment of the video, meaning that whenever the visuals changed to present something completely different, the background and main set piece of the mountain would unintentionally move position slightly, breaking contingency and visual flow. In order to improve upon my video, I would most certainly implement a professional lighting setup, and stick the tripod legs to floor, so that the general appearance stays consistent throughout, and a strong level of contingency is present. I would also hope to have a backdrop that is large enough to cover up the background room. For my final practical commission, I was going to tasked with producing a promotional video for a real business client. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, causing many companies to close temporarily, this task could not be assigned, and so the unit was thankfully changed. Instead, I was required to plan for the production of a promotional video that would advertise a fake application known as DNA - the purpose of which was to enable users to access their family trees, and share information with their distant family members. I created many different pieces of work to help plan for such a video, including a mood board, storyboard, Gantt chart, voice actor script, finding of a music piece, and video release agreement. In addition, I also spent many hours researching everything highly specific that I would need to create the video that I had in mind. This entailed finding websites to hire and/or purchase such equipment and people from, as well as producing tables detailing how much everything would cost in total. Such equipment and people included camera and lighting equipment, a filming studio, catering, actors, hair and makeup artists, equipment technicians, property masters, a voice actor, an editor, a recording studio, and many different clothing props, resulting in an ultimate cost of £24370. Overall, although this did not provide me with real experience of communication between myself and a client, it did help me understand the true importance of planning and budgeting in regards to filmmaking. In my opinion, the area in which I did not improve was that of health and safety, since I did not include any of it in my planning. Therefore, including such information, as well as writing about how I ensured that all cast and crew members followed it, is most definitely the main improvement.
Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film editor works with the raw footage by selecting shots and combining them into sequences which create a finished motion picture. Film editing is described as an art or skill unique to cinema, separating filmmaking from other art forms that preceded it, although there are close parallels to the editing process in other art forms such as poetry and novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the 'invisible art' because when it is well-practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that they are not aware of the editor's work. Early films were short films each consisting of a long, static, and locked-down shot. Motion in the shot was all that was necessary to amuse an audience, and so the first films simply showed activity such as traffic moving along a city street. There was never any story or editing. Each film ran as long as there was film in the camera. The use of film editing to establish continuity, involving action moving from one sequence into another, is attributed to British film pioneer Robert W. Paul's Come Along, Do!, made in 1898 as one of the first films to feature more than one shot. In the first shot, an elderly couple is outside an art exhibition having lunch, before following other people inside through the door. The second shot shows what they do inside. Paul's 'Cinematograph Camera No. 1' of 1896 was the first camera to feature reverse-cranking, which allowed the same film footage to be exposed several times and thereby to create super-positions and multiple exposures. One of the very first films to use this technique, Georges Méliès's The Four Troublesome Heads from 1898, was produced with Paul's camera. The further development of action continuity in multi-shot films continued in 1899-1900 at the Brighton School in England, where it was definitively established by George Albert Smith and James Williamson. In that year, Smith made As Seen Through a Telescope, in which the main shot shows a street scene with a young man tying the shoelace and then caressing the foot of his girlfriend, while an old man observes this through a telescope. There is then a cut to close shot of the hands on the girl's foot shown inside a black circular mask, and then a cut back to the continuation of the original scene. Even more remarkable was James Williamson's Attack on a China Mission, made around the same time in 1900. The first shot shows the gate to the mission station from the outside being attacked and broken open by Chinese Boxer rebels, before there is a cut to the garden of the mission station where a pitched battle ensues. An armed party of British sailors arrive to defeat the Boxers and rescue a missionary's family. The film used the first 'reverse angle' cut in film history. James Williamson concentrated on producing films taking action from one place shown in one shot to the next shown in another shot in films like Stop Thief! and Fire!, made in 1901, along with many others. He also experimented with the close-up, and made perhaps the most extreme one of all in The Big Swallow, when his character approaches the camera and appears to swallow it. Smith and Williamson of the Brighton School also pioneered the editing of the film; they tinted their work with colour, and used trick photography to enhance the narrative. By 1900, their films were extended scenes of up to five minutes long. Other filmmakers took up all these ideas. Among these filmmakers was American Edwin S. Porter, who started making films for the Edison Company in 1901. Porter worked on a number of minor films before making Life of an American Fireman in 1903. The film was the first American film with a plot, featuring action, and even a closeup of a hand pulling a fire alarm. The film comprised a continuous narrative over seven scenes, rendered in a total of nine shots. He put a dissolve between every shot, just as Georges Méliès was already doing, and frequently had the same action repeated across the dissolves. His film, The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, had a running time of twelve minutes, with twenty separate shots, and ten different indoor and outdoor locations. He used the cross-cutting editing method to show simultaneous action in different places. These early film directors discovered important aspects of motion picture language: that the screen image does not need to show a complete person from head to toe, and that splicing together two shots creates in the viewer's mind a contextual relationship. These were the key discoveries that made all non-live or non live-on-videotape narrative motion pictures and television possible - that shots (in this case, whole scenes since each shot is a complete scene) can be photographed at widely different locations over periods of time (hours, days or even months) and combined into a narrative whole. For instance, The Great Train Robbery contains scenes shot on sets of a telegraph station, a railroad car interior, and a dance hall, with outdoor scenes at a railroad water tower, on a train itself, at a point along the track, and in the woods. However, in the film, when the robbers leave the telegraph station interior (set) and emerge at the water tower, the audience believes that the characters traveled immediately from one to the other. In addition, when they climb on the train in one shot and enter the baggage car (set) in the next, the audience believes the robbers to be on the same train. At some point in 1918, Russian director Lev Kuleshov performed an experiment that proves this point. He took an old film clip of a head shot of Russian actor Ivan Mosjoukine, and intercut the shot with one of a bowl of soup, then with a child playing with a teddy bear, before with a shot of an elderly woman in a casket. When he showed the film to people they praised the actor's acting - the hunger in his face when he saw the soup, the delight in the child, and the grief when looking at the dead woman. Of course, the shot of the actor was filmed years before the other shots, and Ivan was never filmed 'seeing' any of the items. The simple act of juxtaposing the shots in a sequence made the relationship. Before the widespread use of digital, non-linear editing systems, the initial editing of all films was done with a positive copy of the film negative called a film workprint, by physically cutting and splicing together pieces of film. Strips of footage would be hand-cut and attached together with tape, and then later in time, glue. Editors were very precise; if they made a wrong cut or needed a fresh positive print, it cost the production money and time for the lab to reprint the footage. Additionally, each reprint put the negative at risk of damage. With the invention of a splicer and threading the machine with a viewer such as a Moviola, or flatbed editor, such as Steenbeck or K-E-M (Keller-Elektro-Mechanik), the editing process quickened slightly, and cuts came out cleaner and more precise. The Moviola editing practice is non-linear, allowing the editor to make choices faster - a great advantage to editing episodic films for television which have very short timelines to complete the work. All film studios and production companies that produced films for television provided this tool for their editors. Flatbed editing machines were used for playback and refinement of cuts, particularly in feature films and films made for television, since they were less noisy and cleaner to work with. They were used extensively for documentary and drama production within the BBC's Film Department. Operated by a team of two, an editor and assistant editor, this tactile process required significant skill but allowed for editors to work extremely efficiently. Today, most films are edited digitally (on systems such as Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere Pro) and bypass the film positive workprint altogether. In the past, the use of a film positive (not the original negative) allowed the editor to do as much experimenting as they wished, without the risk of damaging the original. With digital editing, editors can experiment just as much as before except with the footage completely transferred to a computer hard drive. When the film workprint had been cut to a satisfactory state, it was then used to make an Edit Decision List (EDL). The negative cutter referred to this list whilst processing the negative, splitting the shots into rolls, which were then contact printed to produce the final film print or answer print. Today, production companies have the option of bypassing negative cutting altogether. With the advent of Digital Intermediate (DI), the physical negative does not necessarily need to be physically cut and spliced together; rather the negative is optically scanned into the computer/s, and a cut list is confirmed by a DI editor. Post-production editing may be summarised by three distinct phases commonly referred to as the editor's cut, the director's cut, and the final cut. There are several editing stages, with the editor's cut being the first. An editor's cut is normally the first pass of what the final film will be when it reaches picture lock. The film editor usually starts working while principal photography starts. Sometimes, prior to cutting, the editor and director will have seen and discussed 'dailies' (raw footage shot each day) as shooting progresses. As production schedules have shortened over the years, this co-viewing happens less often. Screening dailies give the editor a general idea of the director's intentions. Since it is the first pass, the editor's cut might be longer than the final film. The editor continues to refine the cut whilst shooting continues, and often, the entire editing process occurs for many months or sometimes for more than a year, depending on the film. When shooting is finished, the director can then focus their full attention to collaborating with the editor in order to further refine the cut of the film. This is the time that is set aside in which the film editor's first cut is molded to fit the director's vision. In the United States, under the rules of the Directors Guild of America, directors receive a minimum of ten weeks after completion of principal photography to prepare their first cut. While collaborating on what is referred to as the 'director's cut', the director and the editor review the entire movie in great detail, for scenes and shots are reordered, removed, shortened and otherwise tweaked. Often it is discovered that there are plot holes, missing shots or even missing segments which might require new scenes to be filmed. Due to this time spent working closely and collaborating - a period that is normally far longer and more intricately detailed than the entire preceding film production - many directors and editors form a unique and artistic bond, thereby making arrangements to continue working with each other in similar ways on future projects. Often after the director has had their chance to oversee a cut, the subsequent cuts are supervised by one or more producers, who represent the production company or movie studio. Interestingly, there have been several conflicts in the past between the director and the studio, sometimes leading to the use of the 'Alan Smithee' credit signifying when a director no longer wishes to be associated with the final release. In motion picture terminology, a montage (from the French for 'putting together' or 'assembly') is a film editing technique. There are at least three senses of the term. In French film practice, 'montage' has its literal French meaning, and simply identifies editing. In Soviet filmmaking of the 1920s, 'montage' was a method of juxtaposing shots to derive new meaning that did not exist in either shot alone. In classical Hollywood cinema, a 'montage sequence' is a short segment in a film in which narrative information is presented in a condensed fashion. Although film director D.W. Griffith was not part of the origins of montage, he was one of the early proponents of the power of editing - mastering cross-cutting to show the occurrence of parallel action in different locations, and codifying film grammar in other ways as well. Griffith's work was highly regarded by Lev Kuleshov and other Soviet filmmakers, greatly influencing their understanding of editing. Kuleshov was among the very first to theorise about the relatively young medium of the cinema in the 1920s. For him, the unique essence of the cinema - that which could be duplicated in no other medium - was editing. He argued that editing a film is like constructing a building. Brick-by-brick (shot-by-shot), the building (film) is erected. His often-cited Kuleshov Experiment established that montage can lead the viewer to reach certain conclusions about the action within films. Montage works because viewers infer meaning based on context. Sergei Eisenstein was briefly a student of Kuleshov's, but the two parted ways because they had different ideas of montage. Eisenstein regarded montage as a dialectical means of creating meaning. By contrasting unrelated shots, he tried to provoke associations in the viewer, which were induced by shocks. Nevertheless, Eisenstein did not always perform his own editing, as some of his most important films developed were edited by Esfir Tobak. A montage sequence consists of a series of short shots that are edited into a sequence to condense narrative. It is usually used to advance the story as a whole (often to suggest the passage of time), rather than to create symbolic meaning. In many cases, a song plays in the background to enhance the mood or reinforce the message being conveyed. One famous example of a montage sequence was seen in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, depicting the start of man's first development from apes to humans. Another example that is employed in many films is the sports montage. The sports montage shows the star athlete training over a period of time, each shot having more improvement than the last. Classic examples of this include Rocky (1976) and The Karate Kid (1984). Continuity is a term for the consistency of on-screen elements over the course of a scene or film, such as whether an actor's costume remains the same from one scene to the next, or whether a glass holds the same amount of liquid if not drunk throughout the scene. Since films are typically shot out of sequence, the script supervisor will keep a record of continuity, and provide that to the film editor for reference. The editor may try to maintain continuity of elements, or may intentionally create a discontinuous sequence for stylistic or narrative effect. The technique of continuity editing, part of the classical Hollywood style, was developed by early European and American directors - in particular, D.W. Griffith in his films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916). The classical style embraces temporal and spatial continuity as a way of advancing the narrative, using such techniques as the 180-degree rule, establishing shot, and shot reverse shot. Often, continuity editing entails finding a balance between literal continuity and perceived continuity. For instance, editors may condense action across cuts in a non-distracting way. A character walking from one place to another may 'skip' a section of floor from one side of a cut to the other, but the cut is constructed to appear continuous so as not to distract the viewer. Early Russian filmmakers such as Lev Kuleshov further explored and theorised about editing and its ideological nature. Sergei Eisenstein developed a system of editing that was designed to be unconcerned with the overall rules of the continuity system of classical Hollywood that he called Intellectual montage. Alternatives to traditional editing were also explored by early surrealist and Dada filmmakers such as Luis Buñuel (director of 1929's Un Chien Andalou) and René Clair (director of 1924's Entr'acte, which starred famous Dada artists Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray). The French New Wave filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, as well as their American counterparts such as Andy Warhol and John Cassavetes also pushed the limits of continuity editing during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. French New Wave films and the non-narrative films of the 1960s used a carefree editing style, and did not conform to the traditional editing etiquette of Hollywood films. Just like its Dada and surrealist predecessors, French New Wave editing often drew attention to itself by its lack of continuity, its demystifying nature (often reminding the audience that they were watching a film), and its overt use of jump cuts or the insertion of material not often related to any narrative. Three of the most influential editors of French New Wave films were the women who (in combination) edited 15 of Godard's films. These were Françoise Collin, Agnès Guillemot, and Cécile Decugis.
I was contacted by Fruit Bowl Tech: a start-up technology communications company operating from Milton Keynes in the UK, regarding promotion of their new application known as DNA. Apparently, the company was rather fond of my work on the marketing of other products and services, and believed that I was a suitable designer to reach out to. The company requested that I produce a television advertisement in order to inform and persuade viewers to use their new service. Once I had agreed to consider the offer, I was invited to a meeting with the key members of Fruit Bowl Tech, to discuss the main purpose, message, audience, and branding of the service in regards to visual advertising.
Upon meeting my client, full detail of DNA's purpose was provided, as well as the extent to which it could be utilised. I was given evidence based on tests suggesting that the application would allow collaboration across the world in a shared, global family tree network, enabling relatives to share information with each other. This would ultimately allow users to more easily associate with their current family members, learn about deceased ancestors that existed centuries ago, and appreciate their heritage much more than before. I was also provided with the message that the client wanted me to implement into the advertisement, which was the concept of family. Specifically, it was most important that I make the audience realise the true beauty and significance of the forming and maintenance of bonds between current family members, as well as of the momentous experience of learning about the lives of past relatives. After discussing the application's purpose and message to the world, the client clearly explained the type of audience that my promotion should aim to appeal towards. Consisting of explorers and seekers of their family history, generally between the ages of twenty and eighty, the audience would be the most important aspect of the service. In terms of brand perception, the client obviously requested that the title of the application be present at some point in the video, in addition to the company name and logo being clearly visible at the end of the advertisement. Additionally, the promotion must plainly state that the application is completely free to use, thereby including the downloading, creating of accounts, and receiving of results. Furthermore, although not entirely necessary, it was suggested that I try to include within the visuals a certain shade of crimson that the company is hoping to make people associate with the application, as it is the main colour of the logo, and is used all throughout the program itself.
Due to being told of the application's high potential of enabling users to learn about past relatives that existed many centuries ago, I wanted my advertisement to capture the visual distinctions of previous time periods, along with the fascination that comes from discovering that one's ancestors can be traced back to such periods. Overall, I knew from the beginning that one of the most appropriate ways of promoting this feature was for my advertisement to feature realistic depictions of individuals from certain eras. Such eras would be portrayed through the clothing, makeup, and possessions of each character. This meant that the advertisement would consist of actors using their appearance to represent one of multiple time periods that had yet to be chosen. I performed basic research on the majority of previous eras set after a certain period that Fruit Bowl Tech told me was too unlikely to trace family trees back to. Afterwards, I narrowed the amount that I would include in my advertisement down to ten, based on general appearance. Once I had a general concept in mind, I produced a basic mood board consisting of online images, to help visualise the characters.
The types of individuals that I had chosen were Ancient Greek, Roman Soldier, Viking Warrior, Renaissance Lady, Tudor Nobleman, Georgian Lady, Victorian Lady, British World War I Soldier, British World War II Soldier, and Modern Man. Satisfied with the idea, I began work on the official planning by creating a storyboard to determine the exact content of the advertisement.
The advertisement would begin by fully presenting the first character: a male civilian from Ancient Greece, dressed in a white chiton (form of tunic) worn underneath a red himation (form of wrap), complete with a pair of leather sandals. Appearing from afar at first, the camera will quickly zoom in, keeping the character in the centre of the frame. Once the camera is at least two meters away from the character, it will begin to move horizontally left around the figure, whilst simultaneously moving upwards in a gentle manner, so that the whole attire is shown in full detail. This will last for seven seconds, before the camera reaches the character's face, neck and shoulders. Their eyes, which will be looking at the camera lens since the beginning of the advertisement, are the main focal point at this time, due to being centered in the frame. After three seconds, the camera will turn completely around to the right, in order to reveal the second character, who will be stood the same distance away as the Ancient Greek originally was.
Stood in place as the new figure, he will be donned in Roman Solider uniform, consisting of a galea (form of helmet), chest armour made of metal strips worn above a red tunic, and caligae (heavy-soled, hobnailed, military sandal boots). He will be wielding a gladius (sword) in his right hand, and a scutum (shield) in his left. The camera shall move in the exact same manner, before turning around to reveal the third character.
As a Viking Warrior, the new individual shall be wearing a brown sort of coat made from faux fur (to represent a real animal pelt), topped with a tunic made of linen, above a pair of woollen trousers and leather boots. The character will also be featured sporting a spangenhelm (form of helmet), and shall be holding a bearded axe in his right hand, as well as a round shield in his left. Once the camera has finished presenting in the same fashion as before, it will turn to exhibit the following historical individual.
In order to capture the likeness of a female civilian from Europe during the period of the Renaissance, the fourth character appears in a chemise (long, white garment resembling a nightdress), underneath a leather corset, mostly covered by a full-length, orange gown. Upon her head sits a conical hennin (form of headdress). The camera will perform its movement, and finish by centering the next character of the advertisement.
For the appearance of a Tudor Nobleman, the next individual will be dressed in a doublet (tight-fitting jacket), topped by a jerkin (short jacket) that is slashed to show rich lining underneath. Worn above this is a gown edged in fake ermine (winter fur of stoats), whilst a ruff is sported around the neck. His legs will be fitted with breeches (trouser-like garments), placed above white hose (form of stockings), accompanied by squared-toed, leather shoes. The top of the head will be covered by a bonnet (round, wide-brimmed cap). To complete the look, the character will be using his right hand to wield a rapier (form of sword). The next individual will be presented through the same use of camerawork.
Following on, the sixth figure - a Georgian Lady - shall be fitted with a chemise, underneath a farthingale (hooped petticoat around the hips) worn to greatly extend and shape the woman's skirts placed over. Atop this will be a dark blue kirtle (underskirt), suited below a somewhat lighter shade of blue overgown, which will be fashioned to allow a front piece of the kirtle to show through in a 'v' shape. Although the skirts will completely cover the figure's legs and feet, she will also wear high-heeled shoes to increase height. Lastly, her hair will be tied back into a loose-fitting bun. Once again, the camera will circle the character to display her thoroughly, before turning to reveal the following figure.
Succeeding the previous individual, the next dresses as a Victorian Lady. Therefore, she will be wearing a chemise, topped with a corset, three ordinary petticoats, and a crinoline (structured petticoat stuck out at the back to create a bustle shape). Above all this, she will sport a red undergown that trails on the floor behind, as well as a chequered overgown that is draped over the front and back of the lady, and ruched up at the sides. Despite her shoes not being seen due to the length of the dress, she will wear high-heeled, leather boots to appear taller. Her hair will be curled, whilst being held high at the back of the head, and pushed over her left shoulder. Atop her head sits a small postilion hat, made with a high crown and narrow brim, decorated with a red band and black feathers. After she has been presented in full detail, the camera will move as it always has done to show the very next individual.
To represent a British World War I Soldier, the following character will be donned in a thick, woolen, khaki uniform consisting of a tunic and a pair of trousers. Many pockets will be sown onto the tunic in specific places, as will a set of brass buttons. Puttees (form of wraps for legs) will be worn around the ankles and calves, above ammunition boots with hobnails attached to the soles. A Mark I Brodie helmet must be placed on his head, and fastened securely using the strap that comes out from either side of the helmet, before being stretched around the chin. He will also wear a webbing for carrying kit around his front, back and shoulders. To finish the look, the character will be using both hands to wield a replica of a WWI rifle with a bayonet fitted on the end of the muzzle. As usual, the camera shall record the soldier, before unveiling the individual that follows.
Being clothed in battledress (form of military uniform adopted by the British Army), the adjacent figure matches the appearance of a British World War II Soldier. The man will sport a short blouse with two pockets, as well as a pair of trousers that features a cargo pocket on the left leg, and is enclosed by webbing anklets. He will also wear a pair of black ammunition boots, along with a webbing for carrying kit around his front, back and shoulders. His head shall be covered by a Mark II Brodie helmet fitted with a chinstrap, and coated with a helmet cover (camouflaged netting). Most of the face will be hidden by a gas mask, and he will will use both hand to hold a replica of a Lee-Enfield rifle. Despite the mask, the camera can still present the character's eyes through the lenses, until it turns to display the next figure.
Ending the line of characters, the tenth and final individual will represent a Modern Man by being dressed in a simple, grey hoodie with white drawstrings, combined with blue jeans and white trainers. This modern look will help the majority of target audience viewers to relate to early on in their DNA journey. When the camera has circled the man, and is facing his eyes, instead of turning to the right, it will slowly back away, keeping the character in the centre of the frame. A male voice can be heard calmly saying 'Discover your past. Navigate your present. Achieve your future.'. The visuals will then fade to reveal the application's name and logo, as well as the web address and company phone number, over a background coloured with the shade of crimson used by the service. At this point, the same voice will say 'For free, join and use DNA today. Thank you.', before the advertisement ends. It is important to remember that from the moment that each character appears onscreen, they will not move, remaining frozen in place as if they are statues. Additionally, for the whole runtime, the background used behind and all around the characters will be the same crimson shade that the company hopes people will associate the service with.
For the organised scheduling of tasks, I created a Gantt chart to plan the dates that each duty should be completed by.
A script was required to give to the voice actor that would later be hired, and so I took the time to produce one.
Since the advertisement is to contain no diegetic sound, music is required to suit the visuals. Without any, the video would play in complete silence until the voice-over plays at the end, making the experience seem uninviting and improper. Therefore, in order for the advertisement to be even more enjoyable as well as impactful, I chose to layer the footage with royalty-free, public domain music in the form of Scott Buckley's Titan: a song that both matches and enhances the monumental experience of discovering past relatives and the periods of which they lived in.
For legal reasons, I printed copies of an official form detailing release of the video itself, to later ensure that all actors hired to star in the video would willingly sign.
Once basic planning for the advertisement had been completed, I contacted the client via email, sending a copy of my work, in order to receive feedback. Upon reviewing my ideas and way of executing them, the client approved, and granted me further permission to begin creating the promotion on camera.
Due to the advertisement's nature of being intended for television broadcast, it obviously needed to be filmed using highly professional camera and lighting equipment. In order to utilise such resources without spending ridiculous amounts of money on the purchasing of said equipment, I hired what was required from a company known as Cameraworks. The hardware consisted of a camera, lens, gimbal, and four LED lights. Although the equipment was only needed for three days, I decided to hire all for a week each, since doing so for the first three pieces equaled the same price as hiring them for three days at a time. For example, instead of hiring the camera for three days at the total price of £480 - due to usage for each day costing £160 - I chose the option that meant paying £480 for each week, as I would be spending the same amount whilst receiving a longer time of usage.
For the cinematography that I had in mind, I would need to make efficient use of a green screen studio. My search results informed me of Studio 1 at Camberwell Film Studios located in London. Not only did this establishment appear highly impressive to me due to being 7.5 metres wide - which I needed to take advantage of - it also seemed suitable because of what was included in the price. A production office, wardrobe and makeup room, drive-in for cars, on-site parking, Wi-Fi, shared use of the canteen, and basic catering, are all covered in addition to the studio. I decided to pay three lots of £725, equaling £2175 in total, as three days was the estimated amount of time that the filming for the advertisement would be finished by.
As is the case for all film and television productions, all crew members hired to operate in the rented studio within working hours, must be well fed and watered. While Camberwell Film Studios do not offer catering directly, they are local to a café situated very close the establishment that would serve as the work area for at least three days. Each of the seventeen crew members would be given £20, equaling £340 overall, to spend on food from the café, which could be ordered through telephone call, before being collected and eaten in the canteen provided by the studio. The café was also suitable due to its likeliness to please everyone, including vegetarians, through its wide variety of menu items such as breakfasts, ciabattas, paninis, wraps, sandwiches, burgers, jacket potatoes, salads, various main meals, various desserts, tea, coffee, soft drinks, milkshakes, and smoothies.
Four groups of people were required to effectively produce the advertisement. These were actors, hair and makeup artists, equipment technicians, and property masters. All ten actors were hired from Backstage, and agreed to be paid £300 for each of the three days spent filming. Two makeup artists were employed from Brushstroke, both accepting payment of £250 per day. In addition, a couple of equipment technicians working for Kennington Film Studios were recruited, with one being paid £350 each day for managing camera equipment, and the other being paid the same amount for management of lighting. Lastly, two property masters listed on Source Media TV were also commissioned, each for a price of £200 per day, with one being responsible for acquiring the props needed, and the other tasked with overseeing them.
After browsing Voices.com for a professional voice actor, I encountered one who I felt truly captured the wonder behind the phenomenon of tracing family bloodlines to discover the lives of past relatives. Thus, I decided to hire him by sending a copy of the script, before he agreed to be paid £40 to speak for a definitive eight seconds.
PeoplePerHour provided me with a range of qualified editors suitable for creating the advertisement's closing scene. Finding a freelancer who had produced similar work to what I had in mind, I hired him for a very reasonable price of £20 per hour. This meant that I only needed to pay him one amount due to knowing that what I was asking for would take little time to develop.
In order for the voice actor to record their lines efficaciously, I needed to hire a recording studio so that I would be granted access to audio equipment that enabled the voice-over to achieve a high level of authenticity and trustworthiness. Impressed by Studio 3 at Voiceover Soho in London, I paid £99 for its Wild Voice-Over Recording option. Since the overall price was £99 per hour, I thought it wise to only pay for one hour, since only eighteen words were required to be recorded.
Perhaps the most important feature of the advertisement was the clothing that the actors would be dressed in, as these would not only make such individuals appear very different and rather eccentric from the people of today, but would enable the audience to determine the periods from each character originated. After spending a large amount of time searching online, I finally managed to assemble full-body outfits for the actors to wear. Websites such as Medieval Shop, Guntrader, Etsy, Wish, eBay, and Amazon.com provided me with items that I required to craft the centrepiece of the advertisement. This resulted in spending an enormous total of £5346, which although extremely costly, was also highly fruitful.
Ultimately, the official cost of the production of the advertisement was £24370.
At the very end of development, I had a result that I was overly satisfied with, which I therefore sent to my client. After a few days, I was invited to another meeting to hear official feedback, as well as discuss how the advertisement would be presented to the public. Overall, my client was exceedingly pleased with how the promotion had developed. In terms of concerns, the client did inform me that they would have preferred the cost to significantly lower. Nevertheless, they were thrilled with the result, and believed that with the correct presentation, they would be able to earn back the same amount of all money spent, as well as receive plenty more in a reasonably short time.
Promotional videos are marketing and sales tools designed to introduce or educate consumers about particular products, causes, or organisations. Generally, a promotional video is structured to be precise, direct, and to last anywhere between fifteen seconds to multiple hours, depending on the form in which the video is being hosted. For example, television advertisements often last between fifteen seconds to one minute, whereas online advertisements and ones stored on physical media can last from a few seconds to multiple hours. All promotional videos are usually designed to capture and hold the attention of viewers in order to make the key points necessary to generate additional interest. As a marketing tool, promotional videos are often provided to prospective customers free of charge. While in the past, marketing videos were often provided in the form of VHS tapes or on television, videos promoting various goods and services are usually still provided on television or as DVDs. It is important to note that promotional videos can also be utilised conferences or exhibitions with great effect. By setting up a wide screen at an exhibit booth, it is possible to use a computer with the ability to play the promotional video, and software to keep the device playing on a continuous loop. This creates a visual point of interest for people attending said conferences or exhibitions, and could possibly prompt them to visit the booths, so that they may ultimately learn more about the products offered to them. Non-profit organisations sometimes make use of promotional videos. Since it is possible to produce these videos for very little money today, it is possible to distribute them among potential patrons who may become sources of consistent financial support. As in a business setting, the non-profit organisations can also present the promotional videos on continuous loops at types of public gatherings, with the aim to hopefully connect with people who would be interested in supporting the work of said organisations. Many promotional videos can also be utilised to great effect with online networking sites today. Uploading the videos to particular websites, before supplying links to the videos to interested parties makes the process of sharing the tool with a wider audience. It is not unusual for websites to provide viewers with a simple way of sharing the links with other people that they believe would be interested in seeing the videos as well. Such an added benefit helps to increase the visibility of the videos, and thus further advance the messages contained within. Corporate videos refer to any type of non-advertisement based video content created for and commissioned by businesses, companies, corporations, or organisations. Today, the vast majority of corporate video content is hosted online, and is published on the companies' website website pages, as well as distributed through social media or email marketing. Generally, corporate video content is targeted towards the company’s core selling demographics or internal employees. Corporate video production is frequently the responsibility of a marketing director or corporate communications manager. Examples of corporate video include corporate overview videos, staff training and safety videos, promotional/brand films, investor relations and shareholder videos, market updates, product videos, executive proposal videos, and customer testimonial videos. As video becomes a more integral part of companies' communication strategies, often companies will release corporate videos with press release announcements, newsletters and other forms of communication in order to bolster the message reach and effectiveness. The time and scale of each corporate video production can vary greatly based on complexity and messaging. Some corporate videos may use only minimal crew and basic equipment, whilst others elect for higher quality content, and contract with corporate video production specialists whose core focus is on creating business-to-business corporate video content. Video content has become a significant ranking factor for search engine optimisation from search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. As a result, more companies are electing to create corporate video content for their websites. On average, the corporate video production process will frequently involve five stages. The first stage is project initiation, budgeting, and creation of statement of work. What follows is the pre-production stage in which planning may include script writing, storyboard creating, casting, location scouting, and scheduling. Next, video production commences, usually including location filming with camera crews and directors, which may also involve other elements, such as actors and presenters. Once finished, post-production and video editing begins, which means that the filmed (live action) footage is edited together, possibly including recording audio voice-overs, adding graphics, composing music scores or soundtracks, and including 2D/3D animation sequences with the finished video. To finish, the last stage consists of the final delivery and website integration. Production launch and marketing promotional videos inform audiences about new products and services that have since been launched into the market. Their aim is to highlight the products' or services' key features by explaining their purpose and how they benefit customers. Such videos may perform this by including footage showing people using the products or services in appealing ways, or through celebrity endorsement in which celebrities explain the advantage of the products or services. The videos are designed to show the audience how the products or services are innovative, as well as how they are superior to other choices on the market, explaining their key aspects in fascinating ways through use of live action video and animation. A famous example of a production launch and marketing promotional video is the Gorilla advertisement, released on behalf of Cadbury, in 2007, to promote Cadbury Dairy Milk-brand chocolate. The advert consists of a simple, ninety-second tracking shot across a music studio, with Phil Collins' song In the Air Tonight playing in the background, whilst a large gorilla sitting at a drum kit plays along with the track's famous drum fill. By almost immediately presenting the text 'a GLASS and a HALF FULL PRODUCTION', the advert is already informing the viewers of what product or service is being promoted, since other Cadbury advertisements have featured the same text. Twenty seconds into the video, the chorus to Collins' song begins to play, as the whole of the gorilla's face is revealed, showing the creature breathing deeply. At this point, the viewers are aware of the frivolous attitude that the advert possess, as it clearly does not want to be taken seriously. In this case, the visuals appeal strongly to young children, whilst the music may relate to adults of many ages. It is important to remember that Cadbury chocolate is a universal product that does not cater specifically to any one particular group of people. Therefore, the advert is designed to be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, income, or any other background feature. Nevertheless, it can be stated although the advert most definitely appeals to all ages, it focuses somewhat more on children, due to the nature of the video. It appears to borrow a lot of techniques from viral Internet videos, usually watched by millennials, as it is almost anarchic in its disregard for rules aimed at common promotional videos of the same type. Its randomness and unpredictability makes it humorous, along with it having absolutely nothing to link itself to chocolate, which gives it a memorable quality. Despite this, the video still manages to convey its message, mainly through the fact that the background colour is the shade of purple that can famously be associated with Cadbury in circumstances of advertising. Therefore, although their Dairy Milk chocolate bar is presented at the very end of the video, one may argue that the main promotion is for the concept of the Cadbury brand, especially since the bar is their most simple as well as their most beloved. Promotion of key messages and ideas promotional videos educate and inform the audience about particular causes, topics or subjects. They are usually designed to help viewers gain an understanding of issues that they or others may be facing. Often used by charities to persuade the audience to donate money for certain causes, they can also be based on drugs, alcohol, and crime awareness, as well as other topics, such as animals, education, and the environment. The videos are usually short in length, lasting between two and five minutes in total. In some ways, they are like short documentaries, whilst still often being very engaging and informative for the viewers. A powerfully emotive example of a promotion of key messages and ideas promotional video is the Turtle Journey advertisement, created by Greenpeace and Aardman Animations, in 2020, to persuade people to sign a petition calling for a global network of ocean sanctuaries to protect the homes of sea turtles. Most of the video is based around the stop motion genre (more specifically, claymation), and features a family of clay turtles returning home from visiting other members. Once they reach their house, a giant wall of lights approaches rapidly, destroying the environment, and separating the children and father from their mother. As the children and father cry to viewers, text appears to explain the purpose of the advert, before showing an image of many turtles protesting against the destruction of the ocean. Before considering the technical conveyances, it is essential to contemplate the specific style of visuals used. As many people know, almost all pieces produced by Aardman Animations have a distinctive and immediately recognisable visual style to them, brought about by the manipulation of clay. In 1972, the studio was founded, and in 1977, one of their most beloved franchises - Morph - was launched, appearing on several UK television programmes, meaning that the older generation of viewers for the advert may easily recognise the talent behind the work. On the other hand, due to other Aardman Animation franchises (such as Wallace and Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep), younger people may also feel the need to act on the advert's message, as they are more likely to trust the creators of entertainment that they have enjoyed, and can be loved by all ages. In terms of narrative, from the very start, the animated world within the video, despite supposedly existing at the bottom of the ocean, is presented as society above the surface. Not only do seashells function as cars, and currents as busy roads, but the turtles are portrayed together as an average family, peacefully travelling home after a long day spent with other members. This character portrayal helps to resonate with the viewers, as they can much more easily imagine how devastating it would be for them if their homes were destroyed, and they were separated from their families. Additionally, near the end of the video, the viewers hear the line 'We can't change the past, but we can demand a better future', hoping to convince people to act as soon as possible, by stating that together, 'we' have the ability to protect the ocean life, thereby changing the world for the greater good.
Internal communications promotional videos, rather than being designed for the viewing experiences of clients, are generally created by businesses to show to their own staff. They are generally used to promote new ideas and concepts to employees, often regarding certain products and services that they are involved with. This information may be provided by business specialists, including suppliers who may have been called to provide vital information of certain products or services, or industry experts who could have been hired to share details on the latest trends in order to help the recipient companies outdistance competitors. A comical example of an internal communications promotional video is one released in 2017 by EasyJet to entertain the company's flight attendants through the use of humour. The video in question is a spoof, designed merely to make innocent fun of the target audience's profession, but can still be classed as a video of internal communication. By making and presenting this piece, the viewers are not only amused, but shown that the company that they work for has a good sense of humour, possible improving relationships between each type of employee. In addition, although the video does not convey any kind of important information, its use of comedy keeps the audience engaged, which may help persuade them to listen all the way through future promotional videos of the internal communications nature. The video also seems to follow common standards of political correctness, as it contains an equal amount of actors in the form of a woman, a (supposedly) heterosexual man, and a (supposedly) homosexual man, which despite being a small detail, can help impress certain viewers by making them feel proud to work for EasyJet. In terms of the background music and overall tone of the video, it has the impression of being peaceful and accommodating as well as sedate. This not only makes the comical aspects somewhat more pronounced, but links to the customer service that the flight attendants are hired to provide. Since one of the workers' main roles is to assist and calm passengers, in addition to making them feel welcome, the video conveys this same attitude to better connect with the viewers and their profession. Regarding conveyance of brand, the video features great usage of multiple shades of bright orange seen in the form of triangular shapes on both the actors' uniforms, and the text backgrounds. In this case, this shade can be associated with EasyJet so that the viewers will have a greater chance of accurately knowing whether or not the videos that they watch are indeed created from within their company.
Internal/external training promotional videos, shown only by businesses to their employees, are created to teach said staff aspects related to their professions, such as particular skills or ways of working. Internal training videos are created and presented by people (usually from the human resources departments) within businesses to show to others who work within the same ones. The topics handled by such videos include health and safety, risk assessment, pre-planning of certain scenarios, equipment usage, communication with customers, and many others. On the other hand, external training videos are conducted by specialists outside of the companies receiving them, in order to provide outside views on such topics. A humorous example of a internal/external training promotional video is one released in 2016 by Burger King to launch the company's Grilled Dogs product to staff, and depicting American rapper, Snoop Dogg presenting the new menu item. In the video, the concept of Grilled Dogs is shown, before the rapper roughly explains the ingredients used to create the product, as Burger King employees work around him. This evident instance of celebrity endorsement keeps the target audience, which is obviously Burger King kitchen employees, engaged as well as amused. Unlike many other promotional videos of this kind, the one in question is not at all tedious, long-winded, or overloaded with information. In addition, not only does the video cause the viewers to have slightly more admiration for their profession, but also for their company, as it will have taken a significant amount of effort that can be deemed unnecessary, in order to hire an extremely high profile celebrity to star in a simple training promotional video. Such a practice is often done for production launch and marketing promotional videos, in order to persuade greater numbers of ordinary viewers to purchase the product or service being advertised. However, by including a famous celebrity in a short training video only meant to shown to a limited number of employees, Burger King emits the impression that it cares for its workers' welfare much more strongly than other companies. Whomever responsible for creating a training video meant to launch the Grilled Dogs product, could have easily saved themselves a great amount of time and effort by designing a much simpler video that delivers the intended message, but does not engage the viewers at all. Nevertheless, they created a video that most likely made its viewers feel special, and would be remembered by them for a very long time. Still, it is important to know that in terms of information provided, the video is not at all technical, and can actually be considered rather vague. Although due to this, one could regard the video as being poorly grounded, it is most likely that employees were professionally shown in person how to make Grilled Dogs, either before or after being shown the video. Additionally, this imprecision can be justified due to Snoop Dogg's rather relaxed way of speaking in public. On the subject of the rapper's personal preferences, the video's music and editing is reminiscent of his style of music. An example of this is the soft background music in the form of a small rhythm that can be associated with hip hop songs written in the 1980s and 90s, complimenting Snoop Dogg's presence nicely.
Showreel promotional videos are used for a variety of reasons, mainly revolving around the idea of promoting businesses themselves. Each video often consists of an array of clips showcasing the skillfulness of the corresponding business, and what it is capable of. The clips used will almost always be of the businesses' most highly credited accolades, meaning that most showreels will include work that has been done for their products and services, as well as for other corporate companies and clients. Not only does this show the range of connections that each business has, but also how clear and effective their insight into the industry is. A detailed example of a showreel promotional video is the one released in 2020 for the presentation of designs by Weta Workshop. Ever since its foundation in 1987, the company has produced props for many high-grossing, blockbuster films, including those within the franchises of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Other installments consist of Heavenly Creatures (1994), The Last Samurai (2003), Hellboy (2004), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), 30 Days of Night (2007), District 9 (2009), Avatar (2009), Daybreakers (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Elysium (2013), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Krampus (2015), Ghost in the Shell (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), The Great Wall (2017), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and many others. The video includes footage of props being designed and created, as well as showing how they were used in their respective films. Regarding target audience, the video mainly aims itself at people who have a passion for the planning and construction of physical props used within films. By showing short clips of professionals actually planning and producing the physical designs, the fascination of the viewers is amplified, as is their want to be participants in such a craft. However, the piece may also be highly appealing to both average and advanced film supporters, since the inclusion of film scenes depicting the use of such props, helps viewers to relate to the experience on a more personal level. Due to the fact that many of the films featured may have had impact on the lives of the viewers, the people are much more likely to strongly admire and respect the work of Weta Workshop. In terms of structure, to loosely separate the types of designs produced into categories, the video uses large, bold words that are simple yet powerful, placed before each new grouping of designs. Since there are no complex sentences featured anywhere but at the very end of the video, it strengthens the impact of the imagery, as the main source of engagement from the viewer is the forceful and eye-catching visuals of the films. Lastly, the video's incorporation of the initial designing of the featured props, performed through the use of computers, helps not only to promote the expertise and technology of Weta Studios, but the overall advancements made within technology - especially in categories such as 3D modelling and printing, along with other kinds.
Event coverage promotional videos consist of advertisements specifically designed for events, such as concerts, parades, festivals, galas, seminars, conferences, and workshops. The intention of such videos is to capture the feel and atmosphere of the events covered, perhaps by presenting segments of key features, interviewing those attending, and detailing upcoming events. In general, the filming and release of these videos can be carried out before the events occur, during, or even after, so as to inform audiences of any future events. A futuristic example of an event coverage promotional video is a particular one released in 2018 by Epic Games for the presentation of innovative advancements made to the game engine known as Unreal Engine. Since the engine was originally developed in 1998, it has been used to power many popular video games, including the Unreal franchise, along with other titles such as Deus Ex (2000), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002), Gears of War (2006), BioShock (2007), Mass Effect (2007), Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), Borderlands (2009), Dishonored (2012), Spec Ops: The Line (2012), DmC: Devil May Cry (2013), Outlast (2013), Thief (2014), Dead by Daylight (2016), Fortnite Battle Royale (2017), Vampyr (2018), We Happy Few (2018), and many more. The video is of a venue held in Stockholm, and roughly demonstrates the engine's Build event. Since the footage is related to the presentation of such a complex entity, it has a rather precise target audience in mind. One may state that the audience suitable for this video is 'gamers' in general, but it would seem that since the video gaming industry has become immensely favoured, many ordinary 'gamers' will not care to learn about the full extent of the technology behind the titles that they play. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the specific target audience for this video is those who either work in video game development, wish to in the future, or at least simply have a strong passion for learning about the subject at hand. Overall, a large portion of the video is of interview segments taken with multiple people who work in the development of video games, such as computer engineers and business directors. This technique enables the viewers to show great attention, as, based on the names and job descriptions of the interviewees, those watching will know to appreciate and believe the information being spoken by those who have prominent expertise in the subject at hand. Furthermore, the video also includes footage of the technology being used effectively, which gives the viewers a much greater impression of the features of Unreal Engine. Unfortunately, one problem that the video has is its rapid pace through use of editing. Due to the speed in which the content is presented, the viewers may find it difficult to focus on certain parts, and successfully process all of the details heard in time. Nevertheless, this video is merely an event coverage piece, meaning that any viewers who are interested to know more about the information provided at the venue, could most likely watch full videos of each separate interview or presentation.
