But for the Citroen its dull setting, and boring script doesn’t do any favours. It improves near the end, with the spotlight up showing the perfectly crafted Citroen Xsara, Citroen C5 and Citroen Xsara Picasso. This does seem to be the better idea of the advert as it applies to families or people in different situations. The Citroen Xsara, the first car to be shown appeals to the normal, every day working small family. But the sophisticated Citroen C5 appeals to that executive worker, the office man or woman. And lastly the Citroen Xsara Picasso, the big family car for stuffing the kids in for their morning trip to school, and carrying all those shopping bags after doing the weekly shop. Besides this and the no VAT, I don’t see this as much of an appealing advert. The droning voice of the driving inspector, the dull grey scenery may have been done purposely, but it lacks the attraction to buying a car except for one cheap laugh.
With the Mazda advert, personally I think the use of camera works the best. It fits in with the mood and atmosphere, it’s fast moving and covers every angle imaginable. I especially enjoy such bits when it’s a high angle, looking down to the child who is looking up riding his bike. It gives the feeling that you’re riding with the child. Or having a real birds eye view above him. I think that it does this quite a fair bit, following each child and its experience of freedom, giving it a whole more personal approach as if you with the child yourself, sharing the experience with them. Another effective piece of camera work is when following the child being swung around by his father. The camera does a big close-up of the child’s face, full of laughter. This gives the idea and sensation of the child actually flying and being free, just as the car represents. Every so often, a scene of a child in high spirits freezes and shows a caption. As the advert is fast moving and distracting the scene is frozen to allow the audience to read the caption which corresponds to the frozen picture. I think it makes the audience consider what it is saying, the possibilities and refers it to their own childhood
The camera work for the Citroen advert is quite boring. Most of camera angles are either long shots or a close up for a characters reaction or lines, nothing which makes it more interesting or grabs the attention of the viewer.
The lighting is obviously not a big part of the Mazda advert, it being set outside, but the weather, is a typical summer’s day. A bit of pathetic fallacy is used, the warm summers day reflects the families and children’s happy moods. But when the car makes an entrance, it’s set on a sunset to give it more of a classy, sexy and romantic feel. For some scenes there is flashing lights, to give a sort of night, clubbing feel. This gives the car more of a sophisticated, “cool” look, appealing to perhaps the younger generation.
For the Citroen advert, it is also set outside, on what appears a grim, winter day. This isn’t the best setting for an advert, as the pathetic fallacy gives a real miserable feel. But when introducing each car, it starts pitch black and then a bright spotlight is brought up, shone upon the car. This is effective, and it allows the viewer to concentrate on nothing but the car, the pitch black blocks out everything else and just shows the well crafted machinery.
Relationship between image and words is more noticed and effective in the Mazda advert. It’s quite personal, and relevant to childhood, personal life and driving a car.
“Remember that feeling…” – allows the viewer to reminisce
“When you first took control?” – allows viewer to think back to perhaps childhood, or perhaps later, a feeling of having control of something, being in demand and independent.
“Had the freedom to go as you pleased…” – Emotional, and perhaps allows the viewer to think of a time when they were perhaps boundless and happy.
“With Mazda this feeling comes as standard.” – This is when the car is brought into the equation, and is seen as the answer to our stressful problems. A car which allows us be free, and away from the hectic world.
With the Citroen advert, there aren’t many words, or at least ones that relate to the picture.
There is NO VAT in bold letters, something which attracts the viewer into getting a bargain.
