Hidden Gem Video Peer/Self Evaluation

Name: Zachary Forsythe
Name of Production Team: ZELS Inc. (Zach Emily Lindsay Shelbi)
Role in Production Team: Artistic director, Actor
Roles of Production Team members:
Emily Sherman - Editor
Lindsay Silverberg - Administrator, Project Manager
Shelbi Hauer - Director

1. How do you feel about the title you were given and how well you did your job in this project? Give specific examples of your experience.

I was given the titles of artistic director and actor for this project. I feel quite confident about the titles that I was given as well as the degree of effectiveness in which I completed my jobs. I had never been the artistic director for a project before and I thought it would be appropriate to try all roles at least once. I feel confident with the quality of work that I did as artistic director because I was meticulous in the accuracy and detail of the storyboard. Although I am not an artist, I put a lot of effort into the drawing of the scenes and I believe them to be aesthetically appealing as well as extremely accurate. Not only was I meticulous in the drawing of the storyboard, but also in the detailed scene descriptions found under the illustration. I’m also confident with my acting in the video. Although there were next to no speaking scenes in the video, I believe that I was successfully able to convey the image of a teenager distraught from his problems at home. We took many takes in order to get our shots perfect. Even though it was trying at some points, we knew that to get the best product possible we would have to get a number of different shots of each scene. It was especially trying when the temperature was barely above freezing and I was stuck wearing the flannel shirt which was a prop in the video. The fact that there is only music playing over the video, in my opinion, conveys a much stronger feeling of empathy for the viewer than if there were simply speaking scenes. Music has a great propensity for instilling certain emotions in the listener and this was what we, as a group, were trying to achieve.

I always take pride in my work and this occasion was no different.

Next time I will continue to try different roles because a challenge is presented as each new role comes along. Without challenging oneself, there is no way to improve. With each project I intend to improve from the previous one.

2. How did you contribute to this project? Give at least two specific examples.

I contributed to this project in more than a few ways. My two main roles were of the artistic director as well as the actor. As artistic director I was responsible for creating the story board. I felt extremely satisfied with the product of my labour as I spent many hours meticulously sketching scenes to a very accurate degree. For every scene in the video there is a scene on the storyboard to match. As for my acting role, I played “Josh” whose hidden gem is the focus of the video. As the actor, I was in each scene from the opening scene in which I drew the title of the hidden gem as a graffiti piece, to the last scene where I’m standing in front of a graffiti wall shaking a can of spray paint. The last scene is one of my favourites because it creates a sense of wonder in the viewer. I was also responsible for saying the meaningful quote at the end of the video. This was my first time in the role of artistic director and my first time as being the sole actor in a video. I believe I did a more-than satisfactory job and met both the expectations of myself and those of my group. In terms of other contributions, I had a hand in the plot of the story as well as having the idea for the location. I also provided the vehicle which was used for transportation as well as filming purposes. I enjoyed both of my major contributions even as meticulous as I was in the creation of the storyboard.

Next time I would conduct myself in the exact same way with regards to my contributions made to the project. I contributed an equal portion and so did each of my group members. I believe that we are all satisfied with each other’s contributions.

3. How do you feel about the contributions from other members of your group and the division of labour for the project?

I feel overly content with regards to the contributions of my group members. Although we had some differences of opinion, I was fortunate to have a group whose members all took responsibility for their roles. Furthermore, each group member helped each other with their roles to make it a true group effort. Similarly, the division of labour was equally implemented in a way that no one group member had an unequal share of work. This is important in supporting the morale of the group members as well as utilizing the strengths of each member to the highest degree.

 Next time I would do everything in exactly the same way because each member exceeded the expectations and there was an equal division of labour.

4. When it comes to dealing with differences of opinion within your group.

The only real differences of opinion that arose during our project were in the creative process. We were all on the same page with regards to the filming and editing of the video, as well as creating the artistic statement and selecting roles. In truth, there was only one day in which we, as a group, experienced differences of opinion. Unfortunately, this day was the one that we were set to film on. There were two key factors in the resolution of our differences. The first factor was Mrs. Maxwell-Steele’s mediation which led to the second key factor. As a group, each one of us had to reach comprises for the success of our entire group.

Next time I would try to personally comprise earlier on in the hopes that other group members would follow suit. This would lead to reaching a consensus much earlier and make for a better work environment and group dynamic. Also, having an open mind is a key aspect of dealing with differences of opinion. As humans, we will always have differences of opinion, but if one has an open mind then these differences of opinion can be lessened or even accepted as valid ideas. Similar to compromise, having an open mind makes for a better work environment and group dynamic. This is an important lesson to learn because next time I will incorporate both into my group work.

 

5. In dealing with group members who were not fulfilling their responsibilities.

In working with my group, I did not experience this problem. Fortunately, every group member fulfilled their responsibilities to a more-than satisfactory degree. Each and every member was able to meet the deadlines that were set at the inception of this project. This single fact is quite salient in the sense that we were able to stick to our schedule and had ample time to solve any problems that arose.

Ratings

Overall, I would rate our group's ability to stay on task as:
Very Good
Overall, I would rate our group's ability to be open, respectful, and communicative as:
Very Good
Overall, I would rate our group's ability to use the strengths of all our members as:
Excellent
How successful is your project? Give specific examples for your reasons.

Our hidden gem project is very successful for three main reasons. There are more than three reasons, but I will limit it to three of the main reasons for conciseness. 1) First of all, my group and I are all very happy with the outcome of our video as the story is original, it was edited well, and it’s enjoyable to watch. 2) As a group we always met our deadlines that we set at the inception of this project. In addition, we were able to finish some of our tasks before they were due which allowed us more time on other, more time consuming tasks. 3) One of the most salient reasons that this project was a success is the fact that we faced hurdles in deciding on ideas for such specifics as the story plot, the location, and a couple of smaller issues. However, we were able to completely flip our attitude which allowed us to create a product that we were all excited about.

Social Media Debate

My team was given the subtopic of Facebook negative and we were faced with arguing for the negative aspects of Facebook. As for how I think my group did; the numbers speak for themselves. Our team won unanimously against the opposite side. I was very impressed with the way that my team worked together to prove the same argument through a number of different inter-related points.

There are pros and cons with everything, this is fact is especially true when it comes to the arguments surrounding Facebook. The main points that my team thought of for our argument are the lack of user privacy, cyber bullying, and the fact that since everyone is on Facebook people feel a kind of social obligation or pressure to conform by joining Facebook. Each of these major points branch off to many smaller points such as having our “personal” information sold and all of the spam that comes with the lack of privacy. As for the point on cyber bullying, Facebook provides many different ways for individuals to cyber bully and be cyber bullied from the chat to comments on pictures. In my opinion, the last point is the strongest as it was the last point presented in the conclusion of the debate and was presented in the form of a rebuttal. I believe this point to be the strongest because it is most likely the reason that there are over 500 million users on the social networking site that is Facebook. Although it was not brought up in the debate, I think the strongest pro for Facebook is the way in which it unites people across the world and is able to create great social change. If not for Facebook, many people would continue to fall victim to the dictators governing over their countries. The major countries that have seen their freedom from diabolical dictators as a result of the networking abilities of Facebook consist of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, and others. However, in the debate the pro Facebook side’s most important point was the fact that everyone has Facebook. Unfortunately, I did not see how this point proved any type of argument for the social merits of Facebook.

Truth be told, when using Facebook I don’t think of the above points on a regular basis, but I have thought of many of them at one time or another. In the past I have thought about why so many people are on Facebook and of course I thought about the Arab Spring when it was a global focus in the media. Also, I have thought about the privacy of my profile and have made adjustments to the settings after hearing stories revolving around the lack of privacy setting in place for some people’s profiles.

I believe that many of my peers do worry about issues of privacy and sharing information. I believe this to be true due to the fact that - like me - many of my peers have privacy settings that do not allow people who we have not accepted to see our profiles. This is both an easy and key step in ensuring adequate online privacy. As for the sharing of information, we do not know what our “Facebook friends” are doing with the information that we share. Fortunately, Facebook has taken a number of steps in ensuring that its users feel comfortable with their privacy and as a result has created many different privacy settings so that users can dictate who is able to see what information.

In class, we watched as other groups debated over other topics relating to the social merits of different forms of social media. The debate that stuck in my memory the most was the debate on the pros and cons of Twitter. I thought that the majority of the debaters presented their arguments well and were able to convey a definite pro or con from each of their points. The main cons of Twitter were rioting, the fact that it is an open form of social media so that anyone can see or follow tweets, and any tweet can be re-tweeted. The point of rioting was supported with examples of the Vancouver riot which saw many cars torched. The fact that anyone can see one’s Twitter profile is a strong point because current or potential employers as well as teachers are able to see what one is tweeting about without that person’s knowledge. The last point is also a strong one because someone could tweet about something thinking that only their “X” number of followers would see it, but in reality anyone can re-tweet that tweet, meaning that the potential number of people who are able to view it is endless. Well, not really endless seeing as there are over 200 million people on Twitter; but that over 200 million people could potentially see any tweet. In contrast, the pros for Twitter were the ability to follow the every movement of celebrities, the free cost, the fact that there are over 200 million users, and “trending” topics. The first point means that people are able to further lose touch with their own lives and follow those of celebrities; which to some may be a pro. The fact that Twitter is free does mean that more people are able and willing to express themselves in 140 characters or less. There are over 200 million Twitter users which provide a broad spectrum of different idea, opinions, and thoughts to follow. This allows people to view many different angles of the same trending topics. Trending topics are basically topics that get a lot of buzz from a great number of people on Twitter. This can be seen as a pro because it provides updates on such information as global issues and events.

In conclusion, I enjoyed being able to work with a team and debate about a topic. It was enjoyable trying to prove a point whether we believed it or not.

Product Campaign Peer/Self Evaluation

Product Campaign Peer/Self Evaluation

Zach- Co-director – video, radio

Kwesi- Technical Producer – video, radio

Vikram- Co-director – video, radio

Michele- Graphic Designer – print ad

The work that I did for this advertising campaign can be segmented into the different sides of the campaign. These different sides consist of the video commercial, radio advertisement, and the presentation. 

1. How do you feel about the title you were given and how well you did your job in this project? Give specific examples of your experience.
For this project, there were a number of different roles that I played. My main role for the video was co-director with Vikram. I feel very good about this role because I am a bit of a perfectionist and did not stop until the video was the best that it could be. This resulted in the meticulous frame-by-frame direction of the video. I felt that my role in the commercial advertisement was a success due to the fact that I worked for many hours and was very happy with the final product. Another example of why I felt that the video was a success was the fact that our group shared mutual feelings of success about the video and it was well-received by the class.

For the radio advertisement I worked as co-director again with Vikram, as well as having a speaking part. The radio commercial was much easier to direct than the video as there were just voices, music, and sound as opposed to actual video and sound effects. This sole reason made me feel that I did a great job as co-director of the radio advertisement. As far as the speaking part went, it took a number of takes to get the right intonation of words and timing to fit in with the rest of the commercial. However trying it may have been, I completed my part and I felt that my role in the radio advertisement was a success.

Next time I would like to have an agenda or schedule created to ensure that good time management principles are used at all times and to ensure that we keep on track. This is an important lesson to learn going forward. The project did not suffer at all because of our occasional ill-use of time; however, the time it took to arrive at the same results would be drastically reduced.

2. How did you contribute to this project? Give at least two specific examples.                       

I contributed to this project in a number of ways. First and foremost, when our group mutually decided against our previous product decision I thought of the new product, the Hydra-patch and the tag-line “Don’t Stop”.

I contributed to the video by working as co-director in the production of the video. I also made a cameo appearance and helped with the filming of the other members’ scenes. As co-directors, Vikram and I worked meticulously to make sure the video came together in a way that allowed for our intended message to be delivered. As an example, our team worked together on the video for over 8 hours straight on a Saturday. I appeared in the video as an athlete weight-training in the school gym which was one of the more fun parts in the creation of the video.

My contributions to the radio ad consisted of co-directing production, as well as having a speaking part. The radio ad was much easier to direct than the video because the radio ad was more simplistic in terms of the idea as it was just audio, instead of audio and visual like the video. The speaking part was quite trying due to the number of takes it took to get the right emphasis on keys words and timing to successfully complete the commercial.

I also had a minor contribution to the print ad in which I posed for a picture as part of the male “Team Hydra-patch”.

Next time I would like my group to outline specific roles and the specific tasks that fall under each of them. This is important because each group member will always knows what they should be doing at each stage of the project. In our group we did not do this at the outset of our project which did not really serve as a major problem as each member eventually fell into a role and found success. However, if this is done it reduces the possibility of confusion or lack of organization within the group dynamic.

3. How do you feel about the contributions from other members of your group and the division of labour for the project?                                                                                                  

I feel satisfied about both the contributions and division of labour for the project as each member was serious about successfully completing the project to a high degree. Our group contributed to the project in a way that ensured that each of us felt that it was a success. We were all meticulous in our specific roles and contributions.

Next time I would like each member to have set roles to ensure that each member knows what is expected of them and we don’t have to end up falling into roles while working on the project.

4. When it comes to dealing with differences of opinion within your group.                              

I was very fortunate to work with like-minded group members in which there were next to no differences of opinion. The fact that no issues arose was quite surprising looking back because we worked together for very long hours at a time. In most cases this scenario would have spelled disaster, but for us, it did not.

Next time if there are any differences of opinion within the group dynamic they will be maturely and calmly handled. If however, as a group we cannot resolve our differences our issue may have to be escalated or we may have to play with the idea of breaking up as group.

5. In dealing with group members who were not fulfilling their responsibilities.

This question may be exempt because each group member fulfilled their responsibilities to a more-than satisfactory degree.

Ratings

Overall, I would rate our group's ability to stay on task as:
Very Good
Overall, I would rate our group's ability to be open, respectful, and communicative as:
Excellent
Overall, I would rate our group's ability to use the strengths of all our members as:
Excellent

How successful is your project? Give specific examples for your reasons.

Our group’s project was very successful for three reasons: 1. Our group was able to overcome a quite substantial hurdle at the outset of our project. This obstacle was first, thinking of a product and then having to re-think our product when we decided that it was not a successful idea. 2. As a group we were surprisingly like-minded and all had a similar work ethic. We all agreed on what would make the project a success and what would result in failure. Also, we all had similar expectations in terms of grades that we wanted to receive which resulted in a strong work ethic. 3. Finally, each member of the group had specific skills that were highly useful to the success of the project. For example Vikram and I share strong leadership and communication skills, while Kwesi has a lot of experience in editing movies and audio files, and Michele is quite skilled in Photoshop.

Social Media Campaign: Budweiser Bud Camp

The campaign

One of the biggest and most successful social marketing campaigns in recent years is Budweiser’s Bud Camp. The Bud Camp campaign utilized Facebook as a social media device which allowed for consumers to compete in a photo contest. However, the competition is only part of the fun because the prize for winning the competition is a weekend adventure away at the infamous Budweiser Bud Camp.

What Worked

We can all attest to the fact that we have been exposed to the playful and cleverly marketed adverting for Bud Camp on TV, billboards, and radio. However, the advertising does not stop there. The main reason that Budweiser has seen such great success with this campaign is that social media is at the heart of it. The social media marketing campaign is actually quite brilliant due to the fact that the target market is 19-24 year old males. I personally don’t think there is a social media platform out there which is better suited to reaching this demographic. The actual brilliance of the campaign is in the Facebook contest. According to Ben Seaton, associate marketing manager for Budweiser “The Facebook campaign borrows from our equity platform, which is all about the rules that guys live by. So the concept is to have consumers upload a photo related to the theme and have them attach a great rule to it.” The Budweiser Facebook fan page boasts over 300,000 fans which in itself is a great number of people in the target demographic who are able to get involved and compete in the contest. The prize at the end of the contest is basically a party weekend at a secret location with a number of close friends and 50 “Bud Camp girls”. This prize is perfect for the target demographic; more so than other prizes that consist of money or products because it is an experiential prize. The fact that it is an experiential prize means that the prize winners are able to experience an apparently amazing, exclusive party with their closest friends and 50 gorgeous women. For a 19-24 year old male this is a dream come true and for a shot at it all they have to do is pose for a creative picture, post it on the Facebook fan page, and write an equally creative caption. The winner is crowned victorious after receiving the largest number of votes for their picture. The contest is relatively easy and very fun to compete in. The Bud Camp social media campaign was a success in the sense that Budweiser was able to accurately and creatively reach their target market through a well-chosen marketing channel.

What Flopped

Although, the overall campaign was a success, it managed to successfully shun a huge target market of beer drinkers. While other beer companies are starting to realize the potential and scale of the female beer drinking market, the Bud Camp campaign has managed to exclude female beer drinkers. All in all, I would have to say that this social media campaign has been a success within its target market, but for the future I would recommend creating a campaign directed at the female beer drinker. This problem could be easily solved with a few small changes to create the “ultimate girls’ weekend”. To Budweiser Canada: you can thank me later for this great advice, it doesn’t always come so cheap.

http://mediaincanada.com/2009/07/02/labattbudcamp-20090702/

Mis(s )representation

Surprisingly, this video is of great relevance to me for two reasons; the first being that, I had watched the video days before being instructed to and thought that it would be the perfect video to show the class. The second reason is that, believe it or not, I was actually thinking about a few of the more salient issues that arose. I say surprisingly due to the fact that I am of male gender and by default I am the target gender of the cause of the issues discussed in the video. It’s unfortunate, but safe to say that males are the driving force behind all of the issues. The reason that I was thinking about some of these issues was based on the idea that this can’t be all there is to life.

One of the main issues discussed is the objectification of women; the fact that the media uses women as objects to sell products, services, and most shockingly, ideas. “Girls get the message form very early on that what’s most important is how they look, that their value, their worth depends on that, and boys get the message that this is what’s most important about girls; we get it from advertising, we get it from films, we get it from TV shows...” This statement is unfortunately as true as it is unfortunate. I believe this sole statement can be explained as the root cause of the problem as it creates a cycle where each generation learns these messages and passes them on to the next.

In the video, it is stated that media is shaping our children’s brains, lives, and emotions. I believe that this is referring to my generation and I totally agree. In todays, media hungry society everything is learned through the media; especially social media. This is resulting in a reach that has never been seen before due to the fact that an estimated one billion people use the internet every day. In my opinion, these messages will not only continue, but become increasingly controversial and destructive unless all of the issues and problems discussed in the video are solved. From a male perspective, I found this video to be both quite insightful and eye-opening.  

One Life to Live

After Thursday’s very insightful and emotional class, I have had the weekend to reflect Steve Jobs and Mrs. Maxwell-Steele’s words of wisdom. Each speaker spoke about how they live their lives and there was one similarity between the two stories. It can be explained quiet simply in the wise words of Steve Jobs “your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” This statement conveys a very powerful message which induces a great amount of emotion and self-reflection in the person on the receiving end. Mrs. Maxwell-Steele and Steve Jobs are two very luck people in the sense that they have found something in life that they love to do and are by no means ‘living someone else’s life’.

I consider myself very fortunate for a number of reasons, but the most salient reason is that I have a loving and supportive family. Ever since I can remember, my parents have encouraged me to find what I love to do and then become the best that I can at whatever it may be. I am very fortunate because not everyone is blessed with such a supportive family. Many people are pressured, forced even, into a life that is not their own.  From a very young age I knew that when I grew up I was going to be a ‘businessman’ like my Father. Never once, has my Father pushed this on me, but in noticing my interest he has given me the support to turn my dreams into reality. As a child, my Mother always nurtured me in such a way as to instill a certain confidence in me that would allow me to pursue anything that I desired in life. These are just a couple examples of the kind of support that I receive from my family, but they allow for a better understanding of why I possess such ambition.  

As I previously stated, I have always known that going into business is what I want. Although the term ‘business’ is very broad, I can confidently say that I want to be an entrepreneur. At this point in my life, I am still relatively young and I am not quite sure of exactly which field of business that I want to start a company in. However, I am currently leaning in the direction of a spirits company. No matter which field of business that I decide to enter I can be sure of one thing; I want to achieve the greatest success that I can.  Looking back on the inspiring lives of such entrepreneurs as Ted Rogers, Warren Buffet, and of course Steve Jobs, further inspires me to live my own life and find something I love to do. Each one of these entrepreneurs worked at something they loved which is why they were able to achieve such success in each of their respective fields. Of course one cannot attribute all of their success to that fact, it certainly stands to be a very significant factor in the equation of their success. One day I hope to achieve the type of success experienced by each of these entrepreneurs and like each of them find happiness and contentment in work and in life.

In honour of the great man that was Steve Jobs, I will leave you with this statement which he famously made at the 2005 Stanford University Commencement.  It is a statement that is timeless in its relevance.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition they somehow already know what you truly want to become, everything else is secondary.”

Dr. Leech: Commercial Advertisement Presentation

When I was told that we were going to watch a presentation about advertisements and the science behind them I had no idea what to expect. I certainly did not expect to come away with a greater appreciation for the focus placed on specific wording and the depth of subtext in a commercial. The presentation was quite captivating as the speaker, Dr. Leech, was surprisingly relatable. This was not the sole reason that I enjoyed the presentation and I am sure that the rest of my peers enjoyed it for the same other reason that I did. Apart from the speaker, the information was extremely relevant due to the fact that we all spend a good portion of our day exposed to commercials like the ones discussed by Dr. Leech.

This presentation opened my eyes to the way in which advertising, commercials specifically, target different demographics through an array of different tactics. I learned that in essence, there are two types of commercial; “good” commercials and “bad” commercials. These names do not describe the success or failure of a commercial, but rather the ethics, or lack thereof. A “good” commercial is one that is simply pitching the product by explaining its benefits and allowing the viewer to decide if they want or need it. These types of commercials do not use any other methods to entice viewers to become consumers. The “bad” commercials on the other hand, cleverly, although wrongly, entice the viewer to become a consumer through such methods as playing on their fears and insecurities. These types of commercials are “bad” because they make the viewer feel that they need to purchase a product for a problem that isn’t really a problem. Furthermore, many of these commercials are the sole reason that the problem exists. These commercials create a problem for a product to solve. As an example, I will use the one presented by Dr. Leech about the cover-up product that promises to make pores invisible. This is not a problem, as pores are there for a reason; to allow skin to breathe! In my personal opinion and past experience, I have never thought of a girl’s pores as unattractive.

Ever since the presentation, I have not been able to stop myself from analyzing each commercial I see. I think about the intended subtext, who is being targeted, and also whether the commercial is “good” or “bad”. Initially, commercials came about as a form of advertising that allowed for their message to be both heard and seen by a great number of people. As advertising companies gained more experience over the decades they realized that they could manipulate viewers into becoming consumers and buying their products. Although, this is definitely not true for all advertisers, one must be able to properly understand the advertisement in all of its complexities. For this very reason, I believe that there should be one minimum high-school compulsory media credit that explores the same types of issues that Dr. Leech exposed to us. In his presentation, Dr. Leech told us that Australia has a compulsory courses to create media literate graduates, so why shouldn’t Canada?