Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Professional English for Audiovisual Communication I
Teaching staff
Introduction
Professional English for Audiovisual Communication I is a 4 credits course. It will be taught during the first semester of the Audiovisual Communication course (students of 4th year) and will be focused on the field of advertising.
Brands and advertising are changing. Today, brands are not using advertising just to "sell" their products. They want to establish conversations with their consumers to create an emotional bond with them. In this new environment, the role of audiovisual communication is very important.
In the digital world, video has become the most widely used communication format, and it’s estimated that by 2022 online video will represent 82% of all internet traffic. And usually, these videos are produced and communicated in English, by large the most used language in social networks and global media. Therefore, this subject aims to facilitate the knowledge of two complementary languages: The "audiovisual" language used by brands to communicate their messages and English, as the main language of the advertising world.
Pre-course requirements
The entire subject will be taught in English, so it is necessary to understand the language to follow the classes and be able to work with the different materials that will be shared during the sessions.
Objectives
The main objective is to familiarize students with the processes of advertising creativity in audiovisual format, from the previous development of ideas to their subsequent production.
These processes will always be developed in English, to let students acquire the vocabulary of a global sector in which internationalization is part of the daily activities of advertising agencies and production houses.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
- 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
- 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 09 - The ability to objectify, quantify and interpret (data, statistics, empirical evidence )
- 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
- 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
- 12 - The ability to meet deadlines, develop the ability to be punctual and respect for human, technical and material resources
- 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
- 19 - The ability of informative documentation
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 24 - The ability to plan and organize both short term and long term projects
- 25 - The ability to maximize creative development
- 26 - The ability to develop a sense of taste and perfection in the aesthetics and finalization of projects
- 50 - The ability to adapt, understand and apply the expressive possibilities of new technologies and future changes
- 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the course, 4th year students will be able to prove the following learning benefits:
• The importance of audiovisual formats for brands.
• The importance of working without frontiers. The world is our labor market.
• The key phases of the creative process, from research and strategy to the execution of the creative piece.
• The different audiovisual formats used in current advertising.
• Have tools that allow access to the labor market, both in advertising agencies, as well as production houses, in-house departments, etc.
• Knowledge of the vocabulary of the sector.
Syllabus
The content of the subject is both theoretical and practical. Theory is essential to help students understand key concepts of advertising strategy and the creative process. Practical exercises will help them to integrate and assimilate theory.
1. Introduction (MC): Explain the purpose and structure of the subject:
All brands communicate. Engagement: How to get it through content. How brands use content to define their DNA and their TONE OF VOICE and why some brands are becoming direct producers of content.
2. Today's audiovisual advertising (MC): Brand advertising; product advertising; rational advertising; emotional publicity The impact and persuasion of advertising pieces.
3. The Brief (C): What is it? How to write it? How is it interpreted? Introduction of concepts as Key message; Insight, Reason why, Reason to believe; USP; brand positioning...
4. Research and strategic planning (MC): Current trends in advertising research. Big data. How to manage research, utilities, etc. What is a planner? Origin, agency planners, the importance of strategy in the creative process. Insights and the importance of the cultural background.
5. The creative process. The concept (MC): What is the creative concept. Different theories. How to identify it? How to think about concepts. Big idea.
6. The creative process. Creativity (FC): Resources for creative people: Brainstorming, random words, analogies ... How to make the idea fit into the concept. Storytelling, key visual and other creative resources.
7. Advertising audiovisual language (MC). How it has evolved from its beginnings to present day.
8. Advertising in social networks (C): Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook ... Examples and best cases. How to succeed in content creation for social network. Segmentation by targets.
9. CREATIVE WORKSHOP (W): Shoot pieces for social networks from a brief. Value the ideas shot in class.
10. Branded Content (MC): Definition. What is Branded Content? What is its purpose? Examples and cases of success.
11. Storytelling (FP). Importance of the storytelling in the construction of an audiovisual piece. Tips and guides to build the storytelling of our ideas.
12. The creative process. Presentation (C): 50% of the success of an idea depends on the presentation. You only have one chance. How to "sell" an idea. Sales techniques. Presentation techniques, etc.
13. Presentation of creativities (FP): Students will present ideas about a previously given brief. The presentation will be done in front of the class.
14. The preliminary phase of the audiovisual creative piece (MC): Script, storyboard, animatic, videomatic ...
15. The processing of realization. (MC): Dossier of production. Why it’s done , how it is made, what it should contain. PPM: What is it, who attends… The filming. Examples.
16. Shooting (W). Shooting of the pieces developed by the students on the previous weeks.
17. Offline and online (MC). The different steps of postproduction. Which professionals are involved in each stage?
18. The future of audiovisual advertising (MC): Advertising pieces in 3D. Mapping. VR. Augmented reality…
19. The advertising-audiovisual sector (C): Situation of the market and who are its protagonists. Which agencies are the most relevant. Which producers are the ones that are developing the best campaigns, etc.
20. Debate (W). From a press article on the current state of audiovisual communication, students will participate in a debate, in which they will have to defend and argue their positions in front of the rest of the class.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
|---|---|
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2 |
| Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups. | 1 |
| Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). | 1 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
- 10% of class attendance. Required.
- 40% of the exercises performed in class and participation.
- 50% final exam.
Bibliography and resources
- De Bono, Edward. (2016) Lateral Thinking. A textbook of creativity.
- Ogilvy, David. (2011) Confessions of an advertising man.
- Walter, Ekaterina. (2014) The Power of Visual Storytelling: How to Use Visuals, Videos, and Social Media to Market Your Brand.
- Judkins Rod. (2016) The Art of Creative Thinking.