A Very Merry Huntley - ID# 254

Huntley

Commercial

Entry Description

Our community's favorite Holiday celebration: "A Very Merry Huntley!"

Recent Teacher Comments

• 4/27 6:55 am - Aside from a few technical items, this was a good commercial. Good VO. When does this take place and exactly where? End your commercial with that important information for viewers. Use a tripod whenever possible when shooting b-roll. Avoid editing pans back-to-back, especially when the panning is in the same direction.
• 3/6 8:07 pm - I like this video and the script for it is very good. It tells me what to expect and the video matches it very well. But there are a couple of things I would change just to smooth it out a little bit. First of all the start is solid, I like the walk-up with the train, just try to hold the camera a little bit steadier, the same goes for the craft fair shot. Try to use a tripod when shooting so that it does not shake so much. The only quick edits happen during the tree portion of the commercial. You have time slow it down a little bit. if you are not going to be :30 seconds then try to make it 1:00, no need to be in the middle. Very good job with this commercial.
• 3/5 9:31 am - I had to watch your video a couple of times because there wasn’t anything I could put my finger on that I thought needed to be improved and yet I felt like something was missing. Your B-Roll was diverse, it generally fit with what was being said, I thought your script was well written – it told me about the fair, told me what I could expect, and basically left me with the feeling that there is something for everyone. You had a good mix of sound between the narration and the music. Then I thought maybe it was the fact that you had the challenge of promoting a wintery event with no snow, no ice, and green grass. But after a few views I think I narrowed down what it was for me. Two things. One I think the pace you read at is just a hair to fast, and you jump from topic to topic and never really give your audience a chance to digest what they are hearing. It didn’t need to go that fast because you had the time (you weren’t pushing 59 seconds). End a topic with 2 to 4 seconds of B-roll before you go to the next topic (don’t edit the talking so tight), again this will allow your audience to process wha they just heard. The other thing I think that was missing was the absence of authentic sounds I never heard any of the background audio from your B Roll not that it needs to have a huge presence, but when it is completely absent throughout, it gives the video a sterile feeling. The background video will add an element of authenticity. Aside from those two post production errors I think you did a great job. You shot on location, got the scenes you needed (because you didn’t have the luxury of a controlled shoot that you can repeat if you miss something) and in spite of no snow made this wintery shoot still feel a little wintery. Overall good job.

Judge 1

Positives: The ad copy is very clear and direct, with some nice turns of phrase that bring a playful air to the spot. Nice job shooting in low light conditions.

Improvements: SOUND - the AVO is a bit loud against the music. Try bringing down that volume a touch and see if you think it improves the overall feel. It might feel a little more polished. The ambient sounds of fireworks work nicely. CAMERA - Try a bit less movement on your next assignment. It's okay to let the camera settle so your eye can take things in. Let the action in the scene be the interest - not the camera pan.

Judge 2

Positives: I thought your night footage looked great starting at the 25 second mark...good exposure, good vibrant color. The Christmas tree footage also looked vibrant and in the right color frame. I like the idea of a graphic on screen throughout...it just needed a bit more finesse and information.

Improvements: Video ends very abruptly--no call to action, no information on screen for where to go, when to go, etc. differing color temperatures throughout made footage seem a bit disjointed...I don't think I would have included back to back shots of the carolers, one in the dark and one in the daytime. Audio voiceover, especially at the beginning, was very noisy (or possibly the noise was from the footage) Music bed was a little too simple and repetitive--not really attention-grabbing and holding. Town square shot kinda just thrown in from across the street...a more composed shot would have worked better. If listing off all the things to see in your VO, it would be great to picture each (i.e. live nativity, kid's crafts, ice-skating rink)

Judge 3

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Judge 4

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