Paralympics Advert Flashcards
Target audience for advertisement- paralympics
• Age 16-34
• Psychographics: reformers, explorers
• Socio-economic group: ABC1
• Interests: sports, alternative representations, Channel 4
3 production companies behind the advertisement
• 4Creative (UK)
• Somesuch (UK+US)
• Serial Pictures (US)
How does the Paralympics advert avoid compassion fatigue?
Adding humour:
• Bugsy Malone soundtrack adds comedy
• Animated failure clip memes
Stuart Hall’s Reception theory: Preferred reading
Target audience
• enjoy sport
• want to see challenging representations that dispell long term stereotypes that are common in mainstream media
Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory: Oppositional Reading
• less open minded to progressive representations
• lack of interest in sport
• older
Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory: Negotiated reading
• lack of interest in sport
• enjoy seeing progressive representations
Or
• like sports
• not overly interested in representations
How did the representation of disability in 2020 Paralympics advertisement (Super.Human) differ from their previous advertisements?
2012 (Meet the Super Human) and 2016 (We’re the Superhumans)
• Focuses on the ‘human’ aspect of title, unique selling point, alternate representation of disability, challenging myths (halls representation theory)
• Focuses on hardship of everyday life and training
• disability not a major part of the narrative
Binary oppositions in the advertisement
• struggle of training vs celebration
• success vs failure
• animated and archive footage in binary opposition to realistic actions to reinforce narrative and create hour
• conceptual binary opposition between audience perception of Paralympic athletes and reality
Advertisement raising awareness about difficulties surrounding disability
• Female Paralympian in wheelchair unable to access cafe - close up of disappointed and angry facial expression, Diagetic sound: ‘For fuck’s sake’ - long shot of wheeling away
• Grunting whilst putting on prosthetic leg
Graphic imagery in advert
• extreme close up of blister being popped
• time lapse of bruise developing, extreme close up
• Montage of diagetic sound shots, athletes making sounds of exertion
Relatability of advert:
• Waking up to blaring alarm
• Crying children in the middle of the night
• Spending time with family/ friends - mid long shot of father and daughter cycling
Narrative codes of cyclist storyline
• failure - falling off bike
• rigorous training
• sacrificing time with family to train
Cyclist sacrificing time with family: technical codes, visual codes, narrative codes
• Narrative code: sacrificing time with family,on FaceTime with daughter whilst training
• Settings in binary opposition (visual code) : bright primary colours of celebration scene, balloons, party hat juxtapose bleak, dimly lit training studio, isolated, illustrated by shot reverse shot
• Technical codes: Diegetic conversation : ‘Where did you go?’, phone dropped - level of disconnect and isolation when training
Cyclist rigorous training: narrative codes, technical codes, visual codes
• Long shot (visual codes) - gesture code cycling, isolated in dim, bleak studio, going fast
• Close up low angle - sweaty hair, gagging (technical code diegetic) exertion, but empowering
• close up of pedals of bike - exertion, reinforced by graphic match cut with clip of hamster wheel
Cyclist failure: narrative codes, technical codes, visual codes
• use of intellectual montage when falling off bike to create comedy ( avoiding compassion fatigue)
How does the advert address Stuart Hall’s theory of representation?
• advert focuses on the athletes as ordinary sportspeople striving towards a goal. (Challenging representation as the other)
• The athletes are three dimensional with individual narrative therefore avoiding simplifying their representation
David Guantlett’s theory of identity and Paralympics
• represents a marginalised group positively, encouraging a stronger sense of self and self expression in disabled people
• USP - realistic portrayal of athlete’s lives, juxtaposes stereotypical representations involving voiceovers and graphics moralising the plight of the disabled
George Gerbner’s Cultivation theory with Paralympics
• Audience have become desensitised to the intent of the subgenre due to its constant repetition of conventions (compassion fatigue)
• e.g focusing on a specific disability accompanied by a voice- over with a serious mode of address
Range of shots used in ellie simmons narrative
• establishing shot alone in the poll
• close up of putting on swimming goggles (iconography)
• low angle shot connoting power( reinforced by medal iconography)
• extreme close up of her eyes, connoting concentration
(Creating a narrative through these shots, reflects how advertisements have limited time to convey a message so rely on technical codes)
Impact of representation on audience
According to YouGov:
• 82% of viewers agreed that disabled athletes were as talented as able bodied athletes
• 65% of viewers felt the coverage of the Paralympics had a positive impact on their perception of disabled people
Diverse racial representation in advert
• black female runner wears a silk bonnet whilst waking up to alarm, relatable
• engages black audience as natural black hair isn’t usually depicted in the media
Exposing difficulties surrounding disability
• Montage of joints being taped, strapped and pushed into prosthetics illustrates struggles people with disabilities face, reinforced by technical code of diegetic hyperbolic grunting sounds
• also illustrates their heroism
Tight training regime
Shots of athletes training cross cut with archive style footage of soldiers marching and training
Cyclist stereotypical representation.
Typical representation as an absent father, yet also tries to emotionally connect with his daughter
Ellie Simmons pressure of being an Olympian
• Low angle shot of Olympic medal, illustrates its weight, nightmarish imagery, medal iconography of her previous success
• shot is underwater, visual codes connote threat of drowning, danger
Ellie Simmons competing with past achievements
• low angle shot creates power, reinforced through iconography of stacked medals
• black swimming costume compared to white previous one binary opposition, reflects numerous races and training
• This shot ellie has makeup - reflects binary opposition of celebration+ success vs hard training
Weightlifter amputee storyline
• camera on bar, outfit changes with every extension - reflects how much athletes have to train
• Reinforced by facial expression depicting exertion
• Long shot with tracking movement - dragging weights, reflects perseverance, does it on his own, disproving myths about carers
Struggles of amputee weightlifter
• mid shot of doctor, illustrates lyrics of the song ‘You might as well quit’
• Opens cabinet and thousands of pills spill out, representing Crohn’s disease and issues people with long term disabilities face, nightmarish
• Doctor scrubs and hospital setting signifies this
Impact of close up of weightlifter amputee
• yells, diegetic sound, sweaty, followed by a graphic montage of injury - illustrates hardship of training
• acts as a binary opposition to low angle shot later in ad depicting him yelling in success whilst completing a pb
