Wilson Basketball - ID# 83
Glenbrook South
Commercial
Entry Description
This is a short hype video style commercial for Wilson and their basketball, geared toward teenagers and high schoolers who want to play like professionals. Music: Rocky Road Pt2 by Caleb Gordon, Alano Adan
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/24 12:59 pm - Editing of both your video and sound is well done. Your assembly of this piece is to be commended. It is clear this isn't your first time putting a piece like this together. One of the most powerful aspects of commercials however is a strong story, and this piece could use more of that. The product and its use is clearly identifiable, but we (the audience) need something more than just random shots of a basketball and someone playing it. If the star of your ad was a famous player you might be able to get away with it, but since it is someone unknown to the audience, let's give him a story. Was he cut from the team and is now working harder? Did everyone else leave and go home but he stayed? Give us a reason to not only buy a basketball, but root for him as well.
- 3/3 1:59 pm - I am compelled to commend you on your exceptional technical skills as an editor. The proficiency and finesse with which you have crafted this piece are indeed superb, showcasing a high level of mastery in video editing techniques. Your ability to manipulate and assemble footage to create a cohesive and visually engaging piece is a testament to your dedication and skill in the field of media production. However, it has been observed that there is a noticeable lack of narrative within the video. While the technical aspects are executed with precision, the storytelling element appears to be underdeveloped. A compelling narrative is crucial in engaging the audience and adding depth to the visual content. It serves as the backbone of any media piece, guiding the viewer through a journey and evoking emotional responses. I encourage you to explore ways to strengthen the narrative aspect of your work, perhaps by integrating a clear storyline or theme that resonates with the audience and complements the technical prowess displayed. Regarding the use of sound effects, it is commendable that the ones employed enhance the video and contribute to its overall impact. Sound design is an integral component of video production, capable of significantly altering the viewer's experience and perception of the content. While the sound effects utilized are effective, there indeed exists an opportunity to incorporate more dynamic and varied soundscapes. Experimenting with a broader range of sound effects can add layers of complexity and richness to your piece, further immersing the audience in the visual story you are telling. Incorporating more dynamic sound effects can also aid in compensating for the narrative gaps, providing additional context or emotional cues that enrich the storytelling. Sound can act as a powerful tool in conveying mood, setting, and even character development without explicit visual cues.
Judge 1
Positives: Nice work! Overall great sense of tone and visual direction. 1 - Editing is solid - great pacing and mix of effects - really really engaging. 2 - The SFX deserve a callout here - They're subtle, but contribute greatly to this spot working well. 3 - The logo lockup and line "ball like a pro." is VERY CLEAN and feels right.
Improvements: 1 - Ok. So What I'd like to see/feel more of, is a story, or some kind of interesting hook. You demonstrate good shooting/editing chops - now flex that creative brain muscle on the concept side. Keep in mind that at best, we are storytellers in service of a brand. That doesn't mean that it has to have a protagonist, antagonist, climax yada yada, but baking in some kind of central message is what we're after. Just riffing here, but I love this element of teens 'playing like a professional' - Think about how you could combine that with the awesome sportscaster clips to create...a setup where we think our character is in a big game...bit reveal they're practicing by themself? Not saying that's THE IDEA, but to maybe inspire some thinking. 2 - I wanna see more tight shots! The texture of the skin, grip shots - these types of things help to build on what is already a well shot commercial. Try to think a little about why people would choose Wilson over their competitors? It doesn't need to be a lame stat like"30% more grip than Spalding", but it could help to see some loose product attributes - and it makes client happy :)
Judge 2
Positives: Story is an A+! Your message is that if you buy this basketball, you can "ball like a pro" just like this guy dunking in this video. That is exactly how most sports products are sold. They show professionals using the product, and it makes you feel like if you buy the product, you can be as good as them. Some people miss the "story" aspect of commercials but this is perfect! Simple, but perfect! Editing was awesome. Love the dunk with picture picture picture. That was really cool and attention grabbing. Commercials HAVE to grab out attention, yours did that very well. Logo / text at the end is perfect. It shows the product name, it had a basketball background that goes with the product (but not distracting) and it has a very clear and simple slogan.
Improvements: I've watched the commercial 10 times, trying to look for mistakes that could be improved and I can't find anything! I'm going to give you a perfect score, but I will still give some suggestions below for things to think about. These aren't necessarily "mistakes" but I think it's always good to try to improve, even when it's hard to find areas of improvement. the lighting at 0:18 is dark and moody... but maybe that was an artistic choice. The product should always be very well lit and vivid, but you did that masterfully at 0:01 and 0:25. So now I'm thinking you wanted the moody shadow feel at 0:18 and maybe it wasn't a mistake... You used a lot of really cool graphics and transitions that made this very entertaining and interesting. I think there was a theme of "bright lights, flashing" as if it is cameras taking pictures of pro basketball players. Am I interpreting that correctly? Then it shows him dunk with a click noise (cameras again?) and it's like 5 freeze frames of him dunking like it's pictures of him dunking. Then later in the commercial, you use a laggy / fuzzy video effect, then a 4 way split screen of the hoops, then the basketball is folded up in a piece of paper. It's all really cool and really fun. 99% of people would watch this and just think "DOPE!" But now you have one of the 1% people (me) who really dives into things deeply... -Maybe you stick with just one editing motif (for example, you stick with the "bright lights, flashing" and the camera clicks and the freeze frame dunk thing) that way the commercial is still cool but very cohesive and meaningful, as opposed to multiple cool random editing transitions. Then your text at the end could tie into that... "Wilson: The Cameras Are Watching" or something. That could still imply that Wilson will make you a great athlete but now it's tied in very tightly to your editing and visuals. -The basketball emerged from a piece of paper, it looked cool but I'm not sure why you used a piece of paper. Maybe it's like "this is just a kid at a school, but now that he is with Wilson, he is going to be a pro". Then the slogan is "Wilson: From Student to Pro". -These are just random thoughts to get the creative juices flowing. I wouldn't consider any of your choices as mistakes. SUMMARY: Like I said, you deserve a perfect score for your commercial. I am an actor and I've worked on over 100 commercials... Many of them spent $100,000+ and still ended up with something less cool that your commercial. If you want a career in film, video production, advertising, marketing, any of those... you clearly have the talent for it.
Judge 3
Positives: I thought you told the story of the athlete/brand story very well. The shots and editing supported this very well.
Improvements: Lighting didn't feel the same through out. I noticed shots were the ball was highlighted well and others where it seemed to be in darkness. In this case the basketball is as important as the athlete and both "characters" should be lit flawlessly.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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