Superhuman Flashcards
Production context
Channel 4 has a history of creating hard hitting, effective campaigns for its Paralympic coverage
Superhuman
Third campaign from Channel 4
Channel 4
Public Service Broadcaster, it has a remit to ‘Stand up for Diversity in the UK’, means they must represent those that don’t usually have a voice in the mainstream media
BBC’s remit: Inform, educate and entertain
Audio codes
Communicate the struggles of the disable athletes while giving the advertisement a positive feel
Diegetic sounds
Grunts, groans and tape being applied-Emphasising the battle of training
Technical codes and editing
Close-up shots to show the expressions of the athletes, to engage the audience and portray aspects of disability in a non-victim way, emphasising that it’s part of their life
A range of shots
Convey the strength and determination of the swimmer:
Establishing shot of her alone in the pool
A close-up of her putting on her swimming goggles
Low angle shot creating power and extreme close-up of her eyes relating to concentration
Recognisable codes and conventions
Signify messages for audience to decode
Clothing and props
Used to place the athletes within their sports, such as the swimming costumes and the stationary bike
Shows aspects of their lives of the people and creates realism
Dominant group
Largely control what is produced and minority groups tend to be marginalised, creating an unrealistic view of the contemporary world
The advert
Address the marginalisation of certain social groups, which is those with disabilities, reflecting the ideology and to give a voice to those who are not usually represented positively in other areas of the media
Positive representation of disability and coverage of the games
Changed attitude, 65% of viewers felt it had a positive impact on their views of disabled people
Avoid negative stereotypical representations
Create realistic feel
Covers both genders
Give a different view of world of disability
Representation of reality
Focusing specifically on the challenges that they face
Filming, editing and audio codes
Used to raise awareness and creating positive representations of the Paralympians as athletes
Close-up shots of athletes and their challenges during training and their home lives
Create positive representations of ordinary people
Meanings are communicated through signs
Easily recognisable signs rapidly communicate meaning to an audience in a short amount of time
Stereotypes
Occur when there are inequalities of power-Focus on athletes as ordinary men and women striving to achieve a goal, they are all distinct from each other
Recognition
Those with disabilities and allows disabled people to see themselves being represented positively in the media
More diverse and inclusive range of identities
Close-up shots
Gives the audience access to views which they may be unfamiliar with
Editing cuts between the athletes gruelling routines and clips of cartoon moments
Lightening the mood and engaging the audience through humour
Audio codes
Upbeat, stirring tune grabs the audience;s attention with its connotations of struggle and hard work paying off
Other audio codes
Suggest struggle, heavy breathing and grunting
Unique Selling point
‘showing’ of the athletes stories, attempt to give a realistic portrayal of the disabled athletes
‘To be a Paralympic, there’s got to be something wrong with you’
Encouraging them to examine their own misconceptions of disability on the Ishtar of what they have just viewed
