Super. Human

• The advertisement super. Human was created to promote the 2020 paralympic games by Bradford Young, the Oscar nominated cinematographer
• The first African American cinematographer to be nominated for an award in 2017 for his work in the film arrival
• It was devised and created by channel 4's in-house creative agency 4 creative and produced by serial pictures and somesuch a global production company
• The trailer is the 3rd campaign for the paralympic undertaken by channel 4 who were broadcasting the event and was part of a bigger campaign including posters and social media
• The advertisement explores the sacrifices made and the trials endured by paralympic althete in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo paralympic games
• All advertisements employ a recognisable repertoire of elements of the advertising form but will also have a set of conventions specific to their sub-genre
• The aim of charity advertisements and those designed to raise awareness of issues and events is designed to have immediate impact upon the audience to make them take notice therefore these advertisements need to be memorable and hard-hitting
• The producers of this sub-genre are very aware of compassion and fatigue and so will often a8j to make ads that offer a different perspective on the issue or event usually one that is more positive or upbeat
• The producers of this sub-genre are very aware of compassion and fatigue and so will often a8j to make ads that offer a different perspective on the issue or event usually one that is more positive or upbeat
• This approach is evident in super. Human with the use of audio codes. The choice of the soundtrack so you want to be a boxer from bugsy malone communicates the struggle of the disabled althetes while giving the ad a positive feel
• The more typical conventions for example a voice over and dramatic music appear at the start appear at the start of the ad but rapidly change to the alarm and the realities of daily life
• Sound effects underscore the music emphasising the battle of training including grunts, groans and tape being applied
• Sound effects underscore the music emphasising the battle of training including grunts, groans and tape being applied
• Advertisements have a limited amount of time to convey their message and so rely on technical codes and editing to do this rapidly
• This ad uses close-up shots of expressions to engage the audience and to portray aspect of disability in a non-victim way
• For example a range of shots are used to convey the strength and determination of the swimmer Ellie Simmons cutting between an establishing shot showing her alone in the pool, a close-up of her putting on her swimming goggles, a low-angels shot creating power and an extreme close up of her connoting concentration
• Slow motion is also used to show the cycling track crash combined with the muting the sound for a more dramatic effect
• Visual codes also communicate meaning
• Visual codes also communicate meaning
• The iconography and settings are related to the althete and the sport for example Ellie Simmons putting on her goggles in the pool or training in the gym but these are juxtaposed with domestic scenes of everyday life as a disabled person suggesting the normality of the situation
• Gestures communicate frustration, competition and celebration visually highlighting the result of hard work
• The narrative follows the lives of the paralympians and their battles through training
• The sequence where the althete is trying to sing happy birthday to his daughter on his mobile phone while training on a bike reinforces the clash between the sport and family establishes the althetes as real people
• There are also stylised sequences constructed to convey meaning. The dream sequence reappears later in the ad and is edited with a channel 4 news clip announcing the postponement of the games. The impact of this is shown as the althetes 'fall over the edge'
• The advert also uses humour to convey information for example the image of the hamster on the wheel and the puke bucket are recognisable visual signifers of struggle. The animated sequence also insert aspect of comic into what is a grueling regime
• As ads have to communicate meaning rapidly they use recognisable codes and conventions that signify meanings for audiences to decode.
• Clothing is used to rapidly place the althetes within their sport for example the track cyclists clothing or the swimming costume contrast with the althetes in their everyday life such ar the hospital clothing when the woman is giving birth or casual clothing when the wheelchair user tries to access the cafe
• These signs serve to illustrate aspects of the lives of people and creates realism
• The images of gruelling training regimes are contrasted with the celebratory images at the end of the ad when success is achieved
• A further visual binary opposition is created between the dreamlike sequences with dramatic images, music and the rich colour palette and the reality conveyed through ambient lighting and the strident sound of the alarm clock
• Animated and archived footage are included in opposition to real life actions to introduce humour and reinforce the narrative
• The on screen graphic to be a paralympian there's got to be something wrong with you creates a conceptual binary opposition between audience paralympic althetes and the reality
• It challenges how language is used set against the reality of positive images in the ad. It's this opposition that the audience is encouraged to reflect upon
• It is this opposition that the audience is encouraged to reflect upon
• The juxtaposition between being a paralympic althete at the peak of your powers and unable to get in a cafe for a drink is pretty shocking. And tells the story in a very simple way
• Launching the campaign, Lynsey atkin 4creatives's executive creative director said following the last two paralympic adverts was no small task they exploded attitudes around disability
• Yet we spotted an opportunity to present paralympians in a way they hadn't been shown before by pointing a camera at the realities of their lives and as with any elite althete the sacrifices they make in pursuit of greatness collectively these choices paint a story of mental determination not of disability
• The decision was therefore made to change the focus of a previous campaign 'meet the superhumans' and instead in the 2020 campaign to emphasise the human rather than the super and to juxtapose the images of training regime with this of everyday life's of althetes. With the intention of making them relatable to audiences
• Dominant groups in society largely control what is produced and as a result minority groups tend to be marginalised creating an unrealistic view of the contemporary world
• This ad attempts to address the marginalisation of certain social groups in this case those with disabilities. It's aim reflecting the ideology and ethos of channel 4 it gives a voice to those who are not usually positively represented in other areas of the media