TV Commercial- 'Embrace Life' Audio, Technical and Visual Code Analysis

                                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM#t=77

I believe this TV commercial was effective as a result of many different audio, visual and technological codes. The non-diegetic music is slow and creates a sad and unknowing atmosphere. The TV commercial covers a sad and sensitive issue so by the music adding to this, it allows to the audience to be able to feel the correct emotions with help from the sound. The music is also effective because when the car is mimicked to have crashed, the music goes quiet and when the audience realise at the end that the driver is safe the music picks up again in order for the audience to notice the change in tone which changes the atmosphere of the advert from negative to positive. There is no dialogue in the commercial which I think is helpful because it allows the music to set the mood of the commercial and then the audience only have to watch the scene and not listen, which could connote that in an instance like this words aren’t needed, only actions (for example putting on your seat belt).

The visual codes say a lot about the message of the commercial. The main actor is wearing a black top and trousers whilst the other 2 actors, which in the end, act as the seatbelt are dressed in blue and pink. I think this is significant because their role during the commercial is to act as the safety, the guidance and the hope for the main actor, and these 3 these are traits which i believe the colours blue and pink connote. So the message could be conveyed through clothing. Facial expressions are also extremely important within this commercial because at the beginning we see beaming and smiling faces about the actors, but a drastic change in expression happens when the car is mimicked to crash. The contrast in facial expression tells the audience, without even knowing the car has been mimicked to crash, that the atmosphere has changed for the actors. The setting is another code that is used to convey the message successfully. This is because the whole mimicking of the car crashing in set in a family home, which of course we know would not happen. This is particularly effective because it is relatable to many of the viewers of the commercials who would own a family home, and the fact the car crash takes place their shows the devastation it has upon the family, which in the real world we know is true, whereby a family is devastated by the consequences of car crashes.

In terms of technical codes, the cinematography used is dominantly a mid shot. This allows the audience to see the emotions clearly on the actor’s faces and the direct mode of address automatically makes you feel like you are part of the commercial too. When the hands turn into the seatbelt, a close up is used of the hands. I believe this is done because it is highlighting the importance of that aspect of the advert and therefore conveying the message of the significance of a seatbelt. Another code that is effective is the pace of the video. The whole video is in slow motion but the actual crash is in a slightly faster pace which attracts the eye of the audience and makes that moment a stand out point in the advert.