iPod Shuffle Advertisement

- General Information -

Group Name: Harry Potter

Members: Deividas, Igli & Serene

- Mind Maps -

- Final Idea -

iPod Shuffle 4th Generation

Synopsis: A college student is sitting in the library trying to concentrate on his work. However, due to endless amounts of distractions he fails to do so. Different shots of those distractions are shown (i.e. a paper-ball being thrown at him, people laughing etc.). To eliminate all of these distractions, he pulls out an iPod Shuffle from his pocket and plugs in his earphones. He then wears his earphones and presses play; once he does that he closes his eyes and opens them again only to discover he’s been transported into a garden along with his laptop. He then smiles and continues his work with ease. The final scene is of the Apple logo along with the slogan ‘Think Different’.

Persuasive Technique: Potential issue being solved. When the viewers see that an issue they relate to is solved using an iPod Shuffle, they would want to own that product in order to achieve that. Moreover, almost all students listen to music during school hours, therefore the scenario fits well. Also, the fact that it blocks out the noise will appeal to them.

Line of Appeal: Different world. The fact that the iPod Shuffle can virtually transport you into another world is attractive to young people as they thirst for something different. This is because they are full of imagination at this young age. 

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Presentation Pitch + Storyboard:

iPod Shuffle Presentation Pitch

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 ↓  Presentation Notes  ↓ 

- Developed Idea -

Directly after we presented our idea we received constructive criticism from our classmates. One of them stood out in particular; it was not following Apple's signature way of producing adverts. Therefore, we decided to alter our idea based on Apple's signature. Below is the storyboard in which our developed idea is explained in more details:

- Final Product -

- Evaluation -

We were put into groups of three to make an advert. Our chosen product was the iPod Shuffle 4^th Generation. This is because we owned the product thus making it possible to make an advert with. Other options included watch and glasses. Our very first storyboard for the iPod Shuffle was presented to our class in which we received feedback on. It was about a student trying to do his work on his laptop in College but not able to concentrate. He then takes out his iPod and earphones and turns the music on. He then closes his eyes whilst enjoying the song and when he opens them he's transported to a park. He then continues to work and ends up completing the assignment. One of our classmates stated that Apple has its own unique way of making adverts for their products and that our idea clashes with it. We, however, argued that we were striving for originality.

In any case, we ended up shooting part of the storyboard and tested it by editing it prematurely to see if it's working out. Turns out it wasn't as great as we envisioned it, it was nowhere close to professional standards. Therefore, we decided to take on our classmate's advice and draw up another storyboard similar to Apple's signature adverts. We conducted a brief research in which we watched a few Apple adverts; all had one thing in common: CGI. The background would always be white and the product would be shown through computer generated imagery. Therefore, we had to think of a way to imitate their CGI manually. Since we didn’t possess the resources to play around with CGI, it had to be made manually. Therefore, I thought of using a cup and painting it white whilst having it stand on a DVD package that can twist around. The background was white cardboard. In any case it turned out to be a success overall. Despite being proud of our final product, I couldn’t help but notice a few improvements to be made. However, I will be evaluating the positives first.

The soundtrack fit perfectly with the advert, this is because I used one of Apple’s original soundtracks. When I was searching for a soundtrack I was looking for something professional with a hint of intrigue; however I couldn’t find the perfect one until I came across Apple’s Falcon Hero. It fit my description which is to be expected as I was advertising their product afterall.

The theme of our advert was consistent and matched Apple’s. In order to achieve the movement of some shots, I painted a Nutella cup in white acrylic paint; I then placed it above a CD pack that can twist; finally, I used white tack to secure the iPod Shuffle on top of the cup. All I had to do was press record and swiftly move the CD pack accordingly. This idea lasted me for only a few shots; I needed a variety of other shots which couldn’t be achieved using this method alone. Therefore, I risked recording one shot using my hand and no tripod. It turned out to be okay; however, one of my classmates mentioned that it was a little shaky. Nonetheless, it was a much needed shot in order to include a variety. All shots turned out to be a little grainy which could be blamed on the poor lighting. Despite using two neon lights on either sides of the iPod, it still managed to turn out grainy. Also, the quality was more of 480p than 720p. This is because I mainly used the 1100D rather than 60D. Using the 60D would require me to constantly adjust the focus and settings; whereas, with the 1100D I just had to adjust the focus.

In terms of camera angles, I mainly used extreme close-up. This is because, as expected, Apple uses this angle mostly. Most of their products are small which requires them to zoom in in order to show the features and details. Therefore, all I could do was play around with the iPod and re-position it every now and then. Moreover, some angles are unachievable as they are obtained using CGI. For example, when I wanted to show the VoiceOver button, I used my bare hands to zoom in (which turned out to be a little shaky); therefore, I only used that shot to balance the advert and not have it monotone. This is because Apple adverts have a variety of shots in which some are static and others not. However, most of mine turned out to be static.

One of the drawbacks was the fact that we didn’t have CGI to produce our advert. Rather we had to resort to manual CGI (if it even exists). Therefore, we were restricted from the start. We didn’t have much to explore and produce. However, looking at the final product makes me feel proud for being able to even achieve that level of production.

As mentioned earlier, one improvement includes the quality of the shots. I may have successfully achieved the style of Apple’s adverts; however, just by watching our advert you can tell it was made by a student. This mainly comes down to two factors: quality and CGI. Two factors we’ve failed to perfect.

At some points, I used images instead of footage. This is because I couldn’t play around with the camera angles as much as I would have wanted to. Therefore, I took photos that looked professional enough to make it onto our advert. Apple doesn’t use photos in their adverts but I was able to make it pass through. Therefore, another improvement would be to not use photos within our advert.

Overall, the process of setting up our manual CGI was simple but of a slow one. This is because it took time to think up of an alternative within one night. But it was achieved nonetheless. Also, the quality definitely needed a boost as it wasn’t as clear as 720p. Staying on the topic of quality, the lighting could have also been increased but I didn’t have the appropriate equipment in order to do so. All in all, it was one of the best products I have ever produced.