AICE Media Studies CCR Blog

Creative Critical Reflection

1.     How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues? 
Conventions are the typical scenarios that occur in media products. Our commercial, on Jan-sport backpacks, challenges the regular conventions of a typical, joyful, product oriented, commercial.  Instead we have decided to combat the issue of bullying and bring awareness towards the subject. Our commercial begins like a stereotypical backpack ad, with students at school, but within the first few scenes, there is an issue. One student is unable to zip up their backpack, so fellow classmates come together and give the poor student his very own Jan-sport backpack. I chose to include this scene in order to set an example and to teach other students how to treat people.

2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text? My product engages with audiences because it features a real life example of kids in school who are not as fortunate to have the luxuries of a nice Jan-sport backpack. My commercial depicts a story of a child without a backpack, making friends through the process of being given a backpack. I hope to encourage other young minds to help out friends in need. This commercial could be distributed as a real life media text if it was shown in schools, television ads, or online video ads such as YouTube. Students would definitely benefit from seeing our commercial as it is a good example of how to be a caring individual.

3.     How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
     Personally I feel as if my production skills have greatly improved throughout the process of creating my commercial. I have learned about different types of angles and shots such wide shots and low angles. I have learned when and how to utilize specific angles to make a scene better, and I am happy with where I have come. I have learned how to direct actors, this was sometimes especially challenging to get the timing right, but eventually we were able to get it in the end. Overall, I have taken the steps towards learning how to film and direct and I am very proud of what I have done, and excited for what is to come in the future.
 4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
In my group and I's project we used iMovie to create our commercial. This is an online platform where you can put together video clips and cut them, slow them down or speed them up, or add sound. I was able to put together scenes with the help of my group and adjust them to the correct length using iMovie. My group member Allison looked for music on YouTube and we collectively decided what song to add to our commercial. Once chosen I went onto iMo
vie and uploaded the YouTube video behind the video clips, then adjusted everything to fit accordingly. This was a new experience for me, and I am very happy to have had the chance to produce my own commercial.


 
 


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