Counterintuitive Spring 2024

The PSA I chose is about Youth Reckless Driving:

0-5: The scene opens up with a guy getting into the back seat of a car with three others.  They appear to be teenagers or early 20s.  In the background there are a few trees with houses indicating they just picked up the new passenger from a residential neighborhood.  There is trash on the dashboard indicating the cleanliness of the car is not a priority to the driver.  The passenger in the back introduces the newcomer as Rob, a friend from Michigan.  Rob is wearing a sports jacket with a large football embroidered on the chest indicating he probably plays football for his high school or college.  After being introduced Rob greets the two passengers in the front with an enthusiastic “What’s Up!”.  The passengers in the front don’t seem to pay him much attention as the driver pulls away from the curb.

6-10: The passenger in the back further introduces Rob as a teenager saying that it’s “pretty cool”, indicating that Rob is older than the other occupants of the car and that the passenger in the back is concerned about having the approval of older people.  Meanwhile the driver has one hand on the wheel and is glaring out of the windshield.  In the background there is the sound of the car accelerating quickly indicating he is speeding.  Rob indicates his concern about how fast he is driving by casually asking him to slow down, however the driver seems to have no intention of slowing down.  The other passengers in the car seem indifferent with the driver’s speeding indicating that this is not the first time or they don’t care.  The casually look out the window seemingly determined not to get involved.  Without taking his eyes off the road the driver simply says “No”.

11-15: Rob responds to the driver further by saying “Really? Okay”, slightly surprised that the driver wouldn’t take his advice.  The other two passengers in the car simply ignore Rob and the driver’s dialogue.  Meanwhile the car continues to accelerate and the trees and houses in the background go by faster and faster.  Rob lifts a camcorder out of his lap and points it at the driver.

16-20: Seeing the camcorder in the corner of his eye, the driver asks what Rob is doing.  The tone in his voice makes it sound like he is slightly annoyed at this stranger who is recording him and he shifts uncomfortably putting both hands on the wheel.  Rob says he is shooting a viral video and the passenger next to him turns and looks at the camcorder as Rob points it at him.  Rob chuckles seemingly amused at his own form of a joke and the backseat passenger turns and poses with a peace-sign.

21-25: Rob continues to laugh as he films the passenger next to him saying it’s their last 5 minutes on earth.  The amusement of Rob’s friend fades as he looks down at his lap, the fun gone after he realizes that Rob’s disapproval of his friend’s acceptance of the driver’s decision to put them in danger.  Even as his friend looks down Rob continues to chuckle and laugh.

26-31: Rob pushes further by asking if the passenger next to him wants to say his last words to his mom.  This is a reference for if they were to die, his mom would find the tape of his last moments and find her son was happy with their reckless decisions and stupidity.    The point of view shifts to a static view of the car from the street as the car speeds away.  The background is a small street in suburbs or development, indicating that it is a residential neighborhood with a low speed limit.  As the car speeds away Rob sarcastically suggests “Goodbye mom, sorry”, and continues to laugh.  Meanwhile, the words: “If your friend is driving recklessly, Say Something”.  This indicates the topic and purpose of the PSA to be that you are responsible for your own safety in the car, and if the driver is being reckless, tell them so.

URL:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFLRlAdEo-o

The ad that I chose to analyze is called Buzzed Driving-Ambulance. This ad is used to help the prevention of buzzed or drunk driving. Drunk driving is a serious issue in today’s world.

The ad starts out with a man who has what appears to be a small laceration on his forehead from what seems to have happened in a car crash, crying over his unconscious friend. There are two paramedics with him who are franticly at work trying to keep the friend alive. Just as most people do the man starts crying saying that he and his friends do this all the time with no problem and that they only had a few drinks. But, even a few drinks is too many for any person who is driving. They never realize how serious the consequences of “just a few drinks” can be until it is too late. As he is sitting there he uses the one of many excuse for drunk drivers, which is ” I was only buzzed”. As to add some irony to the ad both paramedics look at him in disbelief that he was only just buzzed. They tell him that he should of told them before that he was only just buzzed because now everything doesn’t have to happen and can go back to normal. Then they bring us back to reality when they say they aren’t serious. This add is used to tell people that just because you are buzzed and not drunk doesn’t make it ok for you to drive. Even if someone has had one alcoholic beverage they shouldn’t drive because serious consequences can come of it.

The Bigger Picture

In the video you see adult men acting childish things. Such as riding a teeter-totter, jumping on a trampoline, making/rubbing their face on a glass window. Just like the mother at the park, the neighbor, and the clerk reacting negatively to these childish antics you might feel the very same way if you saw it. You would feel disturbed and start asking yourself if something is wrong with these grown men. Did they have a father in their lives to teach them how to act in public? Then the camera pans out to reveal that these grown men are just playing with their kids. Having fun with them. Overall just being apart of their lives.

I feel what this video is expressing is the best way to be involved with their child, is to act like a child with. Of course you need to teach them right and wrong, but there is a certain way you can do so while being fun and active. If anything, this video can work as perfect guide for fathers that don’t really know how to connect with their child. The video shows that you are not just their father, but you are also capable of being their first friend in a way.

I used the ad ‘Drunk Driving Prevention- Skeletons’. This ad had portrayed 4 young people, two males and two females, getting ready to leave the bar for the night. The blonde girl wanted to go home and she did not want to get in the car. The boy with the glasses told her to just come along while her friend with dark hair chimed in, in a drunkenly manner, that they should go. The other boy approaches the car somewhat stumbling and also holding a beer in his hand, one that he probably did not even get to finish yet. He gets into the car and hands the girl in the front seat his open beer, while she continues to hold her own. The boy with the glasses in the backseat also has an open beer in his hand. This is interesting because not only is he getting into his car while clearly under the influence of alcohol, he is allowing open containers to be in his moving vehicle. The only one without a beer is the blonde girl in the backseat. The boy in the backseat asks the driver if he was okay to drive, his response was what’s a few beers. The fact that the boy in the backseat even had to ask if he was okay to drive, is a hint that he isn’t okay to drive. Everyone in the car let him drive anyways and they all went in the car. This is one of the biggest problems with drunk driving. It is easy to blame the driver because they got behind the wheel and knew they were drinking, but everyone knows your thought process gets impaired when drinking alcohol. If you let your friend drive drunk, it is easy to feel like you are to blame because you never should have let them drive in the first place. Situations are always different, but if you know a friend had been drinking a lot throughout the night and you can see that their driving skills are going to be impaired, there is no reason you should allow them to willingly get behind the will for any reason, especially if you are a passenger in the car.

• The ad I chose to analyze was an ad for cyber bullying.
• Cyber bullying is a very large issue in todays society and needs to come to an end.
• As the ad starts out you see a stage and a crowd of small children, probably an elementary school auditorium.
• A teacher figure appears on stage, she is well dressed and introduces the first speaker, Lynsey.
• The camera moves to the crowd showing all the children sitting down, they clap as the speaker walks on to the stage.
• The crowd is very diverse showing how there are many different kinds of people in the world but we are all of equal importance.
• The camera moves the the young girl Lynsey. She is pretty, well dressed, with short curly hair.
• She informs the crowd that today she will be talking about Patty.
• The camera flashes to another girl who we assume is Patty, she smiles faintly.
• Patty wears glasses, she has red straight hair that lays very flat.
• her ears are somewhat large for her small head.
• The camera flashes back to Lynsey, she starts to talk about Patty and how she is stupid.
• She goes on and on to say all the reasons Patty is stupid
• the camera flashes to the faces of various kids in the audience.
• They all have looks of disbelief and shock on their faces.
• She goes on to talk about Patty again and how she has greasy hair and dirty fingernails,
• the camera is now on Patty and she just looks very upset and distraught.
• The camera is back on Lynsey and she is still going on about Patty,
• now she is describing to the crowd how Patty’s dad doesn’t work which is why she wears the same pink sweater.
• All the while this is going on the camera is flashing from Patty to Lynsey to the shocked children in the audience.
• At the end of the ad Lynsey tells Patty to get a life and walks off stage.

The words flash across the screen ” if you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online.” When I initially watched this ad I didn’t pick up on the small things that can have such a large impact such as the faces of the others in the crowd, and the fact that the scene is set at a talent show and ironically she is telling everything Patty everything that is wrong about her. Small things can have a large impact on the world around us and sometimes you need a visual to portray that. This ad shows how wrong cyber bullying is and how their is no tolerance for hurting someone else over the internet.

The ad council has a serious of PSAs about pet adoption.  These PSAs all follow the same general theme.  They focus on a pet, usually a dog or a cat, that have been recently adopted.  In the beginning of the PSAs, they start with a close up of the pet, and the voice of the narrator, establishing that the voice is meant to be from the pets point of view.  The voice of the pet talks about things humans do, and how they look from the pets point of view.  For example, in one PSA, a newly adopted cat talks about how it is weird that a little boy loves to play in a sandbox.  From the cats point of view, this is very wrong.  The voice of the cat says that is embarrassing that the little boy doesn’t know how to properly use the litter box.  The cat says this, because to him, a sandbox just looks like a giant litter box.  The rest of the PSAs in this series go about the same type of banter between pet and owner.  The pet talks about some of the things pet owners do, and how, to the pet, these actions are weird.  The whole premise of these PSAs is based around irony.  They use the premise that things that pet owners would see as normal, things like putting dog toys in a box, or playing in a sandbox, are seen as outside the norm in the eyes of the pet. These themes suggest that there is a whole connected world between animals, one that humans aren’t aware of.  In the PSAs, the pet always talks about how they are new to the family, and that the things they do are weird.  This introduces the irony that the pets think that their way of thinking is the “normal” one, and that the human way of thinking is the weird one.  This is ironic because from the human perspective, our way of thinking is normal, and things pets do are considered different.

Other than the themes of irony that I have noticed in these PSAs, I have also noticed that the pets all seem generally happy.  From the general body language of the animals, and the voices used to narrate for them, they seem like they are happy.  This is because they are trying to spread the thought that an animals life is better when they are adopted into a family.  This theme is brought together by the line that is delivered at the end of all of the PSAs in this series “A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet”.

Public Service Announcement –  Body Language – Wedding

• The ad begins with a young white bride wearing a beautiful white lace dress, she is rubbing her hands together in a stiff nervous manner.  A white lace curtain hangs in the background as if she was waiting inside a house or church.
• Bridesmaids are sitting in a row each holding identical bouquets of beautiful colorful flowers waiting for the wedding to commence.
• A shot of the groom dressed in a suit loosens his shirt around his neck,  he looks uncomfortable or he may even be hot or nervous.  The sun was shinning with beautiful foliage in the background.
• Two women take a deep breath, gasping for air as if they are overwhelmed with what they were watching.
• The camera zooms in on an older woman  with salt and pepper hair as the camera focuses on her eyes filling up with water as she smiles with joy.
• The bride is standing in front of her guest, she is wearing red lipstick and one string of pearls, her chest expands in and out as if she just took a deep breath.
• The priest puts his hands together locking his fingers.
• An older white woman with deep wrinkles in her face holds her hands under her chin with a big smile as if she just witnesses something beautiful.
• The bride leans in with a big smile on her face as she kisses her new husband.
• A white woman holding  a camera raises her hand for the bridal party to jump for a  picture.
• An Asian man dressed in a suit with a white rose pinned to his lapel taps the microphone with a smile waving his arms as if he is requesting silence so he can speak.
• He must have said something funny a young white lady was rolling eyes as  The camera pans over and shows another women covering her mouth with her right hand as she  shrugs her shoulders.
• A young lady with dark skin raised her hand to cover her mouth so no one can see what she was saying and whispered into what appears to be her mother’s ear.   The women were showing an expression of being surprised or even disgusted.
• A man with earphones who appears to be rallying the crowd by waiving his hands in the air, bouncing up and down as if he was dancing to music.  The back ground was u could see it was dark outside due to the white lights that were
• An older white woman dressed in a green dress with sequins is dancing giving the thumbs up as if she liked what was going on or she just may have had a nervous twitch.
• The guest and the bridal party are raising their glasses of champagne laughing, smiling and just having a great time.
• A man dressed in a suit with his back facing the camera holding a piece of strawberry short-cake, or wedding cake on a small plate drops his plate as if he lost his balance or someone bumped into him.
• A shot of a white woman with medium length blonde appears looking sad and the right side of her face was drooping.
• A white middle-aged man with a belly in a black shirt and light-colored pants with a goatee lifting his left arm.   A side profile of a white women saying something and the words “Speech Difficulty” appear on the screen.
• Picture of a phone appears demonstrating how to dial 911.
• Learn the body language and spot a stroke fast.

Learn sudden signs and spot a Stroke FAST

F-Face Dropping, A-Arm Weakness, S-Speech Difficulty and T-Time to call 911

It’s counterintuitive to think that an ad with a happy bride, dancing, champagne toast, and tears of joy can send a message about having a “Stroke,” right?   Well, the creator of this ad was clever and was able to draw the viewer in and focus on a joyful occasion.  Even though the ad didn’t have much dialogue, the soft music pulled you in and allowed the viewer to focus on the actors facial expressions and body language.

Body language is an amazing instrument that all humans share and it’s clear to see that having a “stoke” or being “happy” are two completely non-verbal messages.

Published on Nov 27, 2012

URL-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssdAuj5HQKM

The Crimes against Our People!

The video begins with the camera following a young black male about the age of 8. This is how many assaults begin to take place. This is only one child out of the many children in the video but we can see how he sets the tone in the first few seconds and prepares for what we about to experience. The setting of this video is at a park in Harlem, NY. This is a city that has a large minority population so it is clearly a relevant topic in the area.

The visual features black and Hispanic youth similar to those that were unjustly slain in recent years. It is an obvious problem in the nation that only gets attention when it occurs and is forgotten soon after.

This videos features only males between the ages about 8 to 17. Perhaps society feels like the males are the biggest target because there are no large cases of females being struck down. Now that is not to say that it does not happen, but when it does the cases are not as publicized.

This visual features these youth holding literal targets in front of themselves. While holding these targets they ask questions pertaining to why someone would want to assault or even kill them.

It would seem each child designed their own target to hold according to their feelings of vulnerability. Each was unique and brought a different point of view to light on the violence taking place in their neighborhood.

In the middle of the video the children begin to give their opinion on why they think such violence is taking place. Being that they are young children their reasoning on the situation is rather black and white. As the visual comes to a close, the children begin to give reasons why their life is just as important as anyone else in this country or in the world for that matter.

Though the visual does not offer any personal information on the kids or their upbringing, one thing is for sure; they know this society favors white children over them. So first we see one kid who is being followed; he turns around and asks why. Before we know it, we are seeing multiple youth who are wondering why these crimes are happening against their kind. The next thing that may pop out are the targets and the uniqueness of them. At last, we see the child from the beginning expressing that every child’s as well as those were killed, lives indeed matter.

The image of Charlie Brown was a French interpretation of a sad and broken version of our beloved Charlie Brown with the illustrator own twist of their own thoughts. It looks as if Charlie has grown up realized the crucial harsh reality of the word. The cartoon looks as if he is depressed about a troublesome situation which there is no control over. This image depicts the feelings of people who are allowed to portray their own feelings but must sit back and be upset about a situation they have no control over, such as Charlie is doing here.  The illustrator wanted the audience to realize the importance of this cartoon as a message of how crucial freedom of speech really is to people as a society, country, and human beings.