Promotional Video Brainstorming/Contingency

Brainstorming Ideas

How to accomplish the wants and needs of my client wants (Demographic, etc.) with techniques from other promotional videos such as the examples I analysed in my blog for this very reason. I must consider this in this stage of pre-production to have a clear vision throughout.

I will break down the conventions of promotional videos in order to better understand what I need to include in order to achieve the desire of my client.

Promotional Video Conventions:

Defining the Product:

The goal of a promotional video is to inform the audience of the product, so in my video, I need to showcase and display the product in use.

Applying it to the Audience:

The video needs to apply to the target audience and relate to them, in order for them to be engaged and it needs to show what the company/product can offer them.

Sound/Music:

Music is to establish the tone of the video and often has no words in order to keep the focus on the footage and to help avoid copyright risks and costs with the use of royalty/copyright free music. Promotional videos can use narration (Non-Diegetic) to better instruct the audience about the product and can help demonstrate what the product is/can do for the audience.

Interviews: 

Some promotional videos include interviews with customers or employees, and give positive feedback and work to persuade people to use the product by having someone on the side of the consumer.

Cinematography:

Usually simple and easy to understand, it is rare for promotional videos to use complex camera techniques.

Runtime/Length: 

The average time for a promotional video is usually under 6 minutes (maximum). But it completely depends on the platform you are filming for, if you are filming for tv advertising slots vs for online/social media, etc.

3 Ideas for Video:

A Man Through the Ages​

A comedic showcase of a family through history as we watch a single actor play ancestors from caveman to the modern-day with different costumes, etc. Ending with him answering the door to discover himself (Split Screen) meeting with a family member he didn't know about. Text appears on-screen "Find out where family is"

Growing Connections

I want to use a Choreographed dance with physical theatre as I want the dancers to create the image of a tree to symbolize Ancestree app and as they form this tree it creates the theme of connection as an inspirational message with the use of politicians talking about keeping hope and sticking together during the Covid 19 pandemic. Hopefully capturing this in a Birdman (2014) style single take.

Our Animated History

​ We see the history of a single family through animation with Non-Diegetic voiceover we watch the story transition from period to period as the style of animation changes with each decade from the early 1800's Zoetrope spinning illusion and eventually ending in current-day digital CGI (Computer Generated Imagery).

Final Idea

My client chose the first idea for a comedic horrible histories style video looking at an actor playing their ancestors throughout history. However, they wanted to make a few changes first they wanted to have the app usage be more active in the video. So I suggested having the main actor be on the app and sighing in and finding matches in the Ancestry and then add that ancestor into the world as they begin to approach the characters home ending in a humourous shot of a large crowd of the person ancestors outside their front door and ending with the tagline "find when family is".

My client also liked in my pitch the inclusion of online influencers that are linked to history like the History Matters youtube channel, in order to better attached our target demographic.

Contingency Plan

If something were to go wrong with the filming my plan is to switch from a promotional video to an online marketing campaign, I can use the costume and makeup of my hired staff and crew to create an online profile presence with social media posts for the client of these ancestors. Some examples were maybe caveman reviews as we have our hired actor dress up in caveman costume and makeup make parody food reviews, etc. Using the humour of the original idea and putting it into a different medium, if problems do emerge in the production of the promotional videos this is a perfect way to use all of the gathered staff and equipment to create these parodies of people from different times in history on the social media, this can be done cheaply with our assets from the production and can be easily adapted into a covid safe format if that is the reason that shooting is halted. If we had money to spare during our production I would love to include this for my client with spare footage/shooting time, as it would allow me to continue t work or them as a part of the marketing for the Ancestree app.

Evaluation of Brainstorming/Contingency

By doing research into the conventions of promotional videos and coming up with multiple ideas for my client allowed me to give them many different options for them to pick from during my pitch allowing me to most accurately achieve my clients vision. However, if I had created a mindmap of these conventions to more easily decide what to include in my own promotional video I could have had a more polished vision for the pitch that better reflected the wants from my client brief. I also think by not making multiple ideas I could have focused on a singular idea and polished it with the time I took to create and break down/estimate the cost and needs of my other ideas.

I created my contingency plan in order to have a plan B in case of issues occurring during the shoot and gives both me and a client something to use, by crafting this plan means the money from the budget won't go to waste. And by having my contingency plan as a marketing campaign that can also be achieved if my client wanted to pursue more work with me, I also secure myself future employment. If I was to do this project again I would change my contingency plan to fit the wants of the beef for my client by having a backup idea for the promotional video, possible creating a shorter story that can still be shot on my chosen shooting locations using my talent/crew. Despite my contingency is a great idea to get the brand/product out there through a marketing campaign, at the end of the day my client wants a promotional video and I should do my best to achieve that.

Overall I think brainstorming ideas about my promotional video and crafting a contingency plan in case things went wrong during filming was a vital part of my promotional video production and gave me a great outline for what I wanted to achieve with my video, as well as what to do in case of unseen problems during the shoot.

Reference List:

shenikaprincess.wordpress.com "Codes and Conventions of Corporate Promotional Video" (Online), Available at:

https://shenikaprincess.wordpress.com/final-major-project-fmp/codes-and-conventions-or-promotional-corporate-videos/

prezi.com "Codes & Conventions of Corporate & Promotional Videos" by Beth Sigsworth (Online), Available at:

https://prezi.com/9fg3mma-2xb_/codes-conventions-of-corporate-promotional-videos/

Horrible Histories (2009-2014) Created by Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite

Storyboard/Shot List

Storyboard

In this storyboard I have highlighted the most important scenes to include in the promotional video, going for a comedic tone similar to that of horrible histories so I want to include juxtaposition. Having the caveman in a co-op and a Knight in full plate mail going up a train station escalator. but I also needed to include the app of Ancestree in use. So I added to my original idea in the storyboard scene cuts back and forth from these various actors in period clothing and makeup to a man using the app during there morning routine as he matches with the ancestors that appear in this seemingly normal British ton in awe and confusion to those that see them.

Overall since the video itself is aiming to be 3 minutes in length I will be adding more shots than the one's seen in this storyboard which will become clear during the scriptwriting process, but I am aiming for the shots of the man using the app to be around a minute long and the footage of the historical ancestors to be around one and a half minutes with the rest being focused on highlighting my client's taglines and other showcases of the function of the app. However, I will be using narration in my video to save on wasting screen time which I want to engage the audience with instructions that I can make comedic with the use of narration with these horrible histories type humour.

*Post-Production Notes:

During the Production this proved very useful, However, in my next production, I will take Test Footage from my location and use them to direct a more accurate blueprint for me during the filming process. If I wasn't on-site during the Location Recee re-adjusting the sequence of the final product would have been hard to adjust.

Shot List

(List of Types of Shots I Will be Using in The Promotional Video, and an estimate of footage time they will be in use)

1. Medium Shot, Eye-Level, 60 seconds 
2. Medium Shot, High Angle, 25 seconds 
3. Closeup, P.O.V (Handheld), 15 seconds 
4. Closeup, Panning Shot (Vertical) into another Closeup, 10 seconds  
5. Over the Shoulder, 15 seconds
6. Longshot, 25 Seconds
7. Tracking Shot (Dolly), 10 Seconds

Test Footage

Evaluation of Storyboard/Shot List

The Storyboard and Shot List are used to create a visual blueprint for the production as they showcase how a piece of visual media will be shot and what will be required for specific uses of cinematography.

The storyboard was used to create a blueprint for my promotional video by showcasing how I want the final video to look and what camera movements I would like to include, it effectively provided a visual representation of how my promotional video would look. If I was going to improve it I would use a software called Storyboarder to make a story online allowing it to be more clear and to be better shared with my crew online.

Shot List gave me and my cinematographer Jack a better understating of how long these shots were going to take in the promotional video and certain equipment required to achieve it. Allowing us to get them in before filming begins and better plan ahead, but in the future, I would go more in-depth and combine it with the shot list to create a more detailed and useful document.

Test Footage allows me and my cinematographer to see how the set looks before arriving allowing us to select certain equipment for it, light deflectors for outdoor shoots, etc. If I was going to improve it I would have used myself as a model to showcase how space will light talent on location allowing them to understand the natural lighting setting even better, to decrease setup time on the day of shooting.

Overall these stages of pre-production allow me and my crew to visually see how the final product will look and allow us to plan in advance in case of certain equipment requirements, etc. However, I think I could have made these documents more clear and precise to further ensure we are prepared for shooting with a clear vision.

Promotional Video Pitch

Ideas

Idea 1 A Man Through the Ages​

Summary​: 

A comedic showcase of a family through history as we watch a single actor play ancestors from caveman to the modern-day with different costumes, etc. Ending with him answering the door to discover himself (Split Screen) meeting with a family member he didn't know about. Text appears on-screen "Find out where family is".

Moodboard

Visual Aesthetic Example:

The Simpsons - Evolution Intro

Requirements:​

Single Actor (£180.79, 8-hour Workday, around £22.5 an hour). Peopleperhour.com​

Costume Designer (£20.47 per Hour) for period clothing for the scene. £1000 Costume Budget.​ Camera Operator/Cinematographer (Hourly rate of £61.45 to £90.35 for a Cinematographer)​ £2000 Equipment renting budget/insurance, but to be discussed with Cinematographer who will also act as a lightning technician, etc.​

Renting Shooting Location £10.85 and £36.16, averaging £25 per day Editor (£19.88 per hour)​ ​

Breakdown/Budget Estimate

Length: Three Minutes​ ​

Time to Complete: 4 to 5 Weeks​ 

Pre-Production​ Planning and setup 1 Week, casting costume and equipment booking for Tripods, Dolly or anything else needed for a shoot.​

Production​ Depending on the complexity of footage and client feedback 1-to-2-week shoot.​

Post-Production​ Editing should take about 4 days (workweek) due to the short length of sequence but would extend to a full week due to delays from client influence/improvements.​

Budget/Cost: £9584.69 (Conservative Budget not including all cast and equipment outside of the essentials)​

Idea 2 Growing Connections

Summary​:

I want to use a Choreographed dance with physical theatre as I want the dancers to create the image of a tree to symbolize Ancestree app and as they form this tree it creates the theme of connection as an inspirational message with the use of politicians talking about keeping hope and sticking together during the Covid 19 pandemic. Hopefully capturing this in a Birdman (2014) style single take.

Mood Board

Visual Aesthetic Example

Climax (2018) Opening Sequence

Requirements

Dance Troupe (usually between 10 to 12 people, Average wage per Dancer £14.97 minimum per hour)​

Professional Choreographer (£180.85 to £217 per dancer)​ 

Time to make Choreography will take 2 to 3 Days and same time period for 2 to 3 Days.​

Renting a Dance Studio can be between £10.85 and £36.16, averaging £25 an hour. Deda.uk.com​ 

Editor (£19.88 per hour)​ Camera Operator/Cinematographer (Hourly rate of £61.45 to £90.35) plus £2000 for equipment/insurance​ 

No cost for re-using News footage audio of politicians under the guidelines of fair use it is being used to prove your point to the audience and nothing more.

Breakdown/Budget Estimate

Length: 1 Minute and 30 Seconds​

Time to Complete: 3 to 4 Weeks​ 

Pre-Production​ Planning and setup 1 to 2 Week, casting dancers and equipment booking for Tripods, Dolly or anything else needed for a shoot. And for Choreographer to teach and then have dancers memorize Choreography.​

Production​ Depending on the complexity of footage and client feedback 3-to-4-day shoot since its mostly repeating the same sequence until I am satisfied with the result as well as my client.​

Post-Production​ Editing should take less than a week between 3 to 4 days due to the simplicity of the one-take style and only requiring the hiding of certain cuts.

Budget/Cost: £16082.92 (Conservative Budget not including all cast and equipment outside of the essentials, and for a full dance troupe which can be cut in size and scale).

Idea 3 Our Animated History

Summary:

​ We see the history of a single-family through animation with Non-Diegetic voiceover we watch the story transition from period to period as the style of animation changes with each decade from the early 1800's Zoetrope spinning illusion and eventually ending in current-day digital CGI (Computer Generated Imagery).

Moodboard

Visual Aesthetic Example:

The Evolution of Animation 1833 - 1990

Requirements

According to ecmstu.com for 5-10 Seconds of Animation, it will take about a day of work (about  7 ½ Hour Workday).

So, for 1 minute of Animation, this will take 6 to 12+days. Not including days for Storyboarding, etc.​ Twine.net where you can hire various independent animators and Work Chron.com, it costs £27.73 per one hour for an Animator would recommend 2 to help with time.

Due to my need for traditional animation training, this may cost extra. £2000 for Equipment for the animation team for recreating Zoetropes, etc.​

Voice Over Artist on average cost £10.68 per hour​ Studio for Voiceover to Animate between £25 to £200 an hour, might have to rent separately if the needs aren't available in the same space.

Breakdown/Budget Estimate​

Length: 1 Minute​ 

Time to Complete: 3 to 4 Weeks​ 

Pre-Production​ Planning/Storyboarding setting up a studio for them to work in 1 to 2 Weeks with this extra week to look for specialised equipment and resources they will need for the different animation styles.​

Production​ Due to it being an animation team of two for a 1-minute sequence being 6 to 12 days I estimate due to the varies different animation style it will take about 2 weeks with the simple and small voiceover requirements.​

Post-Production​ Editing should take less than a week between 3 to 4 days after the bulk of the animation and will act as them adding the finishing touches on their work to fit with the client's demands if any. 

Budget/Cost: £10278.28 (Conservative Budget not including all cast and equipment outside of the essentials, with current knowledge of the creation process).​

My Idea to Use Online Influencers

I had a marketing idea to include in these various promotional videos to have online influencers be part of the production and to boost engagement for there product.

This could be through sponsored content on their online platforms to promote the app, if we move forward with our animation idea we could use the animations of there videos and hire them to be a part of the animation team or even play an actor in the video. If we involve them in the promotional video in some way I know we can boost viewership from a target audience and further encourage increased engagment.

Examples of Influencers we could involve:

History Matters

How did Medieval Banking Work? (Short Animated Documentary)

The Great War

World News From 100 Years Ago - January 1921

The Infographics Show

How A Soldier Single-Handedly Liberated An Entire German Occupied City

Client Reaction to Ideas Pitched

My client decided to go with the 1st idea of my comedic history of a personal family tree, we expanded the idea together to better include the app being used. By having two different sequences one of the individuals looking over the app while we see their various ancestors from history going through the town and having modern-day interaction (my example was a caveman buying a sausage roll) and then finally the ancestors arrive at the user's front door in a humour scene of a collaboration of ancestors of different backgrounds and a confused looking user.  

Ending with a tagline which we decided on "Find when family is" or their slogan "a sunny future of family history", my client also wanted me to include a more comic book style editing similar to Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) to give it more visual appeal.

The other ideas to the client felt they were for a more established brand (like the Christmas John Lewis adverts) and since this is a promotional video to establish the product in the user's mind I need to make it more obvious for the audience, in conclusion, the meeting/pitch went well and I managed to secure funding and I can start the creation process of my first idea. And I think we can use the extra footage from this shooting day to have smaller clips for an online campaign, my client liked the idea of the caveman posting on the app and on social media to promote the app.

Reference List:

The Simpsons Created by Matt Groening

Climax Directed by Gaspar Noé

The Solomon Society "The Evolution of Animation 1833 - 1990" 2 Mar 2017 (Online), Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4oWpD9vbN0&ab_channel=TheSolomonSociety

History Matters "How did Medieval Banking Work? (Short Animated Documentary)" 16 Sept 2020 (Online), Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE7nd36EpRU&ab_channel=HistoryMatters

The Great War "World News From 100 Years Ago - January 1921" 26 Jan 2021 (Online), Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXcq3k_a_bk&t=1s&ab_channel=TheGreatWar

The Infographics Show "How A Soldier Single-Handedly Liberated An Entire German Occupied City" 14 Nov 2019 (Online), Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLk4F1thAp0&t=487s&ab_channel=TheInfographicsShow

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) Directed by Edgar Wright

Murch Rule of Six Breakdown/Promotional Video Example

Rule of Six in Editing

The rules of six refer to the theory created by Walter Murch (American film editor most known for his work on Apocalypse Now, 1979) which refers to the criteria to a perfect cut within a film a cut that consists of emotion, story, rhythm, eye trace, a 2D plane of the screen, and 3D space. Nofilmschool.com

The Art of the Cut, Greg Keast. Talking about Editing

"You will be creating a psychological experience of reality and manipulating the overall mood by tempo."

Nofilmschool.com

Walter Murch - The six criteria of film editing (293/320)

Emotion (51%)

The feeling of the scene and how it will affect the audience emotionally in that section of the work. Does the cut/edit match the tone of your film, if you were making a serious Drama you would edit differently to a comedy like The Hangover (2009) as you are trying to establish different emotions depending on its audience.

The Hangover (2009)

Story (23%)

How the editing furthers the narrative of the video as it continues the dialogue of a scene with a shot-reverse-shot, does it flashback to an important piece of information from a different time in the film like in Momento (2000). Or does it share important information that is needed for the audience to know what's going on? Basically, does the edit move the story along in a meaningful way?

Memento (2000) 

Rhythm (10%)

Heavily connected to the emotion and story aspects of editing, the rhythm keeps the pace of a scene. By editing to the beat of the music (non-diegetic) and cutting to the energy of the scene, fast-paced quick cuts using a handheld camera/shaky camera for a car chase scene like in Baby Driver (2017).

Baby Driver (2017)

Eye Trace (7%)

When an edit keeps the most important part of the frame near where the last shot had them. For example in the film Seven when the police arrive at the scene of another homicide all the important information is in the centre of the frame. This follows Eye Trace as it easily allows the audience to keep track of the scene during the cuts from the interviewer talking about the case to the office floor painted with greed in the centre of the office carpet.

Seven (1995)

Two Dimensional Plane on Screen (5%)

This is transforming our reality into the two-dimensional reality on screen and follows the 180-degree rule as characters maintain a relationship from left to right of each other in the scene and the camera follows this line to not confuse the audience s they can easily keep track of the characters.

Storybinder The Shinning (1980) Example

Storybinder - The 180 Degree Rule

Three Dimensional Space (4%)

The physical space around the scene, positioning of certain props actor positioning, etc. This is essential in order to maintain emersion in the scene, however, it is the last rule because despite emersion being important what is more important is that a scene engages the audience's emotions and invests them in the narrative/story. An example of a great scene breaking this rule is this scene from Goodfellas (1990) as props and actors positioning constantly contradict each other.

Goodfellas (1990)

Use in Advertising/Promotional Video

We can use these editing rules from Walter Murch to help sell/advertise products by helping us engage them with narrative and emotion.

Advert Example: Diet Coke (1994)

Emotion

Advert uses editing to establish a desire from the audience as it makes the man look wanted/desired by the women on the hill as they use intimate closeups of the reactions when he takes off his shirt in combination with the shot-reverse shots. By making the audience feel this desire for the man it makes them have a desire for the product as the creators have used male gaze techniques like fragmentation to sexualise the man and the product of Diet Coke.

Story

The advert showcases the rule of the story in editing as we see the story of a group of women having a picnic as they give the gardener a diet coke. The audience watches the coke can through the grass with panning/tracking shots. We see the journey of the product to the man as it cuts back and forth along with the non-diegetic music of Etta James "I just wanna make love to you" (1960) makes the scene feel like a meet-cute from a rom-com like What if (2014) as the footage goes into slow motion and the sound effects are edited into a dream-like echo and enhanced with the high key lighting. As the story of romance and desire seduces the audience into buying the product themselves.

Rhythm

The advert follows a quick pace narrative with the music by Etta James, this is both to match together an engaging sequence as the music perfectly fits the stolen glances of seduction between the characters and for the men undressing but also allows the advert to showcase their product quickly and effectively as we see a story encouraging its consumption with the heightened sexual tension of sound and camera techniques, and keeps the add at an exact minute making it cheaper to make and buy ad space for.

Eye Trace

The editor in compilation with the cinematographer uses shots that focus on the centre of frame e and use blur effects to draw the focus of the eye to the actors and the product of the diet coke can. Keeping the audience engaged and their focus clearly drawn to the most important aspects on screen they want them to pay attention to. The product and the sexual tension between the women and the man.

Two and Three Dimensional Space on Screen

We see the characters clearly following the 180-degree rule, as the positioning on the man on the left and the women on the right allowing the audience to easily keep track of the characters positioning from each other, and the seen keeps continuity between the actors with there positioning and relationship with the setting remaining the same throughout the scene, the only continuity error being the changing lighting outlining the fragmented figure of the man as he undresses.

Overall

The advert uses the techniques of Murch to sell their product by making the audience engaged with a seductive emotion and relationship with the characters within it. By having these feeling in the advert they make them transfer to the product encouraging people to buy the product in hopes they will have a similar experience to the characters in the footage as it silently claims you will become attractive like these paid models/actors by drinking diet coke.

Overall I think the advert uses sexual references as a weapon and has quite outdated male gaze techniques like fragmentation that portray both the men and women in the advert in an unrealistic light with unnatural beauty standards and I think this advert could be greatly improved with more modern conceptions of gender and relationships.

Reference List:

Apocalypse Now (1979) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Nofilmschool.com "6 'Rules' for Good Cutting According to Oscar-Winning Editor Walter Murch" Written by V Renée, November 30, 2016 (Online), available at:

https://nofilmschool.com/2016/11/6-rules-good-cutting-according-oscar-winning-editor-walter-murch#:~:text=Walter%20Murch%27s%20Rule%20of%20Six&text=%22The%20ideal%20cut%20is%20one,in%20importance%20in%20his%20eyes.

Walter Murch - The six criteria of film editing (293/320)

Web of Stories - Life Stories of Remarkable People "Walter Murch - The six criteria of film editing (293/320)" 7 Sept 2017 (Online), available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s49Al2CMfTI&ab_channel=WebofStories-LifeStoriesofRemarkablePeople

The Hangover (2009) Directed by Todd Phillips

Memento (2000) Directed by Christopher Nolan

Baby Driver (2017) Directed by Edgar Wright

Seven (1995) Directed by David Fincher

Storybinder "The Rule of Six: How to Edit Effectively with Walter Murch’s Eye Trace" Written By Alyssa Maio August 1, 2019 (Online), Available at:

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/walter-murch-rule-of-six/#1-emotion

The Shinning (1980) Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Goodfellas (1990) Directed by Martin Scorcese

Diet Coke Advert (1994) Directed by Rocky Morton

Etta James "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" (1960)

What if (2014) Directed by Michael Dowse

Arttouchesart.com "Editing, Rhythm and Emotion: How Film and Video Editing Works" Written By James Harding May 30th, 2018 (Online), Available at:

https://www.arttouchesart.com/editing-rhythm-and-emotion-how-film-and-video-editing-works

Promotional Video Examples and Analysis

Breakdown of Technical Conventions (Mise en Scene. Camera, Editing) and how they create Code/Conventions that further the identity of the brand and help target the Key Demographic/Target Audience.

DollarShaveClub.com - Our Blades Are F***ing Great

DollarShaveClub is an originally American subscription service that provides shaving supplies like razors, shaving cream, etc. For $1 a month and replacement for those products as they are delivered to your home.

Mise en Scene:

The promotional video uses the Setting of the companies warehouse to showcase them as a large operation as the viewer can see all of the storage and establishes them as a professional and successful business, the video also uses there setting in combination with props and Decor to create humour. Its use of costume with the man in a bear costume and the toddler shaving a man's head creates humour establishing intimacy with the customers as it humanizes there brand (much like how brands use social media to mimic individuals).

The humour is also a technique to target there demographic of millennium's adults ('20s to late '30s) who are defined by there meta humour and anti-establishment feeling on big companies like Amazon and Facebook, as DollarShaveClub.com separates from this plans by aiming with there setting to target working-class people as the setting and the performance of the Ceo is meant to mimic every day 9 to 5 jobs, which is further proven by the use of Alehondro in the video as it shows the consumer they are creating jobs for the community. 

Camera:

The promotional video uses a talking head style (talking directly into the Camera) with its use of zooms in and out of the Ceo's performance as well as tracking and panning shots as we follow him around the warehouse, this establishes intimacy, as we stay on eye level with the CEO making them seem like the consumers, equals as we sympathise/relate with him. Making us want to buy the product as we see the owner as a friend rather than a superior.

Editing:

The video uses Jump Cuts to keep the video engaging and quick as we see the camera transition between sections of the factory as the Ceo breaks down the goals and benefits of the brand/product, which is further infused by cutting to there tagline at the end of the video "Shave Time. Shave Money." further keeping the product in the consumer's mind as the narrative of the video links and relates to there slogan. The length of the video itself is also short and two the point at 1 minute and 33 seconds it allows this video to be shared on multiple platforms from  TV Slots to Social Media and has enough moment in the video itself that relates to the benefits of there product that this segment could be separated into smaller bite-size content to save money on advert cost buying on these various platforms.

Conclusion

The promotional video uses its short length to give an energized video that fully explains the intent of the product and blad while marketing tho their target demographic with humour and Mise en Scene. However, this product fails to create a broader demographic of men and focuses on this age group which could mean older generations would not take interest in this product despite there disposable income, but apart from that, it creates a quick and easy to understand video on the product and I can see many techniques that I will want to include in my productions. 

Comparing to Competitors

Gilette

As one of the Dollar Shave Clubs competitors, Gillette uses cinematography and setting along with the use of epic non-diegetic music to make their product look and feel high end similar to car brands as they comment on the effectiveness of the product rather than the price. However, the dollar shave clubs method is clearly superior to market to a wider more affordable audience as they focus on selling to working-class consumers and keep there promotional video grounded and relatable by having the CEO shown as a person rather than a product/business (personifying the brand). This level of engagement compared to Gillette is far better as they make their product seem available to all consumers rather then Gillette whos promotional videos and advertising simply use cinematic language to make their brand seem high en and not affordable to the average consumer.

D&D Beyond Official Theme/Promo

D&D Beyond is a digital service that helps you manage Rules and Infomation when you play the tabletop R.P.G game Dungeons and Dragons, its a free app service but allows you to buy items within it for easier access.

Mise en Scene:

Since the game, D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) was released in the '80s the video uses 80s style animations like The Black Cauldron (1985) to showcase the Setting/Origins of D&D and the video use of bright colour creates a more engaging video keeping the viewer more engaged with the various imagery on screen, this also combined with the 80's Soundtrack/Non-Diegetic Music allows the video to relate to the original players of the game and its use of catchy lyrics that relate to the mechanics of the product itself with lyrics like  "You need a place to track your stuff, cause your so disorganised" which is what the app/product is supposed to help the consumer organize.

The animated Costumes of the characters also reference the types of characters (also known as Classes) you can play in the game and the performances in the animation and their design are based on an online show/web series that is popular in the D&D community known as Critical Role, further garnering interest in consumers as fans of the show may now be attracted to this service as well.

Camera:

The Camera in this video consists of P.O.V and establishing shots of the setting and characters is meant to make the viewer envision themself as the "Warlock" in the video as P.O.V personifies the viewer as being in the video and makes them want to buy the product as they want to experience the display of wonderful fantasy imagery in the video that the Establishing Shot showcases the gameplay of Dungeons and Dragons linking to the mantra of D&D Beyond as helping experience take care of all of the boring parts of the game and allow me to fully experience the wonder D&D has to offer "Play with Advantage" as they simply want to help people play the game.

Editing:

The Video is entirely digitally animated and mimics the style of the 80s and creates CGI displays of the characters powers and abilities that D&D Beyond is designed to help the consumer manage with ease, further making them want to buy the product so they can experience these abilities displayed by the characters in the video. The video short length of 49 Seconds also allows it to be showcased on both Social Media platforms and TV without issue and for relatively cheap due to its short length.

Conclusion

The Promotional Video by D&D Beyond showcases the app/products goals and uses a nostalgic style of the '80s to entice viewers to buy the product as well as using characters from Critical Role known by there target demographic of D&D fans/players that they want to purchase and use the platform/app.

However, I think the promotional video can better breakdown the detail for what their product does, however, I think for a short and simple 49-second video it garners interest from those they want to use/buy there product.

Comparing to Competitors

World Anvil

World Anvil uses its promotional video to showcase the functionality and capability of the app/website as they have an employee go through everything that the app can do. This gives more information to the consumer on how the product works and what can be achieved with it unlike D&D Beyond which only creates a simple understanding of the product, but D&D Beyond uses more engaging cinematic language to engage the viewer/consumer with catchy music and vivid animation style, in conclusion, I believe that both brands created compelling promotional videos one focused on engagement and one focused on functionality however it is clear that a good promotional video requires a balance between both of them.

Purple Boys - Ideal Sleep Solutions and Zonk Strategies (Episode 1 of 6)

Purple is an American based comfort technology company specializing in mattresses pillows/cushions, etc. This promotional video, it creates a sketch comedy series about the fictional characters who represent the Purple company as they try and help the audience get better sleep as well as those they interact with this short 6 Episode series.

Mise en Scene:

The video uses the colour purple in the setting/decor and costumes as it works as a branding tool for the Purple Mattress company as it is used as the iconic colour of there products and unique plastic polymer products. The performance of the two actors Geno Purple played by Eric Wareheim and Quirky Purple who is played by Tim Heidecker, both internet personalities and comedians who have an established audience from there Podcasts like "Office Hours Live with Tim Heidecker" and their presence on social media platforms like Instagram. By having them in this Promotional Video not only does it attract their audience/fans to the product but due to there audience targeting for this video being working adult by having these performers at the age of the late '20s and 30's demographic who suffer from lack of comfortable sleep and the so-called Sunday Scaries as mentioned in the dialogue.

The use of comedy to further sells their product by making the audience comfortable in the scene with its use of 80's non-diegetic music that can only be compared to a combination between a classic sitcom like Family Matters (1989-1998) and the acid trip scenes in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) which is only enhanced by the eccentric performances by Eric Wareheim and Tim Heidecker.

Camera:

The cinematography in the video uses a classic medium shot of a chat show with the two main actors and uses closeups on the characters in a talking head interview style with them directly addressing the audience/camera. Having this constant eye level with the characters create a relatable if a bit slightly uncomfortable relationship with the viewer as it makes us more interested in the bizarre promotional video and the product they are selling. The use of longshots as we see characters use a Purple mattress clearly showcases there product as it sells and showcases it in a creative original format.

Editing:

The use of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) in the video makes the video seem like a promotional video from the '80s with its use of cheap-looking font style akin to the original adverts during the early invention of video software like Powerpoint in the 2000s. The use of Green Screen in the video also has this effect and by using it to duplicate these character and move them around the screen in hectic and unconventional ways along with classic transitions and image altering effects used in the most primitive of editing software like creating blur effects. This use of amateur techniques combined with the clearly large budget for the production creates a memorable promotional video that sticks in the viewer's mind.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the video successfully promotes the product by using interesting and unusual cinematic techniques, from is purposely use of amateur editing techniques and bizarre performances as it clearly caught the attention of the consumers with the over 4 million views on the first video and more than 10 million on the whole promotional video series. As it capitalised on the internet sensation of Youtubes comedy/horror video and series like "Too many cooks" (2014) and "Don't Hug Me I'm Scared" (2010). This clear use to capitalise on this strange period of entertainment of Youtube made there limited TV series method of release for this promotional video series stay in the online zeitgeist for an extended period of time and more likely garnered interest in the product due to the oddity of the campaign if nothing else. This promotional video took advantage of the online medium of Youtube and the internet trends of the time by making the product a sharable joke/meme.

Comparing to Competitors

Simba

Simba uses cinematic language to appeal to an adult audience as it uses fragmentation with its use of closeups on the mattress and the machinery being used to test it to imply a sexual undertone along with its narration stating "Because you do more in bed then just sleep" this sexualisation of the product similar to the coke promotional video/advert (in my post on Walter Murch's Editing Rules) I analyzed on my blog this use of editing style to imply these adult themes links that feeling to the product causing them to buy it thinking that because they own the product they will have these sexual experiences alluded to in the cinematic language. Comparing this to Purples use of comedy both have engaging ways to market there brand, but I feel in comparison to Purple, Simba is falling behind by failing to distinguish itself from its competitors as sexualising a product is a common place in media and advertising and need to find a way to create a distinguished online presence as Purple has done.

How these Examples will Effect my own Promotional Video

The methods I will be taking into my own Promotional Video Ideas will most likely be the convention of the Talking Heads Format into some of my pitch ideas as it seems like an easy and compelling way to identify and market to the audience. As it makes the video more sympathetic and marketable through eye-level camera angles and making the audience feel more involved.

I will also be taking on in some capacity the unique animation style of the D&D Beyond Promotional Video as well as there usage of pre-existing media personalities like The Critical Role Cast, this was also showcased in the two comedians Eric Wareheim and Tim Heidecker to attract audiences to teh Purple brand. This convention of using internet personalities is usually for the use of Celebrities like Kevin Bacon in various adverts like 4G. However, lesser-known internet personalities will be cheaper for my production and having them attach to my product via these interconnected influencers will also provide a boost in product interest from the demographic if I pick the correct internet personalities.

Reference List:

DollarShaveClub.com - Our Blades Are F***ing Great Available (Online):

https://www.youtube.com/user/DollarShaveClub

D&D Beyond Official Theme/Promo Available (Online):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4BuL886bJA&ab_channel=D%26DBeyond

Purple Boys - Ideal Sleep Solutions and Zonk Strategies (Episode 1 of 6) Available (Online):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyn6g6JFkIY&ab_channel=Purple