WaterAid facts Flashcards
Year established
1981
Year created
2016
Genre
Charity advert
Produced
WaterAid
Distributed
Atomic London
Key aspect 1 - conventions
Conforms: Key information about the concern, personalised narrative, direct appeal for money
Subverts: No non-diegetic voice over, no melancholic audio codes, no black and white visuals
Key aspect 2 - locations
The opening medium shot with a pull focus between the digital radio and the rain against the window establishes the advert in a modern, British setting (the audio codes are of an announcer with an English
accent). It’s connoted that the scenes that follow (in an unnamed but likely African country) are happening at the same time.
Key aspect 3 - tracking shot
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 emphasised by the crescendo of the song in the scene at the water pump over
which the informative on-screen graphic appears (Barthes’ Proairetic Code).
Representation - dress codes
The dress codes of the advert’s main female character include a stereotypical knee-length skirt and pink colour palette in both her top and shoes
Target audience
Parents aged 30-40