EXAM QUESTION PAPER 1 SECTION A Q1

EXAM QUESTION PAPER 1 SECTION A Q1

Section A: Analysing Media Language and Representation Representation Question 1 is based on the unseen audio-visual resource and the WaterAid advertisement you have studied. 

The audio-visual resource consists of a television advertisement which is part of the Save The Children Most Shocking Second a Day campaign, made in 2014. 
You will be allowed one minute to read Question 1. The advertisement will be shown three times. First viewing: watch the advertisement. Second viewing: watch the advertisement and make notes. You will then have five minutes to make further notes Third viewing: watch the advertisement and make final notes. Once the third viewing has finished, you should answer Question 1. 

1. Compare how audiences are positioned by the representations in this Save The Children advertisement and the WaterAid advertisement you have studied.

In your answer you must:
 consider how the representations construct versions of reality ( using technical codes)
 consider the similarities and differences in how audiences are positioned ( encouraged and 
     guided  to respond ) by the representations
 make judgments and draw conclusions about how far the representations relate to relevant     
     media contexts

In both adverts, they reinforce charity advertisement conventions by including the concern of each charity, as in Save The Children their concern is helping children able to live a life where they can behave like children. As the young British girl is acting like a child in the beginning celebrating her birthday, playing with friends in school and her parents. I think that the birthday is a key use in the advert, as she was having an ordinary child life which is 'typical' life in Britain. To present her everyday life, the editing cuts everyday of her life, 'jump cut' making the audience on edge due to the cuts being too fast for them to keep up, caring the audience wanting to rewatch to understand fully what the meaning behind the advert.  Also the whole advert is a close up of the child face, however, she doesn't make direct eye contact with the audience, until the very end of the advert she directly addresses the audience trying to say 'help me' and guilt the audience to donate. Yet, with WaterAid there are various shots, long shots and close up to present multiply meaning to get the audience to understand. Suspense created through enigmatic, low-angle tracking shot of Claudia's feet and shining bucket. Emphasised by the crescendo of the song in the scene at the water pump over. The Save The Children , within a year she also suffered running away from bombs and sleeping on the street, that when she is celebrating her birthday again it seems like she is in a refugee hostile camp. The meaning the advert is trying to make is within a year the life of the family can change, to become something horrific, however, the children in other country are born into a world like that. Which is similar to the WaterAid charity, as they want people that live in areas in a less developed country able to get clean and filtered water. Also, they both have a personalized narrative, since the main characters of the advert are starring a young girl. In the WaterAid advert, Claudia is represented in a costume, a stereotypical knee-length skirt and a pink colour palette of both the top and shoes. More conventionally constructed and represents the suffering of its main 'character' in a more explicit and emotive way. Stereotypical 'victim' needing our help, an archetype with the audience to be familiar with many other charity adverts. Making the positive representation of Claudia as a healthy, independent and musically talented woman stand out to an audience. Who may have been immune to the emotive representation conventionally deployed by this advertising sub-genre.  The young women that we see in the advert at the beginning, are similar to the main girl 'Claudia' collecting water at the water pump, it connotes she had to 'grow up too quickly' because of the tough environment where she lives. Her independence is connoted by the wide-angles shot which is denoted when she was walking down the long and empty dusty road. Stuart Hall's theory of  representation can be linked because of the dry, dusty African environment as people may be struggling to survive 'shared conceptual road map' meaning more positive audio codes then work to challenge these stereotypes that are represented in society. Which is creating enigmas why Claudia appears to be so positive, to the audience as if they put themselves in her situation, personal identity, they probably would be irritated most of the times. Yet, at the end of the advert the solution for the enigmas is given to the audience when we first see the water pump. Then the audience can infer that just because of water that people take advantage of in Britain, people in less developed country are grateful for something so simple as water. We can tell that the audience is British due to 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, which connoted the scenes an unnamed nut likely African country. The visuals and audio codes work together to construct the narrative of 'sunshine' (in Africa) 'on a rainy day' (in Britain.) Which are associated problems of drought and 'lack of access to clean drinking water' that the charity is aiming to relieve. The adverts is trying to position the audience as they take advantage of water as in the very beginning of the advert they present England on a rainy day, and everyone would feel miserable as they see it on a daily business, yet then just after the binary opposite, of the dry and humid African country which they would be grateful for their to be rain or water, especially shown at the end of the advert. Making the audience to be guilty and give donations to the charity, due to their guilt.

David Gauntlett's theory of identity, Claudia acts as a role model because the type of lifestyle changes the audience could be responsible for creating if they donate to WaterAid. Liesbet Van Zoone's feminist theory is presented in the WaterAid as stereotypically the male roles of the house/ family is the 'provider.' Claudia contributing to social change representing women in a non-traditional roles, collecting water is physically challenging. It reinforce stereotypes of women being associated with care of children. As during the advert a mother is putting out clothes to dry, as the children are playing, she is indirectly looking after and watching them. Similar to how Save The Children, the young child is being looked after by the parents but mother is always looking after her child as giving 1 gas mask for her daughter instead of herself suggesting the role of the mother being care and prioritise their child. However, male figures isn't really showed in the WaterAid advert, probably due to empowering women in an indirect way as giving women a physical task which 'usually' is a the male role in the family. Yet, there are more scene with a male figure, however, as it's a mothers 'duty' to protect their child and the father is protecting the whole family.  The likely target audience of WaterAid are people in their 30s-40s, as they are likely to remember the original song and get pleasure from the nostalgic song they are familiar with, also maybe the audience could be literate with technology is that donations are encouraged through the imperative, 'Text SUNNY to 70555 to give £3 today and help reach more people like Claudia.' However, Save The Children Advert put a quote, " Just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening " they use hints of emotive language due to putting a situation happening in other/ less developed countries in England able for more of a personal identity. Also both adverts have audience demographic that is constructed through the advert's use of young women, personal identity, as the parents watching the advert feel empathy for better life for the main character which is a child as they wouldn't want their own child to go through something so traumatic. Cultivation theory , George Gerbner, audiences are used to conventions of sub-genre of advertising or 'immune' to pleading, non-diegetic voiceovers, black and white, slow motion, emotive representation of people's suffering. Targets audience's shaping their world view that the suffering of people less fortunate by charitable donations.

Overall, I believe that Save The Children is more effective to get  more donations due to seeing the life children get from the ending of the main character, 'child' after living an ordinary life that most people had in Britain. Especially with the ending of the the advert using a direct message, to guilt the audience. However, there would be more people conflicted with the WaterAid advert due to it being a positive video and either people won't care as they see people 'happy' whereas more depressing life for children in the other countries. Positioning the audience to give donations as then they can relate with the advert more as everyone was a child once, then with the WaterAid advert that the audience can't relate with the advert as they will still have water even in the future.