David - Audio Visual Analysis - WaterAid

Audio-visual Text – WaterAid: Rain for good

The charity advert is from a campaign done in 2016 where they release an advert to persuade people to donate money to the WaterAid charity – adverts generically ask audience for money very explicitly in order to make them sympathise, empathise and feel guilty towards those who need the water. 

• ·     At the start of the advert there is an establishing shotwhich shows rain dripping down a window, with a radio and a plant pot – stereotypically it is seen as the house of a middle class, British person. The cold lightingused in this shot contraststo the rest of the video which uses warm lightingto show a more positive side to life in Africa. The audioused in this first scene is coming from the radio explaining how it will be “heavy rain in the UK” which juxtaposeswith the next shot which is of some crops in a field in Africa. 
• ·     The growing crops symbolisethings growing and things working, which for a charity advert is a massive difference as there are usually very different images e.g. malnourished children, lack of water etc. Therefore, the field of crops and warm lightingshows a positive atmosphere as the producers try and avoid the clichéscenes for generic charity adverts. 
• ·     In the next few scenes we meet Claudia – at the end of the advert we are told her name to create a connection between her and audiencewhich makes it more personal as the audience want to help her – we see several close-up shotsof her smiling and singing. The audio codesof her singing are very optimistic as the lyrics discuss sunshine. In terms of visual codes, Claudia is wearing quite a brightly coloured outfit which connotescontentment and confidence; this contrasts with usual charity WaterAid adverts as kids aren’t usual fully dressed (again, avoiding the clichés of charity adverts.)
• ·     Thepurpose/genreof the advert is for people to feel empathy towards these people who are living without clean, running water – the audience this is targetedat is those who not only have money but also the older generation. This is because the song Claudia is singing is a 70s soul song which the older generation will be more aware of in comparison to young teens therefore by having her sing this song they might feel more obliged to donate money. The advert is given more purpose when giving Claudia’s name at the end which is seen as personalisation that we can donate directly to her and others like her so they can be as upbeat and joyful as her. 
• ·     Thetoneof the advert is very upbeat and progressive with Claudia’s presence reflecting this in her posture, expression and singing. The advert itself doesn’t use generic codesof charity adverts in terms of having a voice over explaining the child’s lifestyle or black and white images of malnourished and diseased children – by having the more upbeat message, WaterAid wants to make more money therefore they tried a different approach. 
• ·     Analternative readingto this advert could be that the affirmative nature to the advert has the opposite effect and is off putting for some audience as they might feel like they already have enough and that other people will donate – so it can be seen in a negative light because they didn’t consider how it could be interpreted like they have enough water. 
• ·     One shot that stands out to me was at 00:41 when she is in the middle of the shot, making slight direct mode of address which builds on the relationship with the audience because it is as if she is singing to us. This mid-shotmay also help persuade people to donate because they feel connected to her and her story. Then a little bit further in this scene at around 00:45 it looks as though there is a hand-help shot –it creates an intimate scene with Claudia as it seems like we are walking with her again building on that relationship with her and the audience. The audio is this scene is ambientas we can hear the wildlife overlaying with her singing showing how natural the atmosphere is around her – which adds to the positive vibe of the advert as a whole. 
• ·      The next prominent sceneis where we see a young boy running in, what looks like, a small village. The visual codesare that the boy appears to be wearing a school uniform – like Claudia in some of her seems – which tells us there is education in that area. This seems unusual because not many children in Africa have the opportunity to go to school due to illness and money. Also, the fact he is wearing clothes is a positive messageas several charity adverts infer the children aren’t clean and don’t have access to clean clothes. The boy running connotes he is free, and content because he can play and run around etc. 
• ·     By the end of the advert we come across our first piece of textin the form of a message and factual information which is very limited – it says the money to pay per month, how YOU can help and also who she is. The short and sweet amount of textis more effective as there isn’t lots to read and means people can get straight to the point. 
• ·     Inthe backgroundwhich is behind the text shows the tap they are using – the close upshot of the water shows how it is clean and that there is lots of it. Also, the water is glowing in reflection of the sun which is setting in the background which adds to the general positivity of the advert as the sun is a symbol of cheerfulness. This juxtaposeswith the first scene of the advert in terms of the lighting used – cold vs warm – which again shows the difference in lifestyles and how the audience can truly make a huge difference.
• ·     By showing the successfulness of the tap and water sends an optimistic message to the audiencewhich persuades them by explaining how they can actually make a difference. It creates an active audience meaning they can imagine how their money can impact these people for the better. 

Theorists

Binary opposites (Levi Strauss) – 

Semiotics (Roland Barthes) – 

Cultivation theory (George Gerbner) -