In the next image, the man picks up the phone and answers it. We could not hear the phone ring, and can’t hear what the man is saying. He soon drops the phone, not bothering to put it back on its hook. Our suspicions of danger and mystery are confirmed and heighten by these happenings. What is so important that he has to leave so quickly? Is he in danger? Is he in danger from the darkness of his past? We don’t know. The scene is still in shadow, so we still don’t she who this man is. What we do see of his face is panicky, matching with the thought of him in danger. These are done to keep the viewer guessing and want to know what is happening.
Next we see a young boy in his bedroom looking into a toy with a light in the middle which spins so it looks like the man in the picture is moving. The boy looks young, sweet and innocent and his face is lit up by toy. This is surprising when in contrast to the man see previously, as they seem almost opposite. This causes emotions of the audience to grow. As the audience is males, fathers, and the immediate reaction is a want to protect the boy from danger, either the man, or the danger which the man is running from. The man himself immediately comes through the door of the bedroom and talks to the boy urgently but with care. We can see this in his face. We have to, because we still can’t hear him. This means that he, as we can tell, is not a danger to the child, but the opposite, he wants to protect him, presumably from what he has just heard on the phone. He is obviously the boy father because the boy dose what he is told straight away, which must mean he feels the urgency his father is feeling because he was enjoying playing with his toy and to leave it so readily must mean so. The next scene is key. It only shows for perhaps a second, making the audience have to make a quick assumption about what the image shows. It shows the black silhouette of a man in a black hat and black coat. He looks dangerous, has the characteristics of death in human form. He looks like he is leaving through the open window. Following the father and son? Are the father and son being storked by death? Of course it could just be the father closing the window before he leaves and he looks black and wearing a hat because of the sunlight coming through the window makes him look dark. Either way, the audience feels more wary, having to make a decision on whether they saw danger for the father and son or not. The family leave the house, rushing out with the father pulling the child by the hand to make him move faster displaying his fear and want to flee and save his son. The sun is setting as they get in to the Audi. This is a symbolism of death because of the saying ‘everything is getting dark’, how every thing fades to black when you die. Once in the car however, the boy seems almost happy in the car, showing the he fells safe, creating a sense of security in the Audi which is a great selling point for the car.
They drive away from the house and a voice of a woman starts to talk about life and the Audi the man is driving. She talks in a soft tone and language, almost advice rather than persuasion. The effect of this is that the audience doesn’t argue with the advert out of rebellion but agree with it. She does this by talking about decision about life such as your next car. She then is able to talk about the properties of the car by say ‘will it have…?’. These properties mentioned are based on the car being environmentally friendly. This is perceived as another form of protection the car and the father offer. Protection from a polluted and dangerous world.
On the cars journey, it passes through varies recognisable countries. This is so it is easy to see buy the audience and show the widespread expectance of the car. It is also seen driving over different terrain showing the ability of the car. These are both good selling points. Also in the journey, they pass a fair ground with a swing-spinner ride. At first the audience believes the boy is looking through the window in ore, but then we realise his true expression of fear. This is understood when we see the reflex ion of the riders in the car window in which the riders look like flying ghosts or hanging bodies. This is to create a since of danger outside the car which provides a direct contrast to inside the car and creating the impression that inside the car is safe. Also in the journey, the car passes varies back or foregrounds: rows of trees, cement pillars etc. These seen from inside the car are symbolic of the toy seen early on in the advert being watch by the boy. Just as the boy was watching the inside of the toy, this creates a dangerous atmosphere that the father and son are being watched. Also on the journey, we see a silhouette of what appears to be the same dark man seen inside the family’s house. This agrees with the suspicion made earlier about the family being followed. This is a direct scene from the horror movie, The Exorcist. This provides a direct link to the audience who have seen this film. However, when the man is seen, father and son inside the Audi simply drive past. This shows danger outside the car, as already said, and safety from that danger inside the car.
Near the end of the advert, the car stops outside a dark, sinister looking building with a crucifix above it. This is also a direct scene from the Exorcist. It is raining heavily now, adding to the dark atmosphere. As the father runs in to the building carrying his son, the scene moves into a white tunnel with a light at the end of it. This is symbolic of heaven, or a finally safe place from the dark man that is following them. He skids through the door and looks towards the camera on the other side. The last scene is of a new born baby crying.
This is the final understanding of the advert for the audience. The father was never running away from anything, but running towards something, the birth of his new child.
A lot of symbolism is used in this advert in order to connect with the audience. The father is symbolist of the target audience of fathers and carers. He uses the car for protection of his child. The dark man is a symbol of danger, the dangers of over-polluting the world. In this way, the car, as environmentally friendly, is seen as a protector, which is what the father wants for his children. The new born child is symbolic of new life. A new life the Audi can pride by keeping the planet clean. This is the key selling point of the car, that it is eco-friendly and so good for the future and your children.
