Nike Commercial CCR

Creative Critical Reflection

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?

To start off our Nike commercial, we had to do research. We looked at commercials from brands like Nike and other sporting apparel brands. Doing this unlocked a whole new meaning to what a commercial was for me. I saw that commercials usually have a meaning behind what they say and what they do. This made us want to have a meaning in our commercial. We saw it as a way to motivate others and that’s exactly what we wanted our commercial to represent. So we searched harder and we decided that our secret message should be to motivate people to start pushing for what they want. We wanted to influence people to work harder so  it made us a bit more excited to start filming. In order to capture this you have to figure out the Mise en scene, shots, angles, sounds, and the actors expressions. All of these parts come together to help demonstrate what the commercial wants you to take away from it. Mise en scene is used as a way to illustrate the person's location and what they’re doping. The shots and angles are used as a way to capture what they want you to see, or capture important moments in the film. The actors facial expressions and body expressions bring feeling and emotion to the film, it allows the audience to feel what you want them to feel. Without these parts my group and I wouldn’t have been able to convey our message. We used most of the conventions used in other commercials because we wanted it to be as realistic as possible. The commercial represents athletic individuals because it shows all the hard work and practice they go through to follow their goals and become the best they can be at what they do.


2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?

     The Nike product engages with the audience because it appeals to what athletes want. For my Nike commercial the aim was for generation Z athletes.  In the sports industry, it’s main focus is usually on the youth, mainly teens and young adults, so I thought that the commercial should focus on what attracts them and what they would want to know about the product. This generation is mostly obsessed with music so we chose a well-known song that fit our target group perfectly, to grab their attention of course.That was one of the best ideas to come forth because generation Z is all  about ‘turning up to lit songs” so of course we had to choose a song that would automatically make them want to watch the commercial.We couldn’t only depend on the song because eventually they’d get bored or just jam to the song and tune out the commercial so we had to make the commercial itself interesting. Usually athletes want shoes that have a comfortable grip and helps with their flexibility, while pushing them to their best abilities. We set up the commercial to show that the  product was built with all the necessities an athlete would need and want. We showed that it would help them perform better, which would automatically grab our target groups attention, because that’s one of their main wants. It specifically shows someone their age group going for a workout and [pushing himself to the best of his abilities, so we thought that would be a great way to engage with the audience, because it shows that he’s just like them. This was also a way to show his dedication and that Nike helped him fulfill his goal, so they would want to fulfill their goal too and what better way to do it than wearing some Nike shoes or apparel

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Honestly, at the beginning of this project I had total confidence, I was always interested in film making and creating scenarios so I truly wasn’t too stressed  about. I thought I would go through kit with a breeze, and that the commercial would just be a fun activity but I was wrong. Reality hit me hard on the first day when we had to film. It was so complicated trying to figure out how to set up the camera, get the angles perfectly, and execute everything in the time frame. At first I was sloppy and slow, yes I wanted to get the commercial done, and yes I wanted it to look professional but I didn’t think I’d have  to work so hard on it. I can truly say that my production skills have improved dramatically, I went from not knowing how to film at all to shooting a  wide angle, establishing, over the shoulder, pan, close up, and zoom. IF that isn’t progress I don’t know what is. I also matured a bit, I learnt that this class isn’t just an easy credit but that you have to put in work to receive the results you want. I had to realize that this wasn’t just my grade but also my group members grade, so I wanted to pull through for them and myself. It amazes me because now I know how to edit and add music to a film, which can honestly help me so much in my outside life, so reflecting now I am happy about how far I’ve come in such a short time. I’m also grateful for the people who helped me learn and mature. In the beginning I was just a clueless girl, and now I'm on my way to success. This film has truly taught me a lot, now I know about all the different features to editing, and how much work editors actually put in to create the perfect craft. This project also pushed me to practice my shots and my angles, and sounds. It showed me that communication really is key, and that you can’t win unless you work together as a group. I learnt to contribute and illustrate everyone’s idea. I honestly appreciate this project, it’s helping me move one step closer to my dream.

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

When starting this project, I had no clue what pinnacle studios was, or how to shoot something on an actual camera. So this project was a  way for me to get familiar with all the technology and equipment needed to film a project. I used Pinnacle Studios and iMovie as a way to edit, without them I would’ve been in deep trouble. At first I had a lot of technology problems. If I’m being completely honest the whole class had technical problems but ours were somewhat superior. The computer wasn’t saving our commercial, and we couldn’t find it when we did save it. That problem ended up holding us back for a good 2 to 3 weeks. It started to shatter our confidence and we were  starting to get stressed about our grades. But eventually the computers started to cooperate and we were able to get it done.Pinnacle Studios did give a lot of trouble also but without it I wouldn’t have been able to combine the music and the film. I wouldn’t have been able to add a title without it either, so for that app I am thankful. iMovie really came through for me and my team when we weren’t able to finish editing in class. If it wasn’t for iMovie we wouldn’t have been able to edit anything because we couldn’t figure out how to operate Pinnacle Studios if our life depended on it. We used iMovie as a way to cut the film, it came in handy when we needed to get our commercial down to 30 seconds. The video cameras were also cool additions to our project. We wouldn’t have been able to film half the stuff we did without having the camera. The effects made it easy to zoom and tilt, and it gave us a steady stand while shooting. The camera was also a more realistic interpretation of what AICE Media studies actually is , and it helped us get into the working zone. The camera allowed us to have hands-on experience on what it’s actually like to direct a film.