task 5a

In this assignment I will be describing and explaining the different types of camera shots and moving image languages in 50 Cent’s Reebok advert made in 2005.

In this first shot there is a wide shot of an empty street in America with an empty shop, a bike and pair of trainers hanging off the telephone wires. In America if shoes are hung off a telephone wire it would usually be a sign of someone dying, this could suggest the lifestyle 50 cent was living in, which was in the ghetto, crime related, it also shows the disturbance in the neighbourhood as there is nobody to be seen on the street. However diegetic sound is used as you hear kids playing in the background, this could tell us about 50 Cents childhood as he was brought up in this type of scenery.

Mis-en-scene is used in the second shot as they show a close up of the trainers hanging from the wire. The dull, cloudy day also gives the audience a depressing image as they show bare trees in the background. In shot 3 they show a close up shot of a rope, this could represent 50 Cents life as it had come to an end, he had started his music career and was doing very well until he had got shot which then links to the shot of the ‘rope’ as everyone thought that was the end of him.  They have used low-key lighting to make the dark areas stand out with the back light, the dark area at this point of the video is when they hint out he had a very bad fall in his life.

Shot 3 then dissolves into the next shot where they show a picture of 50 cent in the background behind the rope. The non-simultaneous diegetic sound of a gunshot would link to crime and give a hint to an audience of 50 cent shooting someone or somebody shooting him, however the audience that know about the life of Jackson would know about how he got shot 9 times and still survived.

In shots 5 and 6 mis-en-scene is used to show the red drops of blood. They have used the key-light to make the red ‘blood’ drops very bright and strong so it attracts our eyes, this could also suggest that the shooting was very serious, as in reality it was life threatening and everybody had lost hope. The media has used strong lighting to create a very serious image in the audiences mind. In shots 7-9 non-simultaneous diegetic sound is used as you hear a female voice screaming very loudly out of shock, this could relate to one of Jacksons family relatives or close friends being at the scene when it all happened. However as the diegetic sound of the screaming continues, shot 8 is a very quick shot of 50 Cents head dropping down then in shot 10 you the screaming fade into police sirens and a police officer saying ‘rapper 50 cent gunned down’.

 This shows that the shot of Jackson dropping his head down represents him getting shot down. Shot 11 is a black and white shot of him sitting on his own, he is wearing a red jacket which could represent blood, this would show how he was left shot with nobody to revive him. Shot 12 switches into a daylight shot of a restaurant, this could represent the dark and light days as the colours here additionally reflect this faults that got him into trouble.

Scenes 14 and 16 are linked together as it moves into him sitting alone, to a daylight shot, then links to the same scene and colour of him sitting on his own again.  In shot 17 to 18 you hear the police in the background and an officer speaking, the scene then pauses for a second on Jacksons face and you hear one final non simultaneous diegetic sound of a gunshot. As you hear the sound of the gunshot 50 Cents eyes close and his head drops back, this explains what happened when he got shot. Shot 19 rewinds back to the streets in pure daylight, this shows how he had another chance. In shots 20-23 it rewinds back to a long shot of 50 cent sitting on the box, they have used non-simultaneous diegetic sound of a voice in the background saying “The best male hip-hop artist is 50 cent”. This suggests the how he took advantage of his second chance and continued with his famous career. As 50 cent counts to 7 you hear another non-simultaneous diegetic sound of crowds scream, this would represent the “fans” that he has, it could also show how happy people are to see him back.

As 50 cent counts 8, the voice in the background says “talking to 50 cent he’s still got the game on smash”. This shows how 50 cent is still at the peak of his career knowing he is the best male hip hop artist around. In the background they also say “who do you plan to massacre next?” 50 cent then starts laughing and rocking back and fourth, in my opinion this could show a sense of ego as he knows he is the best, it could show the anger he has for the person that made his career fall down, this could the criminal that shot him.

In the start of shot 24 Jackson has a serious face, mis-en-scene is used here in two different areas. His facial expression is one as the serious face could mean how he is reflecting on his past and looks to take on the hip hop industry again, it shows that he is serious to show the world he is the best. The lighting is very dark at this point and the shot dissolves into a slogan that is written in white bold writing which says ‘I AM WHAT I AM’. This could mean that he is never going to change his ways, it could show that he has grew up in the streets and crime related scenery and by shooting him and not killing him is not going to stop him from going back to that lifestyle. Shot 27 is the final shot of this advert, it has the Reebok trade mark abbreviation. You see black background with the white reebok sign, in some cases reebok could be trying to present a similar personality to 50 cent in this as he has a very superior personality and likes to be known as the best. This could relate to the company reebok itself as Reebok is known as one of the best trademarks in the world and especially in 2005 it was a brand that all teenagers loved. This could be the reason why they chose 50 cent to advertise their brand as it would attract young teenagers and could easily attract an audience profile up to 25 years old.

In my opinion although the clip has no relevance to the reebok brand although it is a very unique which makes it a good way to advertise the brand through a famous celebrity that has been through a rough lifestyle.