Evaluation

Lucky Dip! Evaluation.
Our product for the lucky dip! induction project is Pot Noodle and has been advertised through a print and moving image ad.

Skills developed. 

Throughout the induction project, I have broadened my understanding of using softwares such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Blogger and Google drive, and have initially learnt how to use and handle a camera. As this is the first occasion using Premiere Pro I feel as I have more things to improve on in terms of editing. I have fully understood the use of camera shots and angles and meanings behind this, learnt in the first few weeks of the induction project & have applied some of this knowledge to the final moving ad, however I feel that there are more shots and angles to explore as the course progresses and as I explore more themes from film and photography.
Handling the camera in a safe manner has been wonderful however I feel that I must be careful when transferring footage / photographs from SD cards to ensure nothing gets lost, as also learnt from our film advertisement.
I have developed my understanding of using Google drive by sharing and completing group work within our team on Google Docs / Slides. I have also learnt a new aspect of using a questionnaire on Google Docs which helped our group successfully gather primary research from our audience for the product Pot Noodle. This skill will allow me to conduct primary research if and when needed for following projects.
The introductory experimentation of Photoshop using own photography had allowed me to explore techniques such as the vibrance and filters of the photos on the software, shown on my edited photo of a Polaroid. Through further exploration of tools and filters / adjustments, my background photos shown on my print advert became blurred ( to allow the main subject of the advert to stand out ) and the backdrop had been edited to portray the colours of the top Pot Noodle flavours, found through conducting secondary and primary research - using the questionnaire on Google Docs.
New skills have been learnt when using Blogger, such as the process of labelling work into separate compartments and changing the blog layout for posts that are published to a suitable or aesthetic theme. One aspect I have learnt through some failed attempts of uploading images throughout my posts and must remember for future uses of the app is the process of uploading images - the images must be in JPG, JPEG or PNG. There is also a video size limit.

Teamwork. 

Working in a team has provided many advantages such as the process of intertwining may different ideas together, however it has also provided many challenges. These challenges have included frustration when a member has forgotten certain props to film along with challenges with editing. As part of growing, I have taken these challenges into account for future projects and will learn from them by keeping patient and including all solutions and ideas, to then progress and finish as a team.  As our group had also faced lost footage on the final day of editing, a solution as a team was required. Our group searched through previous, unused footage however decided to edit the advert so the main character was shown as enlightened after consuming the product. This means the main character had thoughts of playing better once he'd eaten the Pot Noodle. The group worked together to edit this and attempted to overall make the end of the advert as clear as possible. This has allowed me to reflect and learn to be careful with footage.
The participation of members in a team has also proven to be a challenge however I feel that one person must be a team leader. This may have helped keep our group organised and made sure there was constant planning / a realistic plan.
Further advantages included good communication when filming, allowing us to film the correct scenes from a suitable angle which included everyone required in the shot. The main characters performance went well as guided with the team.As there were certain members more experienced with camera equipment, help was provided therefore overall good verbal communication.
I have learnt that good communication and overall teamwork is an important aspect when working in the media / film platform.

Planning 
Planning for my print advertisement included blogging initial ideas based on the knowledge found from secondary research. I decided to focus the topic on the Pot Noodles campaign - ' you can make it ' and focus on the idea of people eating Pot Noodles after being active and busy. This topic and campaign shows a positive side to the product and includes a similar aged group as a target audience, varying from students with part time jobs and/ or at college and university students. The target audience therefore allowed me to include aspects that would be relatable- using the mobile phones and clothing in my print advert and the humour in the film advert.
After constructing ideas,I had planned to use and take photographs of a busy life. Planning at this stage included taking photographs when going along in my daily life. This included buildings, the train station, people in mass amounts of groups etc,
I had planned to use the photography studio by gathering two models and previously making sure they had been available. The photographs of them were exported and saved on the same day. As the first editing aspect began, the background photos had been edited into 3 colours, showing the top flavours again, as shown in a blogger post of a before and after train station photo. However, the print advert had looked too packed and did not allow the main subject, the Pot Noodle to show. This means the audience would have been distracted, therefore making the advert unsuccessful.
To continue the idea of an active / busy schedule, I had then used and brainstormed editing stages to make the advert less filled. Planning before editing for this final advert included:

•  Making sure I was knowledgeable on only using and blurring the portrait photos in the background.
• The slogan to use.
• The self taken photograph of a Pot Noodle
• The official Pot Noodle slogan, edited to be the same colour of the required Pot Noodle image ( blue )

From the change in plans, I have learnt to not over complicate advertising a product and to not lose the audiences attention from the main subject. However, blogging my planned, initial ideas allowed me to look back and change the idea whilst using the same photography / topic idea. Therefore indicating recording my planning stages is a effective and must be an aspect to include in future projects.

Planning for our film advertisement went well although there were some issues due to the requirement of the football kit being delayed. As planned, we spent 2-3 lessons filming the beginning of the advert, however, editing time had been delayed due to lost footage and lack of costume. Though a lesson was not in use due to attempting to find the footage, a lesson after in a short time was used for the voiceover, which has been included at the end of the ad. To improve teamwork skills and overall planning, in the future we must make sure members are being reliable on their part along with having a backup, clear plan in case of things like lost footage and be realistic with time.

Overall expectations of project-

To conclude, the overall project has been successful in terms of including primary and secondary research however can take into account psycho and demographics more in order to fully take use of the research and understand the targeted audience as much as possible. More camera techniques including movements and angles may have been used in the film along with making sure all shots are in focus in order to fully explore the learnt content and make the advert as appealing and persuasive for viewers as possible by also consistently keeping their attention. 

However, parts of the film advert which had advantages includes the initial slow paced, sad background music as a non digetic sound, then transitioning to happier / upbeat music after the consumption of the noodles.As a parallel sound, this further indicated the main characters happiness and overall provided clarity for the message of the advert. Though lost footage, the clairty in message and making sure the overall moving image made sense met my expectation.
Though aspects such the end shot out of focus have not met my expectations of cinematography, the use of humour in the advert has and was a successful aspect, as it involves knowledge learnt about persuasive techniques from the first stages of the entire project and has allowed our group to apply this.

Though my print advert has not met my expectations as a whole,there are smaller aspects that have, along with being a small success. This includes the colour use and meanings behind this, along with a catchy slogan and font colours, further relating to the flavoured Pot Noodle. The blurred background images allows the Pot Noodle to be in the foreground however improvement is required in terms of making the advert look more realistic and blending / making the main subject look more natural into the background. This would be an important aspect for me to change and take into account in future projects.
Also for future projects, I hope to learn more about the use of Blogger and be at a high, familiar standard with the app along with hoping to improve my Photoshop skills. The project as a whole has been  productive with advantages at times however there have also been challenges in which I will learn from in terms of teamwork and editing.