A Level Eduqas Media Super Human

• Silk headscarf


  Conventional for black women at night to protect their hair
• Representation in the advert

  • Female
  • Male
  • Wheelchair user
  • Amputee
• The video is particularly relevant for those studying the educast A-level media studies specification as it will appear from 2024 onwards
• The advert shows a variety of issues athletes have to deal with, including pain and suffering
• Inclusion of diverse disabilities in the advert helps tackle underrepresentation and normalize disability
• Graphic match cut

  Collision of the wheels of the wheelchair with the collision of the planets, making sports seem extreme and super-powered
• Some viewers felt that certain disabilities were left out of the advert, focusing more on obvious disabilities like wheelchair users
• Beginning of the advert

  1. Smoke, dramatic music, low-key lighting create a feeling of drama and excitement

  2. Black woman presented in the center of the frame adds a feeling of importance and power

  3. Montage of audio commentary over shots adds tension, making it feel urgent and important

  4. Tracking in shot close to her face with heavy breathing adds drama and urgency

  5. Gunshot noise transitions to a more realistic shot in bed, adding a sense of realism
• Natural black hair is often underrepresented in the media
• Disabilities are often underrepresented in the media
• The advert aims to make disability more visible, acceptable, and normalized
• Focus of the video

  • Media language representation and audiences
• Strapping up of joints and tape


  1. Makes it feel dramatic and intense, like preparing for battle

  2. Emphasizes the heroic and brave nature of the athletes, as well as the pain and suffering involved
• Ellie Simmons


  • Shown in a low angle shot to appear powerful and dominant within the frame
  • Series of jump cuts to show her success in swimming competitions and getting medals
• Shot of a man singing happy birthday to a child on a phone represents the struggle of balancing parenthood with being a sports person
• Point of view shot of the cycle track makes the audience feel included and part of the race
• Representation of masculinity and emotional aspects in the lives of athletes
• Presence of a sick bucket adds comedy and highlights the intense training and hard work of paralympians
• Representation of real-life struggles faced by disabled individuals outside of sports due to lack of accessibility
• References to postponements and medical difficulties reflect the challenges faced by people with disabilities, possibly resonating with recent events like covid
• Nightmarish imagery of Ellie Simmons weighed down by a medal shows the pressures athletes are under
• Representation of sacrifices made by athletes in their personal lives for success in sports
• Jump Cuts


  Emphasize the different days athletes train on and the monotony of training
• Shot of childbirth compared to training for the Paralympics emphasizes the challenges and normalcy in the lives of paralympians
• Surreal imagery of a black woman running and chasing symbolizes dreams and success even in subconscious thoughts
• Close-up shots of bruises and blisters emphasize the dangerous nature of the sports and the challenges athletes face
• References to illnesses like Crohn's disease and medication reflect relatable struggles for people with disabilities
• Graphic match cut

  Collision of the wheels of the wheelchair along with the Collision of the planets to emphasize strength and patriotism
• Split screen montage emphasizes potential injuries and internal damage athletes might suffer
• The difficulties medical difficulties that a lot of people with disabilities have to deal with on a day-to-day basis
• Channel 4 has more anti-establishment alternative political perspectives
• Cheering crowds add to the sense of success and winning
• Thousands of balls falling, surreal and overwhelming
• Channel 4 is known for being quite alternative and diverse
• Channel 4's previous campaigns focused on paralympians being superhuman, but this campaign shows a more diverse and realistic representation
• The advert reflects Channel 4's remit of being alternative and diverse
• Boris Johnson: 'The athletes might as well quit'
• To be a paralympian there must be something wrong with you
• Channel 4 currently has the rights to show the Paralympics on TV
• Channel 4 is a not-for-profit company and relies on sponsorship deals for funding