media language

Question 1

how are we introduced to C?

Answer 1

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Question 2

what is the mis en scene in UK?

what audio and visual codes are established?

Answer 2

• opening medium shot with pull focus between radio and rainy against window
• this establishes the mis en scene of advert in a modern, British setting
• audio codes of radio are of an announcer with English accent

Question 3

when is there equilibrium?

Answer 3

-British mis en scene connotes this is equilibrium

Question 4

what happens at the sound bridge in the beginning?

Answer 4

-sound bridge changes the scene to a much dryer setting with a warmer colour palette

Question 5

what binary opposition’s can be formed?

Answer 5

• water vs dry
• us vs them
• england vs africa

Question 6

how is narrative constructed?

Answer 6

• through visual and audio codes working together to construct narrative of ‘sunshine’ (Africa) on a ‘rainy day’ (Britain)
• creates a juxtaposition between 2 settings

Question 7

when are diegetic sounds heard?

Answer 7

• as more people are seen in video, more sounds are heard
• denotation of what is literally there
• diegetic sound of water, singing

Question 8

what do the denotations help build up to?

what is the meaning of them?

Answer 8

-denotations help build up pragmatic choices by the producers that systematically lead to the meaning that due to your donations, you have personally provided water to this community

Question 9

C dress codes?

Answer 9

• protagonist wears stereotypical knee length skirt and pink colour palette in her top and shoes
• connotes femininity

Question 10

how is her independence connoted?

what denotations construct this?

Answer 10

• through the wide angled establishing shot of C
• she is denoted as walking alone down a long and dusty empty road
• this connotes her independence

Question 11

how is C represented as powerful and strong?

Answer 11

• through low angle shot/ eye level shots
• never use high angle shots
• has the effect to make her seem empowered

Question 12

what is the advertising technique that WA used to personalise the narrative?

Answer 12

• through naming their protagonist
• creates empathy, identification, personalisation
• creates a sense of realism to convince audiences to donate

Question 13

what is the effect of the tracking shot of C?

Answer 13

• audience positioned to be walking alongside C as she makes her way to the water source
• creates a sense of realism and personalisation as they are seeing what C is seeing

Question 14

what is the mis en scene in Africa?

Answer 14

• mis en scene of a hot country Is created through a warm colour palette and establishing shots of fields, dusty roads, dry landscape
• clean water is later shown with lots of sunlight creating a jovial setting

Question 15

Barthes hermeneutic code and proairetic code

Answer 15

• suspense is created through the enigmatic use of the slow-motion, medium close-up, low-angle tracking shot of Claudia’s feet and the swinging bucket (Barthes’ Hermeneutic Code)
• and is emphasised by the crescendo of the song in the scene at the water pump over which the informative on screen graphic appears (proairetic code)

Question 16

Barthes semantic code

Answer 16

• Barthes’ Semantic Code could be applied to the lines from the song used from 00.34 diegetically and then as a sound bridge over the medium shot of a group of women carrying water buckets on their heads: “make me feel, make me feel like I belong… don’t leave me, won’t leave me here”
• connotation here being that the text’s audience can help Claudia “feel like she belongs” and “won’t leave” her there/ in that situation if they donate to Wateraid

Question 17

Barthes symbolic code

Answer 17

-the Symbolic Codes (Barthes) of drought ridden African countries are reinforced both visually and through the advert’s audio codes up until about 00.47