super.human Paralympics

• miss en scene of the first shot

  smoke, lowkey lighting, dramatic non diegetic music creates drama and excitement
• black woman at beginning of video

  positioning, montage and shot

  in the centre of the frame - makes her seem important

  
  

  montage of audio commentary adds tension and realism as though it is a real competition being judged

  
  

  tracking shot and exaggerated breathing makes it seem like an important event with high pressure
• black woman at beginning of video

  facial expression & gunshot alarm


  cool, calm face shows she is prepared and ready

  
  

  the gun shot transitions into an alarm > helps us contrast the dream sequence with the reality
• her silk hair cap

  engage black audiences who often aren't shown natural black hair being represented in the media
• diversity within the video

  a range of disabilities & ethnicity & genders

  disabilities are often underrepresented in the media so the inclusion of people with disabilities may help to engage audiences who deal with disabilities themselves
• montage of joints being taped emphasise the

  joints being taped, strapped and pushed into prosthetics along with hyperbolic sounds emphasis the preparation they go through everyday
• what does the joints being taped suggest

  a real battle and physical determination - feels quite gritty and real rather than glamorous
• Ellie Simonds - what do the low angle shots & jump cuts represent her as


  low angle shots - dominant and powerful

  jump cuts/ montages of different races signifies how many races she has entered and won ( signified by costume change )
• what do the shots of Ellies medals emphasise


  her success
• how are the athletes compared to soldiers

  shots of people training is crosscut with achieve style of soldiers marching

  compares the athletes to soldiers, represents them as brave and strong
• what graphic match cut signifies strength and power

  wheelchair collision & planets colliding
• shot reverse shot of the cyclist on the phone to his daughter connotes

  how hard it is to juggle training with parenting
• the child seems sad her dad isn't there

  sad reactions and physical separations emphasise


  the sacrifices they make to be the best
• how might some audiences interpret this as

  mens wanting to be emotionally involved with their children but being prevented by external pressures
• what do the jump cuts emphasise

  multiple days of training the athletes have to endure
• what's used to suggest the monotony of daily training

  juxtaposition/ graphic matchcut of the hamster wheel
• the use of the 'puke bucket'

  - adds comedy

  suggest they have to train until ill
• cuts between training and screams during child birth


  suggest the amount of pain that training can cause
• how does childbirth make paralympains seem relatable

  signifies that paralympians are normal humans dealing with everyday issues such as pregnancy, child brith and parenting

  helps make them normalised and relatable
• close up shots of pimples and blisters being popped


  plays on the popularity of 'gross' videos

  emphasises the risks and dangers of the sport and the real problems suffered by athletes
• woman trying to get into a cafe

  her wheelchair can't get up the step

  shows discrimination faced by disabled people and encourages change
• nightmarish imagery of Ellie Simonds


  being weighed underwater by a medal

  emphasise the fear athletes have

  the pressure they're under and the struggles they face
• what medical issues are referenced

  Crohns disease

  shots of doctors, medication etc
• what does crohns disease being mentioned emphasise

  long term health issues that many people with disabilities deal with
• what shot is shown of Boris Johnson


  manipulated shot and audio, accompanied with negative words saying the athletes 'might as well quit
• how does this shot of Boris represent channel 4's political views

  anti-establishment and alternative standpoint

  suggesting the government isn't always supportive of disabilities
• "To be a Paralympian there's got to be something wrong with you"

  
  

  some people weren't happy with the message, but what did it mean to emphasise?

  plays on the negative stereotype that being disabled is somehow wrong

  
  

  how crazy you must be to put yourself through the stress and pain of being a Paralympian
• what might the representations of disabled people do?

  - educating perspective


  change preconceptions about disabled people
• what might the representations of disabled people do?

  - disabled perspective

  help to show disabled athletes as role models for disabled people to show that they can do anything!
• intertextual: bugsy malone song

  targets adults (35+) who may be familiar with the song and see it as a fun, upbeat reference
• super human > super.human


  previously, ch4's Paralympic adverts have focused on athletes being super human ( heroic, not totally real)

  
  

  ch4 kept the title but added full stops between super human, focusing on their human side as well as success
• smashing of the word 'super'


  a move away from representing athletes as 'other' and a move towards representing them as human