Commercial

This is the commercial I made for Dunkin' Donuts. It was finished on November 12, 2019.

I wasn't able to embed a word doc into my blog, so the CCR I completed for this project is copy pasted under the cut.

1.      How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

While the commercial does not challenge any social issues, it fits into the genre of fast food commercials well. Fast food commercials heavily utilize the "common people" technique of advertising. The brand will show regular, everyday people enjoying their food to make the consumer feel a sense of belonging for eating their food. This commercial did that by making the person in the ad an average person who most can relate to. Fast food brands also often show zoom-ins of their food with a narrator explaining the ingredients or giving a general description of the food. This commercial didn’t list the ingredients, but it did give a brief explanation of the coffee Dunkin’ Donuts serves.

Dunkin’ Donuts is a brand that is targeted at multiple age ranges, from millennials to Gen X. Therefore, age isn’t a main factor in choosing the audience for this commercial. The appeal for this ad comes from the career of the person watching it. The commercial mainly attracts people who are into art or are in art school. However, it can also capture the eyes of anyone who is pursuing creative endeavors. Both groups can relate to having an upcoming deadline and not having inspiration to create.

2.      How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

People will want to watch this commercial because it tells a fulfilling story. People are drawn to seeing a conflict get a satisfying resolution. This commercial presents a problem and resolves it while also advertising a product. People will want to watch to see how the problem is solved. As previously mentioned, the target for this advertisement is anyone who is following a creative pathway and can relate to the character in the advertisement. People who are artists themselves may watch this commercial to find inspiration or motivation to create.

 This commercial would be distributed through Youtube or social media apps because of its short length. The target audience, especially those in college, may not have cable, which is why the commercial would not play on TV.

3.      How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Before filming this commercial, I had no experience with making something of this scale. My production skills went from almost nothing to understanding the basics of making a commercial. I knew how to use a camera beforehand, but this project taught me how to operate a tripod and SD card reader. As the filming process progressed, I gradually understood more about how the tripod worked. This skill was especially important in this production, as I was the only person in my group and I needed the tripod to film. Additionally, I learned how to dump footage onto a computer, which I hadn’t done before.

I also developed my editing skills. Last year, I had done basic editing in a TV production class, but I didn’t fully understand what I was doing at the time. That editing also didn’t need to be as complex and precise as it had to be for the commercial project. Through making the commercial, I learned how to add transitions. I found out how to edit the duration of the transitions and what type of transition they are. I used these skills during the scene where I showed close ups of the coffee cup. Similarly, I learned how

4.      How did you integrate technologies –software, hardware and online — into this project?

Because I was filming alone, I used the tripod a lot while making the commercial. Before this project, I had never used a tripod. Over the course of the filming period, I learned how to properly extend the legs using the 3 clips on each leg. When the clip is unlocked, that section of the leg is able to move freely. When it is locked, the leg won't move. There was a level on the tripod that allowed me to see if the tripod was even, which helped in ensuring the tripod was placed on an even surface. I also utilized the SD card and SD card reader. The SD card stored the footage and the reader allowed me to dump the footage onto the computer.

To edit, I used the program Pinnacle Studios. One of the most important aspects of this program that I utilized the most was the “split” function.  I placed the triangle slider where I wanted to cut and clicked the split button. I deleted the extra parts I didn't need, which let me use only the footage I needed. I also used the “transitions” feature heavily. I right clicked a clip and added the transition I wanted. Besides Pinnacle Studios, I also used a voice recording app on my phone to record the voice over narration. I imported the audio to Pinnacle Studios using Google Drive. In addition to the audio I recorded myself, I downloaded royalty free background ambiance off of YouTube and downloaded it with the YtMP3 software.