Author: blake1

In order to learn more about Nike and the ideas and production of the company, I watched the Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art of Design, Episode 2; Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design. Tinker Hatfield takes a look back on his journey with Nike developing trainers, specifically with the famous basketball player Michael Jordan. Hatfield designs by having the mindset that ‘The end goal is to solve a problem’. This made me think about Nike as a brand and look further into how they approach their adverts. It became apparent to me that after watching many from different campaigns and different subsections of Nike, for example, Nike Running, it is common to have famous athletes or very athletic and fit models to advertise of them. I want to create an advert for the everyman; an advert that the general public can watch and feel inspired by because they can relate to the journey that is narrated in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIeDp_XdnW8

Interview of Tinker Hatfield talking about Abstract: The Art of Design.

KGW News (2017). Nike’s Tinker Hatfield on new Netflix series, his design legacy. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIeDp_XdnW8 [Accessed 8 Jan. 2018].

Netflix (2017). Abstract: The Art of Design, Episode 2. Available at: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80057883 [Accessed 8 Jan. 2018].

After developing the first few rough cuts of my advert for Nike I have decided to advertise specifically for Nike Run Club as the style of my advert would suit their ethos of the personal experience and journey that being a part of Nike Run Club provides. From what I can find online there aren’t any adverts by Nike for their Run Club. I want to create an advert that will project the idea of a personal experience and journey creating a sense of achievement and motivating the audience.

https://youtu.be/SeWdxkA9lKk

Here is an advert that I found inspiring from the beginning of this project. I really like the way the advert has been edited to show off different shoes but in a fast, fun and clever way. This is also a very similar concept to my own idea of a character achieving a goal that is visible through a journey, however, in this case, it is a set of very steep stairs. I want to create the same upbeat tone that this advert has, however, I want it to be more cinematic similar to this fan-made comedic video that was made intended to have a comical take on adverts but is filmed very well. The use of colour and style of shots that are used is something I want to recreate in my own advert.

Nike (2017). NIKE: IMPOSSIBLE STAIRS. Available at: https://youtu.be/SeWdxkA9lKk [Accessed 8 Jan. 2018].

Weber, O. (2017). Nike Running Commercial | “Steps”. Available at: https://youtu.be/d1qnvK3ID_w [Accessed 8 Jan. 2018].

 

https://youtu.be/OsA27ueSODY

The advert for ASICS opens with a dark setting to create the misè en scene which changes throughout the advert in order to show the runners progression overtime as well as the changes in outfit. The goal of the runner is explained through the technique of a loop which reveals the runner is trying to beat herself, hence the title and slogan of the advert ‘Better Your Best’.

Within this commercial I learnt a lot of techniques I would like to use in my own commercial for Nike, such as the slick cross over from ambient noise to non-diegetic music which continues throughout the advert creating a more realistic scene for the audience to follow, appealing to the everyman due to its relatability. Within the storyline we see the runner struggle and fall, also creating a more realistic and appealing advert as it is something an audience can relate with. I like the choice of the music within this advert too as it draws attention and keeps the commercial exciting, as without the music, it becomes more plain and boring to watch. 

I also like the choice of shot types within this commercial as they use a mixture of extreme long shots and close ups which helps the audience establish the scene but also focuses them to what the advertisement is about; trainers and running. 

 

In 2012 Nike created a campaign titled ‘Find your greatness’ which consists of a series of short commercials showing regular people (not athletes or traditionally fit looking people) achieving things that to some would not be considered great but because it’s that characters own personal journey, it’s great to them; ‘Find Your Greatness’. Each commercial consists of a voiceover commenting unexpected inspirational advice, for example; ‘Greatness needs a lot of things, But it doesn’t need an audience’. It gives the everyman the inspiration to work on what they think is greatness and not to compare to other people. I like this campaign because the commercials are simplistic in that they focus on a single character doing a fairly simplistic action and use only ambient/ diegetic sound effects accompanied by a voiceover.

Within these commercials, and amongst some other research, I began to pick up on the traditional structure for Nike’s commercials;

• A slogan in their typeface with a full stop at the end.
• The logo on its own as the last shot overlaid onto a slow moving clip – Futura ultra condensed bold.

These are elements I will need to include in my commercial in order to make it look realistic and professional.