Viral Advert pre-production

My original idea for the viral advert was to be an advertisement for Starbucks. It was to feature a man walking down the street followed by him randomly shooting up into space, he was to fly around for a few seconds until he got hit by an 'asteroid'; said asteroid would be revealed to be the Starbucks logo.
I was about to begin production on this idea to make it a reality, however I was advised against it due to there being no live-action footage involved. The plan was for it to be totally animated although this was apparently not what Ollie was looking for.

My second (and final) idea was an advert about my FMP (The Box) because it is something I am close to and would therefore be more eager to advertise. This will also add to the Final Major Project assignment as extra work by the means of promoting my FMP.

Although I only had two ideas, the mind map was filled by alternative versions of each advert before I finally decided on an advertisement for my FMP with a humorous
voice over and numerous explosions (effectively combining two of the ideas on my mind map)
I planned to create said viral advert entirely in After Effects although this proved to be somewhat of a task for me so I created, rendered and exported the necessary After Effects elements then placed them into Premiere Pro CS6 to edit them in with shots from my FMP, when the shots and the text animation were placed and the voice-over added, I then rendered it and exported it. I then uploaded the Viral Advert to YouTube and added the video link to Blogger.

The Box Pitch

Pre-Production

Below are short ideas in  the form of a storyboard for my FMP entitled 'The Box', these are shots in plan to have in the final production.
Although the shots may not be exactly like the ones shown below, that will be fine as it shows idea development.

Shown below is my breif shot list for the opening sequence of 'The Box'. This will be used to help me remember what shots I have planned, as the angle of the camera is not (always) on the script. Although the shots may not be exactly like the ones listed below, however that will, again, be fine as it shows that my ideas have developed over the course of the assignment.

1. Shot of the box.
2. The title fade in as Forsyth comes into focus.
3. Long shot, he takes the box inside.
4. Continuous tracking shot, the agents walking.
5. Medium shot. Forsyth puts the box on the table and examines it.
6. Close up of his face

Above is a YouTube short film that also centres entirely on a box, but for different and more complex reasons. I plan to take this concept (the box being the centre of attention) and cut away all of the suspense and the idea of actually knowing what is in the box.

Below are conversations over Facebook discussing the filming/the dates and other issues that had orison during the assignment:

The Box

Below is my finished FMP titled 'The Box' pared with a comment from YouTube, showing the audiences reaction to it.

The Box Proposal

Synopsis: 

The idea for my FMP involves a man named John who finds a mysterious box. Originally he wishes to have nothing to do with it, he just wants to go about his day and live his life uninterrupted. That is until two men claiming to be agents are interested in taking the box from him. John then abandons his accustomed life in exchange for an exciting adventure to discover what is inside; The Box.

Aesthetic and Technical strategies to achieve this: 


I plan to use interesting, unique and original choreography; similar to that of BBC Sherlock.
Said choreography will be interesting and have a fair amount of transitions.

My Target Audience: 

I aim for an audience of Male 16-25. However I plan to include female audiences due to
having the entire cast be male. A strong male lead and an action-feel will hopefully draw in
both demographics.

Timescales and how I intend to achieve the project: 

As of today (2nd May 2014) I plan to film at some point next week. The idea is to only film one day
as if we knuckle down and get it done then hopefully we won't have to come back and continue it the next day.

Additional things I will produce: 

I will also make a trailer for 'The Box' which will conveniently tie-in with the viral advert assignment.

John Mcswaggins - The character tree

What does this person look like?

Average ginger, dresses normally; jeans, t-shirt.

Where does he live?

His house is never seen in the film however, he lives in Southend.

Where did they go to school?

Went to the Larry Grammar school in Brighton

Do they have tattoos? why?

No. He does not want them because he thinks they are stupid. 

Who is his best friend?

Charles Pipping the 4th, the current king of Fenchurch Street

What is his occupation?

unemployed, used to have a job at a veggie place but got fired for sneaking bacon when no-one was looking.

What does this person want? 

To find out what is inside the box and to escape the clutches of the agents after him. 

How does their sexuality manifest itself? 

To John, it really isn't a big deal. 

How does he feel about the classic "sins"? 

He acts upon most of them; he is an all round terrible member of society. 

What about him is very basic and puerile? 

He finds other peoples misfortune funny. 

What does this person need?

To go about his daily life and get rid of the box (it keeps appearing when he gets rid of it) 

What will make them a more functional person? 

If the box was out of his life. Every time it shows up,  the agents show up. John just really wants to get on with his day. He is fairly self confident and believes in himself quite a lot.

how does this person sound? 

Well-spoken and attempts to come off as an understanding person when in fact he couldn't care less.

What is their intelligence? 

He is fairly intelligent and is able to overcome nearly every task he is given

How does it manifest itself? 

In the way he uses words and his ability to think quickly.

How practical are they?

Very. He is able to work with what's around him and is able to get good results with almost everything that he does.

What is their artistic capacity?

He has no interest in being creative. Although this does not mean that he cannot be creative, he often accidentally creates things without meaning to.

What elements of them are NOT practical? 

He has hardly any motivation to do things. The only time he does things is when he wants to or when the moment calls for it.

What is their spirituality? 

He is an atheist, he has no religion. He believes it distracts him from his daily life.


Review your answers. Do they represent a coherent character? 


What are their defining memories?

Working at the veggie place, it was a fun time and he had a good laugh with his friends there.

How, in a nutshell, do they behave?

Well behaved, polite member of society. He is very single-minded; he only wishes to go about his day, if anything derails his schedule, he gets frustrated, confused and panicy.