Artist Statement rough draft

Working primarily commercial and experimental video mediums, I consider my work a collection of digital abstract nonfictions, commentating on the contrasts of social values and constructs in today’s media culture with that of America’s past. In this pursuit, I construct new montages by creating social narratives, fusing archival and present day popular mixed media messages with the nostalgia of yesteryear with today’s idiosyncrasies. As I collect and recreate these visual narratives, I extract and align those with the social constructs I have experienced in my personal everyday life, extracting those moments that provoke an emotional resonation into my own self.

I am inspired by popular culture, Americana, self-recognition in dreams, as well as the human follies and mental inertias that further drives our culture into an ever influenced mass media latent world. In entwining the past and the present in such a way, I hope to create enigmatic works of art that resonates within viewers and invites them to create their own nostalgic experience, reflecting their experience on the screen onto their own histories, nostalgia, and memory. -ALJ

Project II.

http://vimeo.com/61105026

Artists Statement

This piece navigates itself around the simple question of “What is your beauty story?” by using a variation of graphic text images, combined with fast moving shots to engage and enhance the viewer’s experience.  We navigate our lives thought a sea of advertisements, beauty products, expectations, and realities. All of these things impact who we are, and how we present ourselves. Though we style ourselves differently, and find ourselves in different stages of this story, I believe there is something magic and integral about the individuality of our beauty stories. Being a young adult myself, I wanted to highlight the aesthetic elements that would appeal to others in my age and stage of life. Bright, bold, visuals combined with up-tempo, modern music, capturing a fast moving, imperfect world, a revelation into the humor that echoes our own perception of beauty and personality.

Though at it’s core serves to be a promotional piece, my hope is that it does not embody perfection as many cosmetic and beauty advertisements might. I instead created this piece to showcases the personality of the store, and the people that make it their work.  This concept will ultimately build an excitement within myself and around the store, which will consequentially create an excitement and interest with our customers as we launch of a new interactive experience on the web in the following months.

Whether your beauty story is just beginning, or you’re simply beginning a new chapter, Camellia wants to be an integral part of that story. This piece navigates itself around the simple question of “What is your beauty story?” to start a conversation and call for viewers to reach into their own memories of beauty. My hope is that this video will act as an anchor for other videos that closer examine and capture the stories of those who work and shop at Camellia.

Commercial Essentials

The top things I want to include in my commercial.

People

I want the commercial to really focus on the faces involved with the business. This should be effective in gaining the attention of my target audience. People have emotions and are expressive, this is much more interesting than just watching a bunch of boring exterior shots of a building. What the people are doing will be important, having them be active and moving will keep the pace of the video and the audience interested.

The Script

The script is crucial. I like to follow the “Third Grader” rule. This means that you shouldn’t use language that a third grader wouldn’t understand. People have show attention spans, especially when it comes to visual. We need to stimulated. So this means a fast moving, east to grasp script that uses simple, matter of fact language. This will be key in engaging and connecting with my audience. According to one article I read, written by Apryl Duncan at About.com,

Keep them [lines] short and punchy. Your audio should also tell the customer what you’re advertising even if the customer is in another room and can’t see the TV when your commercial airs.

 

Call to action

I think having a call to action is CRUCIAL. My whole purpose of making this commercial is to not only get people into the store, but to engage our customer into becoming more interactive with us on the web and social media websites on a constant, regular basis. I am trying to establish a trust and a relationship that will build a long term customer base. I need to come up with a way to incorporate this naturally into the script so it feels organic and not forced or cheesy.

Research Cont.

Coca-Cola Proves Social Media Savvy With 2013 Super Bowl Commercial

 

This is a interesting article that I found on the website “Business 2 Business Community”, a website for different experts in business to come together and share their ideas and knowledge on their particular topic of interest. In this article, Christina Sirabian, who is the social media coordinator at Wild Frog Studio. Christina develops creative and innovative social media strategies for businesses.

The rise of social media has indoubtedly changed commercials. Christina uses the commercials of this years Super Bowl as an example. In the past, companies have put all of their money into the “game day” ad. Now, more focus is being put on campaigns, usually starting weeks and weeks before the actual. The power of the web is key in this – social media is a perfect platform in directing attention towards a future, bigger commercial. 

The goal of these commercials is to create “excitement”. The excitement should not only build around the product or service, but the company and brand as a whole. Finding a way that ties social networking into these commercials is great for real-time communication  with the audience. 

One quote that I pulled fro this article was was Pio Schunker of Coke. He explained “People aren’t going to necessarily interact with your product unless you tell a compelling story…This is the most engaging and compelling way in to talk about Coke as the ultimate thirst quencher.”

I intend to use social networking somehow in my ad, using the ad to build the excitement that Christina expresses as being so important as well as using the commercial as a “call to action” to bring further attention and excitement to the company.

 

Outline – In progress

Duration: 30 seconds

Talent: Makeup artists working, young client, older client

Shots: Wide exterior shot, wide interior shot, product shots, facial room, makeup chair

 

“Whether you’re beauty story is just beginning, or you’re adding a new chapter, Camellia Collection at Eddy Street Commons is your one stop beauty destination…”

 

 

//Inspiration

Commercial – Local boutique

// Inspiration

Tutorial inspiration

Why video blogging will be tie into the commercial:

Video blogging will help us build an even greater connection with our viewers.

 

Equipment: PC camera. Why? Because it’s quick and easy. The idea is to get our face out there so that clients and potential customers can see us, hear from us and “feel” like they know us.

Golden rule of sales: People buy from people they know and like.

 

Our goal with these videos should NOT be to sell, per say…

 

It should be to ENGAGE and ENTERTAIN our clients. We want to show off our PERSONALITY!

 

These videos are a TOOL to BUILD and MAINTAIN trust and relationship with our demographic – sales will be a RESULT of this – but sales should not be our motivation. Leave that for the sales floor.

 

Content

Opinions:  Social issues, lifestyle issues. When people find someone else that shares an opinion with them, it makes them feel special, smart.  Valued, even. Not only that, but by us giving our opinion, it gives us that “authority” thing we’re looking for.

 

Reviews: Not only reviews just for in the store, but other things we might have tried and really loved (or hated). The key here is establishing a sense of trust. ESPECIALLY by talking not only talking about things that are only being sold here at the store. It becomes less “salesman-like” and more “friendly”. We don’t want our videos to be an infomercial. 

This also allows us for more hits on Youtube from out of state that may not be familiar with us. Even if this means going on buying popular makeup at drugstores, and then reviewing it. Of course we’ll always put a spin on it to ell and market our brand and products.

 

For example: We review Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Liquid Spf20 foundation

We’ll say what we like about it, etc. If we don’t like it, we’ll recommend one of OUR products instead. So now that person on Youtube that just googled “Neautrogena’s healthy skin foundation” now knows about CAMELLIA and our product. 

Diary

Diaries are the vlogs that talk about you, you, and more you.  What you’re doing in school.  How work is going.  That oh-so-interesting trip to the grocery store you took last week.  Stuff like that. We should all be taking note of little things that our impacting our lives everyday. These vlogs should be mixed in with our other vlogs.

Project II

Commercial Project

For my second project, I want to display an ability to use visual story telling in a commercial aspect. 

 

The business:

Camellia Cosmetics

Camellia Cosmetics is a local boutique with stores in Mishawaka and South Bend. They have been in the area for over 8 years. They have recently undergone changes to their South Bend store, located in Eddy Street Commons. The store is currently expanding and changing to meet the needs of a new primary demographic – young, fun, trendy 20 somethings in the Notre Dame area.

It is my goal to create a video that will serve as a launching point for this transition. I want to create:

A.) A series of video blogs

B.) A video campaign that will tie into those video blogs

Ideally, these two mediums will compliment and promote each other. 

The commercial will not be a traditional commercial, but more of a “tease” to all of the new exciting changes happening to the Camellia brand. I want it to move fast, be fun, and show off the store’s personality.

The work space:

 

SOUND MIND

Artist’s Statement:

 

https://vimeo.com/58958527