Unit 20, D2: Demonstrate how the technical and aesthetic properties of the media components meet the client brief

I have made four adverts for my TV series: a TV advert; a Radio advert; two billboard adverts and two social media adverts. These span across four platforms. By creating these I have met the aspect of the brief that requires 'cross-media advertising'. 

TV Advert

See my TV advert here.

The TV advert meets the brief because it raises awareness of the series by clearly stating the name in the voiceover and says where it is broadcast and where it can be watched on the BBC iPlayer. 

The combination of clips chosen in the programme is taken from suspenseful/key moments of the series. For example, we see moments from when the female character has to tell the protagonist they are leaving them stranded in Calais whilst they head home. We get to see the main moment of the programme but not enough to actually know what is happening - this will create questions in the users mind? Who are these two people? What is their relationship? What is going to happen to them? It is these questions that are left unanswered from the advert that I believe will draw viewers in - they will want to watch to see what happens to them. 

A black screen with a 'scream' sound effect is also used to in the advert - I believe this is effective because it causes people who may not be paying attention to the advert initially, to suddenly direct their attention. If a human hears another person screaming, instinct will mean they automatically look - drawing them into the ad without realising. 

The TV Advert has been exported in 16:9 aspect ratio at 1920x1080 High Definition quality in 25 frames per second to meet the requirements laid out by the BBC for High Definition broadcast. The audio does not breach -23LUFS loudness peak for audio as laid out in the guidelines.

Radio Advert

Listen to my Radio advert here.

The radio advert clearly states that the programme is going to be available on BBC Three via the voiceover and features many of the same features that the TV advert does to interest/pull viewers in.

The heart monitor sound effects sound alone with no other audio for a few seconds. This will stand out on the radio when it is played between songs or in between other conversation as it will almost sound out of place - making the listener wonder 'what is this all about'? This suspense will hopefully make people more likely to tune in.

The radio advert has been exported as a 44.1 KHz, 16 bit Linear .wav File, to meet the standards for BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra for broadcast as laid out in BBC guidelines for broadcast on the stations.

Billboard Adverts

See my billboard examples here.

The Billboard features the BBC Three logo and also a URL to where the users can find the programme therefor giving them the info they need to know how to access the series.

A slogan is also used which is designed to make the user intrigued about the program..."It's not what you think?"...making the viewer think "what is it then?" etc. Increasing the chances they will want to watch.

The billboard follows conventional billboard sizes in the UK. The portrait billboard was set to 47.24'' x 70.87'' which is the standard size for 6 sheet train station billboards as I found on https://www.billboardadvertising.org.uk/size/6-sheet/. The landscape billboard was made to 6.096m x 3.048m for a 48 sheet billboard (standard size as stated on https://www.billboardadvertising.org.uk/size/48-sheet/). Because the billboard is so huge, it does not need to be as high quality, for this reason, 30DPI was enough when exporting.

Social Media Adverts

See my Social Media Ads here.

Social Media adverts directly ask consumers questions about the program. These responses are then re-shared through the @BBCThree social media accounts. This is direct engagement with the audience and as they are being asked to actually do something they are more likely to want to understand what it is they are interacting with - therefore increasing the chance they will want to watch the program. For some people, the chance of getting there name shared on an official BBC account which will be seen by millions is also likely to increase engagement with the program.

Social media sites have different requirements for video uploads on the site. Twitter states: "Videos must be 2 minutes and 20 seconds or less, the minimum resolution for Twitter videos is 32 x 32 and the maximum resolution is 1920 x 1200, supported formats are MP4 and MOV on the Twitter mobile apps and, on the web, MP4 with H264 format with AAC audio." Instagram states: H.264 Codec, AAC Audio, 3 500 kbps bitrate for video, a frame rate of 30 fps, maximum file size of 15 mb with max. length of 60 seconds, resolution no wider then 1080px. To ensure these requirements are met the adverts were exported in 1920x1080 resolution as an mp4 h.264 format. File sizes were made as small as possible to allow for smooth streaming on all devices. The video is 25fps and ACC audio format has been used to meet the requirements of the social networks.

Overall I believe the campaign I have created has successfully met the client brief. I believe it creates a strong message in that the new programme coming to BBC Three is worth a watch because of the 'mystery' the advertising campaign creates and also the storyline that follows current events that viewers can relate to from real-world news. All of the adverts provide information on where the programme can be viewed.

To ensure there was no breach of copyright or ethical issues, careful consideration took place throughout pre-production and production - details can be found throughout blog posts of what was done to comply on this blog. 

Unit 20, M3: Explain how the created media components comply with the codes and conventions of the media sectors

Billboard

See my billboard examples here.

The two board advertisements have been created to the correct sizes that would be used within the industry.

The smaller portrait billboard is designed to fit on the end of bus stops and on train stations. In the industry, this is called a 6 sheet advertising and is 47.24'' x 70.87'' or 1.2m x 1.8m in size (source: https://www.billboardadvertising.org.uk/size/6-sheet/). To ensure my billboard followed this technical code I set the Artboard size in Illustrator to the size. Because I was using Illustrator, this means all the elements were converted to vector graphics - meaning when scaled to the size of the billboard the design should not lose quality.

The larger landscape billboard is designed to go in larger train stations and on the London Underground (opposite platforms). In the industry this is known as a 48 sheet billboard advertising and the standard size for this is 6.096m x 3.048m (source: https://www.billboardadvertising.org.uk/size/48-sheet). To ensure my billboard followed this technical code I set the Artboard size in Illustrator to the size.

TV dramas are often advertised this way like this one from Channel 4:

and this one from the BBC:

They usually feature a large logo of the TV network it is set to be broadcast and the main character features prominently alongside a key symbol from the programme (in the above example from Channel 4 we see the 'vote leave' balloon which British people will immediately associate with Brexit - the main focus of the drama). The background will suggest the theme or location for the programme (the BBC example has a dark background which may suggest the 'dark' storyline from the programme). There is also usually the main ident for the programme so people will recognise it when they see it across different platforms as well a tagline to leave a question in the consumer's mind about the programme - maybe making them wanting to watch it (both the above examples feature this - C4 has "Meet the man that changed everything" and BBC has "This will hurt". Both invoke interest. 

I attempted to include these conventions in my billboard to make it realistic. I included the BBC Three logo to clearly state where the viewer could see the programme, the background was set to a 'dusty old map' style to represent the 'Middle East Origins' of the main character. It prominently features images of the main characters plus symbols a 'hospital' and 'immigration stamp' as suggestions of what the programme is about. I also included a tagline of "It's not what you think" to make the user question the programme and build interest for them to watch. 

TV Advert

See my TV advert here.

BBC Trailers usually run between 30 seconds and 90 seconds. My advert runs for 40 seconds, similar to adverts by the BBC from "The Victim" and "Ghosts" which are also BBC Dramas. These adverts don't feature voiceover, mainly just clips from the show separated by dip to black effects to show how they are from different moments throughout the show.  BBC Three adverts, like this one for "Killing Eve", usually feature a specific end card to show how and where to watch the programme as they are distributed through iPlayer, rather than a normal BBC channel.

I used 'dip to black' transitions to show the passing of time from different moments throughout the programme and also included an end card to follow these conventions. Like in the 'Killing Eve' ad I did also include some clips from voiceover to provide more information to make it more interesting - hopefully leading people to want to watch it.

The music in these adverts also usually matches the mood or a theme in the programme. For example: in "The Victim" advert, linked above, the music is very suspenseful which links to the idea that the program is trying to resolve the mystery of who killed and who was killed. My advert features some 'middle eastern' style music which links to the origins of the main character.

The BBC Three is also watermarked on the advert like it usually is on BBC Three trailers.


Radio Advert

Listen to my Radio advert here.

The following advert has been taken from BBC Radio 1. It is advertising a new BBC Three programme so I used this to structure my advert as this would follow the conventions I would need to follow.

(Taken from "Jordan North", BBC Radio 1, 24/3/19)

The advert starts and ends with a voiceover giving details of the programme and features sound bite's from the programme from key moments. There is also related backing music playing to set the mood/style of the what the program will be like. All BBC Radio adverts typically run for 30 seconds. I also conducted research into typical formatting of BBC Radio Audio segments and discovered they are formatted as .wav files in stereo format.

I followed these codes and conventions to make my advert to an industry standard. It runs for 30 seconds to comply with the convention of ads played on BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra. It also is encoded as a .wav file and in stereo audio to comply with the codes set out by the BBC for audio played across their radio networks.

The advert starts with a 'coming soon' voiceover and is then followed with many soundbites and sound effects directly from the show, middle eastern music plays in the background to signify where the main character comes from - these meet conventions of most BBC TV ads on radio.


Social Media Adverts

See my Social Media Ads here.

Similar adverts to this have appeared on the BBC Three Twitter account to this, mainly focusing on imagery from the production usually with some casual comment about the show. The quote in this advert is meant to give an insight into the action and make people more likely click/swipe to view.

Bright colours are used across BBC Three which is why the contrasting blue, yellow and pink are used here. These will also help draw attention to it in people's feeds which people often scroll through relatively quickly - it is important to catch the eye of the viewer.

Instagram allows the use of polls and swipe up links. As with the BBC Three official account, it is important to use these features as they help to engage the audience making them more involved and more likely to watch. I used this idea by asking the viewer questions which they could respond to - the user responses would then be re-shared. Using these conventions would hopefully result in a successful campaign. 

Unit 20, P4: Billboard Adverts

Portrait 6 Sheet Billboard For Train Station

Billboard sizes are measured in sheets. The 6 sheet billboard is typically seen on public transport networks.

My 6 sheet portrait billboard for public transport networks:

- Images are taken from pexels.com and a licensed for commercial use. 

- Ident plus all text was made by myself in Adobe Illustrator CC.

- Drawings were drawn by myself in Adobe Illustrator. 

- The background image was taken from pexels.com and is licensed for commercial use. 

The billboard was put together using Adobe Illustrator. The first step was to import the background image and crop it to the size of the artboard. The size was set to 47.24'' x 70.87'' which is the standard size for 6 sheet train station billboards as I found on https://www.billboardadvertising.org.uk/size/6-sheet/.

I then created multiple layers for each item I added to the artboard so they could all be moved and edited in isolation. 

I then imported the ident from another illustrator document and resized it and placed in position before created additional text using the same Diogenes font to create the additional text (The font was downloaded from '1001font.com'. It can be used as it is licensed for commercial use) which was formatted in black text to contrast with the background. 

I then created the 'sketches' using the paintbrush tool. I wanted to find a 'brush style' that matched the 'faded map' and felt like they had been stamped or sketched on by hand. I chose a 'charcoal' brush as I believed this reflected that look. 

The images of the characters were cropped in Adobe Photoshop and a white surrounding applied before being exported into Illustrator and positioned on the billboard. 

The BBC Three logo was imported and aligned positioned with the remaining images.

Landscape 48 Sheet Billboard for Public Transport Networks

I created a landscape example of the billboard which could be displayed on larger billboards that are found across public transport networks like this:

My 48 sheet landscape billboard for public transport networks:

All of the same assets were used in the landscape as portrait billboard. They were just copied onto the larger 6.096m x 3.048m (standard size as stated on https://www.billboardadvertising.org.uk/size/48-sheet/) and repositioned within Illustrator. 

Unit 20, P4: TV Advert

The advert has been produced to be shown on BBC One, Two and Four in between programmes.

BBC Trailers usually run between 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes. My advert runs for 40 seconds, similar to adverts by the BBC from "The Victim" and "Ghosts" which are also BBC Dramas. These adverts don't feature voiceover, mainly just clips from the show separated by dip to black effects to show how they are from different moments throughout the show. BBC Three adverts, like this one for "Killing Eve", usually feature a specific end card to show how and where to watch the programme as they are distributed through iPlayer, rather than a normal BBC channel. I used these adverts as a reference to structure my advert so have used similar techniques.

My TV Advert:

The advert consists of a combination of stock footage and original footage shot by myself. This was done because I was not able to travel to all the locations the TV programme would have actually been filmed (some of them being international). If the programme had actually been produced by the BBC footage from the shoot could have been used. All footage that has been used, however, is used with the correct permission and licenses: 

- The BBC Ident at the start of the advert would be able to be used as the advert is for the BBC.

- Both the 'flag fingerprints' in the graphic are from Pixabay and are "free for commercial use, no attribution required". 

- The map outline was created by myself in Adobe Illustrator using the 'pen tool' and the map background was from Pixabay and is "free for commercial use, no attribution required". 

(click to enlarge)

- The overhead shot of fields was from Pexels and is "free to use" for all purposes.

- The video of tents is taken from BBC News, which can be used with credit. 

- The campfire clip was from Pexels and is "free to use" for all purposes.

- The clip of the nurse in the hospital was from GreenLight Stock Footage and can be used "for any purpose" under the Creative Commons License. 

- The video of the plane taking off was taken from Pexels and is "free to use". 

- The video of the main climbing into the moving truck is taken from BBC News, which can be used with credit. 

- The BBC, BBC Three and iPlayer logo would be used with permission from the BBC (the distributor). 

- The music was created by Alex Van Zomerplaag and is used with permission. 

- The voiceovers were carried out by Alex Van Zomerplaag, Eve Dyson (also features) and Archie White - release forms can be found here.

- The "ringing in ears" sound effect is taken from freesound.org and licensed by creative commons with attribution. 

- The "heart rate monitor machine" was taken from freesound.org and is licensed by creative commons with attribution. 

Sections of the video were filmed on a Canon 750D camera with Rode shotgun microphone in 1920x1080p at 24fps (to comply with TV standards). This alongside stock footage was brought together in Adobe Premiere Pro. "Dip to Black" effects were added in between clips to show the passing of time as the clips are from different parts of the programme - something which is used in many other adverts I watched as examples (such as 'Ghosts' and 'The Victim').

 

(click to enlarge)

The graphics to show the journey of the two main characters coming together were created in Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. The map was downloaded and the countries penned on within Illustrator, the animated lines and movement were then applied with After Effects using keyframe movements.

I attempted this in multiple ways. I initially attempted to do this by creating a globe in After Effects using Cinema 4D. However, I found it difficult to find high enough quality images to apply to the sphere I had created for it to look of an acceptable quality to the BBC when zooming in on the countries. This is why I resorted to this method, which I am pleased with the results. 

(click to enlarge)

The audio was recorded in Adobe Audition and then brought into Premiere Pro, levels were adjusted of the different audio clips to make sure dialogue was clear with the sound effects still producing the desired effect.