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Advertising revision (Component 1 Section A) . (WATERAID)

In what way do the following advertisements create meaning? Make reference to texts you have studied

WaterAid - Claudia
- Shows us the 'after' of supporting the charity
- Colour scheme beige, brown, yellow. Very hot, dry, dusty
- Hopefull conventions (singing, smiling) subversively positive for genre (no sad children)

NHS Quit Smoking 
- Conventions of horror genre as a visual aid for feelings of disgust e.g. body horror genre like the thing with fleshy tumours 
- Colour scheme grey, muted, desaturated which makes fleshy blob stand out more. 


Plan terms:
mise en scene
binary opposition 
shot type 
diagetic / nondiagetic
colour grading 
semiotic codes e.g. symbolic, prioretic, hermeneutic
representation (poor, black, white, working class)

DAC - Definition, argument, context:

D Intertextuality is where one media product makes reference to another, in order to engage with and create meaning for the audience. Intertextuality allows producers a short cut and opportunity to further present their ideology.


A - 


C - Wateraid is a long established charity 

Plan: 
- Definition of an advertisement (Made to sell a product, show producers ideologies)
- Initial reaction 
- Colour scheme inspire different emotions in audience (hopeful, fear)
- Claudia advert is subversive in its presentation and delivery. NHS is not subversive



Points:


Water aid:
Establishing stereotypical shot of Britain mise en scene of rain, radio in British voice, muted colour tones of blue. Allows British audiences to identify with it. Next shot is of an African setting. This is a powerful binary opposition to show the target audience the difference in environments and show what we, the British target audience, take for granted. Diagetic sound of radio creates a realistic and relatable atmosphere. 

Diagetic sound of singing creates a positive, delightful and hopeful atmosphere. It is also a cover of a British Pop Song by Zoe "Sunshine on a rainy day" to anchor that this is a hopeful and happy place. Anchorage of the optimistic soundtrack gives the preferred reading but is also potentially patronising and overly obvious. However, it also subverts the conventions of the charity advert genre. This can be seen in the shots of children laughing and playing symbolic code of the flowing water tap which shows the audience that their donations can help create the happiness. Charity adverts will often focus on the negative for shock value. 

Mixture of close up and tracking shots positions audience with Claudia (not in a creepy way) but that we are accompanying her through her journey to the water. Frequent cuts to POV shots prevent the advert from being voyeuristic.


NHS:

Establishing shot of a stereotypical British semi-detatched house. The working class target audience and working class status of the actor is shown through the mise en scene of the standing washingline connoting that they cannot afford a dryer, as well as the old looking childrens toys.

The muted, desaturated grey-bluish colour grading connotes a dreary and sad tone which fits stereotypical charity adverts. 

The imagery of the pulsating tumour of flesh has intertextual horror references to films like The Thing and The Fly which have emphasis on body horror and mutations of flesh. This also creates a priaoretic code that the protagonist will slowly kill himself as it grows on the cigarrete which heightens the potential fear, disgust and horror in the audience. 

This cultivates the ideology that smoking is disgusting and horrifying. It also does this by not casting a stereotypically or hegemonically attractive man, which deglamourises and anchors that smoking is for 'ugly' people which is a binary opposition against glamorous smoking adverts.

However, the extreme nature of the advert may create an oppositional reading in the target audience who may be put off by the themes and ideologies being presented. 

Lack of ambient sound or a non-diagetic soundtrack emphasises a boring and dull atmosphere creates a plienastic (exaggerated) sound of the crackle of the cigarette adn his breathing. 

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