HOW
WE MADE IT: a case study
The Livingston Mill Advertisement
by
Janet Brunton
The
final "Commercial Breaks" project is described in greater
detail to illustrate the processes involved in creating
a multimedia advertisement.
It
all started in January 2004
With
the preparation;
Request
to the visitors for help with;
Research
into the history of Livingston Mill;
Who lived and worked here?
What was made when and how?
What was used and how?
Find and assemble objects, photos and information to display.
Then the planning;
Decide what is being advertised;
What are we asking people to buy?
The service, i.e.; bring your grain here and we will mill
it for you at a price.
The final product itself, i.e.; the flour from mill farm
is the best flour around.
A combination of the two.
And in what way;
Do we want this advert to be amusing, or clever to catch
attention or to stand out from the rest?
Do we want it to be factual, informative and pointing
out all the things we need to know if we are to consider
the product or service?
Do we want it to be romantic and typically historical,
to portray the product or service in an idealistic and
fluffy way?
What needs to be included?
· Images of mill farm historical and present day.
· Some sort of explanation of the milling process
involving the water wheel.
· As many original visitors’ ideas as in
practical.
· As many original visitors’ work as in practical
i.e.; artwork photos, video, vocals sound capture etc.
Request
for ideas and suggestions for adverts,
For example;
-
Animated version of the milling process from grain to
flour,
-
House that jack built theme; here is the bread that came
from the flour, that came from the grain, that was milled
on the stone, that was turned by the wheel, that was powered
by the water, that came from the river, that flows from
the hills, etc.
-
Variation of the little red hen, i.e.; who will help mill
this grain?
-
Adventures of a character that happens to be a small grain
of wheat and what he has to go through to become flour.
-
Comparison between the present day method of milling and
the old way, with old fashioned children doing the commentary.
-
Roll back the years, i.e.; flash backs featuring what
it would be like in the 16th century compared to the present.
Collection of snippets,
For example;
-
Advert for mill farm dated 1793.
-
Old style map of West Lothian with animated horse and
cart driving towards Livingston Mill.
-
Video clips of the wheel, stones and cogs etc in action
possibly viewed in small peep hole type windows.
-
Animated wheels, water, cogs, stones and grain etc.
-
Photos, drawing, scanned images, etc using different
media to collect images of various components of
the milling
process with particular emphasis on the different textures
in the stone, grin, flour, brick and woodwork.
-
Children’s faces superimposed onto historical photos
and animated as commentators.
End of January
A display has been assembled showing grain, tools, books
etc. I found an old working model of a waterwheel which
I put on display with some water so that the children could
see the principle in action. The
children can handle the grain and even have a go at crushing
or grinding it in a dish to see it turning into flour.
Information showing the milling process 200 years ago, samples
of grain and oats before during and after the milling process
are also on display.
Signs have also been put up requesting help with project,
with several people visiting this weekend, giving ideas
or expressed an interest in suggested ideas;
Ruth aged 6 and Lucy 10 liked the idea of an horse and
cart driving down the road to Livingston
Mill and offered
to draw the cart.
Lucy suggested that their could be several carts
coming from all directions in West Lothian all heading
for
the
Mill. We thought of a slogan something like 'All
roads lead to Livingston Mill'. We now needed a few
more
horses
and carts so several children joined in with
the drawing activity. Mathew 7 and Eilidh 4 took their
time adding
all sorts of details and colours to their
drawings. It
was explained to the children that the horse
and cart was to be animated with wheels spinning and
the horse’s
legs moving. They seemed to like this idea and this sparked
of other suggestions to do with animation with their
imaginations
running wild. Two
small boys wanted to fill cars up with grain and race
them to the mill, but it was explained that cars were
not invented then and that 200 years ago people lived
very differently. Sharon 5 wanted to draw a donkey because
she couldn't draw horses we said that this was ok but
that a large horse, like Jolly the horse here at the
Heritage
Centre, would be required to pull a large cart full of
grain all the way from West Calder. We had several suggestions
of small animals taking their grain to the mill in particular
a mouse that had his own wee cart full of grain. Xander
1 and Ria aged 3 had a go at drawing mice. Paul 4 and
Amy 7 even suggested names for their mice. Molly, Mincy
and Matt were popular but Millie won the vote.
Ruth and Lucy's mum did a lovely drawing of a mouse pulling
a cart as well as an excellent design
for mill stone 'shot'. Other suggestions were from Neil's
(age 11), that the grain itself could give a running
commentary
with 'cartoon' of what happened to him when he went to
Livingston Mill. A couple of mums liked the idea
of a
comparison between the 'olden' days and today with a
slogan of something like 'you don’t know how easy children
have got it these days'. The girls liked the thought of
their heads being superimposed onto the photos of girls
dressed in old fashioned dress.
During the week I had a couple of young volunteers offering
to help me take photos of the mill, mill buildings and equipment.
Some of the pictures were a bit 'dizzy' but a few were
certainly usable in the project. We got some lovely shots
of Jolly
and a display cart parked outside the picnic barn. I demonstrated
how we could take the photos of Jolly and the cart and
using
the computer we could 'join' them together in one picture.
Mark 7 had a go at moving objects around on the computer,
trying out different positions to see which looked the
best.
Wee
John had great fun resizing Jolly.
We took a photo of an old map which hangs on the wall in
one of the mill buildings. I showed how this map could
be
enhanced in some areas and how the defects and unwanted
text could be removed. Stephen
9 had a go at rubbing out unwanted areas and cleaning up
the faded areas. It was suggested that it would look
better
if some of the 'old-world' character could be kept but
the roads, river and text enhanced to show the local
towns and
Livingston Mill. We could then have the horses and carts
driving down the roads to the mill. We have also been
searching
for old photos of Livingston Mill we found some in a book
and scanned them into the computer.
We also scanned some of the drawings that were done over
the weekend.
Early February;
This
week I decided to put down on paper some of the ideas and
suggestions from the previous week;
I sketched out three quick storyboards,
· One for the intrepid adventures of the grain-where
we follow an oat grain as he is made into flap jacks.
· One featuring the map of West Lothian and a horse
and cart traveling from all part to get to Livingston
Mill.
· One about a mouse called Millie who watches her
oat grains turned into meal that is then turned to oat
cakes.
I also wrote a rhyme that could go with the 'roll back time'
or 'roll back the years' theme.
Year after year,
Generation after generation,
the wheels at livingston mill keep on turning
Year
after year,
Adaptation to restoration,
farmers from hill to hill keep on returning.
Barley,
oats, wheat, corn and peas,
water, running, driving, gears
Wheels,
camshaft, damsel, belts,
thrashing, fanning, blowing, shells
Sieving,
striking, rubbing, winnow,
loading, drying, hoisting, straw
Seeds, chaff, kernel and dust,
cavings, grit, chobs and husk
Turning, hopper, bed and running stone,
skirt, eye, shoe, kiln and tun
From
grain to flour, oats to oatmeal,
don't forget the river that drives the water wheel.
We also collected and edited a few photos that could appear
in such an advert.
Mid February
Over the last two week quite a few visitors have been keen
to do drawings or horse and carts and Millie the mouse.
Katie 3 and Craig 6 did smashing pictures of horses and
carts. Maisie 7 who was a self confessed artist did great
drawing of horse and cart and Millie the mouse. Kate 7
1/2
did excellent job of reading out the 'roll back the years'
rhyme which was recorded but still has to be edited.
Over the past week we’ve been looking hard for old
photos suitable for any or the possible adverts then Caroline
21 found us a fabulous picture in an old postcard book
of
school children.
It featured the pupils at Livingston Village School during
Victorian times; they were photographed with their wooden
staffs with which they performed drill or physical education.
The photo featured children in typical school dress of
that
time; boys in their 'Eton' collars and the girls in their
large white collars which were worn over pinafore dresses.
Many or the girls liked the idea of their face being superimposed
onto the photograph one even wanted to chose her own dress.
During our search for useful photos we also found an interesting
shots of Livingston Mill during the 1770s before its restoration,
we thought that this could be used to create an artist
impression
of what the mill buildings looked like 200 years earlier.
Amongst the local photographs we also found an interesting
photo of people working in the fields around Livingston.
They were mentioned in the First Statistical Account
of
the Scotland published at the end if the 18th century where
they are described as wearing, tartan or red plaids,
close
caps with or without ribbons, gowns, petticoats and stockings
of home manufacture.’
At weekend;
Along with request for drawing and other ‘snippets’
I decided to put a sign up specifically asking for a voice
to read the ‘north to south’ rhyme and the ‘year
after year’ rhyme.
FROM
NORTH TO SOUTH
WEST
TO EAST
WE
COME FROM MILES AROUND
WE
TRAVEL FAR BOTH MAN AND BEAST
TILL
THE FINEST OATS ARE GROUND
LIVINGSTON MILL
COME
FAR?
WE
WILL!
LIVINGSTON MILL
COME FAR?
WE WILL!
Scott 10 did an excellent job of a difficult task he also
had a go at editing out the ‘bad bits’ which
he was conscious of during the recording, he seemed quite
pleased and relieved with the result.
We’ve also been collecting ‘heads’ to
appear in our school kids shot. Christine 5, Rohan 1, Muraod
5, Bronagh 7, also drew mice.
Erine 8 and Liam 10 had a go at scanning and editing theirs
in the computer.
Liam 10, Graham 7 and Danielle 9 drew great horses and carts.
Late February;
Emily 7, Meggie 9 and Liam 10 drew excellent pictures or
Millie the mouse.
We also scanned loads of self portraits in including David,
Geraldine, Monica, Felicity, Vincent, Magdalene, Jillian.
All can be used as ‘extras’
This weekend we had an excellent response from the sign
asking for a voice to read the ‘north to south’
rhyme and the ‘year after year’ rhyme.
Kate age 8 recited 'north to south'.
Sophie aged 10, Jennifer 8, Megan 12, Rachael 12 lifted
the roof as a group shouting 'Livingston mill come far
we
will'.
Emily is responsible for the realistic click clock sound
of the horses hooves which she made with the teapot lid
on the table.
Sharon 21, did an excellent version of 'year after year’.
And several photos were taken of faces to be included in
the school children shot.
We
were now into the final 2 weeks and it was all systems
go....
Horse and carts were edited and animated on map. Caroline
tried this out with amusing results. Photos were edited for the 'year after year' advert. Children's
faces were added to the school kids photo.
Mill
stones, cogs, and wheels were were made to spin in prepared
for the animation session. During this session Stephanie
aged 11 added wheels, cogs and millstones to the schools
children back ground to enhance the year after year advert In
another session I prepared the 'mouse and cart',making
the
mouse run and the wheels of the cart go around. These could
then simply be dragged onto the background an made to
drive
across the road. Hannah 10 and Joseph 5 had great fun doing
this. Mark 5 and Oliver 4 dragging the mouse and cart
into
odd places and so made it appear to be flying and spinning.
They thought this was very funny
Sound
were added with the assistance of Carl 6 and Susan 8
and
our sample adverts were finished and ready for viewing.
