Reebok Analysis- Ms Wigley

In the Reebok advert, they use mis-en-scéne, which are aspects such as clothing, props, gestures, facial expressions etc. The type of clothing 5O cent is wearing is informal/ everyday wear, which connotes who he is and what type of background he is from- a criminal or violent background. The facial expressions made my 5O cent are serious as the voiceover, which is 5O cent, explains what has happened; he got “shot nine times”. Stereotypically, people that wear baggy clothes and are brought up and a violence area they tend to be associated with violence.

The sound included in this advert is non-diegetic, which are added sounds that were not in the scene when recorded such as, a gun shot, voice over and the radio. This works together with the different scenes in the advert because the start the radio sounds of the news outside a building, which connotes where the shooting happened. These scenes relate to criminal backgrounds and violence, and that is how it is portrayed in the advert. There is only a seconds worth of diegetic sound, when he laughs which shows that he does not take the matter as serious as expected.

The background 5O cent is in connotes imprisoned as the room is empty but only a box that he is sitting on. This connotes the background that he is from has restrictions because they are seen as negative when crime is involved.

Colours used are dark and earthy colours with some red, which connotes death or blood, due to the context. The use of colours shows how serious the situation is and how that area is perceived.  The type of shots uses are; low angle and close ups. A low angle shot connotes how superior 5O cent thinks he is compared to everyone else and a close up allows the audience to see his facial expressions and he is still looking down at the audience. A close-up of dripping water appeared to flash red before the voice said "shot nine times" and 50 Cent slowly counted from one to nine. Another voice then asked: "Who do you plan to massacre next?

Reebok was criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority for glorifying gun violence in a television advert featuring the hip hop star 50 Cent.  5O cent had just signed up to Reebok last year to appear in advertising campaigns and design trainers for the firm. In this advert it was expressing his experience on a notorious drive-by incident when he was shot nine times.

Other commercial companies such as Broadcasting Advertising Clearance Centre, vets television commercials said this advert should be shown after nine pm. However, ASA said they should not advertise this advert at all. They described 5O cent to have the "potential to encourage or condone violence, particularly among vulnerable or younger viewers", which is in section 6, 6.2 in “the broadcast committee of advertising practising, the standard code.

Reebok had argued that the adverts did not glorify violence but rather that "you can achieve by believing in yourself" and that they were part of a wider global campaign tagged "I am what I am". The question about a massacre referred not to violence but to 50 Cent's new album of that name, it argued. Both qualifications were rejected by the ASA, which also said the ads were likely to be more attractive to younger viewers because of the brand. Reebok said “We want the world to know that 'I am what I am' is more than an advertising campaign, rather it speaks to who Reebok truly is as a brand and it is an invitation for today's youth to join in” they said to the Guardian.
Therefore, in respect to Reebok they did not attempt to glorify violence but there campaign “I am who I am”. Their target audience is teenage males. This advertisement should be banned because of the ‘57 complaints from viewers’ because they contained violence and could encourage children to follow the steps of 5O cent as he is an artist and well recognized.