https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oS_FmIp0BQ
0:01-0:02
- The ad starts with a high angle shot above a wooden table
- The scene is set inside in a room with warm lighting, making it seem comfortable and gives a feeling of togetherness.
- I would not say this takes place in a house, as they are over a carpeted area that is then divided to a tile type of floor which is more typical in some type of public building.
- You can see four people sitting down, the two at the top of the frame you can see clearly over their heads, the two at the bottom of the frame, just the ends of their arms
- The two individuals at the top of the frame are women. The one on the right can be seen wearing a fancy red hat along with a matching red outfit. Under her hat she has unnatural blond hair, and her sleeves are rolled up to expose an elegant gold bracelet that matches her outfit. She is also wearing glasses which may indicate she is older as well. The one on the right of the frame has a soft pink sweater with a matching watch. It can be seen she is a woman as well by her mid-length wavy brunette hair.
- The woman on the bottom right of the frame we can just see the end of her arms, we can tell she is a woman by her hands (smaller thinner, feminine also well-manicured, and if anything very natural/elegant nail polish. She also has a silver bracelet that matches her long sleeve flower blouse. The individual on the bottom right is not exactly clear on whether it is a man or a woman, the hands are a smaller size but have tattoos on the top. Of them, they are also wearing a long sleeve dress shirt with striped cuffs, and over that a beige sweater, this person is also wearing a brown watch and a rainbow bracelet, possibly indicating some association to the lgbtq community.
- two of them sitting across from the other two on the long sides of the table. All of the ladies are of different nationalities and one of the ladies on the top left is in a wheelchair, the director chose this group to show diversity in this book club.
- They are all dressed in casual/upscale casual, they all jewelry (watches, bracelets).
- On the wooden table there are a couple nice purses along with a pair of glasses and a couple water bottles (not glasses of water as would be more typical in a home), there are also two books laid horizontally in the middle of the table so the title can be seen. United Horizons: The Power of Community
- Each of the individuals also is holding that same book, all open to the same page, indicating they are in in some kind of book club as the lady on the top led .
- This is used to show how the table connects them and brings them together.
0:02-0:04
- Scene suddenly changes and the high angle shot stays consistent for much of this ad. This time the frame crooked was recorded slanted to the right to show a sense of playfulness and a relaxing environment.
- It takes place likely in a house based off of the hardwood floors and the patterned area rug, giving the scene an intimate feel, the individuals here are not likely strangers.
- This scene features a small square game table with four people, one sitting on each side
- The person on the right of the frame is clearly visible with his short blond hair and gold glasses we can tell it’s a man, as for the other 3 people in the frame, it is a little unclear to tell their gender but their different skin colors show diversity as well as their different ages as can be seen by their hands.
- There are two small tables of snacks set up on opposite corners of the center table as well to show it is not just a quick game but an event they gathered to enjoy
- The first part of the scene features them starting to play what seems to be a foreign board game. I knew it was mahjong as I used to play it with my mom and grandmother, but it would just seem like a unique game to someone who hasn’t seen it. They are all collectively shuffling the pieces around, showing their collective enjoyment of the game
- The frame cuts then zooms in to the table after, showing they’ve started the game because of its organized setup in the middle and with each person having their tiles on their side.
- The person on the left’s hand positioning seems to be in thought as to what the next move is, this scene shows the enjoyment of a tabletop game together.
0:04-0:05
- Scene changes to display a vertical rectangular lunch table, still in the high angle shot, with a bag of some kind of orange snack in the center children are taking turns reaching into
- The setting seems to be at a school as it is a typical table found in that area, also by the small children and adult
- There are bookbags and a basketball on the floor and on the table bench towards the top of the frame
- There is an adult on the right side of the frame, he appears to be a coach as he is wearing a whistle around his neck, dressed in sporty attire, and has a clipboard in his hand with a gameplan drawn on it.
- It appears to be they are in the midst of a recreational basketball game as the 5 children are all sitting or kneeling on the bench at the table wearing mesh scrimmage vests of either blue or yellow in color. They are mostly boys but there also is one girl, probably used to show it isn’t a specific boy’s game. The director chose this to show how even though they are on different teams, the table still brings them together and leaves no one out.
0:05-0:07
- The scene cuts, then continues the high angle shot above another wooden tabletop surface vertically. There is restaurant lighting, warm and easy on the eyes.
- The table has a couple of glasses near the top of the frame, one of which seems to be a white wine and the other perhaps an ice water in a red glass. There are also a plate of charcuterie in the center which appears to already have been mostly eaten, as can also be distinguished by the crumbs and couple of dirty napkins on the table.
- There are 5 people in this celebratory event, as we can tell by the 5 glasses that clink they toast. These five glasses are all different and all contain different drinks which leads one to assume that they are likely at a restaurant
- The director chose this setup as it shows how close they are and how they came together to celebrate a special occasion.
0:07-0:09
- The scene cuts, then continues the high angle shot over a horizontal table draped in a yellow tablecloth.
- In the top of the frame, one can see hardwood floors and a red patterned rug, this leads to believe the scene is set in a dining room in a house.
- The table is covered in a large variety of foods, including salad, chicken, and naan bread. Whoever is attending this event was made to feel special as it goes above your usual pizza and cake kind of party. This indicates to the viewer that this is a celebration, giving a feeling of community, family, and overall closeness.
- In the top. Of the frame we can see presumably a woman from the puffy olive jacket and blond hair. Our attention though, is drawn to the little girl in the center of the upper portion of the frame, she appears to be looking upwards in excitement at a man in who is serving her food, we can tell because her and his left hands are both on the plate while he serves her with his right, probably her father.
- The director chose this to show the relationship between generations and how they “belong”
0:09-0:11
- The scene cuts, continuing the high angle shot over a vertical plywood work surface, the camera tilted to the left that gives a less structured, more “in the works” kind of feel.
- There is a cloth tarp covering the floor, to prevent messes, and there are two buckets along the right-hand side floor, with what appears to be a bag of concrete. This indicates they are currently in a construction zone,
- The table has a plan for what seems to be a building, judging its size and complexity of the drawing.
- There are two people in the left frame, they appear to work there as they have gloves on and long sleeves. The one on the bottom left, we can only see the top of his yellow hardhat and his arm as he is helping the person to the left by pointing something out on the plan. This is done to show these people help each other to all work towards a goal. We are also introduced to a person that walks in from the right side of the frame to the end of the table, where he sets his hardhat on the table, indicating to the viewer that he too, is a part of that group, showing they all belong there and are a part of something.
0:11-0:14
- The scene cuts and continues in a high angle shot over a crooked to the right, horizontal table. We can see this table has what appears to be some type of tabletop roleplaying game. We can assume this is Dungeons and Dragons, also presumably a battle scene.
- There are people around the table, who seem like the players of this game. They are waiting in anticipation for what is going to happen next.
- The directors did this to show how close of a group they are, gather together over common interests.
0: 0:14- 0:16
- The scene cuts, continuing in a high angle shot over a straight horizontal table. The table is a light gray color, the type you would find in an office. It also has a wooden trim around it to show that it means business.
- On the table we can see a computer, files, and each a business plan. We can safely assume they are there for a business meeting.
- We can also see that there are at least 6 people in that meeting, 3 men and 3 women.
- The director wanted to show us that everyone belongs to that table as they share the common interest of improving a company.
16-0:17
- The scene cuts, continuing in a high angle shot over a ping pong table that is slanted to the right. This shows the excitement of the two players and the spectator as they watch the match go on.
- These three people are brought together by their similar interest to the game, the one on the top side of the table is moving his paddle in anticipation to play next.
0:17-0:20
- The scene cuts to a horizontal wooden table, still in a high angle shot. This table had a lighter colored plastic table next to it as well, to show that it is not a fancy donation, but more of a community canned food drive.
- On the table there are cans on the right and bags of toiletries in the middle, along with socks and bottles on the left-hand side. Under the table we can see cases of bottled water and understand that this variety of supplies were donated by the community.
- At the top of the frame there is a person taking stuff out of one of the bags and placing it in the box to our left. The man on the opposite side can be seen handing out cans to another individual on the other side, showing how they are delivering these goods to the people.
- The director chose to do this to show how close the community is and how they can all belong at that table.
0:20-0:29
- The scene cuts, and now we see the inside of the house, it is decorated, and the walls are green. The large sign in the back reads “Welcome to the neighborhood” There are tables filled with the same type of food we had seen in the earlier scene with the yellow tablecloth.
- The wall decorated with a visible cross indicating it a Christian household
- We can identify the little girl and the hands of who was helping her father from an earlier scene We can assume they are mother father and daughter.
- They appear to be welcoming in embrace by the guests of the party, specifically the wife. We can also see the welcoming handshake between the presumed grandmother and the husband in the back.
- This couple is of darker skin, the wife is wearing a head covering with muted colors along with modest clothing probably indicating that they are Muslim. The husband in the back has a beard and also is wearing muted colors, and we can tell they are married as they are both wearing wedding rings as well
- We can see how welcoming this family is to their new community, inviting these guests to their home. They can be seen to belong there, bringing the community closer together, and the director chose to have everyone in the scene of different faiths as it shows that even though they believe in different religions, they still come together.
- The wife appears to also greet the little girl by leaning down and waving hi, but I don’t believe the little girl is deaf since in the end of the scene she is moving her mouth as if she were talking, and she is young enough to where if she were deaf she would be signing too, and if she were deaf she probably wouldn’t have learned to talk yet since she wouldn’t be able to hear.
Audio
- There is uplifting music that somewhat distracting from just how much is going on in the scene, also since the scenes are only several seconds long.
- The voice over just talks about how everyone brings something different to the table and how we all belong,
- If anything I got more from the video without the audio as there was so much information to get from each scene that the audio distracts from.
I’m feeling overall very positive about what I’m reading here, lil.sapph. I get the idea that the image I’m forming as I read your description probably matches the reality of the video pretty well. Just a few clarifications on the first section.
0:01-0:02
—You say we can see just the “ends of their arms” from above, so I’m wondering what visual clues say clearly: four women. Nail polish? Manicures? Hand size? The bracelets?
—Is it possible you can see at least one of the women well enough to make a definitive gender call, after which you conclude from the other clues that they all are?
—And would that assumption be social . . . it’s MORE LIKELY that when four people gather over a common book and one of them is a woman that they will ALL be women?
—Or is there something else at work?
—And either way, are we drawing inferences in the first seconds about people, about book readers, about women, about . . . . ?
0:02-0:04
—It may be nonsense, but your note about the “unsquare” nature of the second shot suggesting playfulness is very clever. 🙂
—Obviously you don’t mean “four people sitting on each side.”: Or do you? Are there 16 people in the shot? I haven’t seen it.
—I might know what mahjong looks like. More likely, if I saw it from above I would make a good guess. Did you recognize it or have to research it? And what does that suggest about the filmmakers’ intentions? Did they want you to “know,” or did they want you to see an unfamiliar game and just think: “exotic.”
—I’m not sure I follow your two descriptions of this one scene. In the first, they’re shuffling pieces? In the second, they’ve started play? Is there a difference in the setup to indicate play has begun?
—By the way, these aren’t the same women, are they? You didn’t say; just called them people. Are they women at all? Or are we already getting a variety of age/gender/ethnicity/social class . . . . ?
Your work is overall strong, lil.sapph. It’s a little lacking in CRITIQUE though. Do you find the film/editing/composition techniques effective? Is there an argument presented other than, I don’t know, “people build community around tables”? Are you confused about the techniques, the choices, the casting, the intentions, the politics of the filmmakers?
You might also get some points out of adding a section that follows your ACTIVE LISTENING to the video with the soundtrack. Does the audio contribute to the message? Distract from it? Add nuance?
Don’t wait for more Feedback before revising your entire post, Unicorn. Use whatever is useful about my advice to make improvements throughout. Put the post into Regrade Please or back into Feedback Please, or both, following any significant improvements.
I’ve just watched the video, lil.sapph, and I want to encourage you to be a little bolder in your summary of the last scene in particular. You can’t pretend ethnicity is not a factor in the director’s choices. Who is welcoming whom to this neighborhood? Talk to me about the crucifix on the wall and the head scarf of the woman I believe you are identifying as the host(ess).
And I don’t think I’m imagining that she “signs” to that little girl who, perhaps, someone has told her is hearing-impaired. Just for the record.
Brilliant improvements. And I agree with you about the non-deaf girl. 🙂
Regraded. No need to further improve this one, lil.sapph