On Tuesday, 27 October 2020, I found the audios needed for this commercial.
On YouTube, I found a vintage telephone ringing sound that I thought would fit perfectly for this project! I didn't want it to completely overthrow the background music, so I had it set to 30% volume. I also found fast-talking audio, one that you would hear in cartoons, and set its pitch to -20.00, as its regular pitch didn't fit the commercial.
On Saturday, 24/10/2020, I started filming.
Rearranging everything on my desk was the most tedious task of all. I had to move things off and on my desk, and I tried placing things where I thought they would best fit. I had planned for one lamp to be in the shot, but I thought that two with one flickering would look cool. Now looking at, I didn't stick to a few of the scenes I planned out. I skipped the winking and the falling off of the desk shots.
After many attempts to find out what looked best, my brother and I decided to have him in the video with me recording, as my hands were steadier and I knew what to do best. It took us many tries to make 5-second shots. We messed up a lot, but I knew this would be a trial-and-error process into creating a product that I liked. We also got stressed at each other a bunch, mainly because every shot I took I disliked and he was angry that he had to sit there for a while. Nonetheless, we sorted out our differences and obtained our required shots.
The stop-motion animating was the most frustrating portion of all. The doll didn't look its best - that was my intention, as I wanted an unfinished doll - and shaping it to frame by frame really made me on the edge. I knew that air-dry clay was not the best option for stop-motion, but I still attempted it anyway. During the process, I learned how difficult anger management and patience are - joking. But it was strenuous, even so, I got the hang of it and saw how fun it was.
The reason I had to skip out the winking and falling was that it would have made the commercial longer than 30 seconds. The falling added an extra 5 seconds to the video. I felt the wink would have tarnished the unfinished vibe of the doll. The missing spots and the unsmoothed crevices had an atmosphere to it that I felt fit better for the commercial, and a face would ruin that vibe.
Overall, this commercial, even though stressful to record and set up, was a great experience! I had a little bonding time with my brother and stop-motion animating was something new I didn't try yet.
First Scene - "Commercial starts with a view of the person's back, seeming to be working on something."
The commercial opening has a view of the person's back, with the set having a creepy vibe to it. The tools on the table look to be like a mystery, having the viewer wonder what the person is working on and what the materials on the table are. You can see a slightly noticeable Crayola label on one of the objects.
I have downloaded a portion of an instrumental that I believe can fit for this commercial. Said instrumental will play during this scene.
Second Scene - "High angle view shows what a person is working on; working on a clay doll."
You cannot see the person's face, you can see the top of their head and their hands, and you get a full view of the desk. Clay sculpting tools, paint, paintbrushes, and a container of Crayola Air-Dry clay are seen. The viewers could not see what the person was working on in the last scene, but now it is shown that they are working on a clay doll.
The same instrumental will be playing.
Third Scene - "Person is prompted to exit, leaving the doll alone."
It is now zoomed in on the doll and the person's hands; some of the materials are still shown. Before leaving, the person puts a damp towel over the doll because it will dry when left out in the air, and pauses the music using the keyboard. Once the person is prompted to exit (something like a dinner call), the hands will motion that the person is leaving. There is a slight pause to indicate they have left.
A voice that is not seen in the video will prompt the person to leave. The instrumental is playing but then stops when the person clicks on the keyboard. A door closing will be heard.
Fourth Scene - "Doll winks at camera once it is assured that person left."
Still zoomed in on the doll, it winks at the camera. This will be done using claymation, which falls under stop-motion animation. The doll clicks a button on the keyboard which continues the music.
The instrumental will play once again.
Fifth Scene - "Doll falls off of desk."
The camera cuts to a slight zoomed-out view of the desk, where the doll rolls off of the desk. The doll falls onto the floor.
The instrumental will be playing.
Sixth Scene - "Doll exits and walks out of frame."
The doll fixes its composure and walks out of the frame in this scene. The Crayola logo pops out once the doll has exited.
The instrumental will still be playing.
I am filming a commercial using Crayola's Air-Dry clay. I looked for objects around me and it was the first object that I saw that I envisioned something cool in my head. I already have that, what else would I need?
Since I envisioned a doll, I would obviously need to make a doll out of clay. I would also need carving tools. Scavenging around my house, I found various tools that I could use as props. They most likely are clay carving tools, as two years ago I was crazy over anything clay-related.
Other props would include a lamp I conveniently have on my desk, paint, and paintbrushes.
This is my CCR for my recent project. This film was very fun and a great experience for me to do.
