A1 Assignment: Identity - Research and Development

Assignment Brief Breakdown

Client

Our client for this project is "Team Media Productions".

Context

Team Media Productions is asking for a moving image based on the idea of "Identity".

Requirements

We need to explore the theme and utilise what we discover to inspire our piece of work, which can either be a TV advertisement, title sequence or music video. Our. chosen moving image must not be more than 2 minutes in length. We are to think about how identity is shown, shaped or questioned through visuals, sound and storytelling. Our ideas are to be fun and creative in displaying "identity" on the viewers screen.

Audience

Our target audience are young adults from 15-25 years of age.

Week One - Day One

On day one, we were proposed with our assignment which would be a project from December to February - a project much longer than we have been experiencing so far. Our assignment was to either create a title sequence, advertisement or music video based around the theme identity. To me, identity is such a broad theme and many different examples can be linked to identity, whether it's closely or loosely linked. Reading the brief, it also gave some examples of how identity is represented:

The Black Panther title sequence, 2018, is a great example of how identity is shown. When watching this, I grasped how his African identity is represented through traditional African patterns as they decorate the screen to the scenes of the Black Panther and his life showcasing his power and ability as Black Panther. Another great example was the Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse title sequence, 2018:

Here, not only is identity shown by how the different superhero's hold their own identity in their own universe, highlighted by their different personalities and backgrounds throughout the title sequence, but the marvel logo brand is also included before the title sequence even starts which is easily recognisable as the comic pages fly and overlap each other rapidly - this is a great example of brand identity.

To me, identity is something personal and something you hold. What makes up your identity is what you have experienced, your memories, and what made you ultimately you. It's how you present yourself, how you wish to look, to be, what hobbies you partake in, what you like and dislike, how others see you and how they would describe you. It's a range of things that are so varied and so broad but all lead to the creation in your own unique identity. This is all expressed in my Miro board on which I did all of my research about this assignment:

After diving deep into what identity could mean, I started to focus on each individual moving image we could choose from and examples of each, looking into their codes and conventions and how they represent identity in their own way:

What I picked up on:

• Identity is shown in many various ways, from costumes to shows showcasing lives quickly in title sequences
• Settings are important in showing identity, an even deeper way to gain insight into their background
• Identity is something deep and personal
• Specific to music videos, costumes seem to be a heavy asset into showing identity. As well as this, lyrical interpretation is just as important.
• Specific to title sequences, the settings are important mainly for the viewer to gain a sense into the main backgrounds of this show they are about to indulge into. Trying to show off characters/actors personalities is also crucial to build atmosphere - each character holds a different personality, a different identity, that helps to build the show
• Specific to advertisements, the brands try to promote their product as life changing with the majority showing actors as their lives improve with their products - consequently, a great way to sell and engage a viewer 

Week One - Day two & Three

Day two was a continuation from day one, still diving deep into how identity is represented through advertisements, title sequences and music videos. I definitely found some favourites whilst researching: 

Formation by Beyonce was my favourite example I found whilst looking into music videos. She showcases her rich heritage and identity fabulously by her accuse costumes, strong performance, engagement with the audience and lyrical interpretation. Her music video is such an inspiring video as she flaunts her characteristics - she gives people confidence to be who they are deep down. Her use of settings, especially New Orleans, and costuming really enhances her performance and brings the idea of identity to the front. 

The Modern Family title sequence was my favourite out of the three I looked at. I was inspired by the idea of using a photo frame to capture a memory or moment and decided to embed that into one of my ideas. Each family is represented by their own personal photo - the setting of each photo is their home in the background, each character is dressed in how they are shown in the show (eg Gloria dressing glamorous, Alex wearing glasses) and before each photo of taken they pose how their character would hinting at their personalities and what this show will involve. The idea of showing every family with every house was extremely clever and, although a short title sequence, we were able to grasp the concept of the show.

After finishing my research, looking at the codes and conventions for each, it was easier to come up with ideas. Some ideas easier than others admittedly - the advertisement was the hardest one to come up with. However, watching the title sequences and music videos heavily influenced my ideas. On day four, I knew it was imperative to illustrate my ideas and to present them onto paper so, not only would they be clearer for myself, but for others as well.

Week One - Day Four

Day four, I brought in my sketchbook to finally illustrate my ideas and get them drawn out so they were clearer. I needed an idea for each option, so some I loved and thought of before I started to draw my ideas out, and some I made quick, not so sure on how to express identity through that specific moving image.

My first idea was for a title sequence:

My original idea was for a brand new TV show about a teenage girl, roughly 16-18 years of age, as she tries to navigate her life through high school now she is entering an adult stage of life. The first scene was to have the main character, Steph, wake up like a normal school day. It cuts, fast paced, from scene to scene to her getting out of bed, getting dressed, brushing her teeth, before heading downstairs. As she heads downstairs, the walls are decorated with photo frames containing photos of her, her hobbies, her life and her family, each zoomed in after she passes them. The last scene is her walking out of the door as she climbs onto the school bus. Eventually, it zooms off and the title of the show is revealed as if hiding behind the bus.

Why?

• She is 16-18 as to hopefully engage the target audience we were given which was 15-25. I thought this was quite suitable as many younger children's TV shows are based around toddlers and kids themselves. There are many examples of shows based around teens that many other teens and young adults enjoy eg Stranger Things
• The scenes are fast paced, inspired by The Simpsons and how fast paced their individual scenes are. Consequently, this helps to keep the audience enticed
• The photo frames are inspired by Modern Family and how each family is photographed, capturing that memory forever. I decided to make something similar based around the photo frame idea as it was very effective and was able to show off each character's personality, as well as their main settings in the show. If I added these photo frames, I could easily showcase her life and who she is as a person and what built her to the girl she is today which, overall, links to personal identity
• The title being revealed by the bus is inspired by the title of "The Simpsons" appearing out of the clouds - I thought that the bold title appearing all of a sudden really captures the audiences attention. Not only that, but it also helps to make a point of the title of the show, making it bold and giving it its own scene

My second idea was for a music video:

My original idea were to have completely different women complete the same continuous motion, all heavily inspired by the movie Barbie particularly these two scenes:

In these scenes, both express the difficulties women as a whole face. Women, as a community, as an identity, feel suppressed and inferior to not only other people but to themselves. I wanted to base my music video in expressing the daily life of a woman, no matter their age, personality or looks to try and get a deep message across. In my music video, the only scenes I have planned so far are the women looking in the mirror doing makeup whilst crying as a deep metaphor for "beauty is pain" along with a scene with the women standing in a full length mirror critiquing and judging themselves as if they will never achieve the ideal looks of a woman. This is very personal to me, and I wanted this to be as raw as possible to spread emotion throughout the viewers.

Why?

• I decided to draw out a range of women and girls to highlight the fact that every woman goes through this
• I wanted to show the heartbreaking scenes because that is what America in Barbie achieved to do brilliantly
• I am using the music "What was I made for?" by Billie Eilish because, not only is it in the Barbie movie played in the montage, but it is also personal to women as a collective - something women can relate to and connect with
• By using something that's very present in today's society, I believe this will reach the target audience of 15-25 year olds as, unfortunately, this is all they experience and witness daily. This is also supported through the evidence of looking at the ages of the audience who watched the Barbie Movie:

• I decided to go for animation for two reasons: it would've been easier to get the image out of my head and onto a screen being as creative as I wanted to be, there aren't that many animated music videos including "What was I made for?" of which there are also none

The third idea took me longer to come up with, but I eventually landed on something which, being honest, only loosely links to the theme of Identity:

When thinking about identity, I noted down its how we view and see ourselves - this is how my idea grew. My third idea was about promoting glasses so you are able to see yourself and express yourself however you wanted to. Not only will you be able to view yourself, but others will be able to view the real you. The screen starts blurry, a persons vision without glasses, until arms rise up with a pair of glasses in hand. The only way the viewers can see a screen clearly is through the lenses of the glasses. The glasses move closer and closer, filling the screen with the clear lenses until the whole screen becomes clear and not blurry. The ending scene is somebody wearing the glasses, modelling them almost, as they can finally see themselves in the mirror. As these scenes go on, the music simultaneously grows from muffled to clear and upbeat.

Why?

• In my opinion, I think many people, specifically young adults who are starting to earn an income, are looking for different options for glasses that aren't super expensive
• Having an upbeat music track will hopefully engage the audience, creating a positive and trustworthy atmosphere and company
• The deep meaning behind this advert is being able to see yourself for who you are, and being able to flaunt that with your own style of glasses - linking to identity loosely, this is all about how you present yourself and how you look to others

Following drawing out original ideas and drafts, my next plan of action was to look at examples linked to my ideas and to also look at the reviews of these examples to see if I could add anything to my ideas to be able to develop them further and try to create them into something more engaging. 

Week Two - Day Five

On day five, I decided to have 3 minimum examples that were linked to my ideas that I could look at and use for more guidance and inspiration. This was all about secondary research and what I could gain from it.

For the advert, I looked at 3 different companies: Glasses Direct, Specsavers and SelectSpecs. 

SelectSpecs

During the SelectSpecs advert, the actor is seen to be smiling as she is confident and satisfied with her find and her choice of glasses. She uses persuasive language to encourage the buyer to buy glasses from this specific company, raving about how brilliant their service was. To wrap up this advertisement, the brand logo is displayed clearly on the screen, large and bold so the viewer is drawn to the screen. Throughout the duration of the advert, the music is upbeat and joyful, achieving that happy tone and atmosphere to give confidence to the viewer.

After watching this advert, I looked at the SelectSpecs reviews and here's what I gathered:

• The company seem to be honest and truthful about their service as said through reviews, ultimately gaining trust from the viewer
• The pricing seems to be a big advantage about this company and its something they promote to make them seem more ideal to customers
• Their order process is smooth and easy, preferred by many customers

Glasses Direct

The Glasses Direct advert I found to be the most engaging as it utilised many bold colours and had many actors flaunting their glasses, expressive and optimistic. By showing the actors as being overwhelmingly happy with their pair of glasses, this overall adds to the brand identity of being able to help others to find themselves. There are also two scenes embedded within the advert that I caught onto: the glasses being lined up in rows to show the range of frames and shapes, the pricing of the glasses being highlighting by bold typography. Their brand logo finishes the advert as a whole, supported by their rating beneath to further encourage the viewer to buy from their company, highlighting their trustworthy and brilliant service.

After watching this advert, I looked at the Glasses Direct reviews and here's what I gathered:

• Again, cost seems to be a massive advantage, being more ideal to costumers compared to other companies - this seems to be an important thing to add in my own advert
• Their range of glasses is also mentioned quite a bit which shows their flexibility as a brand in aiding costumers and providing them with multiple choices to choose whichever they feel is more them

Specsavers

Specsavers had a slightly different advert to the other two by promoting their glasses with a comedy skit. The comedy skit kept me engaged, wondering what would happen next, which was a great idea to gaining the audiences attention as well. Their iconic slogan is also embedded within the script - the slogan "should've gone to Specsavers" makes their brand more memorable and makes the costumers go to Specsavers for their first choice the more they hear it and the more it becomes engraved in their minds. The slogan is embedded along with the company logo as a way to finish the advert off.

After watching this advert, I looked at the Specsavers reviews and here's what I gathered:

• With it being such a popular brand, the prices of their glasses are extremely overpriced to a lot of people - many aren't willing to spend mass amounts of money for one pair of glasses
• Although the prices are high, their face to face service is respectful overall aiding in their brand identity

Looking at these examples made me realise I needed to add a few things if I wanted to make my advert more realistic and well made:

• I needed to create my own memorable brand logo and name, along with a slogan possibly
• My actor in the advert needed to show emotions of content, satisfaction and happiness to encourage the viewer to buy my glasses as shown by the Glasses Direct advert
• Along with their facial expressions, their body language was also important in trying to spread the message of trustworthiness
• I needed to add in scenes showcasing the range of glasses and the prices they are retailed for, again shown in the Glasses Direct advert, to entice the audience
• There needed to be scenes of the actor looking directly into the camera to capture the audiences attention
• My advert needed to include bright colours for an eye-catching advertisement
• The soundtrack needed to be upbeat and catchy to not only create a positive atmosphere but to ensure trust in my company

I believe these additions could make my advert more successful in its final production.

For the title sequence, I looked at 3 popular tv series as my own idea was to be a tv series, and these were Modern Family, Anne with an E and The Simpsons:

The Simpsons

The Simpsons title sequence is so iconic. Their bright colours and dynamic movements/transitions really kept me engaged and excited while the title sequence played. The main family was introduced individually each with their own quirks and personalities - a great way to hint as to what the show will bring. Along with the characters, the backgrounds and main settings are shown within this title sequence again hinting what this show will bring making the viewer interested. The range of personalities and backgrounds is a great example of variation, allowing the audience to relate to at least one of the characters. To add to the chaotic movements, the music is also upbeat and continuous with loud saxophones, trumpets etc, creating a ground layer for the shows atmosphere and making the viewer excited.

After watching this title sequence, I looked at The Simpsons reviews and here's what I gathered:

• The quirks are important as to give hints into the characters personalities and identities
• The energy of this title sequence seems to engage the majority of viewers
• The music is just as important as it ties in with the theme and helps to accomplish what the title sequence is trying to demonstrate

Modern Family

Although short and snappy, this is a great example of showcasing the characters personalities and settings as each are captured in their own photograph. Before each photo frame zooms out, we are given a short clip of the characters movements, actions and outfits which clearly represent their personality and their own personal identity (eg Hayley's hand on her hip shows her as sassy and popular, Gloria's outfit shows her as organised and glamorous). Not only does this title sequence show each characters personal identity, but it also shows the family's identity as a collective, each of them radiating a heart-warming and loving atmosphere encouraging the viewer to watch and enjoy their comforting show. The soundtrack is extremely catchy as well with the "Hey Hey" capturing the audience - it has become recognisable and memorable to many people across the globe.

After watching this title sequence, I looked at the Modern Family reviews and here's what I gathered:

• Adding something like the "Hey Hey" makes an impact to all viewers whether its positive or negative
• The volume in this title sequence misquote loud and throws the audience off - the music cannot be too overpowering
• Maybe the key is being simple, shown by the simplicity of the "Hey Hey" being uplifting enough to engage an audience
• The fact it is a short and snappy title sequence is ideal for binge watching of whom the majority are teens and young adults, perfect for my target audience
• The idea of the creative concept with the photo frame is loved by the viewers

Anne with an E

This title sequence is something I found to be extraordinary. Its beautiful and lifelike visuals are amazing in their realism and are incredibly gorgeous. The title sequence almost takes us on a journey through the seasons as Anne appears in each one dressed in cottage outfits surrounded by lush forests and animals such as foxes and owls. With all of these assets included, the viewers are able to immediately recognise this show as a historical piece, tied off with a Canadian soundtrack accompanied by guitar music. I also noticed her saying engraved in nature, such as the trees, which gave me and all viewers a hint and insight into her personality and outlook on life.

After watching this title sequence, I looked at the Anne with an E reviews and here's what  gathered:

• The outstanding scenes of this title sequence are what seems to captures the audiences attention
• The title sequence explores her past by using the continuous metaphor of the seasons which helps to build her identity - in my opinion, what makes you to become to person you are today are your memories and past experiences of which this title sequence demonstrates brilliantly
• By displaying the atmosphere of this show with country animals, themes and music, the audience are able to tell what this show contains and what the main settings/backgrounds will be
• The visuals seem to be the main way of introducing a show to the audience

Looking at these examples made me realise I needed to add a few things if I wanted to make my title sequence more appealing to viewers:

• Music that's able to set the tone immediately
• Clues as to what the main backgrounds and settings will be
• Credits embedded throughout the title sequence with appropriate typography as shown in Anne with an E
• Bright colours and fast movements to keep the audience captivated like The Simpsons
• Hints as to the characters identities and personalities demonstrated by the quirks in The Simpsons
• A clear and bold title, either shown at the beginning or end of the title sequence

For the music video, I looked at one example of an animated music video, as I want my music video to be animated also, and two examples of what have already been done to "What was I made for" by Billie Eilish:

Metamorphine by Elohim

I found this animated music video on Kasra Design, a website which included a variety of animated music videos, but this one especially caught my eye due to its addition of typography within the animations. The lyrical interpretation by both the visuals and typography are mesmerising and something uncommon - I think this mixture needs to be used more. Through this music video, the background is predominantly a bright pink, eye catching to the viewer, along with clips and additions of other colours with transitions. The backgrounds juxtapose each other in colour from pinks to blacks and greys which also helps to keep the viewer engaged as it keeps switching.

After watching this music video, I looked at what the editor of Kasra Design said about it:

• Making visuals beautiful are important to the viewers eye
• Using typography well can make an impact on the viewers engagement
• A balance between music and visuals is something uncommon but admirable

Barbie Movie Montage by Billie Eilish

As this montage played, I related deeply to this video. I feel it is important to express such an important message by not being afraid of showing raw visuals to the audience. With my target audience being 15-25, I feel these scenes are very common to these ages. This music video represents the identity of women as a community, highlighting the struggles and experiences of girlhood. It is a great representation of our modern world and something I find important.

After watching this music video, I looked at the reviews of the Barbie Movie:

• Many audiences should be well delighted by this movie
• It is quoted as to being a "candy-coloured feminist fable that manages simultaneously to celebrate, satirise and deconstruct its happy-plastic subject" - Mark Kermode on The Guardian 23/07/23
• The Barbie movie is all about exploring how women are viewed an expected to look a certain way as misogynistic views overpower our modern society
• It exposes the reality of women as a collective

What was I made for by Billie Eilish (lyric video)

This lyric video is decorated with a border of women all dressed differently, represented differently whilst also making the point that no matter what you look like we have experienced the same experiences. The typography is also appropriate for this lyric video with it being in a handwritten pink, an iconic colour to Barbie. Adding on, the lyrics are deep and personal, being relatable to many young girls and adults out there - Billie has made it easy to connect with.

After listening to What was I made for, I looked at the reviews on this specific song:

• She utilises her lyrics in a constructive way to demonstrate heartbreak and to spread a deep message to her audience
• Emotional, her lyrics are relatable to her audience
• "It serves as a beautiful, melancholic centrepiece for the Barbie movie" - AI overview on Google

Looking at these examples made me realise I needed to add a few things if I wanted to make my music video more deep and engaging to my young-ish audience:

• A bright and eye-catching background as used in Metamorphine
• Lyrics embedded into the music video with appropriate typography as demonstrated by both Metamorphine and the lyric video
• Deep meanings and visuals that the audience will be able to connect and relate to

Completing this secondary research will now allow me to enhance and develop my ideas even further to create something visually spectacular to the viewer.

Week Three - Day Six

On day six, I proposed my ideas to my peers around me to hopefully gain some useful feedback. This feedback would allow me to develop my ideas even further and help me to make my ideas something more admirable and ideal to our target audience of 15-25 years of age. In my feedback, I made sure to add in screenshots and references where appropriate to shoe my peers where my ideas came from or were inspired by.

Week Three - Day Seven

I received my feedback on day seven with my peers telling me they preferred the title sequence with scales on how well each category is shown and their explanation:

Confident my title sequence idea was the way forward, I decided to develop my title sequence idea even further by making the animation style more simplistic - not only is the simple animation style used in various other shows of which I have taken inspiration from such as The Simpsons, but this will also allow the animation to be quicker. Adding in too much detail can be tedious and time consuming. Because the shows I was inspired from used more simple animation, I figured making my first drawing more simplistic was appropriate.

After fully developing my idea, the next stage in this assignment was all about the pre-production and planning!