Analysis of Ocean Finance commercial
I have been analysing a television advert by Ocean Finance. They went to an advertising agency to show their advert on UKTV History. UKTV is a commercial channel so it gets money from businesses that want their adverts to be shown. Ocean Finance then paid UKTV History to give them enough air-time to show their advert. Ocean Finance and UKTV History have a symbiotic relationship because they rely on each other for money. Unlike UKTV History, the BBC gets money from the government, so they don’t need any adverts. Ocean Finance is aimed at home-owners and is a loan company for home owners in debt.
In the advert there are many different sound effects used such as a
lawnmower. The lawnmower’s sound is loud and harsh – like a chainsaw. The sound of the lawnmower is diegetic. Diegetic sound is a sound that other characters would be able to hear such as a television or a radio. This advert also included non-diegetic sounds such as a voice-over, music and SFX.
There is no dialogue in this advert. The family in the advert do not speak. The only speaking is a voice-over. The voice-over is a male voice. He comments on how to solve the debt problem and makes the viewer involved in what’s going on in the advert. He is speaking in 2nd person singular which makes the audience feel as thought he is talking directly to them. This is called pronominal reference. His voice is very understandable and appeals to a wide audience. He also speaks in Received Pronunciation. He speaks like this to avoid negative connotations towards Ocean Finance.
This advert also includes editing. In the opening scene things are dark and dull and they seem to have a blue tint over them which make them seem washed out. Everything has this effect except for the grass. The grass is always bright, as it represents the dept the family have. There is a focus pull when the camera zooms out really far and makes the man look small and inferior. This focus pull also makes the garden look like a field that he looks lost in. But when Ocean Finance is mentioned the atmosphere changes. After he joins, his family seem happier. It also appears that an extension has been added onto the house. This shows that they now have more money and their debt problem has gone. Also, the weather changes from dull and cloudy, to bright and sunny. This is pathetic fallacy which is when the weather mirrors the characters emotions.
