TV Advertisement #1

Working with Flash

Below are some screenshots showing my progress when using flash, I worked using frame by frame animation and edited in layers. The below frame shows the world becoming shrouded in greyscale, something I drew out each frame for, rather than tweening. 

I used tweening on the hand a animation, making it reach in and grab the gear, before picking it up and leaving. I used motion tweening for this, converting the hand to an object and then slowly changing the position and combining the frames, this allows me to get a very smooth feel to the animation.

For the below, I used yet another tween. This time my object was much longer to allow me to scroll the stars across the screen. I used the sides of the telescope as an 'overlay' for this.

TV Advertisement 2 Synopsis

I particularly like the idea of having my second TV advertisement mostly based on Ratings (similarly to the Portal2 TV spot)

This advertisement starts off with the convention of a 'ERSB Ratings agency' logo showing the E for everyone iconography. The shot begins with a panning establishing shot of the starry night sky, this quickly stops and you see a gear fall out of the sky. A jump cut will be used to switch to a scene with the gear falling from the sky and landing. Text would be shown, giving a rating from an indie game review company, next it would switch to a shot of Wren looking through a telescope (this serves as somewhat of a reaction shot)

A jump cut switches to a long shot, showing the gear on the ground, a rift opens, gradually growing in size before eventually enveloping the screen (except the gear) in black and white.
Once again, this would switch to another black screen with white text, showing a quote from a PC game company.
Another reaction shot is show, with Wren, mouth open in awe at the gear, this quickly jumps to gameplay, showing Wren running between some spikes protruding from the ground. Another quote is shown, once again, giving the game a rating from an outside company. Finally, this is ended with some more gameplay before finally showing an ending scene with Wren holding a gear which envelops him in light and then fades out to as black screen showing the common convention of the game's title, website and some iconography connotating to the audience what platform the game is available on.

Finally, I end this advert with "Coming Autumn 2012" another convention.

Storyboarding TV Advert 2

My final Storyboard for TV advertisement 2 (click to enlarge) 

TV Advertisement 1 Synopsis

This advertisement starts with an establishing shot taken from the inside of a telescope. This pans across the sky where you can see space, full of stars and quickly cuts to a medium close up of Wren in his window, staring though his telescope (somewhat of a reaction shot). Once again, this cuts back to the sky, however this time moving a different way. It stops moving and a glint is seen in the sky, a gear is seen falling from the sky and a reaction shot of Wren is used to show that he has seen the gear and that it is a shock to him (this helps me progress the scene to where he is picking up the gear and this should make the viewer aware that the hand picking it up belongs to him). A medium shot of the gear falling from the sky onto a patch of grass is then shown, this informs the viewer that the gear has landed and keeps the continuity of the advertisement overall. A high angle medium long shot is used (looking slightly down on the gear) and a rift is seen opening on the right hand side of the screen, this, engulfs the entire screen in black and white as if tearing, starting off a small black and white area before enveloping the colour from the world completely.

A close up of the gear (against a black and white background to keep continuity of the advertisement) is then shown. During this shot, a hand (still in colour) is seen reaching down and picking up the gear. To keep with conventions of video game advertisements, the advertisement then moves to titles and gameplay. Titles in video game advertisements are placed to create excitement in the viewer and make them want to play, these are usually mysterious for example 'An adventure like never before', 'one hero' and 'a spectacular journey of epic proportions' ect. I chose (as seen by my storyboard below) 'A paralysed world...', 'A leaked dimension....', 'A gear with the ability to change the world...' and '...and one person to save it!' Each of these titles is followed by as small amount of gameplay (another convention I analysed in existing products) except the last title which is followed by a short animation of Wren becoming engulfed in the blue light surrounding the gear, before fading out to a black screen containing the games logo and iconography regarding what platform the game is playable on, a website address and the logo for my games company 'Tavern Studios' (once again, one of the essential conventions for a video game advertisement) after this, I plan to have 'Coming Summer 2012', giving viewers a release date is another convention and this becomes more specific, nearer to the release date.

I think overall, with both the storyboard and the written synopsis of my first TV advertisement, I have done well do adhere to vital conventions within the video game industry for when it comes to TV spots. This advertisement would need to be between 30 and 50 seconds in length to completely follow conventions of this type.

Storyboard TV Advert 1

Looking carefully at my common conventions research, I have chosen to storyboard for my first game TV advertisment/trailer. (Click to expand)

During this storyboard, I have made reference to a variety of shot types that will be used during the advertisement. I am hoping for this advertisement to be between 40 and 60 seconds long, fitting with the common conventions I have observed in existing TV trailers/advertisements for video games. 

Next I will be taking a look into some of the programs available on the market for animation, this should help me choose the program I will be creating this advertisement in.