TV Commercial

Now as part of my recent media assignments, I was told to pick an TV commercial and somewhat pick it apart and analyse the audio, visual and technical codes features. I was torn between two amazing commercials but I eventually decided on one cause not only is it an generally mesmerising advert but the technical side behind it is also very interesting too. 


This 2005 Volkswagen Golf GTI is amazing in so many ways that even BBC News and The Guardian had to write an article on the tech behind it. The very concept of the video is what makes it so very intriguing, it was a modern take on Gene Kelly's Singing In The Rain but instead of Gene Kelly doing that very classic and timeless routine, there was a dancer in the shape and form of Kelly doing some honestly very amazing break dancing moves. The magic behind the tech had many wondering if  that really was a man dancing, or is it all done by computer? Have they somehow manipulated the original film? Or have they really gone to the trouble of rebuilding a set in exacting detail?

The simple answer to whether the advert is computer trickery or an elaborate reconstruction is that it's a bit of both. But yes, the producers did go to the trouble of building an exact replica set, and yes, it is a real human dancing. It is honestly quite amazing what technology can do these days. Dancer, David Elsewhere, was the man behind the dancing with Kelly's face behind mapped onto his. The set for this advert was built at Shepperton Studios, complete with practically everything that would have been there at the filming of the 1952 classic film, including fake cobbles, fire hydrants, shopfronts, lamp-posts, and of course rain (60 gallons of water per second)

 The audio is Mint Royale - Singing In The Rain Remix so it all seems to fit the theme quite well and the dancing in fact. 
So that's the audio and visual codes covered, so what about the technical codes? I was having a little trouble discovering what it was, so I done a little research

Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text.

The camera work in this particular advert is used to tell a very unique story here. The lighting here is very lowkey and low contrast with very selective focus on 'Gene' as too much focus would make it much easier for the audience to identify the dancer as 'Gene' although it's all an technical illusion.