Visual Rewrite-ComicDub

0:00-0:01 The video begins with a low-angle camera shot of a gray SUV parked in the driveway, of what seems to be, an average suburban house because there are trees surrounding the house meaning it is most likely not in the city. The property itself seems to be well kept but not completely perfect, with some stains on the siding of the house and leaves on the roof, again to convey the feeling of an average suburban house. There is also a basketball net in the driveway which likely means the family living there has children. The branding is removed from the car most likely to help give the impression that this is not an advertisement for a vehicle company. Also, the background of the license plate on the car is blacked out, giving a sense of universality as at a first glance, one would not be able to tell specifically where in the world the advertisement is set. The two front doors as well as the back left door of the car start off as open, but are then shut by the end of the first second to show that multiple people have entered the car, presumably the family that lives there with the parents in the front and the children in the back. This 1 second from the beginning of the video appeals to the pathos of the viewer by setting up a relatable scene to most people.

0:01-0:04 The camera now transitions to the inside of the car where three kids are seen in the back of the vehicle, one in the very back row of seats and two in the middle row of seats. Based on the fact that only the driver side back door was seen closing at the start of the video, it can be assumed that the child in the very back row as well as the one in the passenger side back seat were already in the vehicle at the very start of the video. The camera starts off focused on two boys in the middle row of seats who appear to be maybe 10-13 years old. The boy on the right is seen to be wearing a blue t-shirt with a soccer ball on it, while the boy on the left is wearing a gray t-shirt shirt with two blue rings on each sleeve. It can be assumed that the two boys are into sports, but maybe not a specific sport as they have a basketball net in their driveway but are seen wearing a soccer shirt. Based on their facial expressions, the two boys seem to be screaming at each other while fighting over something in their hands that cannot yet be seen, tugging it back and forth. Since this tug of war between the two boys started happening the instant the boy on the right entered the vehicle, it can be presumed that the boy entered the vehicle holding something that triggered an immediate battle to own whatever it is. The camera now pans to a girl in the back row of seats who is presumably the older sister of the two boys. She is wearing pink headphones with which once again, no branding, while listening to music, indicated by her dance-like motions. Appearances wise, the children all have relatively dark skin and hair, and look to be maybe of Asian or Middle Eastern descent. This gives the advertisement a feeling of diversity, possibly to help appeal to more people. The children also look like they are well cared for healthy kids. This again appeals to the pathos of the viewer showing a relatable normal family with a familiar scene of kids fighting in the car.

0:04-0:05 The camera transitions to a middle aged man who is sitting in the driver’s seat of the car. He looks to be the same ethnicity as the children, making it reasonable to assume that he is their father. He is wearing a plaid, collared shirt with a white undershirt, indicative of casual “going out” attire. The man is seen staring straight ahead with lips pressed together, nostrils flared, and a facial expression that looks like he knows what is going on in the backseat but is trying his best to ignore it.

0:06-0:08 The camera now transitions back to the girl in the backseat who is blowing a big bubble of gum that looks like it is about to burst. It then pans over to the boys who are continuing to scream at each other while fighting over something, still not yet seen, in their hands. This scene is likely created to show how loud the inside of the car must be with the bubble of gum about to burst and the boys screaming. This once again appeals to pathos, creating the scene of a noisy car that most families with more than 1 child can relate to.

0:08-0:14 The camera now transitions, for the first time, to the front passenger seat of the car where you can see a middle aged woman wearing glasses, presumably the mother of the family. This woman has dark hair just like the rest of the people in the car, but has more of a pale skin tone, possibly indicating a different ethnicity. This again gives off the feeling of diversity in the advertisement. She is seen looking up into the rearview mirror, looking back at the kids in the back seats of the car. You can see her start to open her mouth and based on her facial expression, it seems as if she is about to yell at the kids for misbehaving. You can then also see the father look back at the kids through the rearview mirror as if to see their reaction to what the mother is about to say. The camera now focuses on the girl who’s gum bubble finally pops. At the same time the bubble pops, the camera pans out to the boys where it is revealed that the object they were fighting over was a bag of cheese puffs that now explodes all over the car due to them tugging it back and forth.

0:14-0:19 With cheese puffs still flying through the air, some even making their way up to the driver and passenger seats, the camera transitions to the dad’s face. He is once again staring straight forward looking like he is waiting for something to happen with a face that says, “can you please just stop already.” The camera now shows the two boys continuing to yell at each other with the mother in the foreground starting to say something. The two boys immediately stop arguing and look at their mother whose lips can be made out to be saying “now” with a stern look on her face. 

0:19-0:22 The camera transitions to the kids in the back seat who all have the look of someone who just got scolded. They all can be seen to immediately reach for their seatbelts and plug them in. From this it can be inferred that the mother was telling them to “put their seatbelts on now.” This again appeals to pathos as we all can relate to the emotions felt when being yelled at by our parents.

0:22-0:25 The camera now transitions to the dad who is now looking back at the kids. After now having watched the kids buckle up, he gives a little smile followed by a sigh of relief showing his deep gratitude to his “wife” for playing the bad guy and getting the kids to finally buckle up. As all of that happens, the “mom” can be seen brushing a cheese puff off her shoulder with an annoyed look on her face. The “dad” then looks forward and puts his hand on the steering wheel showing that he is now ready to drive away. It is also worth noting that there is a wedding band seen on his hand on the steering wheel, further adding to the assumption that the two in the front seat are “mom” and “dad.” This too appeals to the pathos of the viewers as it conveys the relatable value of the importance of seatbelts as the father waited for his kids to buckle up before pulling out of the driveway.


0:26-0:30 The remainder of the video shows the car pulling out of the driveway into the street of what is now confirmed, a suburban neighborhood. The car is seen pulling into the right hand side of the road which along with all the other visuals described so far, makes it seem like the advertisement takes place somewhere in the United States. As the car starts pulling away a logo for the NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, appears on screen along with a little slogan that reads, “Never give up until they buckle up.” This now reveals that the ad was about safe driving habits, sending the message to make sure everyone is buckled up before getting on the road. This final 4 seconds of the video appeals to ethos by showing the branding of the credible NHTSA.

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2 Responses to Visual Rewrite-ComicDub

  1. comicdub says:

    The Feedback I would like to receive:
    – I went and changed/added things according to the feedback I received on the original Visual Rhetoric Assignment and would like to know if this Rewrite is is sufficient in addressing that feedback.

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