Today we were shown the website Kickstarter, which is a sight where people choose to advertise and pitch their ideas to try and convince people to give them donations to turn their dreams into reality. Funding. We were given a worksheet to look at and complete.
THE SLOW MOTION CAMERA - COMPANY LIMITED
First we started watching a pitch about a 'slow motion camera'. The pitch was "good quality for small size" and "the low cost for high frame rate camera". In our group of six we agreed the pitch was quite dull and clearly aimed at experts in the field rather than just the general public. Their pitch was flat and disengaging and even the colors were muted and far from eye-catching. We agreed it didn't really make any of us want the product; that is what advertising is about, isn't it? To make the viewer think they need the item? However in this case it just didn't work at all. The representative's voice was dull and monotonous and he didn't sound interested or enthusiastic about the product at all. In a few of the shots as well, you could see necessary things such as his blurred shoulder in the foreground ect. The delivery of the advert didn't seem very thought out. He keep fumbling for the slot while looking for the usb bit, and the people who were interviewed in the advert had no introduction or explanation as to who they are. A lot of them looked uncomfortable and had their arms crossed which suggests they were not feeling sociable in any way. At one part the filming switched to another man, leaning against a chair with the word ' sassy' on it which made everyone laugh quite a bit. That bought the focus back a little bit.
So from this I learned if I want to really sell my idea I need to do the following things
- Be upbeat and humor is always good to keep someone interested
- Bright colors - a lot of why people got bored with the pitched we watched was because it had lots of office shots and dull colors in. Nothing to really pop out and grab your attention.
- Show confidence when talking; the representative seemed very agitated and on edge.
- Match the music you use to the product ; in the camera pitch the music was quite slow and almost x-file like. Very clinical and automated.
- Don't use generic videos or images; its a cop out. In the camera pitch we saw examples of these and it just made everyone think ' meh, seen it before'
- Sound interested and enthusiastic about your product. The representative didn't seem very interested himself in the product
Then we had to talk to other people in the group and interview them about their FMP's. I spoke to Tim and Jumaane. Below I listed their pitches and underneath each one my 'Amazon-like review which we were told to come up with.
Tim:
"I'm making a pop up book for an adult audience. I've always been a fan of things such as South Park, Rick and Morty, ect. Its those cartoons that are bright in colors and are appealing to children, yet there's adult jokes and swearing in them too which make them appealing to adults more so. I know there's a market in this sort of thing too. The content is an extension on my project I was already doing from last year I suppose. It's going to be aimed at Hip hop enthusiasts of the 90's. Hiphop music production; from looking for it in a record shop - to music being made - to being played in clubs and such. There will be drug references too, as that all coincides with the lifestyle. 'processes used in music production'. I'll make maybe 50 copies, not mass produced, because each one will be handmade, so they're more limited. I'll sell them for about 150 pounds each. I'll also use information that only really geeky people who love that subject will know about - so I'll use first names for the characters instead of the memorable whole name. (as an example using the name 'vincent' instead of 'van gough'.) The actual characters are going to be cartoon whereas the backgrounds will be photographs. Potential customers will be mostly middle aged men. hopefully some women too but mostly men.
Three out of five stars
Personally I can see this becoming a great idea and being very well thought out and interesting, However as I am find it hard to picture this in fruition, I am not as engaged as I would like. Partly because music does not interest me much. As in production of it and how its changed over the years. It sounds like a pretty solid idea though and could teach Tim, as well as others an awful lot. It's quite a currant thing as 90's stuff is quite popular right now so I could see this being a big success. His work shows interest and love for that particular genre.
Jumaane:
"I'm planning on doing a manga style comic. 50 pages I'm aiming for. That's just an ideal amount. I'm aiming my comic at ages 12-18 years. Maybe aiming for color, I don't know. I'd prefer to work in black and white but we'll see what Fumio says. If we go black and white I'll probably do a full page color front cover. It's going to be about a young boy (14) who goes to an academy to train and there's two 'sides'; Attack and defense, and everyone gets put on one side or the other and paired up with someone on the opposite team. Those partners are lifelong and you have no choice in who you go with. The main character gets put with a very insecure young girl who he's not sure if she'll be able to pull her weight in a fight. But he's stuck with her so has to get used to her. He was interested in Defense yet got put into Attack so he's not happy. There will be a darker story running through it though. this is just the idea. There will be twins at the top of the class who are paired too; and a friend who's nice but very annoying to the main character and is always shouting and fiery. I think I'll aim to make the book A5 size. It'll start off as being advertised and showing a few pages in another magazine or something - just to tempt people in and make them aware of the book, then I'll see about publishing and costs."
four out of five stars
I really like Jumaane's idea. I can't help but feel he's rewriting Harry Potter but we'll see where it goes. His work shows imagination and even though he says he hasn't got a solid idea of what he's doing yet - that sounds pretty solid to me. I do think he could make his work a bit more meaningful perhaps and have a reason for doing it, other than just ' I wanted to make a book' His story sounds entertaining and lively and already I can imagine the characters and life at the academy. I like how hes being inventive and it shows he has put quite some thought into this.
NOW TO PITCH MY PROJECT
Describe your project using ten key words
informative
fun
colorful
pop up
journey
cute
loveable
facts
bedtime story
Explain your project as if you were telling a family member
What I'm going to do is create a children's book on autism to raise awareness and teach people about different mental issues such as bipolar, autism, depression, anxiety and tourettes ect. Its to teach myself as well as others about these big things that today no one really understands about as much as they could. It's going to be about a little boy, who has a younger brother with Autism. He always pushes him away and thinks he's weird and doesn't play with him much, until one night a little red dragon appears at the foot of his bed and leads the older brother past his sleeping younger sibling, into the wardrobe and into a maze of tunnels, like Alice in Wonderland. He leads him to six caves in turn - each with a different colored dragon in it. Each dragon will be different colors and sizes to represent the different mental issues. (small and white for anxiety, big and blue for depression ect) The young boy must help or try to help each dragon before moving onto the next cave - the red dragon still hasn't told him it's name yet. When he gets to the last cave the red dragon turns round and tells the boy his name is Autism and explain why hes been acting strange this whole time. The older brother realizes this is how his little brother acts and starts to understand, then they sit down and play together. On the final endpages, its the exact same scene, except they're back in the bedroom and the little dragon is really his little brother in a dragon onesie and they're playing together quite happily. No words need to be said, its just mutual and silent understanding.
Explain your project as if you were pitching it to an unknown professional.
To be honest I'd pretty much use the same explanation as I had done above. I would open the conversation a little differently and end it differently but the majority of what I've said above is all I can really say about my project. Below I will put my ideas for other things I can say.
I could open with:
It is quite common for people to shun others who act and look differently in society. Especially children; who can be quite cruel. It could be anything from race- religion or mental health. Or lack of perhaps. As a bit of a taboo, its a misunderstood topic as members of the public are not as aware of such matters as they should/could be.
Then I'd write all I have written above in the pitching to a family member bit,
Then I'd finish on:
The dragons are a metaphor; people tend to shrug off mental illness as an excuse a lot of the time- unaware that even though they can't see it, It DOES exist. The loch ness monster speculation is a perfect example. People have heard of it but never seen it so a lot of people disagree its real. Same with the dragons. Just because you can't see something doesn't mean its not real. Also a fantasy creature is a lot more relate-able to a child, than a human figure might be. Autistic people in general tend to be very materialistic as well and get along better with objects and animals than people.
My communication objective is to be informational yet informal. So at first glance it looks and reads like a child's picture book, but at the same time it actually is a very informative piece. It's to raise awareness of mental health problems and to help children and people understand what goes on in autistic people's minds. The book is to amuse, frighten and educate and entertain - literally all of the things on our worksheet! The funny little dragons amuse the children - the scary shape at the end of the bed and the giant blue dragon will be scary and frighten children (but in a excited way) and of course the book is to entertain and remain interesting to the end. But above all the aim is to inform people.
www.artbusinessinfo.com/the-language-of-an-artists-statement.html 500letters.org
My art bollocks statement from the generator
Through my work I attempt to examine the phenomenon of Steven universe as a methaphorical interpretation of both Roy Lichenstien and amusing.
What began as a personal journey of Fuckism has translated into images of Chocolate and Boobs that resonate with English people to question their own whiteness.
My mixed media solid embody an idiosyncratic view of no, yet the familiar imagery allows for a connection between Robin Williams, simple and Cola.
My work is in the private collection of no idea who said 'OH FOR GODS SAKE!!, that's some real shit Art.'
I am a recipient of a grant from Folsom Prison where I served time for stealing mugs and tie clips from the gift shop of The natural history. I have exhibited in group shows at GL4 4XP and Michelle, though not at the same time. I currently spend my time between my My room and Berlin.
I have three words.
what the fuck hahahha
