Promotional Video Unit Evaluation

Unit Summary

The promotional video unit was completed via a mock production with a virtual client, simulating the experience and process of working with a business or organisation to produce an advertisement for them according to a brief. This encompassed all elements of planning and preproduction for the video, including communication with the client, and the creation of materials detailing information about the (hypothetical) production.

Research

I mainly succeeded in the research element of this unit because I took time to research promotional videos before I started planning my own. I did this by looking at four existing promotional videos of different styles and analysing the approaches and techniques implemented in them, so that I could better understand this type of video production. Furthermore, I spent a lot of time early on looking into the resources needed to film an advert like the one I was planning. This included looking at different filming locations such as online listings for studio hire and looking for one that offered the right amount of space as well as the kind of white backdrop that was essential to the style of video I had planned. One area of my research that could have been improved was the research into the legal and ethical parts of a professional video production because this was one of the last things I looked into after planning my video, when in the case of a real production, legal elements such as talent and location release forms should be dealt with before any filming takes place.

Planning & Organisation

I think I was moderately successful in terms of planning and organisation of a promotional video. This is because I planned many elements of my video, such as a concept, estimated costs, a script, a storyboard, and distribution; however, some of these aspects could have been planned in greater detail. An example of this is that while I planned the estimated costs of filming with a cast of two, I neglected to plan for a full filming crew and left out roles such as director, producer, director of photography, instead assuming that these roles would be handled by myself in the hypothetical production scenario. To improve, I would include these roles in my planning and research how much it would cost to do so. Furthermore, one important material which I neglected to produce as part of the planning process was a Gantt chart. This would have been essential to real production as it details when different tasks within the production will be completed and by who, which would help guide the project as well as provide a useful way to communicate these details to the client. These drawbacks in my planning can be attributed to less than ideal organisation and time management on my part. While I did use to do lists effectively to keep track of my work for this unit, this was undermined because I underestimated the amount of time required to complete some elements of the unit in detail.

Another important aspect of the planning process in this unit was justifying the decisions made with regards to the production, such as the location and equipment hired, and contingency planning in case of unexpected delays or hiccups during production. I struggled to include this detail overall across my planning so this is something I would pay extra attention to in order to improve. Although I did include extra money in my estimated budget to account for any unforeseen extra expenses that might have occurred, which demonstrates some contingency planning.

Communication with Client

One of the primary objectives of this unit was to maintain good communication with the virtual client as would be necessary during a real production for a client. This was to be achieved through regular meetings with the client and by providing the client with certain materials. I did attend several meetings with my virtual client which were very successful in establishing what the client wanted and what I had planned in response. On the other hand, I was not able to keep up regular meetings with the client, partly due to technical difficulties, so the amount of communication could have been improved. With regards to materials provided to the client, I produced a detailed initial pitch presentation which included my concept, estimated expenses, and mood boards to communicate the kind of visuals I planned to include. However, I could have improved by producing and providing more materials to the client such as the previously mentioned Gantt chart and the 'client feedback form' which was specific in the unit brief.

Conclusion

Overall, I think I was more successful in some areas of this unit than others. There is undeniably lots that could be done to improve in my planning and communication, but also a good deal of successful work across all elements of this unit, particularly in my research and planning.