Super.Human

Question 1

why was the advert made?

Answer 1

created to promote the 2020 paralymic games by Bradford young

Question 2

who made the advert?

Answer 2

Bradford young

Question 3

what company made the advert?

Answer 3

it was created by channel 4’s in house creative agency ‘4Creative’ and produced by serial pictures and somesuch

Question 4

what does the advert explore?

Answer 4

the sacrifices made and the trials endured by the paralympic athletes in preparation for the 2020 tokyo olympic games

Question 5

what is the aim of charity advertisements?

Answer 5

to raise awareness of issues and events and to make an immediate impact upon the audience to make them take notice. the advertisements therefore need to be more memorable and hard hitting.

Question 6

How does the advertisement avoid compassion fatigue?

Answer 6

it offers a different perspective on the issue/event, which is more positive and upbeat (this is done through the audio codes)

Question 7

what is the name of the song used in the advert?

Answer 7

‘so you want to be a boxer’ by bugsy malone

Question 8

what does the music effectively do?

Answer 8

it effectively communicates the struggles of disabled athletes whilst giving the advert a positive feel. the choice of the upbeat, stirring tune grabs the audiences attention with it’s connotations of struggle and hard work paying off

Question 9

what does rapid change from the voice over and the dramatic music to the alarm clock do?

Answer 9

emphasises the reality of everyday life

Question 10

what is the effect of the sound effects?

Answer 10

underscores the music and emphasises the battle of training including grunts, groans and tape being applied

Question 11

what do the close-up shots of the expressions do?

Answer 11

engages the audience and portrays the aspects of disability in a non-victim way, and emphasises that this is just a part of their lives

Question 12

the slow motion and muting of the music creates what?

Answer 12

a dramatic effect

Question 13

what do gestures communicate?

Answer 13

frustration, competition, and celebration- this visually highlighys the result of hard work

Question 14

where is there juxtaposition in the advert?

Answer 14

Where ellie simmonds is putting on her goggles, and when other paralympians are training which is juxtaposed with domestic scenes of everyday life.

Question 15

what is the narrative?

Answer 15

the narrative follows the lives of paralympians and their battles through training.

Question 16

where does the advert use humour?

Answer 16

-the hamster on the wheel
-the puke bucket

these are both visual signifiers of struggle

Question 17

what is costume used for?

Answer 17

to rapidly place the athletes within their sport for example, ellie simmonds is in a swimming costume which contrasts to the woman trying to get into the cafe wearing everyday clothing- the signs illustrate aspects of their lives and creates realism

Question 18

what did claude levi-strauss believe in?

Answer 18

binary opposition (basically the belief of juxtaposition)

Question 19

where is there binary opposition in the advert?

Answer 19

the images of gruelling training regimes are contrasted with the celebratory images at the end of the advertisement when success is achieved

Question 20

why is animated and archive footage included?

Answer 20

it is included in opposition to real-life actions to introduce humour and reinforce the narrative

Question 21

what does the on text graphic ‘to be a paralympian there’s got to be something wrong with you’ create?

Answer 21

it creates a conceptual binary opposition between the audience’s perception of paralympic athletes and the reality.

Question 22

what does the advertisement attempt to do?

Answer 22

it attempts to address the marginalisation of disabled people.

Question 23

what does the advertisement avoid doing?

Answer 23

avoids showing the stereotypical representations of paralympians as ‘superhumans’ or people to be pitied, instead they should be viewed in awe, and the advert creates a realistic feel to the advertisement. The producers also avoid the stereotype that the disabled athletes have to ‘overcome’ their disability in order to achieve success, instead celebrating them as high-performance athletes in their own way.

Question 24

how is a representation of reality constructed?

Answer 24

by focusing specifically on the challenges that the athletes face. It creates positive representations of the paralympians as athletes first, rather than as disabled people ‘doing their best’

Question 25

what does the fast pace editing enable?

Answer 25

it enables the advertisement to highlight a range of narratives and athletes with different disabilities, disciplines and challenges.

Question 26

according to stuart hall, how are meanings communicated?

Answer 26

through signs- this is shown in the advertisement were there are easily recognisable signs that communicate meaning- such as facial expressions, we can tell when someone is struggling when training

Question 27

what does super.human offer audiences?

Answer 27

a more diverse and inclusive range of indentities and broadens general understanding of what it means to be disabled as an athlete and in everyday life.

Question 28

what is an example of a technical code in the advert?

Answer 28

close up shots- for example the popping of the blister which creates an uncomfortable feel to the advert.

Question 29

what is the effect of the editing cuts?

Answer 29

the advert cuts between gruelling routines and clips of cartoon moments, which lightens the mood and engages the audience

Question 30

what are two examples of audio codes?

Answer 30

non diagetic- the buggsy malone song
diagetic- heavy breathing, grunting, a baby crying and a woman giving birth

Question 31

what does the ending of the advert encourage the audience to do?

Answer 31

examine their own misconceptions of disability in the light of what they have just viewed

Question 32

what is the cultivation theory by george gerbner?

Answer 32

that the media plants an ideology/message ( a seed) into society, and over exposure in the media of this idea means that a stereotype is created and an audience is convinced and believes in that ideology or message

Question 33

how can the advertisment be a challenge to the cultivation theory?

Answer 33

as a result to audiences viewing advertisements who aim to raise awareness and give a voice to previously under-represented groups. audiences may question their assumptions and be more open to the representation.

Question 34

what is compassion fatigue and what does it cause?

Answer 34

Compassion fatigue can be caused by long advertisements with multiple examples of suffering, or too many adverts in an acute time frame. Too much guilt can be counterproductive and make audiences hesitant to donate due to the consistent invasive feeling of guilt and pity.

Question 35

How many paralympic adverts had channel 4 previously made and how do they differ to the 2020 ‘Super.Human’ advert?

Answer 35

SuperHuman is the third of Channel 4’s advertising campaigns for the paralympic games- the 2020 version contrasts the versions from 2016 and 2012. Previous channel 4 paralympic adverts had focused on Athletes being ‘Super humans’, for example heroic and not completely ‘real’ or ‘normal’. However, channel 4 kept to the ‘Superhuman’ title in the 2020 advert but changed it to ‘Super.Human’, focusing on the human side of the athletes as well as their successes. This way, channel 4 are showing a rich and diverse representation of paralympic sport because they are showing the reality of disability. This representation seems a lot more balanced and realistic in comparison to previous paralympic advert campaigns.

Question 36

What sponsorship message is shown at the end of the advert and why is it relevant?

Answer 36

The end of the advertisement features a Toyota sponsorship message- this is relevant as the advertisement was sponsored by Toyota which reflects the idea that it is very expensive to film and broadcast sporting events and they need extra revenue from sponsorship to help with this. Channel 4 is also a not-for-profit organisation

Question 37

how does Super.Human Tokyo follow Levis’ strauss’ structuralism theory?

Answer 37

(the idea that all media texts have areas of binary opposition and areas of contrast)
Levis Strauss’ theory is evident in Superhuman tokyo as binary opposition is created through the repeated image of gruelling training throughout the advertisement which is contrasted with celebratory images at the end of the advertisement when success is achieved. A further binary opposition is shown at the beginning of the advertisement, showcasing a dreamlike sequence with dramatic images, music and rich colour palette which is immediately broken by a sense of reality through the strident sound of the alarm clock and ambient lighting. Lastly, the on-screen graphic ‘To be a Paralympian there’s got to be something wrong with you’ creates a conceptual binary opposition between audience’s perception of what disabled people are and are not capable of in contrast of reality, as well as audience perception of what it is like to be an athlete in comparison to the reality.

Question 38

how does Super.Human Tokyo agree with Roland Barthes Semiotics theory?

Answer 38

According to Barthes, anything in culture can be a sign and send a specific message to the audience. As advertisements have to communicate meaning rapidly, they use recognisable codes and conventions that signify messages to the audience for them to decode. For example, In SuperHuman Tokyo, clothing is used to rapidly place the athletes within their sport- these signs serve to illustrate aspects of the lives of the people and creates realism.

Question 39

how does Super.Human Tokyo disagree with George Gerbner’s theory of cultivation?

Answer 39

Gerber’s theory suggests that the producers plant an ideology within a media text; with constant exposure to this ideology, the audience will begin to believe it as well and shapes audiences perceptions. In terms of SuperHuman, audiences may have become used to the conventions of this sub-genre which raises awareness of a particular social group. SuperHuman subverts Gerbner’s cultivation theory as viewing this advertisement, which aims to raise awareness of disabled athletes and give a voice to previously under-represented groups, may cause audiences to question their assumptions and be more open to representation in other advertisements. Superhuman offers a refreshing and more realistic perception of what it means to be disabled, whilst challenging common preconceptions and mainstream values.