Paralympics Advert

Question 1

Target audience for advertisement

Answer 1

• Age 16-34
• Psychographics: reformers, explorers
• Socio-economic group: ABC1
• Interests: sports, alternative representations, Channel 4

Question 2

3 production companies behind the advertisement

Answer 2

• 4Creative (UK)
• Somesuch (UK+US)
• Serial Pictures (US)

Question 3

How does the Paralympics advert avoid compassion fatigue?

Answer 3

Adding humour:
• Bugsy Malone soundtrack adds comedy
• Animated failure clip memes

Question 4

Stuart Hall’s Reception theory: Preferred reading

Answer 4

Target audience
• enjoy sport
• want to see challenging representations that dispell long term stereotypes that are common in mainstream media

Question 5

Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory: Oppositional Reading

Answer 5

• less open minded to progressive representations
• lack of interest in sport
• older

Question 6

Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory: Negotiated reading

Answer 6

• lack of interest in sport
• enjoy seeing progressive representations
Or
• like sports
• not overly interested in representations

Question 7

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)

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

Binary oppositions in the advertisement

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Advertisement raising awareness about difficulties surrounding disability

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Graphic imagery in advert

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

Relatability of advert:

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

Narrative codes of cyclist storyline

Answer 12

• failure - falling off bike
• rigorous training
• sacrificing time with family to train

Question 13

Cyclist sacrificing time with family: technical codes, visual codes, narrative codes

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

Cyclist rigorous training: narrative codes, technical codes, visual codes

Answer 14

• 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
• close up of pedals of bike - exertion, reinforced by graphic match cut with clip of hamster wheel

Question 15

Cyclist failure: narrative codes, technical codes, visual codes

Answer 15

• use of intellectual montage when falling off bike to create comedy ( avoiding compassion fatigue)

Question 16

How does the advert address Stuart Hall’s theory of representation?

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

David Guantlett’s theory of identity and Paralympics

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

George Gerbner’s Cultivation theory with Paralympics

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

Range of shots used in ellie simmons narrative

Answer 19

• 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)

Question 20

Impact of representation on audience

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Diverse racial representation in advert

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

Exposing difficulties surrounding disability

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

Tight training regime

Answer 23

Shots of athletes training cross cut with archive style footage of soldiers marching and training

Question 24

Cyclist stereotypical representation.

Answer 24

Typical representation as an absent father, yet also tries to emotionally connect with his daughter

Question 25

Ellie Simmons pressure of being an Olympian

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

Ellie Simmons competing with past achievements

Answer 26

• 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

Question 27

Weightlifter amputee storyline

Answer 27

• 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

Question 28

Struggles of amputee weightlifter

Answer 28

• 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

Question 29

Impact of close up of weightlifter amputee

Answer 29

• 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