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| The establishing shot of a radio on a windowsill in England instantly creates a binary opposition between drab England and colourful, exciting Africa |
Semiotic and structuralist analysis
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| This initial tracking shot allows the producer to position the audience with the life and day-to-day existence of the villagers |
- Initial tracking shot symbolic of lack of wealth. Follows Claudia as she collects water.
- M/S of Claudia walking directly in to camera, and framed by a dusty, empty landscape. Connotative of bleakness and emptiness
- Polysemic readings of this advert, both bleak and depressing, but also hopeful and uplifting
- Low C/U tracking shot of Claudia's shoes establishes that she must walk far to collect water. Positions the audience literally in Claudia's shoes, allowing the audience to empathise with her.
- C/U of Claudia's smiling face, connotes a positive and optimistic ideological perspective
- Low angle establishing tracking shot follows Claudia as she collects water positioning the audience with her. A positive and optimistic experience
- Elements of sound and music: Claudia sings, initially alone, an angelic, innocent song, singing solo with no accompaniment. However, this also emphasises the lack of resources and opportunities in her life.
- Children rush to join Claudia's song in a series of C/Us and M/S, functions as a proairetic code, suggesting unity and togetherness.
- Claudia's song functions as a symbolic code, signifying her confidence in face of adversity
- Claudia ceases singing, and the audience are left with the ambient sound (atmos) of the African bush, functions as a hermeneutic code suggesting an unanswered question to the audience
- Clear binary opposition created with rainy, miserable England and colourful, cheerful Africa. Atypical representation of Africa.
- Lack of resources vs stoic attitude. L/A shot of two children on swing. Enjoying life despite hardship. Africa has a positive future!
Representation and identity
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| Yet another mid shot! This time, it allows the producer to emphasise the connotations of water, of the village tap, and the togetherness of the villagers |
- Costume - colourful costumes, with particular emphasis on bright yellows and pinks. Associations with happiness and positivity.
- Young, working class black woman. Non-stereotypical representation of a sixteen year old girl.
- Also non-stereotypical representation of black teenager. Positive!
- Additionally, Claudia challenges stereotypical representations of African people living in poverty. She is not constructed as being vulnerable, and there are no cliched and stereotypical shots of flies swarming around eyes or bloated starving bellies.
- Africa - scrubby trees, villagers carrying water pales, and the brightly coloured traditional clothing. A stereotypical representation of Africa?
- Africa - presents a binary opposition between traditional, stereotypical representations, of slums, crying children, covered in dirt, eyes filled with tears and flies. Demonstrates PROGRESS rather PESSIMISM
- Representation - teenage, black, African, female, working class. Working class status emphasised through M/S of Claudia carrying a water bucket on her head. A strong, working woman. Certainly NOT a victim!
- Use of stereotypical representation simplifies Africa, avoiding images of wealth. Stereotype used as a shortcut.
- Claudia an atypical representation of teenage girls. No makeup, working hard!
- Audiences now desensitised to charity adverts. The Claudia advert presents a resolutely positive ideology to it's target audience
- African people are represented as cheerful, happy and carefree. Positive representation, yet also stereotypical
- Claudia sings, an upbeat, catchy, positive song. As she reaches the village, the village joins in this song in chorus. Symbolises community, friendship, and working together