Planning storyboard for my cereal commercial

 First Scene

In the first scene the actor will open the door of the fridge. This will establish the commercial and allow the audience to earn an idea of where the commercial is set and of what is to come. In addition, the refrigerator is located within the kitchen of the home where the commercial is being filmed. This scene will be a wide shot, as the audience will be able to see the actor fully and what it is that they are doing.

Second Scene

During the second scene, the actor will be looking for food within the refrigerator. The camera will be set inside of the refrigerator, which is inside the kitchen of the home, so that the audience can see the actor's face and emotions while scanning through the contents of the fridge. The actor will close the refrigerator doors once they are done thinking. By doing so, this signifies an end to the scene and prepares the audience for the next scene where the actor will be in a different location. This scene will be a mid-shot, so that, again, the audience is able to see the actor's face and emotions.

Third Scene

The third scene will include the actor pondering what to eat while at the table within the dining room. The actor will say a line that shows that they are thinking about what they should eat. The scene will be a wide shot.

Fourth Scene

The fourth scene will be of cereal in a bowl. The bowl will be moving towards the subject, however the actor will not be shown throughout the scene. In order to make the bowl look as though it is moving by itself, the technique of stop-motion will be used. In addition, the scene will be a mid-shot and filmed in the same location as the previous scene, the dining room.

Fifth Scene

During the fifth scene the cereal box that is starring in the commercial, Honey O's, a spoon, and the cereal bowl that had been moving toward the actor in the previous scene will be on the table in front of the actor. The camera will tilt moderately fast from the objects laid out on the dining room table to the actor. The actor will then look at the cereal and spoon in amazement, as they were not in the previous scene, before settling on the cereal bowl. The actor will then say a line about how the cereal is their favorite and state some of the healthy nutrition facts within the cereal. By doing so, the audience is given motivation to buy this cereal. This scene will be a wide shot and will, again, be filmed in the dining room.

Sixth Scene

The sixth scene will be of the actor eating the cereal. The actor will be doing so enthusiastically, but not in a way that seems unnatural. This scene will be a wide shot as well and filmed in the dining room.

Seventh Scene

The last scene will be of the actor giving a thumbs up to the camera. There will also be a voiceover in the background giving a catchphrase for the cereal that will stick in the audience's head while they are at the grocery store. This scene will be a wide shot and filmed in the dining room of the house.

*There will be music playing in the background of the commercial as well.

Planning for my cereal commercial

Props

I plan on using a bowl containing cereal and milk, a spoon, the cereal box starring in the commercial, and an assortment of other randomly-picked foods within my refrigerator as props. The cereal being advertised within the commercial will be the Trader Joe's "Honey Nut O's" cereal. 

Costumes

The clothes worn throughout filming will be casual everyday clothes, as the clothes are not meant to draw attention away from the cereal or scenes being shown. These clothes will include plain shorts and plain sweatshirts/shirts with minimal images. Shoes will not be worn, as the commercial is being shot within my home, and will instead be replaced with socks. 

Schedule

On 10/22/20, research on the conventions used within cereal commercials will take place.

On 10/23/20, a plan for the commercial will be made, including the props, costumes, schedule, set, location, and backup plan.

On 10/27/20, the storyboard for the commercial will be drawn, including details for each scene. The storyboard will include several hand-drawn pictures, and will be completed with the intent of lasting 30 seconds. 

On 10/31/20, the commercial for the Honey Nut O's cereal will be shot at about 4 pm.

On 11/1/20, editing for the commercial will be completed using the software, "OpenShot" editor, and any problems that occurred within the commercial will be fixed.

Set

The refrigerator within my kitchen will be organized neatly and cleanly with an array of foods in preparation for filming. There will also be a dining table with four chairs around it where I will be sitting for a portion of the commercial as well.

Location

The commercial will be filmed in the dining room at my father's home, with the living room partially being shown in the background. The kitchen will also be included in certain scenes throughout the commercial.

Backup Plan

If the weather is cloudy, dark, raining, or unsuitable, the location of the commercial will be moved to my mother's house. The dining room at my father's home has two glass doors and a window looking out to my backyard, allowing for cloudy weather to cast the room with dark shadows. The dining room at my mother's house, however, does not have as many windows and allows for better lighting. If any technical difficulties occur while filming, I will use my father's phone to film the commercial. My dog may bark or cause disturbances during the filming process as well. If this happens, she will be let outside into my backyard until I have finished.

Research Blog: Commercial Conventions

     For the upcoming commercial project, I plan on doing a cereal commercial. These commercials often include several shots of the food being shown, in addition to implementing bright colors or children, as cereal is traditionally a breakfast cereal eaten by children. Many cereal commercials also use cartoon characters as spokespeople for the product being shown. This character will appear throughout the brand's commercials. The use of animated characters within commercials can be seen in cereals such as Twix, Lucky Charms, and Honey Nut Cheerios. As stated before, cereal is mainly targeted at children, therefore many cereal companies will use actors to pose as families as well. Companies will also produce situations or characters that correlate with the brand's name. "Lucky Charms," for example, uses a leprechaun as the main character in each of its commercials. The situations that actors or figures within cereal commercials are involved in vary, but many commercials will put the actors in a situation where the child does not want to eat. When the child then sees the advertised cereal brand, they will suddenly want to eat the cereal being shown. This situation is used for foods of all types, but it applies to cereal commercials as well. Other brands of cereal that contain less sugar or are more healthy, might use adults as actors within commercials. These cereal companies can contain commercials where the actor eats the brand of cereal being advertised. The commercials will then proceed to show various activities the person goes through, such as carrying heavy items. By doing so, the cereal brand is trying to prove that the advertised cereal is so filling or healthy, that the actor can do all of the activities being shown successfully. When using animated characters, however, companies will include adventures or journeys that the characters must complete in order to receive the cereal. As a result, the companies show that the cereal is so good, exploring an underground cavern, for example, is worth trying the cereal. Companies using animated characters will also put those characters in situations where they speak to an adult or child actor about the appealing elements of the cereal as well. Props within cereal commercials include a bowl of cereal, with the cereal being advertised in the bowl, milk, a glass, a spoon, and the box of cereal. The setting within this type of commercial is often in homes, specifically in the dining room of those homes. Reoccurring themes in cereal commercials include fantastical elements, such as magic or unicorns, as well as bright or cheery moods. Scores playing within the background are cheery as well, as cereal companies will include whistling or upbeat music.