THE ASSIGNMENT

Create a 30-second music-focused advertisement for a company or product using only found footage. 

THE IDEA & PROCESS

I knew immediately I wanted to play with the idea of time, and focused a lot of my brainstorming process on finding a unique way to communicate that. Then it clicked. Technology. Technology has been a part of human life since the beginning of time — for better or worse, there is nothing more human than working to create technologies that make our lives easier. Technology has evolved alongside humans, and nothing felt more apt than the evolution of Apple and the growth of communication technology. 

The project had to be music-focused, and I wanted the advertisement to communicate the steady evolution of technology — that meant no lyrics. So I turned to some of my favorite movie scores: Oppenheimer, Interstellar, How to Train Your Dragon, and Star Wars to name a few. Cornfield Chase from Interstellar was perfect: it had a steady tempo and a swelling crescendo that conveyed the idea of inevitably perfectly. I clipped the thirty seconds I wanted to use in the ad, and drew a storyboard for the kind of footage I wanted at certain timestamps. 

Then, I spent some time on Adobe Stock and YouTube to find the right kind of footage. First, clips of pivotal human technology that helped us communicate with each other: the light bulb, rotary phones, cassette tapes, etc. Then, a pivot to some of Apple's earliest products, before transitioning to the phones, computers, headhpones, and watches that seem like an everyday part of our lives. 

At last came the editing process. I compiled all my clips and music, relying on my physical storyboard and the mental image I had for this project to create a narrative that aligned with the music and offered the most dimension. This project became the first video I've ever created on Adobe Premiere Pro — and the catalyst for my love for visual media and storytelling.