Research Blogs: Commercial Conventions

Today in AICE Media Studies, we were assigned to produce a commercial of a product of a popular brand or a PSA about vaping prevention. My group and I decided to produce a commercial about Gatorade because we found it was easiest to do on our school's campus. There are four people in the group: Hannah, Emma, Leila and Hailey.

In Gatorade commercials, the elements of the commercial usually create a dramatic and serious tone. Most of the subjects in the commercials are wearing sports uniforms. For example, track athletes usually wear shorts, tank tops, and sweat bands on their head and around their arms. Most of the time, the commercial would film an exhausted athlete. This would emphasize the importance and the effects of the product. The establishing shot would usually establish the location of the practice. For example, they would have the establishing shot at a track field for a track athlete. Also,  sports commercials would consists of long shots and medium close ups to emphasize the athletes' actions.

The lighting in sports commercials is usually harsh, bright stage light of an athlete.This helps develop a serious tone because it makes the commercial more dramatic. The lighting design produces more shadows to make the product more appealing on screen. The color design of the commercials usually consists of dull colors with a pop of brighter colors such as reds, oranges, blues i.e., to emphasize the the product.

The sound in sports commercials is usually a voice-over expressing the feelings of the athletes. Diegetic sounds and ambient sounds are usually louder than they would normally be. For example, walking/running, the sounds of breathing, and the sound of someone drinking. In the commercials, dialogue is usually muffled but is still present. Sometimes there is an influencer giving a motivating speech or there are sounds of sport crowds in the background.

This is an example of the all the elements used in a sports commercial.