CCR Commercial

 Creative Critical Reflection 

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?

 

The product which I used, Powerade, followed most of the traditional conventions of its past commercials, but also made sure to challenge some of them. The norm for the conventions for a sports drink commercial like Powerade would be fast jump cuts, inspirational music, quick paced movements, and sweating. While my group and I’s commercial does follow most of the conventions, it also challenges some and goes against the grain of normal conventions of a sports drink commercial. The commercial did not include inspirational music, instead it used pop music from popular artist Bon Jovi; it also did not put emphasis on the color of the Powerade drink like other commercials do.  My commercial did use jump cuts, and sweating, and showed athletic movements, which did follow the norm for the conventions, making the commercial follow the standard guidelines of athletic commercials, specifically sports drinks.   My commercial was set to represent and gear towards athletes and people who engage in athletic activities or events. We were looking to attract all people looking for a way to further their athletic experiences, regardless of their gender, age, or race. We made sure to be able to attract this group of people by using engaging scenery (the beach), catchy music, thirst quenching themes (wave washing over drink), and running. Athletes are usually always moving, blood pumping, and constantly feel pumped, as they are always doing activities that cause them to be in the moment and energized. The commercial made sure to integrate those themes to attract our desired, target audience, which was the commercial's goal while making it. 

 

2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text? 

 

To begin, this commercial starts out with a bang, showing our actor's foot stomping on the ground in front of him as he runs past. It also opens with the song “Runaway” by Bon Jovi, captivating the audience's attention. The quick jump cuts and catchy music will glue the audiences' eyes to the screen, jolting them out of their past state and pulling all their attention onto the screen. The great acting and cinematography will make the people want to stay to see the end of the commercial, as well as the plot twist that comes with it. Themes of brotherhood and community also touch the audience's heart, hopefully causing them to stay for longer and watch until the end. 

To get the commercial distributed to multiple viewers and audiences around the world, I would have it being played during athletic broadcasts, such as Sunday night football games, soccer matches, or baseball/basketball games. I would do this because the people watching these events are most likely athletes or involved with athletics, so they would be keener to purchase the product. The commercial would be produced possibly using higher quality film cameras and would require the proper licensing to use Bon Jovis song ‘Runaway’. It would then be distributed throughout the world by purchasing ad space on certain sites and programs, specifically ones where the target audience would be found most on. Finally, it would be marketed by being played during sporting events such as Sunday or Thursday night football, baseball games, basketball games, soccer games, and other sporting events. 

 

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

 

Throughout this project, my production skills have overall improved in every single aspect. My editing has improved, my filming and videography has improved, and so has my directing. All these improvements have not only changed my work, but also me as a person. Learning these skills has taught me determination, resilience, seeing things creatively, and learning to appreciate the arts more. Before this project, I had no interest in videography or the arts, but now, I find myself watching short films made by others my age or older and seeing what these people do to make them so interesting. This project has caused me to develop a true liking for film making and has opened my eyes to investigate careers that have to do with marketing and/or film. Before this project, I was unable to properly edit or direct anything properly and would constantly find myself not knowing what I was doing. As the project went on, I learned and realized more and more about what I want to do possibly as a career. I have now learned how to properly use Lightroom, CapCut, and sound importers/exporters thanks to this project. In future projects, I can make sure to use the skills I have now learned to make it the best it can be. 

 

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project? 

To begin, I went into this project not knowing much about editing software, or really any software's at all. I barely knew how to use CapCut, which is supposed to be a beginner level editing software, yet to me it seemed like a jungle of buttons and videos. I knew that eventually, I would encounter some form of editing software, whether it was Adobe Lightroom or CapCut. The hardware was also hard, since I had never really transferred pictures/videos from an SD card over to a computer before, same thing with the online technology, embedding the commercial into Blogger was a challenge, but with the help of my teacher, I was able to find easy ways to complete the task. Learning how to use the software was the hardest part of this project, since I had little to no background in editing software, so everything I learnt had to be from the ground up. After learning how to use all these technologies, I used Adobe Lightroom to properly color grade the video to match the vibe we were going for. I used CapCut to link all the clips of the commercial together and then add in the effects that would be included. In the end, I think the videos paid off, since the commercial came out pretty good. Overall, software, hardware, and online technology were all integrated into this project, and that is what made it come out so good.