Task 3 - Sources of Information

Sources of Information

Prior to creating my advert, i did a suitable amount of research within the chewing gum industry and analysed their product, their UTP, their reviews and their advertisement methods. In order to become a competitor within the industry i had to make sure that my advert was planned to an immaculate standard. In preparation i ensured there were not any vital elements that were left out. Within the group that i made the advert with there were various ideas such as: phone cases and hangers and we all decided that chewing gum was the best fit for us because we all enjoy it a lot.

Proposal

I used my proposal to remember the purpose of the advert and what the advert was based on. This document was useful because it allowed us to stay on track and stay focused on what we were suppose to be filming, how we're suppose to be filming it and why we were filming the advert. If i was to do the project again i would improve it by including more information within my proposal. My proposal was very brief and to the point and although that is good, i believe that there should have been more information to confirm that we were well organised and that we weren't just improvising on the day.

Storyboard

I used my storyboard to guide me through each scene, this document; in my opinion was extremely useless because it is just a repeat of the proposal. I understand that some people are visual learners and that having a storyboard may be useful for them because it allows them to see their project in front their eyes rather than just a bunch of words. Within my group this wasn't necessary because i was the director and i saw my vision and i knew exactly how i wanted it to go therefore i didn't  want there to be a plan that could somehow interfere with my vision. If i was to do this project again i would improve it by including less detail within the storyboard and more detail in the proposal; for personal reasons.

Shooting Schedule & Shot List

I used my shooting schedule and shot list to keep the advert organised and professional. This was useful because it allowed us to remember what everyone was going to say, how they were going to say it, when they were going to say it. What clothes they would be wearing on the different days that we were filming how they would have their hair. Making sure that everything was immaculate and consistent so there would be no room for improvement. We achieved this and if i was to do this project again there would be nothing to improve within the shooting schedule and shot list because they both were followed and we made a good advert by using this.

Location Visit & Risk Assessment 

I used my location visit and risk assessment to assure the safety of my crew members and to analyse any risks in the locations so that they can be dealt with appropriately This was useful because doing a risk assessment allowed me to analyse any further risks that may occur during filming and it enlightened many risks that you wouldn't think about unless you've done a risk assessment. It allowed me to protect my crew members. The location visit on the other hand was useless because i knew exactly where i was going to film my advert and how i was going to film it and so did the cast. The advert was within our sixth form so no one really needed directions because we all know our way around. If i was to repeat this project i would improve it by going to a better location, one that is more prestige to make the advert look more professional.

Cast & Crew Details & Budget

I used my pre-production documentation within this stage to remind me who had which role. This part wasn't particularly useful as we aren't a professional filming crew. Everyone that was in the crew were part of the school sixth form so i would have always been able to contact them regardless. We filmed our advert within school grounds too so i didn't spend any money hiring crew or hiring a location because all i had to do was ask if it was okay if i used the facilities. We set ourselves a budget of £2000 and didn't spend a penny on this particular aspect of the production. Due to this advert being my first project, there is room for a lot of improvement. 1 being that my next project will consist of a professional crew and a prestige location/set that i will have to spend money to get.

Conclusion

In conclusion, i believe that the risk assessment, the proposal and the shot list were the most useful because with the risk assessment you never realise how many possibilities there are that could potentially be dangerous and cause harm until you actually analyse the situation. This was useful in the sense that we had to keep our casts safety as our first priority and the risk assessment allowed us to prevent the smallest thing going wrong. The proposal was also one of the most useful because it reminded us what the advertisement was actually about, usually when you enter your element your mind wanders off to other ventures but the proposal allowed us to stay on top of our advert and reminded us the purpose when we got off track. The shot list was also another useful document because it kept us organised and ensured we didn't miss any vital lines or shots that could potentially jeopardise our advert,

The documents that were the least useful were the cast details, budget and crew and the storyboard.
The cast details were useless because as I've already mentioned they all go to the same sixth form as me so contacting them would never be an issue; even if i'm not personally in possession of their details, I would most likely have someone else's details that has the person that i'm looking for. The budget was also useless because we got everything for free, so setting ourselves a budget was pointless. The storyboard was another useless document because it's just a repeat of the proposal within a visual form which i find useless. The storyboard could have been improved to have more details within it.

• How useful were your documents?
• How you would improve your planning documents before your next project?