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Cinematic composition
What i learned about cinematic composition is that its all about leading the viewer's attention and telling a story visibly. The rule of thirds helps placing important elements like the subject's eyes in a balanced way, while adding balance to the frame which keeps the image from feeling awkward. A lot of other rules like balance, depth and leading lines help create images that feel natural and engaging. But just as important is knowing when to break the rules on purpose to convey a deeper meaning or emotion. The overall message is that good composition isn't just about following guidlines blindly, but about using them thoughtfully to support what you want to communicate.
Cuts & Transitions 101
What i learned about cuts & transitions 101 is editing techniques for shaping the flow, emotion, and storytelling in your work. Cutting on action helps create smooth, natural transitions by matching movement builds tension or shows simultaneous events, and jump cuts speed up time or add urgency, often in montages. Match cuts connect scenes visually or thematically for a seamless narrative flow. Various transitions like fades, dissolves, smashcuts, iris effects, wipes, and invisible cuts allow you to control mood, indicate passage of time, or create stylistic effects. By understanding and applying these techniques thoughtfully, you can enhance the audience's engagement and clearly convey your story's rhythm and tone
Test shots explaination
In this test shot i try making one of my storyboard frames into reality by shooting on my iphone, I said i wanted the first shot to have an eye level shot with an MS shot angle and this was a perfect foundation for me. I wish i could've incorporated depth into this as it wouldve helped me.
In this shot i wanted primary kids laughing with an ECU so it can show emphasis and contrast between the p16 shots. I wanted to incorporate this into a matchcut in the final advert and wanted a dominant subject in this so it makes it more cinematic.
In this shot i tried emphasizing the smiling between students. I tried doing a MS close up of two students expressing happiness and the warmth in their expressions
During this shot i wanted to capture a very joyful moment between friends and I felt like this was a shot where i could've done better with a close up but still shows my intentions too. I wish i would've used a dominant subject here but i feel like since i broke the rules here it kind of makes it more cinematic and purposeful on my end.
Showcasing a more relatable and realistic side of student life. I used a zoom out to focus on their education and how it can be shared between friends, this adds to the overall mood of happiness and smiling
Video shots
After taking my test shots i took MS shots of students playing sports to back up my research.
Although not my original thought I did take a video shot with an eye level angle of a family together having fun no matter what they might be doing.
I then took videos of year 7 students having fun during PE using a MS close up with the intentions of friends having fun together.
During this video shot I wanted a close up of an individual enjoying nature and this also further supported my research and planning going forth as It is also one of my favorite shots i have taken.
I didn't get to record many video shots except for these four and although my goal was to do five I still achieved most of my planning when it came to shooting and planning!!!
My first pitch.
Feedback on pitch
(all feedback has been summarized by ai)
"Your presentation was praised for its clear and detailed information, strong structure, and the thoughtful inclusion of test shots, music, strategies, styles, and techniques, which helped convey a solid vision for your advert. Viewers appreciated your awareness of the ad’s function, the logo design, and the use of both primary and secondary research. The pace of your pitch and your choice of music were also well-received. However, several suggestions for improvement included using less text and more visuals on your slides, enhancing the color scheme and design for greater impact, speaking with more confidence, and expanding on concepts like color psychology and emotional marketing to deepen the rationale behind your creative choices."
Reflection on pitch -
For my new pitch i'll try to include less text and visuals in my slides. Using more color schemes on the slides while also expanding on concepts like color psychology and rationale behind my creative choices. I wanted to include more of my research so it was quite reliving hearing that i needed to include more since i wanted to initially but i thought I was just talking too much about the initial planning
Pitch 2
The pitch was highly praised for its clarity, strong presentation skills, and confident delivery, especially in explaining the research and vision behind the advert. Reviewers appreciated the integration of psychological aspects, detailed use of primary and secondary research—particularly around colour, emotional marketing, and music choice—and how these informed the advert's tone and feel. The mood board, test shots, and overall structure were also well-received, showing a clear and thoughtful creative process. However, suggestions for improvement included reducing the amount of text on the presentation, providing more detail on the advert’s storyline, and explaining the rationale behind the logo and creative decisions.
Pitch feedback (summarized by AI)
Storyboard
Camera shots / Angles / Movements
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I want the first shot to have an eye level shot angle with the shot being MS (i want the scene to be slowed down)
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I want a slowed down ECU shot of a couple of post 16 students laughing and having fun.
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The primary kids laughing shot i want it to be a little zoomed out with an ECU of the kids laughing so it can show emphasis and the contrast between the p16 shots and the primary shots (kind of making a matchcut into the shot)
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Slowmo MS shots of people playing sports and CU people enjoying nature
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Eye level shots of people giving back MAYBE bird’s eye aswell if there is a balcony to shoot up from.
I want my message to be shown with my cinematography and emphasis on happiness and how that might impact the WSO community.
I do plan on using more frames later on if i feel like the 6 frames arent enough because so far I kind of have doubts if this will fit a one minute video or not. Obviously the storyboard frames don't have to be the same as the photos i have included but it gives me a vision / idea about how i can do the advert when it comes to shooting it.
My script
For my advert I decided i wanted to make a script to not lose focus on the main component of the advertisement which is the text. I chose to write a script outlining might be stated in the video. Since that would be one of my USPS i would eventually include a translation of my speech into Arabic. I included directions into the scenes and the timings into how i wanted it to be said whilst the advert was playing too.
Production proposal
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