Initial contact, Brief, guidelines and preproduction for Unit 32 Promotional Video

Contact with Client

For my promotional video I will be working for a client and the chosen client that I will be promoting is card and table top game designer Benjamin Wright. As a friend my first contact with him of what he would like promoting was done using the messenger system on Facebook.

From initial response I now know that the client is looking for an external training video with possible marketing elements. After this message I was sent another shedding more light on what my client may want in his promotional film in the way of an example video showing that there has been prior thought on his part which is very helpful.

Having had a look on what he would like I sent out a form for him to construct a brief for my work he responded and this is the brief:

Contact Details

Benjamin Wright

• Designer

Email: cthonic.games@gmail.com
Phone Number: - Kept logged in my phone
Website: http//cthonic.150m.com

Budget Consideration

Free
- Client's notes: "Current sales can't justify much more and the format is sufficiently simple that the biggest obstacle to do-it-myself is equipment."

Purpose and Audience

The purpose of the promotional video is to be an instructional gameplay video highlighting features and gameplay mechanics aimed at a general public audience with formatting familiar to those that also play similar card games. The objective of this video would be to reach out and relay information on how the game is set up and played to prospective and new customers.

Duration of Video

Over five minutes

Video Description

A multi-part video covering the following topics, each for no more than a couple of minutes:

• Overview and available products
• Setting up a game
• Gameplay - Start Phase
• Gameplay - Main Phase
• Gameplay - End Phase
• Gameplay - Winning and Losing

Location - Top down view of a table as a table top playing area.

Examples given by Client:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGnwIlCn0EQ

This example video includes voice over included to be incorporated into card game information films. It includes stills and Titles which I was influenced by in creating my product

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up2yC2Odncw
This Example video has a live table top capture where a top down angle is used to showcase the game they review.

Both provide instruction on playing the game, but at greater length than I would prefer. A shorter, punchier approach is more what I have in mind. The visual aspect, showing what happens and when, is more important than explaining in depth as that is already covered in written materials, and some familiarity with similar games can be assumed in the target audience.


Pre Production

Discussion between I and the Client so that we are on the same page with what is needed.

Production Process

Studio work desired to have the control over images.

Post Production

• Voice over narration to explain key elements of the game and to narrate the game play.
• Royalty Free Music

File delivery - Web file format

Deadline - Anytime over the next 6 months

Preproduction test shots

After some discussion and viewing the examples given by the client I set on taking some test shots that would highlight my ideas of portraying what the client wanted. I explored various ways of capturing the cards as the major element of the product and looked into each of the parts of the video he would like covering. I set up the camera on a tripod and recorded at an angle a wooden table with the cards arranged in example situations positives were a lot was captured the negative is that cards toward the horizon became distorted and hard to read. The test shots helped out in establishing a way that the cards should be shown (more vertically) and justified it by saying the 2D feel would fit the aesthetic of a card game. Some of these test shots I incorporated in to the final product liking the movement and its amateur "You can play this anywhere!" feel. Feedback from this was positive and I was to focus on the clarity of the cards on screen which led to my taking of stills.

Preproduction/Production Stills

Created in my own bedroom I created a selection of stills documenting the physical cards to be used in the production. I did this by clearing out my laptop space and setting up my camera and office style lamp to light and capture a white flat work surface to not distract from the cards. I used these in cutaways but originally wished for them to be used in highlighting greater details of the cards. Here are example shots from my set up.

Contact over the course of Production

Here is print screened evidence of contact with my client over the course of production. There were other times over the course on consecutive saturdays through the month of february where informal and formal discussions were had.