The Development and Principles of Editing

Introduction: In this post I will cover the history and principles of editing as well as analyzing a short clip and demonstrating the editing techniques that are used throughout and the effects they have on the audience.

The history and development of editing: Editing is the process of combining various takes from various angles to create, in most cases, a comprehensive sequence of events. In the early days of film 1890-98 all films were shot as one continuous take with no transitions. Film was a new and exciting medium that was not like anything else at the time meaning that audiences were easily amused, this is why early films were incredibly simplistic, consisting of daily events like cars going down a street or a train passing. In 1898 British director Robert W. Paul released Come Along, Do! which featured a couple outside an art exhibition and as they enter the film cuts to the inside of the exhibition to show what the couple are doing; this was the first film to feature more than one shot.

A surviving still from Come Along, Do!

The Kuleshov effect: One of the earliest examples of juxtaposition in movies, Russian director Lev Kuleshov performed an experiment involving a shot of a man which was intercut with a bowl of soup, a child and a casket.The experiment was performed to show directors that having two shots that look related or as if they are in the same place sub-consciously created a link between the two shots in the audiences mind. This experiment made directors realize that using methods such as juxtaposition they could shoot their movies over longer periods of time and in various locations.

Manual editing: In the late 19th century and early 20th century all editing was done manually by skilled workers. The process involved physically 'cutting' (hence the term cut) and sticking strips of film together to create a series of events. The film that was edited was a copy of the original negative which allowed editors to experiment with the film without fear of making mistakes.

An early upright editing machine, the Moviola.











Digital Editing: When digital cameras started appearing on the market editors needed software on the computers in order to edit the footage together, and thus digital editing began. Unlike physical editing digital did not use reels of film meaning that it took up less space an eliminated the need to wait for 'dailies' and create copies of the original negative. Digital editing is the most common form of editing today due to the availability of computers. However, the transition between physical and digital editing was not smooth some directors still primarily shoot on film which means they have to convert the film into digital format in order for the editors to edit the footage; digital editing is done on software such as Final Cut, Avid and Premiere pro.

In camera editing: This is a very low budget form of editing which involves shooting scenes in order of continuity to remove the need of editing software. This method is more limited and not as effective as traditional digital editing but is considerably cheaper.

Transitions:

Cut: The most simple transition which involves jumping from one piece of footage to the next.

Fade: The clip fades to black or to white to be used as a transition or to signify the end or start of a movie

Dissolve: One piece of footage fades to another, the fade is used to show the passing of time.

Wipe: One piece of footage 'pushes' the other out of frame

These are the most common forms of transitions. Cuts and and dissolves are primarily used for story telling as they are the most effective.

Other more uncommon transitions include:

Graphic match cut: One object is shown as the clip fades/cuts to another object that may be in an entirely different location but will look similar to the original object. For example, the shower scene in Psycho uses a graphic match cut between the characters eye and the drain in the shower.

Morph: commonly used to show the passing of a long amount of time or in order to relate two seemingly unrelated objects, this visual effect distorts an object/person until it looks like something/someone else, an example of this effect is a scene from Saving Private Ryan in which the young soldier transforms or morphs into the older version of himself.

Clip analysis



0:00-0:05 The clip fades up from black (see fade in transitions) from the previous scene (not shown) to show a small gas station. This is an establishing shot it shows the audience the location in which the scene will take place.

0:14 The conversation between the two characters begins; the directors have taken care not to break the 180 degree rule since the shop keeper is always frame left while the antagonist is frame right. This method ensures that the audience can follow the conversation without confusion.

0:22 The two characters begin a conversation with the shopkeeper asking about the weather where the antagonist came from the antagonist replies with "What business is it of yours where I'm from? frendo". 0:31 Cuts to an OTS of the antagonist showing the reaction of the shopkeeper, the audience can clearly see that the shopkeeper is visibly worried/frightened by the antagonist's remark.  Throughout the scene the camera cuts between two angles each showing one of the characters this method is called shot-reverse shot, which means the camera cuts between the two or more angles to show the character's reactions and emotions. This method allows for the audience to see the build up of tension in the scene based on the reactions of the shopkeeper and antagonist.

1:03 The shopkeeper asks the antagonist if he needs anything else to which he replies "you already asked me that". The angle remains the same from 1:05-1:15 to show the shopkeepers reaction as he begins to worry about what the antagonist might do. Showing the audience the shopkeepers reaction helps to further develop the tension and suspense in this scene. This particular take is approximately 10 seconds, this is considered a very long time for a feature length film since they will likely have more than one camera on set allowing them to switch between different angles this extended take is likely deliberate to reflect the tense situation unfolding in the scene and allows for the audience to study the shopkeepers reactions to the antagonists dialogue.

1:23-1:34 This shot is seen from the perspective of the shopkeeper (POV shot) as the antagonist continues speaking this shot allows for the audience to see the antagonist from the shopkeepers perspective and to allow the audience to relate to how the shopkeeper views the antagonist. Once again this is a very long take, much like the previously mentioned shot this is likely deliberate to show the emotion or in this case lack of, that the antagonist displays.

1:35 and 1:39 are both POV shots from the antagonist perspective which exists for the same reason as the other POV shots, this time we can see that the shopkeeper is visibly frightened by the antagonist and seeing it from his perspective creates further tension and suspense. The POV to OTS transitions also count as eye-line match shots; eye-line match shots show a character looking at something out of frame and the next shot shows what he/she was looking at, in this sequence this is used when the characters are looking at each other.

2:55 The antogonist flips a coin and in the next shot we see him slam it down on the counter. This method is called a match on action, the first shows the beginning of the action and the next shows the end this is important in film as it allows for the audience to know who performed an action without having to show the whole thing. The coin toss is shown in shorter takes than the rest of the clip to show a break in pace. The coin is shown in a close up possibly to signify it's importance in the scene, throughout this scene the only close ups used show the counter where the character puts the coin and candy wrapper. The rest of the shots are almost entirely medium and medium close shots.

3:05 Onwards - The takes become a lot longer in particular the angle that shows the shopkeeper, the length of the takes serves the pacing of the scene the longer the takes the slower the movie feels this allows for the suspense to build continuously as the audience wait for the pace to change. This method is extremely effective at building suspense as it feels like the takes are almost too long. the lingering takes are effective reaction shots which show how the characters are reacting to each other throughout the scene.

4:00 The pacing changes as the shopkeeper correctly guesses the coin toss. This serves as relief for the audience since the previous shots were long and drawn out these were short and quick as if to mimic the shopkeepers sigh of relief.

4:24 The scene ends with a fade to black to tell the audience that the scene is over and also serves to ease the tension built in the scene for both the characters and audience.

The clip does not feature any wipes or dissolves as I previously mentioned cuts and fades (to black or to white) are the primary transitions to tell a story, if used incorrectly wipes and dissolves may detract from the feel and theme of this scene, as some agree that they break immersion of the movie for example a star wipe after a particularly tense scene in a drama can easily break immersion in the world of the film, less noticeable fades however can serve for a smooth transition  

Screen time: The use of shot reverse shot and POV shots allow for the characters to have almost the exact same amount of screen time, being able to see both characters in the scene allows for the audience to gage reactions of both of the characters in the scene. The shared screen time also allows for the audience to not know who is the most 'important' in the scene this helps to further induce tension as we are not sure of the outcome since the general rule is less screen time = less important.

Conclusion: In conclusion this clip uses POV shots and shot reverse shots effectively to generate huge amounts of suspense and tension throughout the scene. The variations of shot lengths allows for the generation of pace for the rest of the scene and movie, with periodic 'breaks' in the pacing for particularly tense moments such as the aforementioned coin toss.

In this assignment we were tasked to cover certain uses and functions of editing techniques below I will cover the techniques that can be seen in the clip as well as any others by using examples from other media texts.

Shot variation: As I mentioned earlier this scene uses very few different shots, this is likely deliberate in order to not detract from the tension and suspense in the scene as too many different types of shots would distract the audience from the dialogue and reactions of the characters.

Montage: A montage is a series of clips cut together usually used to show the passing of a large amount of time. Montages have been used for decades but became a huge part of pop culture and parody with the famous training montage scenes from Rocky (see below).



Providing and withholding information: The clip I chose is a good example of withholding information in a scene. This effect is used to allow the audience to make up their own theories and reasons for what is happening in the scene. For example, when the antagonist tosses the coin and asks the shop keeper to "call it" he asks what he is calling it for to which the antagonist replies "everything". This allows for the audience to create their own meaning as to what the antagonist meant when he said "everything" was it a reward or a punishment. The rest of the movie also withholds information from the audience, as to the identity of the antagonist, with very little details about his past or plans this lead for some audience members to even speculate that the antagonist may be a supernatural character.



Parallel editing/cross cutting: Parallel editing is when a film or sequence cuts between two events that are occurring at the same time. The two events are related either literally or metaphorically, the two may converge at some point or there relation may be strictly metaphorical for the sake of exposition or story telling. This clip from Inception uses parralel editing to relate two events from the movie occurring concurrently one within the real world and one within a dream.

Editing rhythm: As I briefly mentioned the length of the takes and variations of shot types can be used to alter the pace of the sequence. For example, short takes and varied shots will be used for action sequences while longer takes will be used for dramas. The editing rhythm can be deliberately tampered  with in order to demonstrate a character being disoriented or to signify a disruption in the equilibrium.

Construction of the time and space of the story , both diegetically and implied: Diegesis refers to anything within the world of the film, so for example the sequence may show a time lapse of the sun setting or rising in order to show the passing of time. A long amount of time passing can be shown using a dissolve as I mentioned earlier, if a character gets on a train at one station and the clip then dissolves to show the character at another station at a different time of day and we the audience can assume that a long time has passed.



Cutting to soundtrack: Mainly used at the ending of scenes or at the ending of the movie cutting to the soundtrack is a literal term meaning the footage will fade or cut to a new piece of footage or a black screen and during this cut music will begin to play this can be used to set the mood of the next scene or reflect on the mood of the previous scenes. This technique is commonly used at the end of the movie when the credits roll, they will almost always be accompanied by music. Another noteworthy example is the Bond franchise in which the opening of the film will be shown and then will cut to the soundtrack usually accompanied by a pseudo 'music video'.



Multiple points of view: This effect can be used to show multiple characters perspectives on the overall story line or of a certain event. For example, one character may view the stories villains actions as evil or wrong while the villain may believe that his actions are justified or moral, thus creating conflict within the world of the movie as well as among the audience. This could also refer to the camera angles in a scene, such as a fight scene, which will utilize multiple angles in order to create pace or simply show certain actions.

Cutaways:Commonly used in dramas and horror, cutaways can be used as a form of pseudo censorship or for metaphorical comparisons. For example, a character in a horror movie can be shown walking down the road and then the sequence cuts to a danger of death sign to signify that the character is in danger. Another example may be a character being killed in a particularly horrible way for example just before the character is killed the clip will cut to something else i.e a graveyard or even the reaction of another character in the scene in order to show how the other characters react (reaction shot) or even to keep the films rating down by not showing violence/blood.

Jump-cut: Jump cuts in general signify an error in filming, jump cuts make the audience think that some frames are missing in a scene and are likely used to cover up any mistakes in the movie. However, jump cuts can be used deliberately to show distortion or confusion in a character, or to remove unnecessary actions of frames. This technique has been taken on by a lot of vloggers on YouTube in order to keep the audience interested by constantly jump cutting. Jump cuts are viewed as unprofessional in the film industry and are normally indicative of a mistake or reflect low budgets or poor timekeeping.

TV Advertising Evaluation

The Brief:
For this task we were asked to re-brand a Unilever product by creating a new advert or variation of the existing product, aimed at a new audience.

Our group chose to re-brand Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. We did not choose the product when we were put in the group however, we were put into groups based on which product we chose to re-brand initially, all three members of our group chose Ben and Jerry's. 

The current target audience for Ben and Jerry's ice cream is teenagers/students aged 16-20 we decided to target the tail end of the current audience as well as a slightly older demographic hopefully bringing the age range to approximately 17-27.We chose this audience as we believed they were the audience that are most likely to purchase the product, as well as being the audience the humor and references in the advert appealed to.

Feedback:

We used the free survey creation site Survey Monkey to create surveys in order to gather feedback on our adverts. The responses I received for my survey can be found in the previous blog post.

We tried to keep our advert as focused on the target audience as possible and I believe that we succeeded. Referring to the survey responses you can see that most people believed that the target audience was young adults aged 17-30. More specifically some respondents mentioned that the advert was targeted at movie fans this is something we definitely tried to achieve in our advert.
Hopefully the advert will encourage the audience to buy the product either by itself or purchase when seeing a movie at a cinema.

As with the script we tried to keep the camerawork and mise-en-scene as simple as possible. This was met with mixed feedback both from the survey and the class' feedback as some liked the simplicity while others believed the advert needed more. The main feedback was on the quality of the lighting, some complained the advert was too dark and 'grainy'.

We used very few shots in our advert and the shots we did use were all shot using a tripod meaning the focus was on the actors and dialogue rather than the cinematography. The mise-en-scene again was very simple the actors wore normal costumes and the lighting was very limited which was all intentional to try and reflect the target audience and their behavior. The sound however was little more complex we overlayed multiple sound files to try and create background that sounded like a movie, this was met with mixed responses some liked it others found it too distracting from the dialogue. We overlayed multiple sound effects such as explosions and murmuring to make the audience believe that the characters were watching a movie, we balanced the sound effects carefully to ensure that they did not drown out the dialogue but according to the feedback the backing audio could have been at a lower volume. One of the main complaints for our advert was the editing, people claimed the takes were too long and did not hold the attention, this could be countered by shortening the takes and tightening up the overall editing.

One respondent pointed out that there was no way of telling what the advert was about until the very end. This could have been countered by having an introductory title stating the advert is about Ben and Jerry's but we personally believed that the advert worked in it's current form.

This screen is played at the end of the advert, putting this or something similar at the beginning of our advert could have made it clearer as to what the advert was selling.

We used almost no persuasion techniques throughout our advert, in fact one respondent commended the lack of persuasion as it made the advert feel less forceful. Although some did critique the lack of persuasion techniques saying that they were not likely to buy the product. We could of changed this by adding to the voice over at the end with an extra sentence stating how good the product tastes, emphasize the fair-trade ingredients or saying were the product was available.

We tried to send a message that emphasized that Ben and Jerry's was not only for trendy teenagers but also teenagers who may be slightly more 'geeky'. By using a mixture of puns from mainstream and slightly obscure movies we appealed to a new audience while ensuring not to alienate the previous audience by still ensuring they felt included. The actors we used represent the audience we were aiming for this was successful as almost all of the survey respondents said that they believed the target audience was young adults aged approx. 17-25.

We made sure to use no content, dialogue or sound that may offend viewers. Referring to the BCAP code we can ensure that our advert complies with advertising regulations. Section 1 of the BCAP code states that 'advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society', when we planned and created our advert we ensured that the content we were creating would be appropriate for our target audience. The code also states that 'Advertisements must not state or imply that a product can legally be sold if it cannot.' We did not state that our product was available for purchase meaning we did not break this section of the BCAP code.

Section 2 of the BCAP code refers to the recognition of advertising stating that 'Advertisements must be obviously distinguishable from editorial content...' meaning that our advert could not be made to look like a TV programme and must be made to look like an advert. We made no attempt to make the audience believe they were watching something that was not an advert meaning we are still in compliance with the code.

Section 3 refers to misleading advertisement stating that 'Advertisements must not mislead or be likely to do so.' Our advert uses ice cream flavour based puns meaning that we did not mislead the audience into believing we were advertising something else.

Section 4 refers to harmful and offensive content stating that 'Advertisements must contain nothing that could cause physical, mental, moral or social harm to persons under the age of 18.' By avoiding any references to violence, drug usage, swearing etc. we ensure that the advert does not offend anyone below the age of 18.

The rest of the BCAP code refers to more specific areas of advertising such as motoring, weight loss, alcohol, insurance etc. and does not apply to our advert. The BCAP code can be found here
http://www.cap.org.uk/Advertising-Codes/~/media/Files/CAP/Codes%20BCAP%20pdf/The%20BCAP%20Code.ashx

Personal reflection:

Referring back to the original planning (which can be found in an earlier blog post) you can see that we kept very close to the original plan by recreating the shot and ending splash screen. As well as the storyboard we kept within the confines of the budget we set and we used the location we originally stated.

Overall I am satisfied with the outcome of our advert, with only a few changes that I could have made such as a clearer display of the product we were trying to sell as well as getting more shots at the location to make sure we had more variety in the editing stage. My personal involvement in this product included operating the camera, planning the advert, contribution to the paperwork and a majority of the editing due to my previous experience with the software.

TV Advertising Survey Feedback

Adobe Premiere Pro CC Editing Guide

Logging in and local logins:

To log in to the Mac make sure you use your appointed media profile which should be media(x) as the username and password (replace x with the block in which your media lesson(s) begin). Make sure the Mac you log on to is the Mac you continue to use throughout your editing project as all the data is stored locally. We use this local login to ensure that all the data can be accessed easily and in one place.

This is the login in screen which can be seen when you boot up the Mac.

Mounting the SD card and ejecting it safely:

It is crucial to ensure that your SD card does not lose any data or corrupts in any way; this can be prevented by correctly mounting and ejecting your SD card. When you insert the SD card into the Mac it should automatically mount, when you are finished with the SD card it is very important to eject the SD card before pulling it out of the card reader. To eject an SD card find the card, which by default is on the desktop, right click or command click the card and press eject, there will then be a message saying the device is safe to remove. It is important to correctly remove the SD card as to avoid any possibilities of corruption or loss of data.

An SD card mounted on to the desktop

How to correctly eject an SD card

Creating folders and sorting footage:

When working on an editing project it is a good idea to keep your footage in appropriately named and placed folders. For your editing project you are encouraged to store your footage and any other related files in the appointed media area which can be found by going to the desktop and opening the Macintosh HD and finding the media folder, inside the media folder you should have a movies folder which is where all of your resources should be stored. The path for my files was /Users/mediab/Ben and Jerry's Advert/Premiere Pro Files/ Obviously your path will differ. Keeping all of your work in one dedicated area makes it easier to locate files and folders and increases general effeciency when editing. 

Here is an example of the file structure I used for my editing project:

This is the main folder which contains all of the editing resources  

This is the favorites bar on the Mac file browser, it is a good idea to link your 'Movies' folder into your favorites for easier access this can be done by simply the Movies folder into the folder section.  

These are all of the Premiere Pro files that I had at the end of my project, it is advisable to keep a backup of your main file in the event of a corruption or data loss.

This is all the raw footage copied directly from the SD card, if you have lots of footage it is a good idea to rename the files based on length or chronological order.

This is the movies folder found in the media(x) section

This all the raw audio I used in my project once again copied directly from the SD card. As with the footage it may be a good idea to rename the audio appropriately. 

Copying footage and renaming files:

It is important to keep multiple copies of your files. For example, instead of transferring the footage from the SD card to the computer copy it, keeping two versions of your footage ensures that you have a backup in the event of a crash or loss of data. Naming your files also helps you keep track of which file you need and where for example a file named ‘Shot 2 Wide’ is more helpful than ‘MOV_9821’ and allows you to manage your files more efficiently.

As you can see above, for my project I did not rename any of my files which meant I had no way of telling which shot was which without watching them. Naming your files can drastically increase efficiency in editing.


Opening programs and settings for projects:

Adobe Premiere by default does not have a shortcut on the desktop nor on taskbar/dock (you may find an Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 on the taskbar/dock, but this is the outdated version of Premiere Pro). To find Premiere Pro use the 'finder' function on the mac (see below) and search for Adobe, and a list of the Adobe programs will appear.

This is the finder which can be found in the top right on the desktop, the finder is recognizable by the magnifying glass icon. 

 Clicking the magnifying glass will open the search window and entering "Adobe" will show a list of the Adobe programs.

When you open Adobe Premiere pro you will see this screen, to start a new project click the 'New Project' button.

When you create a new project this screen will appear, allowing you to name your project and choose the location that it will be saved. Make sure you choose your media folder in Users/media(x)/Movies and create a new folder for your project.

Importing Footage:
Before you can begin editing your footage together you must first import it into Premiere Pro, this can be done by going to File>Import or by using the key board shortcut cmd>I

Bins and how to find footage (in Premiere) and how to 'open in place' instead of in a new window:

The bin is located in the bottom left of the Premiere Pro window and contains all of the audio and footage that you imported earlier, this footage can be dragged on to the timeline (see below). Bins are incredibly useful for keeping track of your footage by making easier to find and organize if necessary, as well as being able to preview the footage beforehand to make sure you are using the correct angle and take. 

The image above shows a blank timeline, and the image below is an example of what a time line will look like once all the editing is complete.

In order to view it or alternatively click the clip once and press the spacebar once, this will play the clip in the bin rather than opening it in a new window.

The picture below shows a clip being played in the bin, the small black bar can be dragged to fast forward and rewind the footage.

This is a clip being played in a separate window, this can be achieved by double clicking the piece of footage in the bin. The footage will be shown in a window parallel to the main editing window (see below);This is useful for comparing the original clip to an edited clip.

Sequences and exporting:
A sequence is a piece of footage and audio, this sequence can be changed directly by double clicking the sequence on the timeline. From this menu you can change various settings such as the opacity of the video and volume of the audio, this allows you to create certain effects for your movie such as colour correction and opacity as well as audio effects such as reverb and bass.

                                      

This is the menu that allows for you to adjust various settings on your sequence.

This is a list of effects that can be applied (to audio in this case) to change certain aspects of the audio.

Effects from the list above can be dragged onto the sequence, you can tell the effect is applied by looking for the 'fx' to the left of the audio/video. Using these effects correctly can make your video look more professional and allow you to change things that you couldn't during production. 

Once your timeline has all of your desired footage and audio on it can be exported making it ready for uploading to YouTube. Make sure to select your whole sequence before clicking export, this can be done by clicking the tab at the top of your timeline, double clicking this selects all of the footage and audio on the timeline. This is the tab that you must click to select all elements on the timeline ready for exporting.

This is the export menu from here you can choose the resolution frame rate aspect ratio etc. of your video this is useful for preparing your video for certain methods of distribution such as Vimeo, YouTube or to burn it it a DVD/Blu-Ray.

The Technical Side of Editing Questions

Question 1: What do the numbers 16:9 refer to?

16:9 refers to the aspect ratio of the video, the numbers come from the width and height of the video. 16:9 is more commonly referred to as widescreen and is used primarily in cinema and on widescreen monitors/TV's

Question 2: What is the frame size of a 1080p file

A 1080p file is in the resolution 1920x1080 pixels. 1080p is the blu ray standard and is the most common from of HD video

Question 3: If you have a video file which is 720:50p what is the frame rate and what does the 'p' stand for?

The first number is the resolution in this case it is 1280x720 and the second number is the frame rate which is 50 fps. The p refers to how the frames are shown, p means progressive scan which means the frames are shown one after the other.

Question 4: What is the difference between p and i (e.g. 1080p)

As previously mentioned the p means progressive scan which means the frames are shown one by one, the i means interlaced which means the frames are shown in halves and are 'laced' together when it is played.

Question 5: What frame rate is real film shot at?

Real film is shot at 24 fps (frames per second) as this is the frame rate which we distinguish as video as opposed to a series of images.

Question 6: What might be the advantage of shooting at a higher frame rate?

A higher frame rate allows for a smoother viewing as there are more frames being displayed allowing for less motion blur to cover up the stuttering and blurring effects in lower frame rates. A higher frame rate also allows for better slow motion.

Question 7: What defines a lossy file?

A lossy file is a file that can lose data for example a jpeg if saved many many times will start to lose data and become distorted.

Question 8: Name three file types commonly used in video editing

MOV H.264  MPEG

Question 9: What is the difference between a video file type and a codec?

A video file type is the type of file the video clip is saved as i.e. MPEG, MOV etc. the codec is the method or program which saves the file in that format i.e a file converter or program such as Premier pro.

Question 10: What is bitrate?

The bitrate is the rate at which the file displays information, the higher the bitrate the higher the quality of the video.

Ben and Jerry's TV advert paperwork

Ben and Jerry's Advert Analysis

Unilever - Rebranding

Research Task 1 - Form and Style

Television Advertisements

Whilst subject reviews are being conducted, you are being asked to complete a series of short research tasks in order to prepare for the next unit. You are being given 2 lessons to complete this task.

Task one: the forms and styles of different TV adverts

For the first task we are asking you to do things: firstly, ensure you understand what each of the following form and style ‘descriptors’ means and secondly, find 2 examples of UK television adverts for each. You must save a link to each of the videos on a Word document and then you need to briefly explain why you think they are good examples for each.

The form descriptors are:

·         Animation

Animated adverts range from 2D up to CGI; they are created entirely digitally and are used to demonstrate something that could not be created using real actors or locations.

Christmas Boiler Breakdown - British Gas - TV Advert

A fully animated advert using the premise of peoples housing being their own planets.

John Lewis Christmas Advert 2013 – The Bear & The Hare

A popular advert animated in the style of Walt Disney about a bear who has never seen Christmas.

·         Documentary / factual

Documentary adverts are created to show reality but can also be in a joke style called ‘mockumentary’.

Guinness advert – Sapeurs 

A documentary style advert following a group of people from the Congo named the Sapeurs who believe that style is an important way of life.

Marmite advert – Marmite Neglect  

A Mockumentary in which marmite protection agencies go to houses to ‘save neglected marmite’.

·         Talking heads

A talking head advert is an advert in which the character on screen directly addresses the audience.

Aldi – Orange Juice Advert

An advert in which an elderly lady is addressing the audience directly about the orange juice she enjoys.

Injury Lawyers 4 U Advert

An advert in which people speak about their experiences with workplace injuries by directly addressing the audience

·         Stand alone

Singular adverts do not link with other adverts that advertise the same product

Cravendale – Barry The Biscuit Boy

An advert that follows the life of a boy named Barry who is also a biscuit.

British airways advert 2013

A highly stylized advert which demonstrates the inner workings at an airport.

·         Series

A series of adverts which all advertise one product.

PG Tips adverts

Popular british adverts which follow a man and a monkey who both love PG tips tea.

Cravendale - Cats with thumbs

A surreal series of adverts in which cats with opposable thumbs try to take over the world.

·         Realist narrative

An advert designed to make the audience believe that they are watching a real life situation.

British Army Recruitment Advert 2014

An advert showing the lives of people in the army and army reserves.

If London Were Syria

An advert which shows the life of people in war torn Syria if it were to happen in London.

·         Anti-realist narrative

Anti-realist adverts show off their product using unrealistic situations and characters.

Blue Smartie Party

An advert based around a ‘society’ of Smarties.

Cadbury – Gorilla advert

Another famous British advert about a monkey playing along to ‘In The Air Tonight’

The style descriptors are:

·         Humour

Silly or campy adverts which use comedy to remain unique and memorable

Examples: British heart foundation Young director’s awards

·         Surreal

Out of the ordinary style normally leaves the product reveal as a ‘surprise’.

Examples mentioned earlier: Cadbury – Gorilla advert Blue Smartie Party

·         Shocking / dramatic

Tries to grab the audience’s attention by using shock tactics or ‘tugging our heartstrings’

Examples mentioned earlier: If London Were Syria, Anti-smoking

·         Parodic

An advert which mocks an already existing style or media text

Examples: 118 advert series

·         Nostalgic

Adverts which remind the audience of older days.

PlayStation 4 Sodastream