Exploring Alternative Filming Techniques

Exploring Alternative Filming Techniques Alice Boucher   Ã‚   Exploring alternative filming techniques in video for the production of short promotional clips with relation to food and advertising Mereki, R. (2016) EAT. Available at: https://vimeo.com/27243869 (Accessed: 1 December 2016). (Mereki, 2016) https://vimeo.com/27243869 Abstract Below you will find a formal proposal consisting of my ideas and intentions for the production of the final major project commencing 2017. For this I plan on exploring different videoing styles and techniques, with the potential of being used for promotional adverts within the genre of food and still life. This FMP proposal will be submitted with a research file, this file will collate different aspects of research that I have started to explore, such as where I found my inspiration and influence, how I aim to incorporate it, techniques I could adapt and how I will approach my FMP. Project Description As mentioned above I have decided that I will dedicate my FMP to the exploration of video technique and production of short promotional videos for the use of advertising, the main theme for this will be following on with food in advertising and commercial food advertisements, this is something that I explored in my HND FMP, however I now aim to explore cinematography in depth rather than a combination of both video and stills, as I did previously. With the aim of this proposed FMP being commercial advertisements, I need to be well aware of the target markets and how I would pitch this, therefor this may mean I could be shooting other objects in regards to still life such as, products. Therefor this proposed FMP is to develop and research the use of cinematography in commercial advertising. At this point I have started to explore different reading on the subject of advertising and how it is done successfully with the citation of books such as, Burtenshaw, Ken, The Fundamentals of Creative Advertisingand Barry, Pete. The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later: A Complete Guide to Creative Ideas, Strategies and Campaigns. New York: Thames Hudson, 2008.    Why do I want to shoot this? From typically shooting stills and my already existing qualifications and career up to this point being purely photography orientated, I have now chose to explore video and cinematography, the reason for this is because ideally I would like to work professionally and also specialize within an area of commercial advertising, therefore the FMP is a chance to practice and explore film and advertising fundamentals and techniques in preparation into a career, having briefly explored video in my HND FMP it gives me the option to expand from existing knowledge and previous work I have produced, in conclusion to this the FMP will be a personal, educational and professional body of work. How I could I shoot this? When shooting film there are several options that I need to consider and be aware of, such as shooting methods, equipment and also post-production. One of the important factors of this would be how I would like my end product to look initially? And where I would like this to be published? Thus being the consideration of target market, target audience, output and solutions. The equipment that I have considered and aim to use in the FMP will alternate between either the black magic 4K camera which is accessible via college or a DSLR capable of recording in high resolution, having previously shot with the 4K I am already aware of the basics on how to set up, control and shoot with the device however I have also decided to so more research on this documented in the research folder. An example of these considerations would be if I wanted my work to be viewed and a large cinema style screen as a sitting like a film opening, I should use the black magic 4K, this is because the camera shoots at ultra HD therefore will look much better on a larger screen, opposed to this if I want my work to be viewed on social media I should consider using a DSLR capable of shooting video, this would be because the file size and output would be a lot smaller for web use. Other Equipment Alternate equipment that I should also consider and have also researched for producing my FMP is a series of different accessories to accompany the camera to produce different video style and techniques, this is equipment such as dolling tracks, shoulder stabilizer, the possibility of a gimbal and also a selection of tripods, each of these mention will give my footage different aesthetics opposed to not using them. The reason that I plan to incorporate this equipment into my FMP research and shoots is so I have a broad range of equipment and techniques to explore, this will also enable different equipment experience when seeking a career. Shooting Methods When it comes to shooting video footage opposed to still, whilst the camera control and function may be the same but the methods are different, similar to photography the shooting methods are all dependent on the overall aesthetics. Due to being relatively new to shooting video I plan to dedicate a large proportion of my FMP to research and exploration, some techniques that are documented in my research file are methods such as stop motion, hyper stop motion, time lapse, match on action and pull focus. One of the techniques that I have already explored for this FMP proposal is stop motion conducting research into the likes of the production for Wallace and Grommit who use stop motion to and animation to produce films, stop motion is when you shoot several still images and put them in a sequence with little delay or loop to create the aspect of movement, below is my first attempt at producing stop motion with food to produce a recipe video, for this I used several techniques such as, Shooting the stop motion, editing in photoshop, adding animation and text to narrate the video, the contacts sheets from this can be found in my research file. https://vimeo.com/home/myvideos Inspiration and influence for shooting film. Below you will find my main source of inspiration and influence into shooting film, each contains a brief reason as to what it is, why it influence me and a link to where it can be found for viewing, please not none of the work shown below is my own and will be reference in the reading list. The Comfy Duck https://www.instagram.com/p/BCv3EdXN4q5/ This short video clip runs for approximately 9secs, combining bursts of short video and stills, I found this looking at different restaurants and photographers on instagram, this Is a promotional video for Lincolnshire based restaurant, unfortunately I am yet to find out who the videographer for this shoot was, however I am in touch with the stylist therefor I am hoping to get an insight. I love the whole aesthetic of this promo, all of the components e.g. the styling, the music, the clips all work together really well, this restaurant also sports really beautiful food photography too, for me this is the main inspiration and drive behind me wanting to explore film. Marks And Spencer https://www.facebook.com/pg/MarksandSpencer/videos/?ref=page_internal Another series of adverts that are appreciated by the masses and that have become very iconic is those of Marks and Spencer, all of there adverts are beautifully produced, however its the seasonal Christmas adverts that really stand out to me, they have got such a magical feel to them that itd be hard not to like them, something that I would definitely like to aspire too. Pret A Manger https://www.facebook.com/pretamanger/videos/ Another short video that Is very current that I appreciate is this from Pret A Manger, its a short promo of a reveal of a new product, for this rather than actual video footage and recording, they have used stills to create a video e.g. stop motion, sometimes stop motion can look a little amateur but I think for this it works really Head Shot Productions https://vimeo.com/119735260 Head Shot Productions are videographers and producers based in Moscow, the reason that I have decided to include these in my inspiration is because I think there actual shooting and technical ability is really strong, something that really stood out to me in this was the di erent transitions, the use of the pull focus, and the motion either used with a tracker or a gimble, either way they were all done with a subtle approach yet it looks great.   Ã‚   Magnum The reason that I have decided to look at the magnum advert isnt necessarily because I enjoy it or anything that I aim to, it is simply because this is a prime example of different conventions within video, such as the sexual objectification of women and the whole idea of phallic objectification and body forms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCvL3arnps Areas of exploration and consideration: Above I have mentioned my project plan, areas I have explored, and other research and reading I can conduct on the subject matter as well as this I have made another list of research I have briefly explored but will do so more in the FMP such as considerations to objectivity, feminism, human needs, men and women, how men look at women, phallic, analytical, conventions, symbolism and audience consideration in film and advertising, a prime example of this is how women are depicted in film, one of the commercial ads that have become very famous for this is Cadbury Flakes, this became noticeably famous because of the use the chocolate being used as a phallic object, situated In a bath tub depicting the woman as having an orgasm, this apparently appeals to men and women alike and gave the Cadbury a selling point sex sells however a survey produced actually concluded that women react more negatively to this than men (Dahl, Sengupta, Vohs 2008). But what is it that makes sex sell? This is has a strong link to Maslows hierarchy of needs a theory of psychological review into the behavior of humans. This is an example of Maslows Hierarchy of needs, explored in depth in the research aspect of this proposal, but this basically is a review into the psychological aspects of humans, wants and needs to survive. Literature review and theory consideration Throughout the production of this research and proposal i have considered and selected specific readings and theory in relation to my FMP and subject area, now moving on from my initial proposal and plans to shoot film and driving this and future projects forward, I should also be aware of other literature and readings that will help develop my FMP, I will now create a literature review of the other research and readings I should consider and produce, these are split into three sections, overall film and technology, Sexual objectification, symbolisms and needs and also different creative marketing and advertising techniques, you will find a full report of reading and theory already researched and also future readings below with reasoning. Sexual objectification, symbolism and human needs in relation to media and advertising: This list of resources has helped me further my knowledge into sexual objectification and symbolism in the media and advertising as well as it linking to Maslow hierarchy of human needs, doing so has helped me conclude whether I will involve these aspects in my film productions and if so how I would involve this Reading List: A Test of Media Literacy Effects and Sexual Objectification in advertising A Test of Media Literacy Effects and Sexual Objectification in Advertising. Journal Of Current Issues Research In Advertising (CTC Press), 29(1), 81-92. The Medias Sexual Objectification of Women, Rape Myth Acceptance and Interpersonal Violence- The Medias Sexual Objectification of Women, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Interpersonal Violence. Journal Of Aggression, Maltreatment Trauma, 24(5), 569-587. Examining the influence of different levels of sexual-stimuli intensity by gender on advertising effectiveness- Examining the influence of different levels of sexual-stimuli intensity by gender on advertising effectiveness. Journal Of Marketing Management, 30(7-8), 697-718. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema- White, M. C. (2007). From text to practice : rereading Laura Mulveys Visual pleasure and narrative cinema towards a different history of the feminist avant-garde. Female Desires Coward, R. (1996). Female desire: Womens sexuality today. London, United Kingdom: HarperCollins Publishers. Creative Advertising and Marketing Techniques As part of my FMP I have also decide that a substantial amount of research and reading should include that of different advertising and marketing techniques, the reason for this is because my final outcomes and also career prospects would be for advertising purposes therefor this would be an appropriate area to explore, this research could consist of anything from how to produce advertising context? How to make advertising contexts successful? Or something along the lines researching marketing techniques, included below is a reading list of the literature I plan to study commencing the FMP each of the should help me build up knowledge around advertising and marketing. Reading List Ogilvy on Advertising- Ogilvy, D. (1995). Ogilvy on advertising. London: Prion Books. How to Make It As An Advertising Creative- Veksner, S. (2010). How to make it as an advertising creative. London: Laurence King Publishing. The Fundamentals of Creative Advertising- Burtenshaw, K., Mahon, N., Barfoot, C. (2006). The fundamentals of creative advertising (fundamentals) (2nd ed.). Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA. The Advertising Concept Book- Barry, P. (2008). The advertising concept book: Think now, design later: A complete guide to creative ideas, strategies and campaigns. London: Thames Hudson. Filming and Editing Equipment and Technique- Upon the successful completion of my FMP something else that I should considered reading into other than Sexual Objectification in the Media, Advertising and Marketing is Filming and Editing Technique, whilst at this point I should have already produced research into filming techniques and also editing further literate readings and knowledge must be accustomed, below are the references to different readings which will take place, ranging from Journals, Books and Websites. Reading List Film Art: An Introduction- Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., Bordwell, P. D. (2007). Film art: An introduction (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill. How To Read a Film: The Art, Technology, Language, History and Theory of Film and Media- Monaco, J. (1977). How to read a film: The art, technology, language, history, and theory of film and media (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Edit DSLR Video- Incorporated, A. S. (2016, June 20). Edit DSLR video. Retrieved December 31, 2016, from https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/how-to/dslr-video.html?playlist=%2Fccx%2Fv1%2Fcollection%2Fproduct%2Fpremiere-pro%2Fsegment%2Fdesigner%2Fexplevel%2Fbeginner%2Fapplaunch%2Forientation%2Fcollection.ccx.js Learn five editing basics in Premiere Pro- Incorporated, A. S. (2016, November 2). Learn five editing basics in premiere pro. Retrieved December 31, 2016, from https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/how-to/easy-video.html?playlist=%2Fccx%2Fv1%2Fcollection%2Fproduct%2Fpremiere-pro%2Fsegment%2Fdesigner%2Fexplevel%2Fbeginner%2Fapplaunch%2Forientation%2Fcollection.ccx.js Try basic video editing techniques Incorporated, A. S. (2016, November 2). Try basic video editing techniques. Retrieved December 31, 2016, from https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/how-to/edit-videos.html?playlist=%2Fccx%2Fv1%2Fcollection%2Fproduct%2Fpremiere-pro%2Fsegment%2Fdesigner%2Fexplevel%2Fbeginner%2Fapplaunch%2Forientation%2Fcollection.ccx