Thames Clippers Film...

My first thoughts for the Thames Clippers short film is to use 'hip hop editing' or 'fast cutting', much like the project we did 'Crash, band, wallop'. I can use the skills I learnt in this project and mix it up with the project '3 easy pieces'.

The director Darren Aronofsky is famous for using hip hop editing. He directed films such as 'Requiem for a dream' and the new feature film 'Black Swan'.

A famous scene from Requiem from a dream:

Also Guy Ritchies film Snatch has a short scene of fast cutting:

I am now looking at filmakers who make mixed media films. The BBC has a website full of short films, its a great site and I found the following on there...

The film below is called 'Stalk' by Leigh Hodgekinson, I really like the look and texture of the film and want to have a similar feel in mine...

The film below is by 12foot6 and is called 'Urban Animals' I like the actual footage mixed with the animation, maybe I could use something like this in my film...

I've been looking for some short films shot in London for ideas, I like the jumpiness of the film below and the jumps from different areas of London...

Breathing from Juan Fran Jimenez on Vimeo.

I found an experimental film shot around London below. I like the look of the film and the texture of it. I also like the Big Ben chimes, that could be a good idea.... Add certain sound effects as the commuter goes past certain landmarks?

London Experimental film

On Thames Clippers website there is a short video which is rubbish! Click on the link below to go to their homepage on view the video...

Thames Clippers website

Thames Clippers

Below is Thames Clippers current map, I can use this to research landmarks on route...


Below are some photographs of Thames Clippers in action:

I found this useful video on Thames Clippers on the BBC's website, it states all the benefits of traveling by Thames Clippers and has a journey on one, this is very useful and informative...

Click here to watch the BBC Thames Clippers Video

I've been looking at some hand drawn style maps for inspiration:


I really like the maps below and above, I think my map would be somewhere in between the look of these two.


My other idea for this brief is to make a short film/advert. The idea is of a person traveling to work, it starts of on the tube, really dark and gritty then suddenly shoots out onto the river with sunshine and loads going around them. The boat will be full of London commuters and tourists and will highlight all the benefits of traveling by Thames Clippers such as:

• Guaranteed a seat
• Views of London
• WiFi onboard
• The stop off and pick up points
• Toilet facilities
• Comfort
• Reliable
• Discounts and concessions (Including for Oyster card holders)

If I would have time to do both the video and the map I would do them in the same style. For the video I think I would like to use mixed media, using; Actual footage, actual photographs, hand drawn pictures/paintings, paints, charcoals, watercolours etc, I think this would be a really fresh approach to advertising Thames Clippers and that people would take interest.

SO, Ideally I am going to:

Create a short film which can be advertised on television, internet and various points around London. The film will include a journey from tube to river boat OR maybe even more of a variety of transport - Car, train, bus, tube then river boat....Either way when the film changes to river boat the style will change from dark and gritty to light and brightly coloured (maybe washy, watercolour style) The journey on the river boat will pass landmarks such as Big Ben, The O2, Canary Wharf... It may be a good idea to do it turning from day to night to show all of London lit up? The film will be very fast paced almost a sort of hip hop editing style.

I will then use artwork from the film to help create posters that will be featured in and around London in tube stations, shopping malls and corporate work environments such as Canary Wharf... I quite like the idea of having some posters on floor stickers in various shapes, I have seen these around London and they do attract attention.

IF there is any time left I would love to create the map too, again sticking with the same mixed media style and to coincide with the film and posters. The map will be available in tube stations and on the boats themselves, it will be a large fold out map, with further information about Thames Clippers on the back. It would be nice to have it on a textured paper which will give it more substance than a gloss leaflet that are all over the underground.

Narrowing down...

I made basic first look brainstorms in my sketchbook of each of the 7 briefs I chose from the 17 to help me narrow them down further to 2. I have narrowed them down to:

• Thames Clippers

• The Open University

THAMES CLIPPERS:

Keywords that stick out to me from the brief and the brand -

• Inspire
• London
• Tourists
• London Professionals
  
• River
• Water
• Easy
• Quick
• Guaranteed a seat
• Comfort
• Reliable
• Fun
• Views
• WiFi
  

The brief states that you can use any media you wish and that they will be interested in the environments you think the target audience will will be most receptive to the creative ideas.

I would want to make a poster for this brief and a fold out map that can picked up on the boats and around London and the tube. Some keywords for starting points with this:

• Map
• Hand drawn
• Poster
• Interactive
  
• Pretty
• Clean
• 'Why not?'
• 'Fancy a change?'
• 'Fed up of not getting a seat?'
• 'Choose the views'
• 'Choose London'
• 'Choose the city'
• Watercolours
• Hand painted
• Sketchy
• 'It seems stupid not too'
• Landmarks
• Famous London Spots
• Pop up map?!
• Short film
• Stop Motion
  

Some screenshots of Thames Clippers Website:


THE OPEN UNIVERSITY:

Keywords that stick out to me from the brief and the brand -

• 16-18 year olds
• Young
• Education
• Degree
• Part time
• Easy
• Own time
• Step by step
• Largest higher education Institution
• Work whilst studying
• Persuade
• Flexible
• Cheaper

The brief states to create a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the Open University among young people. The idea should include a compelling message, creative concept and media suggestions. Free to use any medium you wish.

My first thought for targeting young people is to make a short film, which could be a viral or tv advert. This film can then help to put together posters, billboards and flyers. Some keywords for starting points with this:

• Stop motion
• Funny
• Informative
• Gritty
• Story
• Fast
• Hip Hop editing
• Life story
  
• Cheap with regular uni fees rising
• Posters
• Facebook banners
• App
  

Here are a few screenshots from The Open University website (the website aimed at young people, their other website is quite different!):

Choosing the right brief...

YCN have given a list of 17 live briefs to choose from, my tutor went through this list colour coding what she thinks we should/shouldn't be picking. Red being a no , orange a maybe and green a yes.
After looking through all the briefs I narrowed them down to the following:

TUBORG:

Develop ideas that will build the awareness and understanding of the Tuborg brand based on the theme, “Live unleashed”.

Background:
Tuborg is Denmark’s biggest lager brand with considerable European reach. Having previously existed in the UK market back in the 70’s and 80’s, Tuborg re-launched into the UK in the summer of 2007 under a new positioning, focussed around fun and music and aimed at young adults.
Since then, the brand has grown in sales and reputation, picking up a number of top music sponsorships, including Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading festivals and the Academy Music Group to name just a few.
The brand is now ready to take the next step to talk to fun-loving young adults both in and outside of the music arena in order to open the brand up to a larger potential audience. We want to be able to speak to our audience in a way that deeply engages and connects with them. We want to help our audience to “Live Unleashed”.

THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE:
We want you to develop ideas that will build the awareness and understanding of the Tuborg brand amongst our core audience.
Using the creative theme of “Live Unleashed”, we want you to come up with ideas that break the mould and will grab people’s attention. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a creative advertising concept, limited edition packaging design, freshers’ fair stunts or point of purchase activation, we want to see them all!
TARGET CONSUMER:
• 18-24 adults • Fun loving • Spontaneous • Love socialising • Love music
LIVE UNLEASHED DEFINITION:
Living Unleashed is about being open for new experiences and the spirit of adventure and most importantly, being open to fun.
At the tender age of 18-24, this is the time of our consumer’s lives, the time to have fun and be open to new experiences. With its unique ring pull cap, Tuborg is an ‘open’ beer that loves to Live Unleashed, giving access to great unexpected experiences, experiences that our consumers will talk about, experiences that they can have a lot of fun with.
Living Unleashed is an attitude and way of life that we applaud.
MANDATORIES:
We support the Portman Group in their championing of responsible drinking and therefore encourage you to consult the Alcohol Advertising Rules (available in the project pack).
Our brand guidelines are there to guide you and give you a feel for the brand. Aside from
our logo which must be present in all executions, we support you to be flexible and to bring out your creativity as much as possible.


THE OPEN UNIVERSITY:

Persuade 16 to 18 year olds to study for a degree with The open university.
Background:
With the growing pressure on university places, around 100,000 students each year are unable to get into a campus university – what’s more, hundreds of thousands don’t even apply. Many of these students agree that education is important, but they don’t want to put their life on hold to get a degree and they prefer to get on with developing a career.
THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE:
The Open University is perfectly placed to help students who either do not get into a campus university, or who choose not to go. Our flexible learning methods mean they can fit study around work, family and friends and our academic reputation is enviable.
Our greatest challenge is that young students don’t know about the OU. Because we’re part- time study specialists, we don’t appear on UCAS and school advisors will often focus only on full-time study options.
CLIENT REQUIREMENTS:
Create a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the Open University among young people aged 16 to 18. Your idea should include a compelling message, creative concept and media suggestions. You are free to choose any medium or combination of media that you wish.
BRAND QUALITIES:
• Quality – a top 3 UK university for student satisfaction according to the National Student Survey.
• Credibility – Employers value OU qualifications. 75% of FTSE 100 have sponsored staff on OU study.
• Community – thousands of young students. You can meet them at tutorials or in online forums.
• Support – no grade requirements. If you think you can do it, we’ll support you all the way. • Flexibility – fit study around work, family and social life. Study at home or on the move.
ABOUT THE OPEN UNIVERSITY:
The Open University (OU) is the UK’s largest higher education institution and a world leader in flexible distance learning. The OU has taught more than 1.5 million students and currently has more than 250,000 students, including over 35,000 students aged under 25.
Our students study for a qualification in their own time, using study materials, online content, web-based tutorials and through face-to-face tutor groups or even residential schools. The OU has been in the top three of student satisfaction rankings in the National Student Survey since it was introduced in 2005.
ABOUT THIS BRIEF:
We’re offering the chance to have your ideas made real. We hope that the strongest entry can be turned into a real marketing campaign. If that entry is yours, you will also be given the opportunity of work experience at our creative agency to make it happen.
OUR WEBSITES:
Current brand marketing microsite www.openuniversity.co.uk/inspiringlearning Website for young students www.openuniversity.co.uk/18to24


THAMES CLIPPERS:

Inspire london’s residents and its visitors to travel by thames clippers - the fastest fleet on the river.
Background:
Established in 1999 with just one boat, Thames Clippers now carry over 7000 passengers per day. As more and more people switch on to the beauty and practicality of river travel, our company is continuing to grow.
Our service is the fastest and most frequent fleet on the river thames, departing every 20 minutes from major London piers, from the London Eye right through to The O2. We run a scheduled commuter service as well as tourist travel, with a Tate to Tate service from the Tate Modern and Tate Britain museums. Alongside this, is the dedicated fast service for concert goers to The O2, known as The O2 Express.
With comfortable seating guaranteed and wifi and Costa Coffee on board, our service allows you to enjoy the spectacular views of London by river and in style.
Crucially, our service is also competitively priced, fast and frequent - with boats leaving major piers every 20 minutes.
AN INSPIRING JOURNEY:
With breathtaking modern architecture contrasted so brilliantly against immense historical buildings, a journey along the River Thames truly sums up the rich fabric of London life through the years. With so much to see - this stretch of river has the highest concentration of landmarks in Europe - we know you will get a thrilling and ever evolving perspective on the capital every time you are onboard.
EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF:
For those that can make a trip to London and thinking of working on the brief we’ve made some discounted tickets available. Details of how to get hold of one can be found in the project pack.
THE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE:
At the Thames Clippers website you can read about the many benefits of river travel. Many people are unaware of them! This includes both those that live in London, or those that visit the capital from overseas. When they find out they’re nearly always won over.
We need to engage with people that live in London, and people that visit London, at the times that they’ll be most receptive to understanding the benefits of river travel.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
We are interested in reaching: a) Londoners that could travel by river in their professional and personal lives. b) The huge number of tourists that visit London each year.
Your communication may target a particular section of this audience (for example London residents who live near to the piers) or it may be an idea that speaks to the entire audience at once. This is entirely up to you.
MEDIA:
You are free to demonstrate your thinking in any medium or combination of media that you wish. We are very interested in the contexts and environments that you think the target audience will be most receptive to your creative ideas.


MARKS AND SPENCERS - PLAN A:

Create a visual identity for our Plan a campaign and develop campaign elements to bring your identity to life!
Background:
Marks and Spencer is one of the UK’s leading retailers with over 21 million customers visiting our stores every week. We sell high quality, great value clothing and home products and outstanding quality food.
We source our products responsibly from over 2,000 suppliers across the world. Over 76,000 people work for M&S in the UK and in 41 territories overseas.
We launched Plan A in January 2007 – ‘committing to change 100 things over 5 years, because we’ve only got one world and time is running out.’
Three years on, we have made good progress against our five Plan A pillars: Climate Change, Waste, Natural resources, Fair partner and Health and Wellbeing – achieving 62 of the original 100 Plan A commitments.
So, in March 2010, we unveiled and expanded a more demanding Plan A, setting out 80 new commitments for the next five years and our ambition to become the world’s most sustainable PLAN ACHIEVEMENTS:
Plan A has helped us to innovate and start changing the way we do business.
Since 2007 we’ve: • Cut carbon emissions from our operations by 80%. • Improved store efficiency by 19%. • Reduced amount of waste sent to landfill by 33%. • Reduced weight of packaging on our Clothing and Home products by 36% and in
Food by 20%. • Used 400 million fewer carrier bags than in 2006 / 07.
THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE:
Despite very high awareness of Plan A and the achievements this has delivered, our customers recently told us that it felt like, “It is all about M&S talking about themselves, to us. We want to be involved, and we want helpful advice on how we can start to ‘do the right thing’ in our own lives.”
Your challenge is to take Plan A’s corporate success and use it as a springboard to inspire consumers to follow in our footsteps.
We need an icon, logo or family of identity elements that can work and come to life in all of our consumer communication channels. This will be the shorthand through which our customers identify our Plan A products and services. We want this to be evocatively engaging in the way that the WWF panda logo is.
A campaign would run across all manner of channels; these would include:
• Advertising – TV, Press, Outdoor, Radio. • Windows – Can we use them in an interactive way with customers in 530 stores
across the UK? • In Store – Where should we communicate? How should we communicate? • M&S Magazine – We produce 6 issues a year with a 1m circulation and 4m readers. • Online / CRM / PR / Social media – An approach for Plan A across all activity that is
engaging, simple and makes common sense. • Packaging and carrier bags – What could we do with our corporate media vehicles to
communicate Plan A in an inspiring and engaging way?
You should choose one or more of these in which to bring your identity to life. How will you create clear and captivating engagement with M&S consumers?
CREATIVE CONSIDERATIONS:
The principles for the identity and campaign must be simple – we need to make the complex clear, relevant and practical – we need to tell emotional stories that people can act on:
Inclusive – we want to show that we’re on this journey together. Grounded – Our call to action will be grounded in everyday life. Inspiring – We will always be finding new ways to do the right thing.
TONE OF VOICE:
Authoritative, humble, complicit, honest and engaging.
OUR WEBSITE:
For more information about M&S Plan A go to http://plana.marksandspencer.com/


WARP RECORDS:

Design the creative industry of the next 21 years.
ABOUT WARP:
Since our first 12” single in 1989, Warp has evolved into one of the World’s leading independent labels of musicians, designers, filmmakers and artists – from Aphex Twin to Flying Lotus, Battles to Richard Ayoade, Shane Meadows to Brian Eno
QUESTIONS:
How do you imagine Artists of the future will shape their careers and reach people?
How would you like to experience Warp Artists’ work?
How will the Artist’s work be valued by audiences?
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
• Ideas should represent and communicate Warp’s continuing evolution as a global creative label.
• Ideally, you will look at Warp Records’ current roster, including Battles, Flying Lotus, Bibio, The Hundred In The Hands, Squarepusher, Hudson Mohawke... (more at Warp.net/records).
• Your ideas can encompass music releases, interactive / digital, events, products, exhibitions, installations... Absolutely anything. You may like to explore and propose ways to build interconnectivity between these areas and others.
• Think about innovative ways of generating income for our artists. • Think about methods to grow active and lasting online and offline communities.
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR:
• We are not looking for music demos, video showreels or design portfolios that are not directly related to the questions above to answer this brief.


GREEN AND BLACKS:

Give new consumers a motivating reason to trade up to green & Black’s.
Background:
“When Green & Black’s was launched in 1991, we cheekily declared it to be ‘guilt-free’ chocolate. As the world’s first organic chocolate, it gave passionate chocolate lovers a way to indulge their taste buds without having an environmental impact...because conventionally grown cacao is still one of the most heavily sprayed food crops in the world. But we know that what makes someone buy a Green & Black’s treat a second time...and a hundredth time...is sheer deliciousness.” –Jo Fairley, Founder of Green & Black’s
Many are unaware of the origins of the name Green & Black’s; quite simply it’s a name made up by Craig and Jo, our founders. Green is for the Organic principles that we have always stood for and Black for the rich, deep colour of the chocolate and its intense taste. The ability to fuse these two elements together is what makes us so unique.
This positioning makes Green & Black’s an enviable brand; we win awards for taste, coolness and ethics. Journalists want to write about us, consumers want to taste our chocolate; we’re often the most popular stand at sampling events, chefs pro-actively endorse us and marketing agencies want to work with us.
What started with a bar of Dark, 70% cocoa chocolate, for which we are best known today, has now become a wide range of products including 15 flavours of bar, a gift range, ice cream, hot chocolate and cooking chocolate.
We’re now a multimillion pound brand but one formed from a small, but incredibly loyal base of consumers who know us and love us. They religiously buy our products, talk to their friends about us, contact us with feedback, in fact they help us market our delicious chocolate.
Now we are at a stage where we want to bring the next generation of consumers into the brand to continue our growth, especially from other areas of our brand portfolio, not just our bars.
THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE:
We therefore wish to develop a marketing campaign that gives new consumers a motivating reason to trade up to Green & Black’s above the other premium chocolate brands out there. The creative challenge is to recreate the buzz behind the Green & Black’s brand to encourage even more consumers to try us and fall in love with us.
One of the biggest challenges we face (for both recruitment and retention) as we try to grow is in encouraging consumers to step up to Green & Black’s and pay that little bit more for us. Historically, we’ve found that getting people to taste our chocolate is more likely to get them to buy the brand.
CREATIVE CONSIDERATIONS:
We are not necessarily looking to create a tagline but to have an ‘infectious brand idea’ that is just as much about how the brand behaves as what it says. Not only should it come across in our marketing communications but also in the type of products that we would launch, the distribution channels we might use or the ways we operate as a business. Think for example of the Dove campaign for Real Beauty or the Cadbury Dairy Milk Glass and a Half Full Productions, these both have an infectious idea that extends beyond the marketing copy.
The brand idea needs to be discovered and drive word of mouth. In its first instance it may only connect to a small group but it needs to quickly roll out to engage a large audience.
While we want to broaden the appeal of Green & Black’s, it must maintain its premium nature and not dumb down. Let the people come to us.
Creativity is the key, we what to see how you would bring our brand to life and talk to our consumers in a positive and powerful way.
We are all adults so we can talk to our consumers intelligently with a witty attitude without alienating people, being pompous or too highbrow.
We have a strong personality. This is what has made everyone sit up and take notice of what we’ve done so far. Be bold – Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
We are known for our bars of chocolate but have a portfolio that stretches far beyond this, e.g. gift packs, ice cream and hot chocolate. Consider how these could help us achieve our goals.
TARGET CONSUMER:
All adult lovers of chocolate, especially those buying other ‘premium brands’. Our products have broad age appeal for our brand but we feel that there is an opportunity to bring in a younger generation e.g. 25-35 year olds. Consumers who enjoy premium/quality products and value better quality food. Our consumers are environmentally friendly but it’s not their priority.
Media:
You are free to demonstrate your creative thinking in any medium or combination of media you see fit. Think about the spaces and environments in which the target consumer will be receptive to being engaged creatively. There are no limitations to how you bring your idea to life!


FEDRIGONI UK:

Bring Fedrigoni’s versatile range of papers to life to ensure they’re the paper of choice for existing and new customers.
Background:
It’s nearly as old as communication itself, yet today, paper is as versatile and technologically advanced as any silicon chip. Fedrigoni has been refining the art and science of making fine-quality special papers for more than 120 years. Striking surfaces, tactile textures, vivid colours, paper that can be pressed, bent, cut and folded into almost any form you can imagine.
Our papers are ultra functional and at the same time, wonderfully expressive. They can shock and surprise, or soothe and reassure. They can demand your attention or retire gracefully into the background.
In our hands, paper is no ordinary communication tool; it’s an art form in its own right.
THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE:
Choose from one of the ranges listed below, which form part of our imaginative selection of papers, to create a fully integrated marketing campaign. This may include direct mail, PR, Web, advertising, newsletters or events/promo launch. Your idea should show how you would promote the chosen range using various channels to reach our target audience.
RANGES:
• Sirio Colour • Marcate Colour • Freelife • Pergamenata • Savile Row • Woodstock • Book & Box • Ispira • Splendorlux Colour
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Top fashion labels, boutique publishing houses, businesses with global reputations to protect and enhance. The people who use our paper are some of the most demanding customers you’ll meet anywhere. So it’s no surprise that they expect our paper to perform some very demanding tasks.
CREATIVE REQUIREMENTS:
You are free to respond and create communication or content in any combination of mediums you wish. We are open to new ideas, as long as you can fully demonstrate how your work will promote a particular range across various channels, you’re well on your way!
MANDATORIES:
Our only stipulation is that you showcase our fantastic range of papers. Remember that while we appreciate we are in a digital age, we are a paper manufacturer and wish to keep this medium alive! Fedrigoni will offer standard packs of samples relating to your chosen
paper range, details of how to obtain samples can be found in the online project pack.
Brand guidelines
None really, our logo can be blue, black or white, our UK strap line is “A place for Paper” but you don’t have to use it. Also, any outer packaging design ideas should be in black to match our current materials.

New Project - YCN Student Competition...

FdA Digital Media Design Year Two
AF205: Specialist Digital Media Design Practice
Assignment 1: 50% Weighting
Assignment title: YCN Award Briefs

YCN is a design agency which describes itself as ‘Producing work across all media and representing the finest creative people for commissions and collaborations’. They say of themselves that ‘YCN today produces advertising, design and other creative communications in all media; both for its own projects and ventures, and on behalf its various clients’. They are a ‘group of designers, art directors, developers, writers, illustrators and project managers work together at 72 Rivington Street in London’. (http://agency.ycnonline.com/) They also run an annual competition which offers students the chance to fulfill creative briefs from a range of high profile clients and enter that work in a competition. ‘The YCN Student Awards shine a light on new creative talent, and centre on a collection of live creative briefs’. (http://awards.ycnonline.com/)
Winning a competition such as this one often results the work being commissioned commercially is a good career starter.
For this assignment you will choose from a list of YCN Award briefs. The internal deadline for your degree assessment is in advance of the YCN submission deadline. It is recommended, but not compulsory, that you enter your work into the competition.
Deadline and Key Dates
On Monday 10th January, you will put forward proposals for two of the briefs for discussion and evaluation. This must include research, sketchbook and blog work for idea development and a concept you can pursue for two of the YCN briefs.
We will be visiting YCN to discuss the briefs and the competition on Thursday 13th January. This trip to London is a required part of this assignment, so make plans to be available and able to travel that day.
The crit is on Monday 7th February and the final deadline for submission is Thursday 10th February.
What you will produce
Your research, design and planning needs to be shown in a combination of sketchbook and blog. You will submit your finished digital products in suitable formats on a disc and on the submissions server.
To Pass you need to have research and idea development work in your blog and sketchbook (e.g. links to or embedded media for sources of inspiration, initial sketches, analysis of existing media that relate to the brief, information on the client etc) for at least two of the clients, then full design development for your chosen brief (e.g. further sketches, storyboards, animatics, mock-ups, flow diagrams etc). Your blog also needs to reflect your software techniques and problem solving, and a critique of your finished work.
To achieve a higher grade, you need to show thoughtful and useful research, inventive idea development, careful attention to detail in the refining of your ideas, appreciation of the needs and requirements of the client in developing your idea and product, the product you make in response to this brief is a creative solution, aesthetically pleasing and technically well executed and the work is exported in relevant formats.