Surreal advert

Live with it Advert analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tteHhYh9rU

The advert Live with it tackles to challenge societal norms of the

acceptability of speeding through the use of a surreal narrative, in
order to securely implant their message into their audiences minds.
However in order to make the narrative more relatable to the real
world, the advert also features real moments and events, such as
brushing your teeth in the morning and going to work, which is
presented in a linear narrative portraying a montage of his average
day. The narrative of the advert doesnt follow Todorovs narrative
structure, as it doesnt contain a new equilibrium. This connotes how
there is never a happy ending from a serious event as speeding, and
how the reality of taking someones life will forever be implanted
into your guilty mind. In the narrative there is an abundance of a
neat closed resolution. This further portrays how there is no ending
to such a life changing crime like this. The repetition of the dead boy
throughout every shot of the advert reflects back to the adverts
main message of having to live with your guilt, thus further
implanting the seriousness of this message. In order to entice the
audiences attention binary opposites are used. This is presented
through the juxtaposition of the alive old man and the dead young
boy.
The narrative starts with a close up of the man brushing his teeth.
This portrays the realist start of the day, thus allowing the audience
to relate. The shot then changes to a medium shot where the
audience can view his whole bathroom. The bathroom contains lowkey lighting and shadows, which connote his misery and represent
the darkness he has enter from this event. The close up allows the
audience to see the visual code of his sad lifeless facial expression,
which reflects the face of the dead boy. The tightly frame and mis-

en-scene of the bathroom shows the mans clothes and toiletries

placed on the floor and on the window ledge, connoting how the
man has been stressed and not the same since the event. Each
shot is instantly cut to the next shot in a rapid pace, signifying the
instant consequences from this event, as well as how the boy is
constantly on his mind. Only diegetic sound and selective sound is
used in this advert in order to maintain the realism of the narrative.
There is an extreme long shot of the dead boy lying on the ordinary
work office floor, while the ordinary workers continue to complete
their work in an oblivious state. This indicates how no one else can
see the dead boy, as this is a problem that only the man has to live
with. However we as the audience are given the ability to see the
dead boy, as we are positioned to enter his mind and view what the
man is thinking. The next shot is an over the shoulder shot of the
boy in a very uncomfortable and painful position. This emphasizes
the violent impact from the car on both the boys body and the
feelings of all his love ones, as they have to face their lost and
tragedy. There is also a violent impact on the mans mind, as he has
to suffer with the never-ending image of the boy in a crippled
position. The boy is wearing his bright blue school uniform, which
stand out against the dull and drab monotone colours. This signifies
the boys youth and innocence, encouraging the audience to feel
more sympathetic towards the boy. The final shots of the advert
contain point of view shots with intense low-key lighting. This allows
the camera to focus on the boys face for the audience to study in
detail. The boys face is portrayed in a pale white face with a sad
facial expression, revealing the lifelessness inside him. The whole
narrative contains no dialog as this journey is taken part in the
mans thoughts and mind.
At the end of the narrative the overt message becomes clear and is
the only form of written codes present in the advert. Written codes
were kept to a minimal to the end as the written codes could draw
attention away from the boy and the man, if the words were
presented during the narrative. The message presented at the end:
Kill your speed, or live with it, generates fear and an emotional
response which in turn creates self perception, making the audience
think in the shoes of the man. Therefore further making this advert
more relatable. This advert is a public service advert and is created
from the charity organization Think, and thus faces no competition
from other charities as this was a government-funded project.
Although because of the disturbing message and iconography
presented in the advert, is had to be shown after the watershed due
to regulations and to prevent children from watching the advert.
This advert is aimed towards a mass audience, especially towards
young adult drivers and experienced drivers as this event could
most likely happen to them. Individualist and hedonists are also
targeted as these people are more likely to take risks, which could
lead them to similar events like the one represented in the advert.