Coursework: Pre-production

Pre-production tasks are vital - this is where you plan all the key details that make your coursework successful.

Over the next two weeks we will be both finalising our pre-production and creating our actual productions.

Note: this is the point we will be making our decision of which aspect of the brief to complete - two video adverts OR three print adverts.

Video adverts pre-production: blog tasks

Watch this great video on low-budget filmmaking from our friend D4Darius on YouTube - it's more aimed at narrative filmmaking but we can still learn from these tips for filming an advert:

Create a blogpost called 'Video adverts pre-production'. You may want to look over the original AQA brief here to check the minimum requirements. 

Work through the following four tasks:

1) Create TWO scripts for your two different adverts

You need to write two complete scripts for your adverts and format it like a real TV script (see picture on the right).

There is lots of help out there for top-quality script writing. A good place to start is the BBC Writers' Room which has top tips, a whole script library of real examples (like the Doctor Who script pictured). Although these are TV dramas and not adverts it is still very useful to learn how to write a good script.

Make sure you include both stage directions and dialogue - and as you can see from the example, often the stage directions are much more detailed than the dialogue. Try and make your script look like a professional example in terms of layout - either in your blogpost or on a linked Google Doc. 

2) Shot list

Once you have two full scripts you are happy with, you can turn them into a shot list (or shot lists) containing EVERY shot you plan to film for your adverts AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. You'll know from your preliminary exercise that missing a shot, continuity errors or not having enough material makes editing much more difficult. A good shot list will help you avoid this. In particular, make sure you plan lots of extra shots that you may not need but can help you with editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. In particular, make sure you get lots of additional shots of the product as these will be vital in your adverts. 

I advise using a simple table on Google Docs to set out your shot list - you can find an example here for a student film shot list. It makes sense to write your shot list by scene or location (like in the example linked) rather than a huge list of every shot in the adverts in chronological order. 

3) Mise-en-scene

What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands your adverts and the message you are communicating? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or on a Google Doc - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. Remember the mise-en-scene mnemonic: CLAMPS. 

Costume:

Lighting / time of day:

Actors - casting, placement, movement: 

Make-up and hair: 

Props:

Setting: 

4) Shooting schedule 

Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the next week. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Google Docs or Sheets or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it!

Print advert pre-production: blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Print adverts pre-production'. You may want to look over the original AQA brief here to check the minimum requirements. 

Work through the following four tasks:

1) Plan your advertising campaign

Plan out your THREE adverts in the same way you did for your summer project. Plan the following:

1) What brand of health drink are you going to use? You can use an existing drink.

2) New slogan for the health drink (MUST be original - cannot be existing slogan): 

3) Main character(s) that will appear in your adverts: 

4) Main image 1: What will your first advert look like? 

5) Main image 2: What will your second advert look like? 

6) Main image 3: What will your third advert look like? Remember, they all need to be different images but part of the same campaign for the same health drink.

7) What will you use for the secondary image in each advert? This may be a product shot or similar. Remember, this needs to be three different images just like the main images. 

8) Who will be in your adverts?

9) Write the 70 words that will appear on each advert - this may be information about the product or the benefits that it will bring to the audience.

10) How will your adverts appeal to your 15-30 year old target audience? 

 

2) Sketch out your THREE adverts

Draw THREE sketches on plain A4 paper. Make sure you include all the minimum requirements of the brief - e.g. two images, 70 words of text etc.

 

3) Plan your photoshoot and mise-en-scene

What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands your advert and the message you are trying to communicate? Plan your model, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. Will you take your photos in class using a studio set up (lighting and backdrop) or use a location outside of school?

This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. Remember the mise-en-scene mnemonic: CLAMPS.

4) Write your shooting schedule 

Plan a shooting schedule for your photos and advert design over the next two weeks. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it!

Deadline: on Google Classroom