Alexa - ID# 341
Wheaton Academy
Commercial
Entry Description
Alexa commercial
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
Judge 1
Positives:
Improvements:
Judge 2
Positives: A young lady plays music on her Alexa, then is transported to another time. Commercials should be simple. This was simple and enjoyable. I like this from a marketing point of view as well because it makes the product seem fun and magical. 100% of commercials should follow this statement: "Your life will be better if you buy this product because ________." In this case, the viewer's life will be better if they buy this product because they can listen to their favorite music anywhere in the house and feel young again! I really like this mini-story. It's really fun and well edited. The music and the editing are paired very nicely. I can picture 10 more commercials with this exact same concept... A corporate dad plays his Alexa, playing some 80's metal song, and now he's thrashing and headbanging like when he was 14 years old... Your concept could easily be a great run of commercials on tv for this product.
Improvements: I have worked on 200+ commercials so I can partially think like product clients (in this case, the client would be the person from Amazon / Alexa company). "Clients" are NOT film school people, they are MARKETING people. Clients are the ones paying for the commercial so their opinion always wins. I took off points on CAMERA for the single following reason: At 10 seconds, there is a (quick) mundane shot of the Alexa product. It is sitting on a table with some cords and a bottle and it's slightly obstructed by a sink handle. In a commercial, the product always looks AWESOME! There's never a shot where the product doesn't look 100% like the coolest thing on Earth. I wouldn't say the frame at 0:10 looks bad, but it doesn't look like the coolest product on Earth because it's kinda thrown into the mix with a sink and a mirror and a cord. The PRODUCT is the star of the commercial (not the actor, not even the cool concept of the commercial is as important). The product doesn't want to share the screen with a sink and a bottle and a cord. Suggestion: Next time, make every shot of the product like it's a glowing thing of beauty (even if it's just sitting on a bathroom sink). Film people probably don't care but I promise you that the MARKETING people care. Small thing which is more of an opinion: More drastic change from the before and after. Maybe a flashy red dress for the "after" when the music is playing. That way there is a VERY clear change from before and after the product is being used and transporting us.
Judge 3
Positives: This was great! The introduction of the device worked well and the song completely changed the vibe, the lighting, editing, and acting.
Improvements: I would of liked to see the women's outfit and hair change when the song changed. Taking these steps would have been even more transformative. I might have chosen less camera movement in the beginning and saved the camera movement for after the Alexa started playing music.
Judge 4
Positives:
Improvements:
Judge 5
Positives: Wow - this is a really great spot - GREAT job. Among the many things I loved: - The storytelling is great here - From the open to the line "Transform your world with a tune", it's clear, concise and entertaining. - The sound design is great - I love the soft opening leading to the transition to song and dance world. - and an extra thing that I have to call out is the wonderful display of technical ability across the board - the creative use of lighting, great shots and editing.
Improvements: These notes are minor: - I would push for a tad more variety in the dancing shots sandwiched in the middle - maybe a wide or a detail shot of her dancing feet - but this a very minor tweak. - The length is :38 seconds, but I actually think this would be stronger as a :30 because we could get in and out without feeling like you need to stretch the shots - could serve as a great solve to my note above.