Media Revision 3

 

Media Revision 3

You Can't Stop Us | Nike

• The Nike promotional video uses representations to construct reality, Identity theory of the audience.
• Representations demonstrate the ideological perspectives and biases of the producer. Media products allow producers to use representations to reconstruct the world, and the Nike advert is now different. 
• Throughout the video we see two screens playing, edited into one - the relationship between shots link together through overlaying perhaps representing individuals uniting together as one. Representation, dominant ideology - Nike will help this.
• The music is uplifiting with conflict in the middle where it lowers but then rises back, forming a narrative in the video which the audience may easily relate to of getting knocked down but rising up again.
• This narrative is reflected with this music - however shows reflection of the pandemic and racial/social injustices 
• The voiceover 'We're never alone, and that is our strength because when we're doubted we'll play as one.' The tone of the narrator is motivating and inspiring, 'we' and 'our' - use of a collective lexis, the audience will feel like a part of it - direct mode of address.

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• Through split screen with smooth editing, Nike presents the audience with seemingly flowing world in which people are united and connected by sports - in reality, Nike are a brand who are known for sweatshop labor overseas.
• Lots of shots of teams --> symbolic code --> sense of community in pandemic ---> inspiring --> shots of people hugging and with their arms round eachother, montages.
• Inspirational soundtrack --> fast paced strings in a major key ascend and descend in a loop. However, when the pandemic is mentioned strings begin to play in a minor key --> symbolic of sadness.
• Celebrity endorsement - "You can't stop Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams, or Lebron James. Just as you can't stop Naomi Osaka, Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Baker.", as well as appearing on screen numerous times.
• The initial split mid-shot shows a white athlete and a black swimmer, both who are women. As a result this establishes the fact that this video has been produced in order to bring everyone in as one; no one is seen as superior as a result of their skin colour, which has been an issue in the past. As the audience carry on watching the video, it includes people of all ethnicity, disabilities, culture and gender in order to emphasis everyone matters and everyone is equal - this is the dominant ideology. In a time where most people feel alone, this video helps in order to bring everyone together and bring positivity into our lives.
• Message of inclusiveness and perseverance during 'trying times' (Power and media industries). 
• The syced up split-screen and parallels in cinematography between the shots on screen constructs a reality that the world is united and connected through sport, via its visuals. Mise-en-scene.
• Implications of the Nike brand's ethos as inclusive and ethical, by including many people of different genders, those with disabilities, ethnic groups. etc.
Uplifitng music for positivity. Works to construct an optimistic representation of the world through the covid-19 pandemic. Direct address, narrator using lexis like 'we' within the Nike manifesto during this ad.
- Adverts are there to sell a lifestyle to its audience.
• The miss-en-scene of the video is all Nike branded in order to establish that the video is created by Nike.
• Editing - Different types of athletes but shown mostly in a related environment that transitions in a synchronized and seamless fashion from one side to the other. This editing connotes the differences within humanity all the whilst still showing the similarities they share with sports, Ultimately, creating and destroying binary oppositions within the same few seconds. This can be seen as a contradictory message.
• Intertextual references to various speeches.
• Subverts stereotypical representations of gender --> women playing sports, being active. Although often the women are wearing more revealing clothes than the men (mise-en-scene) --> possibly appealing to the male gaze --> feminist theory, elements of sexualisation. 
• Commodity fetishism - The Nike logo, value of the product.