AICE Media Studies

    After a short production period, our Beats commercial is finally finished. Looking back on the project, there are many aspects of it that are important to note. Though imperfect, it was a great learning experience for what's to come.       The product utilizes almost all of the major motifs seen in Beats ads. Starting with a short scene that has no non-diegetic sound, the character is introduced and he is seen putting on and turning on the Beats Solo3 headphones. This is a direct parallel to the ads in the brand's latest series of advertisements for the Beats Fit Pros, in which several different celebrities are showcased before and after they put on headphones. While both the professional Beats ads and our product use ambient sound to emphasize the quality of the headphones, our commercial adds a fade-out effect to it to display the noise-canceling feature of the Beats. Additionally, the Beats connecting noise is played when the character turns the head...

 This is the final version of our Beats by Dr.Dre commercial. Throughout the process of making it, I've learned many different things. I sincerely hope you enjoy the viewing experience and consider purchasing some Beats.

     Editing the commercial was no easy task. My group had a shared idea to produce something truly valuable regardless of whether or not it was for school, so we took many creative liberties when editing.       First, we chose the shots we wanted to use. Because there were so many options, finding the perfect shot proved to be difficult. After we decided which takes would make the final cut, I trimmed each take so the commercial would fit the 30-second requirement. This mainly comprised of unnecessary still moments or the beginnings of actions. Cutting these bits made the commercial more seamless and natural. After getting all the unneeded parts out of the way, I put all the shots together into one video. In this state, it was much easier to tackle the auditorial and visual aspects that needed to be added.       Now that the shots were together, I focused on the sound in the commercial. Due to the amateur level of our production, b...

      After the first day of filming, we continued our success on day two. Today, we shot two different scenes that showcased the passage of time. We filmed at my house because it was easier to get the props we needed without having to deal with other people that may have interfered with the filming process. In these scenes, Joshua was the only actor. Aidan and I directed him and took turns filming. It was very important for us to get a tilt shot today, so we tried many different ways to accomplish that.      In the two scenes we filmed, Joshua had to be in two different costumes. All the costumes we used were everyday clothing as most Beats ads showcase the subject during everyday life or doing something they are known for. Our interpretation of this led to basketball, as that is Joshua's main hobby. It proved very difficult to film him in a way that was natural. We got many takes of him dribbling and shooting, but many were not very valuable. Eventua...

      This week, my group began filming our commercial. First, I made a mock-up of the commercial to clarify what shots we needed and the camera angles we wanted to use. This made filming a much smoother and more straightforward process. We split filming into two days because the locations and costumes needed for each shot were different.     For the first day of filming, we decided to change the location of the first and last shots because the coffee shop we intended on using had poor lighting and was too busy to get many good takes. As a result, we settled on Tijuana Flats, which had an outdoor seating area perfect for our purpose.        Once we got there, we set up our props and got to work. We only filmed three shots, the beginning, and the end. Both of my groupmates Joshua and Aidan participated in the acting for these shots. I filmed all the takes. All of us contributed to the direction of takes, reviewing the clips together ...

Props - Because the product that we chose to advertise are Beats headphones, the main prop in our commercial will be the Solo 3 Beats headphones. Other props in the commercial include a computer, possibly a cup of coffee, a car, a basketball, and the surrounding elements in each setting. Costumes - The subject of this commercial will just be Joshua, our lone actor, In this commercial, he will be seen wearing casual clothes, something similar to a t-shirt and some sweatpants. As we move along with the film he will be seen wearing more athletic wear as he begins doing activities such as basketball and running. An idea, later on, is to include the use of some of our friends as extras just to help wrap up the commercial in a smoother fashion. Their attire will also be seen as casual wear, as there is no need for them to wear any special costumes Schedule -  10/4/22-Finish the researching, planning, and storyboard for the commercial. 10/5/-10/6/22-Begin the first day of production and e...

 First Scene - The leading actor Joshua, sits down and begins to do some homework at a coffee shop. This establishes the setting and main character of the commercial. The medium shot in this scene will showcase the number of people in the background and the general noisy atmosphere. Second Scene - This will be a medium close-up shot of Joshua's side profile as he reaches into his bag to grab the pair of Beats and put them on his head. In this shot, after Joshua puts the Beats on, the scene will become silent and the device's connecting noise will play. Then, a song will begin to play. This use of non-diegetic sound will drown out the atmospheric noise. Third Scene - The song that began in the second shot will continue for the rest of the commercial. This scene will showcase a low-angle shot of Joshua getting into a car with the Beats on. Here he will have a different costume on, to signify time has passed.  Fourth Scene -  This will be a tilt shot starting from a low angl...

       After a period of deliberation, my group decided to make a commercial for the headphones brand Beats by Dre. Created by well-known music producer Dr.Dre, the company was founded in 2006.  In the commercial, the audience will see the battery life and sound quality of Beats headphones used in everyday life. It will feature the headphones being used as part of an everyday routine to showcase the capabilities of the headphone.   I have made these observations based on the various ads they have produced over the years. -Depending on the scene, clothes are generally casual or athletic when required as the headphones were designed for people of various lifestyles. -Props in Beats commercials are usually minimal to really show the headphones.  A lot of ads are just the athlete or person going through a workout or other routines with their headphones. Props include but are not limited to various beats products, laptops, sports equipment, and vehicle...