Chapter One - Context, Research & Experimentation
Introduction
To begin with this unit, I have been asked to capture and put together a vari ety of advertising material for a start-up fashion and footwear company called "HIP".
In order to complete this section of the unit, I have been challenged with the responsibility of creating their very first advertising campaign involving both moving image as well as still image, both of which will be used in magazines and across their own social media platforms in order to advertise clothing to potential customers. From taking part in this unit, I look to learn how to effectively plan out a working advertising campaign that could be potentially used in the real world to successfully boost the sales of a product.
Research - Media Fashion
Evolution of the portrayal of fashion in the media.
The invention of the magazine can be traced all the way back to the late 1600s and was created so that there was a easily accessible source for their readers to learn current fashion trends of their time. But they weren't always the bold, artsy types that we see today in our modern society.
One example of this was the first documented "Fashion magazine", published in France in 1744 by Eliza Haywood titled "The female Spectator" which did not involve any snappy one-word names but did often contain illustrations and fashion pages consisting of tips on how to wear gowns, and tips on hair dressing. This particular magazine only ran for two years from 1744 to 1746.
The more known style of magazine that we know today wasn't introduced until the Georgian period when the target audience for magazines were beginning to be largely aimed towards women. This meant changes were made to the covers such as including bigger and more colourful illustrations to look more appealing to the reader. as well as this advertising revenue was also introduced meaning the companies were able to afford higher quality production and more newer styles of graphic illustrations.
To add to this, fashion became a new kind of escapism for the typical "stay at home wife" thus making fashion shops become a sort of social space for women of that time which worked well alongside the magazine companies. But despite the rising popularity in these magazines, editors were heavily restricted with what they could include in their volumes, this was due to the fact that in society at that time a woman's duty was still to dress for a man, and her role was to reflect the social class of her family through her clothing which was paid for by the man.
But as time passed and major advances in technology were made such as improvements in printing and paper making in the 20th century resulted in an explosion of magazine production and demand. Fashion illustrations moved from woodcuts and engravings to photography. And a major factor of the growth in popularity was the periods of significant social change which resulted in a flood of magazines.
But some will say that now the future of physical copies of magazines are at a worrying point of extinction. This is due to the rising of social media, with the likes of online blogging and vlogging beginning to take over the fashion industry. Examples of this can be seen on social media platforms such as Instagram where you can very easily access a range of different fashion styles at just a click of a button and its completely free to do so.
*Screenshots taken from my own Instagram
And from conducting such research it has made me realise how easy it is to be exposed to fashion advertisements both online and in modern day life. This can be anything from pop up adverts when scrolling through social media to collaborations with celebrities to make fans into customers for the company's organising these campaigns which can be both be created as a still image of moving image.
But it isn't just in the online world where we are exposed to the world of fashion. Posters, billboards and in the shop windows that are all are around us that we may not even realise.
All consisting of interesting fonts, bright colours and sharp images all to catch the attention of potential customers.
Fashion film analyse (Moving Image)
As part of my research, I have watched a plethora of different fashion short films on the Vogue website to further understand the kind of footage expected and hopefully help with my thought process in the planning stage of my own production.
1) "Chinti + Parker meets paternity" | Ep 44 | 2013
The first video that I have chosen to look at is titled "Chinti + Parker meets paternity", shot by filmmaker Zoe Hitchen.
The One minute, thirty-seven video showcases a simple monochrome colour palette which was used to emphasise the contrast of urban shadows and shapes combined with textures of concrete and metal materials of which are used in modern day buildings.
One main thing I had noticed with the overall look of this video was the repetition of basic shapes that can be seen regularly in modern-day life. This included the likes of circles, lines, triangles, squares, grids, dots and stripes. All of which replicate the shapes included in modern day architecture, which must have been integrated into the designs of the clothing.
2) "Adidas all Originals: Represent" | Ep 52 | 2012
This video titled "Adidas all Originals: Represent" opens with a low-lit skyline shot of New York city from above which after a couple of seconds then slowly fades to a close up shot of an actor wearing some Adidas shoes, having the logo the main subject of the shot as there walking up some stairs in a very urban setting. We are then met with multiple celebrities through-out the video with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Jeremy Scott, Big Sean, Sky Ferreira, 2NE1, Kids These Days, DJ Mo Beatz, Atiba Jefferson, and D Rose all making their appearances to represent the brand.
This celebrity exposure is most likely put in place to further sell these items of clothing as fans of these people will want to spend their money as their way of showing their support for their idols. The overall vibe of this video is aimed towards looking "home recorded" and created with the intentions of looking quite urban, showing glimpses of city atmospheres in different parts of the globe like Tokyo, New Newyork and other big capitals.
3) "Pony! Poni! Pone!" | Ep 69 | 2012
This video titled "Pony! Poni! Pone!" was created by a director by the name Matt Kliegman and is slightly different compared to the others I have watched during partaking in this research. This is because the video is quite a simple concept with their only being one main location in which it has been shot in as well as this the shots themselves looking quite simplistic with shots looking handheld quite roughly as if it has been shot on a phone. to add to this, we are greeted to slow, rotating transitions which give it a very home-recorded aesthetic.
There are a few graphic overlays included in this short film that look like they have been inspired by the 90s with the handwritten text look done in bright retro colours. Throughout the whole video we are only really met with three people, two of them that I can only assume are children and a woman who seems to be the main focus and the one wearing the fashionable clothing that's being advertised and are recorded dancing to music for the majority of the video.
4) "SEAFARER by GARANCE DORE" | Ep 85 | 2012
This video titled "SEAFARER by GARANCE DORE" follows three women dressed in what looks like a 70s style of clothing and is shot as if we are following them around this street that the video is set in. The colour palette in this video is extremely warm and gives off a sort of film look to the video which works nicely with the retro style that the women are showing.
Although the majority of this video consists of these women, we also see some interesting shots of the environment such as the buildings which look like they're set in a street full of garages and old looking vehicles to further push this vintage aesthetic in which the director does really well at. To sell the whole walking behind the women the clips are handheld and shot at about eye level to create an almost "point of view" shot.
5) "Min Miu Women's Tales: The door" (Trailer) | Ep 11 | 2013
Min Miu Woman's tales: The Door, was directed by Ava DuVernay and was created with the intentions of celebrating the fast-changing transformation of women in power. This short film is in my opinion beautifully show with the shot types being shown are effective and powerful throughout. With the likes of extreme wide shots being used like when the video opened up with an elegant and peaceful extreme wide shot of this woman stood on a balcony in the background with a swimming pool placed in the foreground giving some more character to the shot as a whole.
6) "Bally Spring 2012" | Ep 4 | 2012
This video titled "Bally spring 2012" was the last of the five that I had researched and watched through, and I think this one is my favourite out of the five.
The location of this video is set in what looks like a countryside and features a handful of models and photographers. The videography is impressive as it features a plethora of interesting shots such as tracking shots, following the models as well as the occasional animal that pops up on screen and a lot of shots that have an almost distorted view. all of which has been put together in a fast-paced style with each shot probably only being on screen for a couple of seconds. The colour palette for this short film is full of bold, bright colours with works well to show the kind of mood the video is made for expressing an almost "paradise" and dreamy looking setting.
Chapter Two - Pre-Production planning
Videography - Fashion video
Fashion film Proposal
"HIP"- Short fashion film Production Checklist
As part of this unit, we are expected to put together a short 45 second video based on fashion and clothing for an advertising campaign for a company called "HIP". this can stretch across all different types of fashion and style genres giving myself a window of opportunity to experiment with different styles of filming Aswell as different editing approaches which I may not usually try in my projects. So, for this video I have prepared by researching other fashion videos made by people in the fashion industry to help get a better understanding on what is expected in these types of media while still trying to add my own twist on it which is something I always try to do with my projects as I love being creative and pushing my abilities in my work.
My Video plans
For this video I plan on giving it a "Home filmed" atheistic with an almost nostalgic feel as I think this will fit in nicely with the whole urban theme of the brand. Inspired by Vivienne & Tamas fashion film titled "GLAMOUR" I plan on having my clips quite short creating a fast place feel to my video while ensuring I establish a clear scene which I plan on achieving by mixing in shots of my environment and surroundings in with the shots of my talent. I also would like to have a song and sound effects that fits with the video and be able to put in time with my clips to make my video more interesting to watch and hear instead of just visuals. I believe all these details are important for the viewer to have a feel of the scene you are setting in order to captivate your audience which is something I noticed in the "GLAMOUR" video and believed it worked really well together.
Camera Experimentation
Outdoor Flash photography (OCF)
To begin with this project, we as a class began with looking into how we can improve on our portrait shots to make them appear more clear and professional looking. One of the techniques we learned about was how we can effectively incorporate an off-camera flash in our shoots outside in an efficient manner.
I have learnt that the creative opportunities of working with an off-camera flash are endless, it enables you to easily control the amount of light exposed onto the subject just by strategically placing the flash towards the subject and syncing the equipment up with your DSLR so that when you press the button that takes the picture it sends a signal through a to the sensor that activates the flash just at the right time. You can also use more than one off camera flash too, commonly used as a way of also lighting up your foreground and background separately, just like you would in a photo studio. Additional equipment to alter the lighting can also be used in this type of photography, such as a snoot, soft-box and a grid.
In preparation for my fashion shoot project, we got together in groups during our lesson time and conducted our own workshop practice. We went outside to the courtyard and experimented with a flash (OCF), reflector and a camera and just had a look around at what we could create.
From doing this we discovered that using off camera flash out in daylight opens up a whole new world of lighting possibilities to further improve our images and give a much more professional look to them in comparison to what they would look like without the flash.
Different lens in fashion photography
Now that I had experimented with the lighting of my images, I then went on to learn more about the lenses that I could potentially shoot with to have a variation amongst my different images.
Fisheye lens
A fisheye lens is a special type of lens which provides an extreme wide-angle view that allows you to capture a distorted and sometimes comedic image of the world. This lens works well with both video recording and in stills photography, the one we experimented with was the "Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye, F2.8 Super wide Angle."
The name "fish-eye lens" comes from the wide-angle view that is similar to the perspective from a fish's eye. This lens's original purpose was actually for scientists to be able to record the entirety of the sky in one shot but as we know it's now used for many other purposes.
Wide Lens
A wide-angle lens can be a crucial lens to have when in tight, enclosed spaces. This is because this lens is capable of capturing a wide show without the need of moving yourself further away from the subject. One place this lens is commonly used is when photographers are trying to capture something indoors like for example if someone is selling a property and want the full room to be captured, they would most likely use these types of lenses. But this could also be quite cheeky as this lens may make the room look slightly bigger than it actually is. The specific lens that we experimented with was the "Nikon 50mm, fixed F1.8 standard angle."
Location planning (Still image)
Before I went to the shooting stage of this project, I made it a bit easier for me by doing a small bit of location planning online as I looked for some good spots in Liverpool to shoot in that would fit my style I would want to go for. One of the first things I did was look online for spots in Liverpool that others have found in hope that I'll find locations that I wouldn't have thought of while out on location.
Location planning (Moving image)
It just so happened that during this unit I was to be going on a holiday to Wales during our two weeks off in October which sparked my idea to bring my camera with me as I thought it would give me an opportunity to have new locations to film in which I wouldn't usually have back at home. So then on one of the days me and my girlfriend decided to go down to this pebble beach we had saw a few days before as I thought it would be an interesting backdrop for my video.
Now that I had an idea of the shots as well as where I wanted to shoot them, it was then time to decide on what I needed in order to get the most out of both shoots. This involved a camera (Canon Eos 250d), A 50mm fixed lens, A 18-55mm lens, and a small box light with a fair variety of different light settings and colours so that I had more control over the scenes and environments that I shoot in. I will be taking this equipment to both of my shoots in this unit.
To fit the targets for my brief I also needed a model to accompany me and be the main focus of the images, for this I asked my girlfriend to come with me and I specifically requested she wears clothes that have a sort of autumn vibe so earthy colours such as brown, yellow and green as I wanted that to be the aesthetics of the photos giving the image a sort of seasonal look. This happened in both my still images as well as my moving image.
Chapter Three - Production, Practical skills & Problem solving
Production - Photoshoot
The night of the shoot - 29th SEP 2022
I decided to begin my shooting for this unit on the 29th of September 2022 to ensure that if I was not to like them, I had plenty of time to reshoot and replan but luckily this was not the case. I got my equipment and headed out to Liverpool city centre where I was to meet my girlfriend who was going to be modelling for me.
To begin the shoot, I decided to take a few basic portraits quite near a streetlamp just to have an understanding of how the lighting is going to work out. from this I found that standing too close to a streetlamp can make the subject sometimes be too over lit to the point you begin to not see many facial features of the models face. As well as this I also noticed that the first image, I took was actually quite boring overall with actually little to non-actual composition so I began thinking of ways I can make my images more interesting and get the most I could out of this shoot.
So, what I eventually did was look for interesting places in which would be appealing to have in the background off my model just to make my images that bit more interesting. Shown on the left are one of the pictures I took down near the docks, where they had these large pillars brightly lit up with warm LED lights and I knew I had to get them in the shot. personally, I think I managed to get a good couple of shots in this position as I felt there was some exceptional examples of composition.
Below is a gallery consisting of some of the shots taken during this shoot (pre-Lightroom)
Production - Video shoot
The day of the shoot - 25th Oct 2022
Once I had finished the still image part of this project, I then moved on to preparing and shooting my moving image section of this unit where my task was to film a 45 second advertisement video for the clothing company "HIP". I made sure to get to the location midday to ensure that I had the best natural lighting possible for the moving image. we were on location for about half an hour getting various shots of the talent as well as my surroundings as I think this will help set the scene and show more clearly the theme I am creating.
Chapter Four - Postproduction & Presentation
Postproduction
HIP- 45 Second Video
Once shot it was now time to put together the final product on cap-cut, which is the editing software I had decided to use for this project as I was able to put together an interesting array of different effects which helped me really achieved the "Home-filmed" aesthetic in which I had planned from the start, heavily inspired by the "GLAMOUR" fashion video.
I tested some features on cap-cut with one of them being overlaying a clip over another to create an almost ghost like effect to one of my scenes. I did this by placing a video over another and lowering the opacity on the video overlaying the one behind.
HIP- Magazine Cover
For the Postproduction process of my magazine cover, I went through the approximately 350 images and first got rid of the ones I was not happy with as in the end I only really needed a handful of images for the final submission.
once I had the ones, I was happy with I then uploaded them to a photo editing software called lightroom were I made some small tweaks to my images to give them a more polished look. This involved changes such as changing the exposure on some of the images to make them clearer to the viewer.
Presentation
HIP MAGAZINE COVER + CONTENTS
Final Magazine design Shot & Edited by Dylan Cox
"A DAY AT THE BEACH"- 2022 By Dylan Cox
The Complete 45 second advertisement video
Evaluation
The strengths and weakness
Hip Magazine
(Pros)
- This part of the unit has really helped me improve and practice my ability to go and do a shoot in public as well as with a model to photograph which at first, I found quite difficult getting the composition right and adjusting my camera settings to work with the environments that I faced but eventually after some time I'd like to say I had gotten much better with my confidence and my technique and loved the opportunity to be creative within my work
- I was able to test out different types of equipment when partaking in this project like for example, I have a small but powerful handheld soft box with endless colour options that I have been wanting to incorporate into my college work for some time now and I was finally able to make use of it within this project to light up my models face to add a different look to my shots.
- Other than the actual practical work its-self this project also gave me time to partake in a plethora of different lighting workshops in groups which I enjoyed as it was a fun way to explore the different skill sets in which I could potentially involve in work of my own.
(Cons)
- One thing that was a problem during this project was that some of the night shoots did not exactly go to plan in terms of coming out with clear images as I later realised a fair amount noise in the images, mostly in the background. I think this was mostly down to my overall knowledge of the camera I was using as although I am quite confident shooting in manual there are still a few things I'm still yet to learn.
- Another negative about this project was my file management and my lack of control over my images. On the shoot I had taken a large number of photos which led to me taking a large amount of my time just sorting them and deleting the ones I didn't like but I will take that experience as practice and will learn how to make the most of my time in the postproduction process.
HIP Video
(Pros)
- The video projects are probably my most favourite kind of things to partake in so I really enjoyed this unit and the work that was set. This project gave me the opportunity to be creative and experiment in different ways like testing out different styles.
- I would like to say the video as a whole was to standard in terms of what was expected from me. I feel like I have clearly shown that this video is for advertising a clothing company and works well for the theme that's been set.
(Cons)
- This is not necessarily a con but if I was to do this again I would probably they using a much harder editing software to test myself such as premier-pro as these are usually used in productions as a higher level.
- There could have been a more larger variation of clothing In my video as my model only wore one piece of clothing throughout the video.
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