Planning Designs for my Advert

Before I begin to decide on my graphics, title, logo and other aspects needed in my print advertisement, I began to consider the layout of them, so when I decided upon the content, I had a clear idea of how they would slot together. The best way of deducing the perfect outcome was to mock-up a magazine advert using different elements of my research adverts, with my own twist on them.

Basic Idea - 2-page spread.This idea is the most simple and straight forward of my two potentials; it follows almost the exact same layout as the Call of Duty advert, however I have chosen to manipulate the blank space that they left. Once again, I have the key graphic filling up the largest area possible on the left side, with the title underneath. This is under the idea that the game I am creating is potentially an incredibly popular one; therefore all the audience needs to see is the left hand page to be drawn into the product. The right side contains far more information and in-game features than all 3 of my examples as in my own experience I prefer everything I might need to know to be in the advert in front of me, I often won't go looking for more information unless I was anticipating the game greatly. I was considering the involvement of the game play footage on the far right panel, as I didn't know if I would have the space or content to fill them, but it's a definite inclusion if I can find the corresponding game play demos.

Basic Idea - 1-page spread.Though this advert is only printed on the one page, I want it to contain the same mystery elements of the Halo advertisement I studied. Once again, there will be the large key graphic, title and release date, however this time I plan to involve a tagline to add a sense of horror or tension as the text will only feature as the smallest form on the advert - the main focus will be upon the graphic. This advert unlike the other will contain certifications as it is purely about the RELEASE of the game, and not the game play and review of it; it leads the audience to their own conclusion of the games appeal. Sharing the same idea as Halo, this advert will offer rewards to customers who pre-order or buy special editions of the game, once more this advert is purely for the consumer’s interest and not for marketing and profit.

Though this advert is only printed on the one page, I want it to contain the same mystery elements of the Halo advertisement I studied. Once again, there will be the large key graphic, title and release date, however this time I plan to involve a tagline to add a sense of horror or tension as the text will only feature as the smallest form on the advert - the main focus will be upon the graphic. This advert unlike the other will contain certifications as it is purely about the RELEASE of the game, and not the game play and review of it; it leads the audience to their own conclusion of the games appeal. Sharing the same idea as Halo, this advert will offer rewards to customers who pre-order or buy special editions of the game, once more this advert is purely for the consumer’s interest and not for marketing and profit.

Basic Print Advertisement Features

Based on the 3 research samples I obtained and analysed, a trend seems to follow in the form of what is VITAL on a print advertisement. Here are some mock-up forms of the examples I have collected, and what features are within them and where.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
The most important graphological aspect of this advert would be the key graphic and the title, perhaps because of the video games popularity and hype, any audience would of seen this and been instantly captivated as our eyes tend to look in the top left hand corner of texts first. Interestingly, on the opposite side of the advert, there is a large empty space, which could possibly be used to emphasize the graphic or to draw more attempts to the large font above it reviewing the game. The logos for consoles and production companies are typically small and are at the bottom right of the advert, where the eye is drawn to lastly.

Castlevania
As this is printed on the one page, the same about of legal content is required to be squeezed onto the one feature. However, they have still most importantly got a large area for the main graphic. The traditional 'tagline + title' are bundled closely together with the release date as these are next on what an audience would look for information-wise, but what is noteworthy with this feature would be the separation of the developers logo from the bottom segment. This is a common theme for Konami games as they are a specialised Japanese games developer and often is quite sought out by fans; this is perhaps a method to attract fans of the developers, not just the game series.

Halo: Reach
Out of the 3 this is the most intriguing for me, from a design perspective as well as a content one. Most of the advertisements have large graphics and enough text to fulfil an audience’s need upon reading the advert. However the Halo one features purely an extremely large graphic, the title/logo and small bursts of text across the bottom. Much like the Call of Duty advert, the graphic is the key feature of the entire piece, as the icon is globally recognisable. In some senses, this advert could be seen as lacking as it doesn't meet the requirement to help the reader again knowledge on their product, but what it does achieve is mystery and a want to find out more, so therefore they have included a website for these seeking more. For me, this is perhaps the most interesting print advertisement of them all.

'Castlevania' Print Advertisement

* Vital Elements
Once again, the advertisement features the most important elements much like the previous (title, classification, release date, publisher/developer), however it is important to consider that the advert is only featured on one page. In comparison to the other titles I have studied, ‘Call of Duty’ sold 5.6 million copies in 24 hours, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood sold 6.5 million copies in one week, and lastly Castlevania sold only 1 million copies in just over 2 weeks. Because of the time of release being directly in the middle of 2 very popular game titles, the advertisers knew not to spend overt amounts of advertisements as it would not all pay itself back. Game play elements and quotes can be seen on this feature as it is purely for marketing and popularity boosts, which successfully managed to place it 7th amongst the ‘Most Anticipated Games of 2010’ list on the admired video game content website, Game Trailers.
* Representation
Visual semiotics suggest a represented time period within the 11th century, allowing the impression of old cultures and historically epic narratives to feature fantastical elements of magic and heroism within the game. The masculine lead at the head of the magazine advert boasts a gruff and angry expression and when keyed with the title ‘Lords of Shadow’, the construct of a male orientated representation is suggested.
* Genre
A stereotypical fantasy RPG (Role-Playing Game) because of its combat and levelling techniques, with a further developed idea into adventure and strategy. Though clearly aimed at a male audience, the purpose of the release is to reboot the old Castlevania franchise back into popularity as it once was. This then has primary focus on old fans of the game, as well as attracting newer players with experience within heavily medieval archetypes (Dungeons and Dragons, Elder Scrolls)
* Narrative
The game play screen shot along the bottom of the advert suggest a hand-to-hand or flourishing weaponry style combat game featuring methods of tacticality. The visuals in the advert imply epic battles and quest lines, based within a beautifully picturesque environment – a wholly stereotypical narrative plot for fantasy RPG games. The advert shows no rewards or blurbs for potential customers and no content other than game play screen shots, so it’s solely for media attention.
* Audience
Much like the Halo advert, no large text is involved to persuade the reader into becoming a buyer, just flashy visuals and graphics. This is most likely down the concept behind it being a reboot, as the developers want to show signs of maturity and expansion from their previous game, however research into the title shows that the game itself has minimal links to the previous games. Cleverly, this attracts old fans of the genre, as well as new customers as they are not left in the dark by missing out on the contextual knowledge others might hold.
* Media Language
The reviewed quotes along the top ultimately indicate the games modern approach to innovation, like previously mentioned (‘genre-defying’, ‘3D’). One of the key marketing schemes of the game was to boast the profile surrounding its 3D capabilities as it was one of the first games to ever attempt and successfully release a 3D optional title. It’s also important to notice that the quotes are taken from 2 of the most respected gaming magazines on the market, as their professional opinion would be influential to potential customers – Official Xbox Magazine (which this advert was featured) and Playstation Magazine 3. Within the taglines of the game, ‘repetition of the word ‘dark’ suggests a fight against morality and justice, once again highly typical for a fantasy game. The layout of the advert defines the character as locations as primary elements of the games and centrally key to the plot.

'Halo: Reach' Print Advertisement

* Vital Elements
This advert contains the requirements for a full title and release date, certification and logos for its platformed console/developer/publisher, however does not offer a reviewed quote from a respected magazine or person. This is because the game has not yet been released to the public, or even to reviews, so instead a blurb is detailed along the bottom to set-up the narrative within the game. No game play clips allows the audience to become further mystified by the advertisement as they know nothing from inside the game, allowing for ‘buzz’ and interest to build.
* Representation
Gender placement can be seen as difficult to label as the figures in the advert are in space suits, however their key features model their masculine body builds as well as boasting large and powerful weaponry. Through the study of Semiotics, other focus signs such as their description as heroes in the ‘Noble Team’, suggest a hier-achetypal male idol with great power. By using an unfamiliar location and sci-fi-esque character types, the audience is drawn into its pseudo-reality and somehow finds their own representation within it. Though no narrative elements are portrayed, more semiotical signs evaluate the famous ‘Master Chief’ character, as well as the space environment and ‘Halo’ logo so old fans can instantly recognise the newest release. Aimed at a predominately male, potentially off the back of other popular FPS titles such as ‘Call of Duty’, the new addition of a female character in the advertisement opens the new representation and audience to females.
* Genre
In terms of direct Taxonomy classification, Halo: Reach is an ultimately an action game, which can then be subcategorized into adventure/shooter or even strategy. It’s seen as an ‘FPS set in space’ as the characters are wearing alien-style suits of armour and out-landish guns. Former Halo enthusiasts will be drawn to the newest title of the most successful video game series because of its similarities to past titles, however through explosive use of visual action and adventure in the advertisement, new fans can begin to expect what the narrative will entail.
* Narrative
As suggested by the genre, the narrative will involve various degrees of action/fighting and potentially co-operation as a ‘squad’ of soldiers can be seen. By reading into the smaller texted blurb and learning the idea of playing as part of a team, the advert becomes purely for narrative constructs and not so much marketing. As barely any new information for fans is deployed, it can be considered that this advertisement is to cause buzz and hype just through the mere suggestion of a new Halo title.
* Audience
This advert was scanned from the popular gaming magazine OXM (Official Xbox Magazine), which features Xbox exclusive content only. The appearance of this advertisement is strategically placed as Halo: Reach is an Xbox-only title, so it’s large, double page spread will directly influence customers who have shared contextual knowledge of the game. Because of the ‘entertainment’ value of the magazine and gaming industry, the advert aims for casual but content specific audiences, so the advert features no large amounts of text, just impressive visuals as an aid to purchase.
* Media Language
The use of hyperbolic modifiers to excites the reader(‘legend’, ‘overwhelming’, ‘elite’, ‘massive’) gives the audience a deeper and more enthusiastic anticipation to discover more, and for this a website address is provided for those seeking more information. Rewards in the form for Halo fans who pre-order the title entice a specific fan base and audience. Most importantly, the legal text below aims to protect claims within the advertisement, as well as the signs and logos used.

'Call of Duty' Print Advertisement

As I will consider the narrative, structure and final versions of each of my 2 trailers right at the very end, I will take this opportunity to begin work on some of the other key elements needed for this project:
a) Print Advertisements
b) Box art, for all hardware consoles

Considering first, will be the print advertisements. I have gathered a collection of popular advertisement schemes from some of the top selling and most promoted games of 2010, as these demonstrate the better quality and range of what a publishing company can achieve. The first of these will be the record breaking and potentially the most 'sought-after' video game of all time - Call of Duty: Black Ops.

The game was released worldwide on November 9th over all 4 major console systems; this therefore needed a large scale advertisement strategy - that easily paid itself off. Within the first 24 hours of its release, the game sold in excess of 7 million copies, smashing the previous record of 2.5 million beyond argument from preceding record holder, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This in no short way is all thanks to the CEO of Activision, Bobby Kotick, who openly stated that 'Black Ops’ will see a larger financial investment by the company than any other game that they have ever released', with a rumoured $100 million budget placed solely on marketing.

The print advertisement was more often than not seen over a 2-page spread, allowing the entire audience focus to be primarily on the game. Up to 6 months before the release of the game, the symbolic image of the man wielding 2 pistols was surfaced on secretive sites, and mailed to high priority status publications and video game players. This in instead gathered its own momentum as fan of the game began to speculate the release of another Call of Duty title, somehow allowing the game to begin its journey into its own marketing for free.

The vital elements of the advertisement are as follows:
* The FULL title of the game, though the game and its previous titles are all simply known amongst the gaming community as 'Call of Duty' or 'COD', the need to reinforce its name was necessary, as the game was facing a Christmas release and many buyers may of been a parent or guardian, as in fact the largest played demographic for the game is normally under the certification
* A short, quoted review about the game from a well respected gaming publication, in this example being 'GAMESMASTER'. Often this will have no relevance or description of the game itself; instead it normally holds a hyperbolic property of being exclamative and over exaggerated. Often holding very bold claims or statements, this is no different as it is being described as having the ability to 'rule 2010', regardless of other pre-releases or the overall opinion of the gaming market.
* Appearing mostly on larger spreads, as the release date draws closer, screen grabs of game play is featured on the advertisement with key elements enhanced within the game - perhaps it’s innovative and cutting edge new graphics, engine or plot. This advert however focuses solely on the multiplayer aspect of the game, as it is widely known as perhaps what the players really pay for when they purchase the game. It has itself broke records and is considered the best multiplayer experience for gamers for this generation- once again, a bold statement.
* Lastly, the most important and legal features of the certification, the consoles it will appear on (this was advertised in the Official Xbox Magazine, so only this logo appears), the developer (Treyarch) and the publisher (Activision).

One thing I can notice from the advert is the lack of information and knowledge on itself, a ploy to aid further consumers onto the website noted as well as doing further research of their own. This inevitably created a huge buzz in search engines, allowing the key word 'Call of Duty' and 'Black Ops' to dominate the Google Trend chart for up to 2 months before and after the release.

This timeline from Google represents the sheer scale of publicity and attention the game created around itself. The first notable rising in the scale were surrounding the release of the intention of creating another Call of Duty game as the popularity of Modern Warfare shattered records. The next few steady months were as the title was released and gradually more information was streamed into the waiting public, up until the momentous rise at the end of the year when the game came out.

What's Next...

Now I have began and finished at least 80% of my filming for the final video-based advert, I need to consider further means of advertising my game to a wide audience. As I have now the indefinite cuts and scenes to utilize in my 3-minute length trailer, I can begin to plan a shortened version of the trailer, as well as concepts for the box art and magazine advertisements.

Below is a case study into the overall advertisement into the 2010 release of 'Assassins Creed: Brotherhood':



This 2.42 minute long trailer was first released at the E3 Video Game Convention in 2010. The game came out just a few months later, but for press, fans and critics this was the very first they saw of the new release. It shows no hints towards major game play elements, instead it is rather ambiguous in what it does display knowledge wise. This therefore generates a large buzz around the game. It is far more theatrical and the quality of animation is barely distinguishable from actual real life recordings, which is highly impressive.



This much shorter trailer however is what was advertised on TV in the 2 months running up to the world wide release. The animation is now replica of game play footage and displays dense examples of skills and tactics that will be deployed throughout the plot. It is final excitement for fans as they now have a better grasp on the game soon to be released and hooks them in to buy the game.



This is a feature for the game on a majorly popular gaming magazine, where it featured a massive spread on the narrative, production and even a review/preview. It gained a large amount of publicity and in fact this kind of coverage can really make or break a game with impressive circulation figures of 70,000 in the UK and up to 425,000 in the US.



This was a very bizarre form of advertising as it features the Limited Edition copy of the video game software, and was more commonly seen than a more basic structure simply advertising the release. However this can also be explained when considering that the fan following behind the huge game series allows them to push the sales upon a more expensive edition of the game, as they know it will appeal to the greater interests of the masses - a very strategic move.



This is not advertisement of the game, but instead the final box art that was used on the cover of the software. It displays the commonly used logo and themes based from all of the trailers and magazine features. It displays the developer, publisher, certification, system requirements and even further information such as a blurb to the narrative and information about the online multiplayer. This is typically the type of box art you would see from a video game, and it does not break conventions of ambiguity and unknowing.

Call Sheet for Production Management

Production Title: *Working Title*
Shooting Date: Running over multiple days in December/January
Location: Areas in and around Dorchester
Location Address: Dorchester, Dorset
Initial Meeting Place: (If applicable) In Dorchester, or at pick-up points near specific filming locations as pre-planned


PRODUCTION TEAM
Producer/Director/Production Assistant: Charlotte Hodson - 07949992451


PRODUCTION CREW
Camera Operator: Charlotte Hodson
Sound Recordist: Charlotte Hodson
Lighting: Charlotte Hodson
Assistant 1: Caleb O’Neill - 07912366915


TALENT/GUESTS
Name: Laura Baney - 07792592293
Name: Will Boyes - 07795275590
Name: Tiffany Eccles - 07528737299
Name: Caleb O’Neill - 07912366915
Due on Set: 5.30pm until finished, approx filming time of 2-4 hours.

DAYS AVAILABLE FOR FILMING:
December: 7th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th (break up from College on the 17th, equipment not available to borrow)
January: TBC