Rowan Counterintuitive

0:00-0:06 As the ad begins the screen fades from black to an all white screen as two hands on either end of the screen raised together facing one another each holding a glass of wine. As video begins to play it can be seen that the entire video is being played in slow motion. You can tell this due to how slowly the hands hold each glass of wine are moving towards one another. Which is done purposely to show every detail of what is occurring as theses glasses come closer to one another. All that is in the picture are the two hands forcing all focus to be on the two set of hands. The background being white as to not draw attention thereby the viewer can focus on what is happening. It is not specified as to whether or not the hands belong to a male or female. But visually they do look to be like the hands of men. It isn’t written in stone as to what gender seeing how the faces of the individuals are never presented for the viewers which I think was done purposely because that is not what is important in regard to the message the ad is portraying.

0:07-0:13 As the ad continues the glasses are raised towards one another in an attempt to make a toast and clink their glasses. The hands then begin to move across the screen towards one another in an attempt to make contact. As soon as the glasses make contact with one another they completely shatter in the hands of the two individuals. As the glasses being to break in front of the us, the viewer we can see the glass begins to shatter first then as it continues to break you see the wine toss-up and begin to fall creating a huge mess. The hands then begin to separate as the glass and wine is still falling upon them all that’s left is the bottom handle of the wine glass showing the damage that was done. The two hands then retreat to either end of the screen from where they came.

0:14-0:22 Now that the two hands holding the wine have gone away but now are returning with two mugs of beer attempting to raise their glasses together once again. As the video continues the hands brought into screen in the same fashion from either end of the screen moving towards each other in slow motion. This time as the mugs are brought into view you can clearly see a reference to college life and college drinking. The mugs clearly have a logo of a college “U STATE” written across both mugs. The mugs of beer make contact with one another once again they shatter. As the damage is done in slow motion you can see the shards of glass going in different directions and the beer following. The only thing left as the hands separate are the handles to the mugs leaving just as much of a mess if not more then the glasses of wine from the previous shot. As the hands separate they leave the screen by  returning to side of the screen they once entered.

0:23-0:31 The hands holding the mugs of beer have left the frame now having two hands replaced them moving in from either end of the screen one again. They are now holding a glass cup of some sort of liquor and ice. The glasses again are moved towards one another in slow motion but just before the two glasses collide like they had once done before a third hand interrupts entering from the bottom right of the screen and interject the collision of the cups saving the two from breaking just as the glasses of wine or mugs of beer. Just as the remnants of the glass settle in the glass cup a sign appears centered horizontally  and roughly an inch or two from the top of the screen reads “FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS DRIVE DRUNK” and across the bottom reads “Ad Council U.S. Department of Transportation” which was also centered horizontally and roughly an inch from the bottom of the screen. The video then fades to a black screen.

This video was able to speak volumes even without the ability to hear what was being said. Each of the different shots were able to address a certain demographic in my opinion. When I think of wine what comes to mind is someone who is older or mature. When the ad used the reference of the beer mugs with the college logo that was able to portray the young adult or teen. And having them both have the same outcome of destruction shows that no matter the age or the type of alcohol it can be dangerous causing horrific events to occur. In each of the collisions it was important to show that some part of the glass or mug was left in the hands when they left the screen. It showed that even after the horrific event had occurred each of them were left with a piece they would have to deal with. Its known amongst young adults that the common quote is “That will never happen to me” but this ad shows it actually can and will if your not careful. Its advises everyone to take the right precautions when drinking and showing like in the last frame stopping that final glass could be the difference of saving a friend from a horrible accident. Stopping the final glass isn’t only to be taken literally but I think it is symbolism for all the different ways of aiding a friend who has had to much to drink. Whether that be taking their keys, finding them a safer ride home, allowing them to sleep over, or taking the drink from their hands.

• sec 01-04: The “ad” opens up with a black screen and white lettering with an info statement saying “What you are about to see is real footage courtesy of the Bully Project.” Therefore, we must assume the ad will have something to do with bullying.
• sec 05-14: The scene opens up with a crowded bus full of kids. The camera is pointing to the back of kids heads giving you a situational imagery as if you were there on the bus. A young boy seems to be hanging off the side of a seat in a brown shirt on the right side of the bus where another boy is sitting. Is the boy welcomed on that seat? Is he forcing his way on the seat? It’s hard to tell because the young man is moving back and forth in tiny increments but it may have to do with the road the bus is traveling on.
• A second later the boy hanging off the seat is abruptly pushed to the ground falling in the aisle. It is apparent now that the boy hanging in the aisle not welcomed in that seat.
• As the boy attempts to get up and back in the seat a young girl in front of them turns around showing all signs of anger. He face wrinkled as she scorns the boy and her mouth wide open in disgust.
• All of a sudden a young boy behind the two confrontational boys throws a punch at the kid in the browns back, connecting with the punch. The boy in brown turns around with his mouth wide open in complete shock. The kid who hit him takes his left hand and points to a seat on the left expressing to sit down. The fast motion of his hand shows some form of anger or anxiousness. He must be annoyed at the kid in the brown. The boy in the brown then gets up frustrated and walks to a different seat away from the girl and two guys.
• sec 15-16:The camera cuts to a blonde girl seeming to be staring at something towards the back of the bus. Her mouth is wide open and she has an emotionless face possibly from being shocked or maybe even concerned. Where she is looking seems to be toward the direction of the boy in brown and the kid who hit him.
• sec 16-18: The camera then cuts to the back of a boy in black. This boy in black is now sitting behind the boy in brown. The boy in black quickly reaches around from the seat behind and proceeds to grasp the boy in browns neck. He shakes it back and forth in a jerking motion.
• sec 19-25: A young boy who is looking towards the back of the bus peaks out only a tiny bit. He seems to be hiding but also interested, why is this? Who is he afraid of? Does he not want to be bullied?
• Another boy who looks to be at the very back of the bus is looking forward while standing. He slowly begins to move his head downwards and his facial expressions turns to looking upset. He looks at the ground as if he is ashamed. Is he ashamed he isn’t helping?
• The next shot captures a group of kids just staring off into the distance, with complete emotionless expressions as if nothing just happened.
• sec 26-31: The screen turns to black for a split second until a slogan appears in white that reads “Teach your kids how to be more than a bystander. Visit stopbullying.gov” There is no reason to why none of the other kids on the bus could have done something to help the poor kid in the brown. Physical and emotional abuse are not okay. You need to stand up to the bully’s not let them win.

0:01 – 0:04

The advertisement starts off with a backshot of a very young boy around the age of 10. The boy is wearing moderate clothes that look quite casual and plain. This indicates that the child does not have a very lavish lifestyle. The boy is also wearing a backpack which indicates that he goes to school. The boy is walking on a sidewalk in a casual manner so there doesn’t seem to be an impending danger or urgency in the area. This means that the child has to be in a secure neighborhood as the child can walk alone by himself. Either that or the child is walking without knowledge of the potential danger around him. There is a car driving around on a road and some street signs, but there are not much people or cars around. Not only this  but the grass that is shown on the righthand side shows this is not in an urban area and more of a suburb. The area seems to be relatively peaceful and well kept so I will assume that the area isn’t a ghetto either. We also do not know if the child is going to school or is coming back from school.

The child then casually opens a wired gate. Because it is a suburb, I will assume it is either a fenced gate for a house or the gate to the school. The gate brings up some interesting questions. If there is a fenced gate, it indicates that there is at least some sort of security for the building. Also since we saw open driveways on the sidewalk, unless the jump cut into a time that was much later, we can assume that the child was going through the side gate and entering through the back if it was a home. The fact that the gate opens to a narrow dirt path with a wooden plank laying on a wall with plants all around indicates that he is entering a backyard.

He may be entering a friends house or his own house but there is no certainty as of now. However, the lack of needing a key and the ease of opening the gate shows that the child knew what he was doing and was used to opening that gate.

0:04 – 0:07

The frame shifts to see the boy entering what seems to be a kitchen, immediately taking off his bag and opening the fridge. The ease of the boy throwing the bag inside the house means that he is quite comfortable inside the house. The boy does not go back to lock the door either, so the boy definitely feels safe inside the house.

The house seems like a standard suburban home which does not seem run down. Everything is also very clean, so the house is kept in good condition. From a clock you can tell it’s around 2:35, which is around the time kids get home after a day from school. He also does not call out for anyone, so the boy was not expecting anyone to be in the house. This means this house is definitely the child’s home. This also may indicate that his parents are not there. However, we do not know the reason of the parents’ absence.It may be that the parent/parents left or that the parents are working.

On the top right it shows a handprint painting and coloring utensils. As he opens the fridge, it reveals more hand drawn pictures stuck on the fridge. All of the drawings showing the innocence of the little kid.

0:07 – 0:08

The camera is angled so it shows the boy looking inside the open fridge. However, the frame shows that there is not much food inside the fridge that he can eat. The fridge is notably clean which gives a sense of responsibility as the fridge easily could have had stains and gunk everywhere. There are three containers with food (which we assume he cannot eat, a jar of sauce, and a box of something that you cannot tell what it is (however the child doesn’t go for the food so it must not be food that the child can eat)

0:08 – 0:10

The camera now shifts to a slight opening in the fridge that shows the little child’s face. The child looks down and seems somewhat dismayed. However, the child doesn’t give a sense of huge bouts off emotion from the food so the child may be used to this lack of food. There is also another drawing in the bottom left-hand corner of a single possibly male person but it is too blurry to see the fine details. However, the picture seems to be way more intricate than the others that were shown, which indicates that maybe the boy didn’t draw the picture but potentially a sibling.

0:10 – 0:12

The camera goes back to showing more of the fridge. It shows that the child was looking at the other very few options that they have. This frame also shows more of the food, showing three more containers and some condiments (which the boy seemed to be looking at). However, the fridge still looks abysmally empty. A hand drawn photo is shown of what seems to be his family in the bottom left corner again on the fridge. The picture is comprised of two females, a male, and what seems to be either a dog or stuffed animal. The boy is most likely the child we have been seeing the entire add; the child in the middle is most likely the boy’s older sister. The oldest one is probably the mom. The mother is completely dressed in a uniform blue and quite resembles a nurse’s outfit in a hospital, which indicates that the mother may be working at the hospital while the child is at home. There is also no father in the drawing which indicates that the father left the family before the child really knew him so the father may have left early on/ before the boy was born. This also further implies that the mother must be working much harder than she normally would have in order to fill in the financial gap that the father has caused and explains why there was no one inside the house to greet the boy.

A hand drawn photo is shown of what seems to be his family in the bottom left corner again on the fridge. The picture is comprised of two females, a male, and what seems to be either a dog or stuffed animal. The boy is most likely the child we have been seeing the entire add; the child in the middle is most likely the boy’s older sister. The oldest one is probably the mom. The mother is completely dressed in a uniform blue and quite resembles a nurse’s outfit in a hospital, which indicates that the mother may be working at the hospital while the child is at home. There is also no father in the drawing which indicates that the father left the family before the child really knew him so the father may have left early on/ before the boy was born. This also further implies that the mother must be working much harder than she normally would have in order to fill in the financial gap that the father has caused and explains why there was no one inside the house to greet the boy.

0:12 – 0:13

It cuts to the boy stepping on a chair to stand up on it near the countertop. From this angle, you can see that the fridge is flooded with numerous different papers. There are some with crayon-drawn hearts and other drawings and a certificate which is either for the boy or sister for an achievement at school or it could be the mothers nursing certificate. However, it is more likely to be the former of the two as it is unlikely that something as prestigious as a nursing degree would simply be put on a fridge.

0:13 – 0:14

The boy opens up the cupboard that was out of reach to presumably find more food. This might be something the child always does or might be a search of desperation. However, there is not much food yet again. The frame shows containers such as flour, yeast, relish, and other food that the boy can’t eat or open easily. This shows that the child is looking for anything to eat and is still coming empty handed.

0:14 – 0:16

The frame shows a close-up of the boy’s face looking up at the cupboard. He seems to not reach for anything in the cupboard which means that he does not try to open the canned foods that might be able to be opened given persistence. This means either the child does not know how to open the cans or he has been explicitely told not to touch them. The boy moves his mouth in a way that conveys disappointment.

0:16 – 0:19

It shows the child standing on the floor and him walking away from the kitchen. As he walks, he looks up once more just to look down on the floor yet again.

0:19 – 0:25

A completely new person looks directly at camera speaking. The woman showed up when the boy left and had no interaction with the boy, so we can assume that the boy doesn’t know about the person. It is also assumed as it randomly cuts to the woman is talking about the boy and his circumstances, though we do not know what sh

The frame is still inside the house viewing the kitchen. Also, you can now see markings along the door at different heights and dates, indicating that the family used that to keep track of the boy’s growth and brings more empathy toward the child that didn’t eat. It also shows that there is love in the family, even though we personally can’t see the interaction. The woman does not talk with her hands and looks dead into the camera so we do not see much with body language. However, the entire time the woman had a stern look on her face which indicates seriousness.

0:25 – 0:30

It cuts to a white background with the words “Feeding America” (the logo) and “FeedingAmerica.org