Advertisement Production Pre-Production

Treatment

The production team has finally agreed to work on an audio-visual advert for the book “The Encyclopedia of Hollywood; An A-Z Guide to the stars, stories, and secrets of Hollywood”. We plan to introduce a variety of Hollywood personalities impersonated by actors who are inspired by their looks and styles, whilst representing different roles in the Media Industries. The actors are to be filmed in one location featuring a black background, standing individually in different shots. The location will be mostly dark using just one redhead to light one side of each actor to create the effect of over-exposed highlights and shadows. Most shots are going to resemble popular scenes from Hollywood, each having their own signature props and music tunes. Finally we plan to end our advert with an effective caption and details of where the book can be bought from.

Script

Storyboard

Inital Storyboard

Final Storyboard

Production Schedule

Location Recce

As a location, we studied two different ones; a garage and a stage at Mgarr. We decided to use the stage for the simple reason that we would not disturb anyone when using it and for the fact that there was already a black screen in place. It is located in Sala Dun Edgar, Oratorju Qalb Bla Tebgha ta' Marija, Mgarr.

Risk Assessment

Crew

Producer/Director/Location Scouting/Props/Actors - Maria Vella

Camera Operator/Music Production - Josef Cohen

Make-Up/Props - Jessica Catania

Scriptwriter/Gaffer/Key Grip/Risk Assessment/Editor - Luke Zammit

Actors

The Godfather - Jason Vella

Mary Poppins - Alison Vella

Charlie Chaplin - Stefano Vella

Elvis Presley - Chris Deguara

Walt Disney - Mario Sammut

Audrey Hepburn - Ema Camilleri

Laurel - Stefano Vella

Hardy - Clayton Gauci

Marilyn Monroe - Nathalie Vella

With thanks to Anthea Vella for the help provided on the shooting day

Advertisement Production Ideas

Idea Generation & Initial Plans and Proposals:

The initial idea for my advertisement production was to assemble the contents of the book cover by stop motion. The idea was that various drawings or cutouts of items which are found on the book cover, move towards each other to finally create the image of the book. I wasn't too convinced about this idea so then I got to think about the Unique Selling Point of the book [The Encyclopedia of Hollywood; An A-Z Guide to the stars, stories, and secrets of Hollywood]. What can one read about in the book? What would make people interested in buying and reading the book? The book gives concise information about Hollywood artists, films, jobs, equipment and also technical terms; all having to do with the film industry. I continued to think about this concept and finally came up with a story which I was happy and satisfied with.

I wanted to bring out the message that the book has a lot of text and that every piece of information is brief so the initial idea was to have a person impersonating Marilyn Monroe for a few seconds, then a person with a clapperboard, someone writing a script, and so on; various people impersonating Hollywood stars or doing jobs related to the film industry. Throughout all this, there would be text on screen displaying various terms which have to do with the particular scene at that time. In the end, these graphics would all fade into a shot of someone reading the book.

I continued to develop this story after speaking with my lecturer and I finally decided on the final proposal. There will be 9 actors all impersonating different Hollywood stars and who, at the same time, are doing jobs related to film. For example, someone impersonating the Godfather whilst writing a script,  someone impersonating Charlie Chaplin whilst playing with a clapperboard, etc. I still kept the idea of the text passing by as graphics as I wanted to bring out the idea that the book has a lot of text.

Identification of message:

I think that the message is clearly depicted in this advertisement proposal. Since each scene will be very brief (6 seconds or less) it will send the message that each bit of information in the book is also brief and that it contains a lot of different information. Furthermore, the graphics on screen tell the audience that the book has a lot of text in it.

Content & Style:

Scene 1: "The Godfather" writing a script
Scene 2: "Mary Poppins" getting makeup out of her bag and gives it to a makeup artist
Scene 3: "Charlie Chaplin" experimenting with a clapperboard
Scene 4: "Elvis Presley" using different microphones, including a boom mic
Scene 5: "Walt Disney" drawing Mickey Mouse which is then transformed into an animation of Mickey Mouse
Scene 6: "Audrey Hepburn" holding an Oscar statue in her hand
Scene 7: "Laurel & Hardy" cutting film reels and joining them to give the idea of editing
Scene 8: "Marilyn Monroe" standing on a Hollywood Boulevard star
Scene 9: Person reading the book

The style is as entertaining as possible since we see various Hollywood personalities. Furthermore, it will be humorous at some points especially in scenes 3 and 7.

Relevance to audience:

I think that this advert will appeal to its target audience. It is short, fun and entertaining so that one wouldn't be bored watching it. Furthermore, it depicts the message clearly and hopefully the audience can understand it.

Advertisement Production Background Research

Idea Development and Pitch

Brief:

As a group this semester, we are required to produce a one-minute advert about a non-fiction book of our choice. We were presented with a fictitious scenario; the client, who is an international publishing house, wants to launch a new advertising campaign to promote individual non-fiction books and not the actual publishing house itself. These adverts will be broadcast on diverse television stations and everyone can buy the books since those advertised are distributed worldwide and also sold online. The publishing house is organizing a competition for the best 1-minute advert and asked students who are currently studying media related courses to produce these adverts.

The criteria set by the client is that the adverts must not be more than 60 seconds in length and the book must be a non-fiction one. The advert must fall under the ‘G’ rating criteria as regards to regulation and it should be short, fun and entertaining.

The non-fiction book I have individually chosen to produce an advert about is "The Encyclopedia of Hollywood; An A-Z Guide to the stars, stories, and secrets of Hollywood" written by Scott Siegel and Barbara Siegel. It is a book which gives concise information about Hollywood artists, films, jobs and also technical terms that have to do with filming and editing such as 'final cut' and 'master shot'. It is the perfect guide to anyone who wants to become part of the film industry and also to those who are interested in what happens in Hollywood and want to broaden their knowledge about film. 


Client:


The client of the book “The Encyclopedia of Hollywood; An A to Z guide to the stars, stories, and secrets of Hollywood” is Checkmark Books/Facts on File under Infobase Publishing.

Infobase Publishing: Infobase Publishing is one of America's leading providers of supplemental educational materials to the school and library markets. Product formats include books, eBooks, online databases, eLearning Modules, videos, and digital products under such well-known names as Facts On File, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Chelsea House, Bloom's Literary Criticism, World Almanac®, and Ferguson Publishing. With thousands of titles and numerous award winners, Infobase provides students, librarians, and educators with authoritative, reliable resources supporting the curriculum across a wide variety of subject areas from history, science, and literature to careers, health, and social issues.

Facts on File: Facts On File is an award-winning publisher of print, eBooks, and online reference materials for the school and library market. We specialize in core subject areas, such as history, science, literature, geography, health, and more. Their print titles are authoritative references geared toward the high school, academic, and public library markets. Their highly regarded, curriculum-based online products include reference and news service databases, eLearning Modules, and streaming video. Facts On File has nearly 70 years of service to librarians backing our editorial content and decisions.

http://www.infobasepublishing.com

Budget:

With regards to budget, we did not spend much. We found almost all the props with the help of friends and family and we did not pay anything for the location or the actors. The only costs we had was travelling costs, being it petrol or bus tickets, and the DVDs and cases to distribute to our actors as a Thankyou when the advert is finished.


Deadline:

Technical Resources:

• HD Camera
• Tripod
• Chroma Kit
• SD Card
• D-SLR Camera
• Red Head Set
• Editing Software

Technical Constraints:

One technical constraint we encountered during filming was that as we switched on the camera, all that we could see was a black screen. Turned out that all we had to do was open the iris since it was closed. With regards to the other equipment, everything worked perfectly.

Target Audience:

It is a book that appeals to anyone who takes interest in the subject, be it for pure curiosity or studying, regardless of one’s socio-economic status. It is also targeted at both males and females as both genders can work in the media industry and may be interested in it. Furthermore, the cover of the book does not have any particular colour that may appeal to a particular gender rather than to another. This book is targeted at anyone from young teens to adults; it is not targeted at children because it has a lot of text and lack of images. In fact, one can only find occasional photos of Hollywood stars in the book. The target audience of this non-fiction book is a mainstream audience since a broad range of people are likely to be interested in buying it. The audience would expect brief biographies and explanations of subject terminology in simple terms that everyone understands, especially those who are new to the film industry.

Legal and Ethical Issues:


Before producing our advert we must also take into consideration various legal and ethical issues. We should not invade anyone's privacy and the copyright law must also be taken into consideration. Furthermore, it is of great importance that we have release forms for all the talents involved and also a release form for the location which we will be using.


Regulation:


G — General Audiences. All Ages Admitted. 

A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a "certificate of approval," nor does it signify a "children’s" motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.

http://www.mpaa.org/ratings/what-each-rating-means