Represent NHS Blood & Transplant campaign: blog tasks

 

1) What does BAME stand for?

Black, Asian and minority ethnic

2) Why is there a need for blood in the BAME community? 

to provide better matched blood for those who need it

3) What does this advert want people to do once they've seen it (the 'call to action')?

This advert wants the audience (the Black and Asian community) to donate their blood to the NHS so they can save people's lives. They want to do this because they are in need of the rare blood.

4) Why is the advert called 'Represent'?

5) Why have the producers chosen famous BAME celebrities to feature in the advert? Give an example of three well-known people who appear in the advert and why they are famous - make sure you write their names and spell them accurately.

The producers have chosen to use famous BAME celebrities to feature in the advert to represent stereotypes and how they are presented based on people's ethnicity. For example, Kanya King is a female scientist, which subverts stereotypes, Nicola Adams is a black female boxer, which people would expect from white women or men. Also, Ade Adepitan is a black male sports player on a wheelchair, whereas people would stereo-typically think of gang, crime and violence when thinking of black men.

6) What are the connotations of the slow-paced long shot of empty chairs at the end of the advert?

The connotation of the long shot of empty chairs in the end connote that the chairs need to be filled with the target audience and there are 3 chairs which might showcase the 3% of  people that do not donate their blood.

7) How does the advert match the key conventions of a typical urban music video?

There was a lot of camera movement and mise-en-scene, for example the settings for each of the celebrities were places linked to their professions like Ade Adepitan was seen in a basketball court on a wheelchair.

8) How does the advert subvert stereotypes? Give three examples (e.g. ethnicity, masculinity, femininity, age, class, disability/ability etc.) 

The advert subverts stereotypes by suggesting that you can do whatever you are passionate about and it doesn't matter what your gender is, what people think of you or if you have a disability. For example Ade Adepitan is shown as a proud black man on a wheelchair playing basketball and doing the thing he loves most.

9) How does the advert reinforce certain stereotypes of the BAME community? Could there be an oppositional reading where some audiences would find this advert offensive or reinforcing negative stereotypes?

Some audiences might look at this advert coming from a perspective where they are pointing out the fact that the advert is only targeting the BAME community, some white people might find this offensive as the advert is practically telling them that their blood is not rare, it is common and not unique.

10) Choose one key moment from the advert and write an analysis of the connotations of camera shots and mise-en-scene (CLAMPS).

Three chairs at the conclusion, depicted in a long shot (to indicate the space has to be filled), are one element of the mise-en-scene that represents the 3% of the BAME population that donate blood. Another point raised by the lighting is that at 0:44, there is a lone woman surrounded by all black, suggesting that either she or people of her race are not giving blood enough. Finally, the fact that there are solely Black persons at 1:05 suggests that the Black community also needs blood donors.