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[Diz]

I know that all of you are very creative! I need your help!

DS#1 has an Honors English assignment: Make a homemade video on advertising. He doesn't have a clue of what do try and "sell".

Plus I don't have a clue of how to do a homemade video with credits, music and all! Sometimes, I wonder what teachers think we have...he has to edit it and all! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I have a video camera, but it holds the mini cassettes. I rarely use it and don't have an adapter for the cassettes...guess I'll have to try and find one!

Any suggestions on themes or ideas on developing the video?

Thanks guys!

[TINKN]

That's a tough assignment. Does he have access to eqipment at school? We don't even have a camcorder so I don't know what we'd do in that case.

The only advice I can give is that he should try to sell something he really likes.

[DVC_Don]

Oh gosh! [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] Bad memories of college marketing course. I had to do an ad to sell something. I had my own business of doing field underwriting inspections for small insurance companies part time. I'd inspect homes, small business's for these insurance companies that did not have their own field people.

So I decided to sell my service to the class. Big mistake, no one knew what I was taking about and I just got out of that assignment with a C- [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] . I closed up the firm when I graduated. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Dumbo]

I think the teacher is asking for something that could be a hardship on the students esp. if they don't have the equipment. Not only that but if they have the equipment and do a bad job with the camera, etc will they get marked down. I think the teacher should have them sell the product in front of the class rather than on a video. That's just my 2cents.

[pflamingo]

I might be able to help with the technical problem. I have a camcorder that uses the mini-cassettes. It came with a cable that plugs into the camcorder and my VCR. I use "playback" on the camcorder and "record" on the VCR to transfer from the little tape to the VHS. Your camcorder probably has one of these cables, but if not, you could pick one up at Wal-Mart or Radio Shack.

Gee, I thought this sounded like fun -- so many possibilities for some crazy product! As a teacher, I'd suggest trying to be creative, rather than going with something mundane. Hmm... how about a travel tour to Antarctica (or some other less-than-desirable place)? Toothpaste for teens that turns your teeth neon colors?

I'm betting that since this is for an English class the emphasis is on the persuasive message -- give some good reasons (appropriate to the product) why someone might want to buy this product, and remember who your target audience is. If DS is a teenager, think of a product that teens would use. And their main reasons for using it? To be cool and drive their parents crazy! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] There have to be a million possibilities for that!

"Editing" could just mean re-recording it til it looks good. I know if we don't tell our students to "proofread" and "edit" their papers, meaning, rewrite the things to make changes, rather than scratching out and writing over it, we get a mess. Could be just a variation of "make it look good, even if you have to do it a couple of times." The credits could just be signs you hold up in front of the camera for a couple of seconds (e.g., "written by Joe Smith", "directed by Joe Smith", etc.) or my personal favorite, the roll of paper towels with a credit on each towel. Guess it depends on whether the teacher has a sense of humor or not.

Hope this helps a bit. Good Luck!

[Fortissimo]

I'll bet if the teacher is requiring a class to use video equipment, there is video equipment at the school for student use.

The video is probably a small part of the grade. The larger portion being the editing of what is said in the commercial and how persuasive the content of the video is.

Does your son have a sheet, we call them rubrics, that lists the grading criteria? If not, ask him to request one from the teacher. The students need to be told what is expected of them.

[vickeymouse]

One idea is to invent a fictional product to promote in a comical way. For example, he could advertise a Caffine Concetrate Drink called Chem X. As for as technical, If you have a digital camera (one that can conect into a computer) you can use some editing software which should make the proccess simple.

Of course, you could go low-tech. Film the elements in the order that the will go on the tape. It takes a long time to do, but it works good. play music for an intro and exit just simple on a boombox. Make your credits on a piec of paper, then zoom in on them with the camera.

If you would like more info, private contact me.
Good Luck!

[TiggGrrrl]

Sounds like fun to me too, although I can see where the video end could be a little daunting. I had to do a presentation like this live and in person in my college Marketing class and given my fear of public speaking, the video would have been alot easier for me.

The product I chose to sell was paint. My dad had lots of it in the basement and I painted a 2"x2" swatch of 12 different colors and or types on a piece of plywood. I made up the properties of the paints, such as a heat resistant one, a children's room paint that could be written on and wiped off, etc.

[pflamingo]

A little insight as to why teachers make these types of assignments. In Georgia, for example, we are now required to incorporate "technology" into our lessons, across the curriculum. That means using computers, video, etc. in assignments. Most of the teachers at my school would rather not do this, because they'll be the first to admit that they're technology-challenged. But it's a state curriculum requirement, and like it or not, we have to do it. And yes, it is a hardship for many of our kids, who do not have computers and other gadgets at home. But try telling that to the people who sit on the curriculum development committees. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]