super. human.

• super. human. as the title

  the full stop emphasises that they are just normal humans
• soundtrack


  'so you want to be a boxer' is a familiar and recognisable song
• channel 4


  currently own the rights to showing the paralympics
• toyota funding


  the brand funding shows how the distribution of the paralympics is expensive and needs lots of funding in order to sucesfully show it.
• montage of pain and internal damage links to how the paralympians overwork themselves to the point it could have lifelong issues on their health
• 'to be a paralympian theres got to be something wrong with you'

  • pun to give comedy value
  • whilst also the 'something wrong' can be linked to the strong self discipline you need in order to be able to motivate yourself to be a sucessful paralympian
• slow shot of bike


  the falling in silence and slow motion displays tension whilst also giving an unnerving feel; possibly showing the anxiety of injury in sport, not knowing its severity
• POV bike shot


  engages audiences to be familiar with the sport
• shown as 'normal' to help show their relatability
• jump cuts and outfit changes of bench presses to show the endless days of training
• wheel vs hamster wheel - binary opposition


  shows how it is a repetitive cylical routine that feels endless
• men stereotypically shown as being absent; and prioritizing their own success over other things such as family
• 'you might aswell quit'


  editing boris johnson to say these words shows the lack of care for disabled people in the government policies.
• daughters birthday scene

  • her expression shows that she is not happy that her dad is absent; the shot reverse shot shows the 2 different environments the people are in, and the way work and family collide. in this case he is sacrificing his family in order to train for the games.
• ellie simmonds

  • jump cuts between costumes help to emphasise her success -> showing how many races she has competed in and won.
  • the black vs white / dark vs light binary opposites can signify the highs and lows of sport, the success and the fails
• graphic gore scenes


  smaller injuries like cuts, blisters and bruises are shown to add a sense of realism - and the injuries sustained by them on a daily basis.
• critics of the ad

  people said that the advert was not inclusive enough, saying there still needed to be a bigger variety of disabilities. they said it focused too much on visible disabilities; awareness needs to be raised for invisible disabilities
• the advert as a whole is an opposite to the medias usual underrepresentation of disabled people.
• the digetic noise of the tape and bandages adds to the realness and shows the daily struggles of the athletes
• the beginning shows a montage of paralympians, they are all shown to have different characteristics; gender, wheelchair user, amputees etc, alongside race and age
• kadeena cox - waking up scene

  • she wakes up in her bonnet - an item used to help protect black hair types. this shows a sense of realism whilst subverting the way black hair is usually portrayed, often straightened or heavily treated/styled.
• kadeena cox - waking up scene

  the sudden gunshot noise is a transition beetween dreaming vs reality.
• start of ad - kadeena cox

  she is seen preparing for a race. she is central in the scene to position her as important, there is smoke, non digetic music and lowkey light to build tension
• nightmare scenes

  • ellie is weighed down by a medal -> connotes how she is pressured to achieve; her successes make her scared to fail
  • kadeena is chasing a dream but it feels as if she is being chased, yet again pushing her to work harder in order to keep her wins
• kylie grimes - cafe scene


  she is seen to be trying to enter a cafe (in casual costume, out of work) and there is a step in the way that she clearly cant climb in her wheelchair. the person behind the desk doesnt attempt to help and instead leaves her to walk away - this shows how the paralympians may be 'super' but daily struggles of being discriminated against separate them from the 'norm'
• the very start of the advert is dark, and uncertain. the digetic sound makes us as an audience feel under pressure as the sport commentator begins to comment on the 'up next'' of kadeena - it makes us as an audience feel like we are apart of he competition and are being judged.
• paralympians vs soldiers


  cross cut scenes emphasises the similiarity between the two; their strength is likened to those fighting for our country - similarly the paralympians are fighting for success.
• 'sick bucket' is shown as a symbol of how the athletes overwork themselves till sickness.
• the scene of the doctor opening a neverending stream of medicine can connote to the constant uptake that athletes need in order to keep fit and well. their endless suffering is a metaphor for the endless cycle of training and competition