The Big Issue

 

Charity Advert Analysis 1

 Most Shocking second a day

 

General conventions

 

The campaign’s name is “Save Syria’s Children” and its purpose is to raise money and also raise awareness around the issue. In this advert, Strauss’s theory of Binary Oppositions could apply as the little girl and her family are the victims and maybe even the protagonists of the story, and the attackers are the antagonists. The advert is meant to evoke empathy towards the people of Syria and refugees, and maybe even guilt the audience into donating to the cause.

 

 

Use of Camera and Editing

 

The advert starts with a close up shot of the girl blowing her candles on her birthday, creating empathy as it shows her emotions; the girl is happy and celebrates her birthday with her family and friends, which later contrasts her next birthday that’s her and her mother only. The following shots show the girl living an ordinary life – she’s shown eating, sleeping and playing in a safe place. She remains the focus of the video, however, later on the audience can see adults arguing and preparing to flee in the background, which gradually builds up the tension. Each shot tends to be a few seconds long and capturing the cast’s emotions in order to evoke empathy from the audience. The quick pace of editing suggests that this girl’s world is changing very fast; as the audience struggles to keep up with the storyline, they are feeling the same overwhelming emotions as the girl, and therefore making them empathise.

 

Props, costume and mise-en-scene

 

In terms of props, before the war starts, the girl is shown to be eating regular food, and later on as she and her mother have escaped she is eating a rotten apple and having porridge for her birthday. The shocking contrast in her diet definitely evokes empathy from the audience and encourages them to donate to the cause. In the beginning of the video we can see that the girl tends to be in her school uniform in a few of the shots, and as the advert progresses she is still wearing the uniform she fled with but now it’s dirty and ruined; this could possibly symbolise the idea of her education being ruined as well.

 

Lighting and Colour

 

 The advert also shows the audience a big contrast in setting and props. When the family is still living at their house the atmosphere is safe and cosy; for example, there is a lot of warm colours and lights, and good weather in the first part of the video and that creates a positive connotations and a safe environment for the child that is later destroyed due to the beginning of the war. As the video progresses, we are exposed to the tough conditions the family has to go through. In order to emphasize their struggle, the colours they have used have become less opaque and vibrant and there is a grey cast over them.

 

Sound

 

The sound used in the advert is diegetic; the audience is able to hear the cast’s speech and the sound in the background. By doing this, the producers increase the levels of verisimilitude and enables the audience to believe that what is happening is real, therefore evoking more empathy from them. We can hear the girl playing, learning French and talking to her parents, but also the background noise like the family discussing their plans at the back, and later on the chaos created by the war (shooting, bombing, etc.). We can hear the little girl shouting for her parents which yet again evokes empathy and hopefully encourages the audience to donate to the cause.

 

Language

 

In terms of written language, the slogan “SaveSyriasChildren” is meant to provoke an empathetic reaction from the audience and encourage them to take responsibility and get them to donate to the cause. Throughout the video we can hear parts of dialogue and maybe a few phrases; the fact that the pace is so quick and doesn’t let the audience hear much further emphasizes the idea of how quickly their life could change.