Sitcom:30 Youth Vaping Prevention
0.00 – 0.01
The ad starts in the setting of a living room; light is coming through the window, so the time is around midday. A young woman is sitting crisscrossed on the living room couch with an open laptop resting on her knees. She is alone in this space, looking at the laptop screen, and her hands are placed above the keyboard.
0.02
The next frame shows four teenagers rushing into the living room to now stand across from the young woman on the couch. They are all looking towards the young woman on the couch. The four teenagers are dressed in 1980s teenage-style clothing. There are two guys and two girls. One of the girls is dressed in a cheerleader outfit and has a pair of pom poms in hand, she is tilting her head to the side and has a concerned look on her face. The other teenage girl is dressed in what looks to be her school outfit: a bright pink skirt with a white and blue patterned vest and belt and purse to match the blue. The boy standing next to the cheerleader is also dressed in what looks to be his school outfit of light blue jeans, a purple unbuttoned shirt, a pink shirt underneath, and retro glasses on his face; he also has a concerned look on his face. The last guy also dressed in a school outfit is wearing a yellow overall with a blue patterned unbuttoned shirt and blue belt to match. He also has a concerned expression on his face.
It is assumed that these are a group of friends from school that may have left school for a school sporting event, given they are dressed up and one is in a cheerleader’s outfit.
0.03
The next frame shows that the young woman on the couch has now focused her attention on the group of teenagers standing up in front of her.
0.04
The next frame shifts back to the four teenagers, the cheerleader and the other girl dressed in the pink skirt have now turned their heads up towards the guy standing in between them. The cheerleader now has an even more concerned look on her face and the other’s show serious expressions on their faces. The guy standing in between the two girls has his mouth open and is looking straight towards the young woman sitting on the couch.
It is assumed that he is now telling her important information, given the looks on their faces.
0.05- 0.06
The frame is now shifted to the young woman on the couch, who has now changed her expression to a concerned and confused look. She is looking straight at the guy in between the other two girls.
0.07-0.08
The frame shifts again to the four teenagers, now all their faces are focused on the girl with the pink skirt, as she now has her mouth open and has a serious expression on her face.
It is assumed she is telling some kind of important information.
0.09
The frame is now zoomed onto the face of the cheerleader, she has a concerned and sad look on her face.
0.10- 0.11
The frame is now zoomed out to where we can see both the group of teenagers and the young woman sitting on the couch. The guy dressed in overalls now has his hand out toward the young woman. They are all slightly leaning toward her still having concerned looks on their faces. The cheerleader has moved her arms downward.
It is assumed that they are telling her something they are upset about, given that the cheerleader has now put her arms down in a way to show frustration.
0.12
The next frame shows the four teenagers again the boy on the far left has now shifted his attention to the cheerleader as her arms move up again in a pleading manner while her mouth opens. Her eyebrows are turned up and the guy standing next to her shows a concerned look on his face as he looks at the young woman on the couch.
It is assumed that the cheerleader is pleading with the young woman on the couch, the four teenagers body language now shows that they might want something from the young woman.
0.18
The next frame shows the young woman on the couch with a deeply concerned and confused look on her face. Her eyes look between the two girls in confusion.
0.19
The next frame shows the group of teenagers again, this time the girl in the pink skirt has her arms folded and has a look of disappointment on her face. The guy to the left of her shows an expression of disgust, while the guy in the middle remains concerned. the cheerleader has now titled her head even more and has a look of judgment and shock on her face.
0.20-0.23
The framed picture of the teenagers is now paused, and a series of words is presented across the screen picture. The words state “Wacky sitcom teens aren’t the best people to talk to your kid about vaping.”
We now know that this ad is about vaping and that these teens dressed in wacky apparel are talking to the young woman on the couch about vaping. We also now know that this ad is directed towards audiences with children, such as parents and guardians.
0.24
The next frame is now zoomed on the face of the young woman sitting on the couch, she is looking upwards and now has a look of sadness and worry.
0.25
The next frame shows that the teenagers have disappeared and an older man has now entered the living room where the teenagers were standing. The screen is paused is two words are shown, and they state “You are.”
These new words correspond to the previous text to parents, we can assume that the older man is the parent that now gets involved.
0.26
The next frame shows both the young girl and the older man looking at each other. The young girl has her hand on the very top of her laptop as the older man is now closer to the couch and has his knees slightly bent.
It is assumed that the older man is now about to have a seat next to the young girl, and that she will close her laptop to give her attention to him.
0.27
The next frame shows the man now bent more towards the couch and his hand on the young girl’s shoulder. She has a laptop closed and is now showing an expressive smile towards the older man.
0.28-0.30
The frame shows both the young girl and older man sitting together on the couch with the older man’s hand still on the young girl’s shoulder. The text across this picture now states, “TalkAboutVaping.org”
In Conclusion:
It is now clear that at the beginning of this video, a group of teenagers, who are friends with the young girl on the couch are trying to advise her and convince her that vaping isn’t safe. The video then promotes parents taking action and conversing with their children about the dangers of vaping by showing a father figure approaching the young girl after the “wacky teenagers” shared their concerns. The young girl then looks relieved and happier now that the father figure is sitting down and conversing with her.
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
You’re the third student to choose this video for analysis, Yardie.
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Here’s what I said to Mongoose:
I wasn’t able to visualize much of what you were describing in your first-second report, Mongoose, so when I started to read about the sudden appearance of new characters in the 2nd second, I decided to peek at the first. What I saw was the first floor of a comfortable upper-middle class residence, not new construction but very well maintained and VERY tidy: a home in which even a beach ball on the floor would represent a major incongruity. The knick-knacks are stored in glass-front cabinets. Not a single item is out of place. Even the art consists of simple pale items in compartmentalized frames. The girl is so nearly motionless that the camera has to zoom in on her slowly to indicate that we’re watching video, not looking at a still image. There isn’t a pattern in sight except maybe a brown-on-brown stripe on a cushion. The girl, too, is dressed in solids. It’s the radiator in the foyer that indicates the age of the home and also which direction the front door will be found.
At this point, you might wonder, “what are we watching here?” It’s your job to begin immediately to judge whether this is a commercial advertisement (for what product or service?), a “return to your regular program,” a public service announcement, or . . . . and to report that impression to us since we can’t see what you’re looking at.
The sudden appearance of the quartet of outlandishly dressed sitcom characters is nicely described but not analyzed. We need your help with this too. NOW. While you’re watching it and judging, however fleetingly, why you’re being shown these characters. Is the ethic mix consistent with what would have appeared in a sitcom from the 80s? 90s? If not, why not? I’m not watching beyond what I’ve already seen yet. I want to give you time to revise your work if what I’ve said so far suggests that you should.
Before I go, though, I want you to tell me what the bug-eyed expression on the cheerleader’s face means.
One more thing. Is this one of those stories where the girl, who may have been doing homework, was in fact watching a sitcom when suddenly the characters from the show appear before her in the flesh? It seems like a possibility.
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Here’s what I said to LoverOfCatsAndMatcha:
Yours is the second description I’ve read so far of this particular video, LoverOfCatsAndMatcha. You might benefit from reading the Feedback I left for Mongoose earlier today. (I too will benefit if it saves me from having to repeat everything.)
In the first second, we see a young woman lounging on a sofa, on a laptop. She is wearing what appears to be modern era clothing: a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
—Color is not always notable, but when pale solid colors match the pale solid colors of the entire room (walls, furniture, curtains, etc.), it might be worth mentioning.
The camera angle is wide, and provides the perspective as though we were looking at her from the opposite side of the room.
—As the “blind tourist” taking your tour I appreciate the mention of the wide angle view of the room, which really helped orient me. It might not be important, but the windows behind the girl face the front yard. The radiators in the foyer indicate the age of the house, and their placement indicates where the front door is (you didn’t mention the passage through the entrance hall before entering the dining room).
From the perspective of the camera, we are able to see the majority of the living room that she is sitting in, as well as the entrance to the adjacent room, which appears to be a dining room.
—Fine.
The living room is neat and tidy, but also looks as though it has been occupied by a family.
—The living room is SOO neat and tidy, it’s hard to imagine anyone living there. It looks artificially set up to fit the dictionary description of “neat and tidy.”
It is nicely decorated, and the photos in the background give the implication that the girl we see at the forefront of the clip lives with her family.
—I don’t know what photo could possibly suggest family to you.
In the next two seconds, the camera angle flips to what is assumed to be the opposite side of the living room, from the young woman on the sofa’s perspective.
—What you mean is that, based on the new camera angle, we are seeing the girl’s perspective of the passage to the hallway. It’s important to you as the viewer, and to your reader as the tourist on your tour, that we know WHOSE perspective we’re in. If intruders enter a room, we need to know if WE’RE the intruders or the INTRUDED UPON. The camera angle communicates that immediately.
Four teenagers rush into the frame/room, with slightly frazzled expressions on their faces. The first to enter is a short cheerleader, indicated by her cheerleading uniform, and she is closely followed by two boys and one girl. The four of them are dressed and accessorized in a way reminiscent of the 80s, from the brightly colored outfits, to the eccentric hair and accessories, to the outdated cheer uniform.
—Is it just that, or might they be dressed as stereotypes or caricatures of 80s teens?
They face the camera, but their line of vision goes past it, implying that they are looking at and engaging with the young woman that was seated on the sofa.
—Well said. WE (from the girl’s perspective) are now being considered and addressed by the invaders. Are they real? Did they spring from the girl’s imagination? Is the girl part of a production in which both she and the invaders are participating. In other words, WHAT ARE WE WATCHING?
—Three seconds in, every viewer has concluded, or begun to conclude, what sort of what they’re watching. Ad? Announcement? Back to the show? Etc?
On the screen, the words “A Very Special Episode” appear, reminiscent of a sitcom.
—Does this help answer those questions?
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You’re probably too busy to make revisions at this late hour, Yardie, but if you have the time, maybe those reactions of mine will guide you