The article explores how American people use headphones as a shield to social interaction as well as the negative effects of this behaviour on human interaction and psychological well-being. This source has helped me to understand the motives for putting on headphones or earbuds in public and how this habit is creating a world full of lonely individuals. From here, I am able to develop a clearer message to my target audience and start visualising my promotional video in a way that will highlight the disconnection from society due to the excessive use of headphones.

Block, B 2020, The Visual Story, 3rd edn. Routledge, New York, Taylor & Francis ebooks. 

This book is a guide on how to structure the basic visual elements in films, TV and digital media production. I find the book helpful as it helps me to understand the importance of tone and colors in conveying messages and how to control these elements effectively. The example images provided in the book also help me to visualise my promotional with the appropriate choice of tones and colors to emphasize the significance of my chosen social issue and evoke emotional responses from the audience.

Lannom, SC 2020, ‘Camera Framing Techniques: Frame Shots Like a Master Filmmaker’, blogpost, StudioBinder, 24 May, viewed 16 March 2023, <https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-camera-shot-frames-in-film/>.

The source introduces various ways to frame subjects in filmmaking and the effectiveness of each type of shot. Some of the shot types I find useful are single shot which features one subject in the frame, and point-of-view shot which is used to show the character’s perspective in a story. These camera framing techniques can help me to film my promotional video by depicting the isolation or loneliness of an individual when being surrounded by headphones users with no communication or connection with one another.

Svaiko, G 2023, 'Font Psychology: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Fonts',  Designmodo, 12 January, viewed 30 March 2023, <https://designmodo.com/font-psychology/#:~:text=Serif%20fonts%20can%20evoke%20feelings,modernity%2C%20simplicity%2C%20and%20clarity.>.

This source discusses the psychology behind font choice in design. The source helps me understand the characteristics of serif and sans-serif fonts, which allows me to make appropriate font choices for my project. I also understand that it is important to consider the target audience and the message carefully when choosing a font to evoke the desired emotions from the audience.

The video starts with the main character waking up and preparing to go outside. He puts on his headphones and walks down the street. The camera then follows him in different locations doing different activities such as waiting at the bus stops, riding on the bus to the university campus, eating at the cafeteria, etc. All of these scenes feature him in the center of the frame, doing things on his own while being surrounded by other people who are also wearing headphones. These scenes are filmed with cold, dark and low-saturated colours to explicit a sense of loneliness and boredom. Slow, gloomy music is played in the background. The main character then returns home. There is a close-up shot focusing on his facial expression, which looks dull and emotionless. Then he closes his eyes.

The words “What if…” in yellow then appear on a black background. The scene shows him waking up again using the same footage at the beginning of the video, but this time he leaves his house without the headphones. The main character will be doing the same activities and placed in the center of the frames, but this time everyone is interacting and chatting with one another, and no one is wearing headphones including him. The background music should be joyful, in combination with laughters and the sounds of people talking. These scenes will be filmed in bright colours, in contrast to the first half of the video. 

The ending will feature the message of the campaign using typewriter effect, with yellow letters on black background to motivate the target audience to change their habit of wearing headphones in public and reconnect with one another.

White hat – facts
What I need to find out is other motives for the habit of wearing headphones in public. Do people do that for a sense of inclusion because everyone else does? Is it because of study or work purposes? Is this habit associated with smartphone addiction?

Red hat – feelings
The feeling of loneliness is the main emotion tied to my topic. I want the target audience to feel motivated to make changes to their habit after seeing the contrasting scenes in the video.

Green hat – creativity
The video should feature familiar locations that the target audience frequents. The characters should wear casual outfits. There will also be the use of contrasting colour themes to indicate the changes in the target audience's daily life with and without headphones.

Yellow hat – benefits
The video will help the target audience to realise the negative effects of wearing headphones in public to their mental health, as a result of loneliness and lacking interaction. They will also recognise and value the moments they have to connect with others, to listen and be listened when their headphones are off.

Black hat – cautions
What if the target audience resists the message? They might use headphones in public but still spend time communicating with others at other time of the day. 

When filming the video in public places, I also have to be prepared for situations where people do not want to be filmed, or unfavorable weather conditions.

This is a mental health awareness campaign video. What I find interesting is the beautiful use of complementary colours, the combination of background music and voiceover, which helps evoke strong emotions. The video also uses many single shots and close up shots to capture the characters' expression, which I might consider using in my video.