Water Aid- "Rain for Good"

General Conventions

-The campaign name is “Rain for Good”, it donates money to people in Africa who don’t have access to clean water. The purpose of this advert is to show how precious is the water for African people in poorer parts of the continent. The target audience is the middle/ working class people living in richer, western countries. Particularly in this advert, UK is presented in the beginning. The advert uses direct mode of address as they include the main character's name- Claudia. This makes the audience feel more engaged with the camping, as well it makes the advert more personal which can encourage the audience to donate more money. 

Usually the adverts about Africa include scenes with poverty, people wearing minimum amount of clothes, many hungry children, which makes the viewers watching these videos feel guilty and almost uncomfortable. 

In this advert the main character is singing and towards the end she is smiling happily and enjoying the clean water together with other people from her town. This suggests how they are living a good and positive life. Often in these kind of adverts people from poorer countries are represented in emphatic way, making viewers to donate money. In this WaterAid advert we see the opposite thing, which creates an image of hope, and it shows how people who donated money helped Claudia and her family and friends have a better life.

Camera and editing 

- The first shot includes a radio and flower pot, together with a rainy view from the house’s window. It shows the audience’s point of view and that the setting is placed in UK, because of the stereotypes that is always raining. It suggests how middle-class people who are living in UK have a good lifestyle, the rain is a form of water and often when is raining, people tend to hide in their home, which  in one way shows how the water is not valuable for them. 

-Africa is represented as a hot, dry place in the first shots, which contrasts with the scene from UK. It suggests how the continental weather in the two places are completely opposites. The dry setting shows that raining is not something that you can see in Africa, which emphasises how rain (which is a form of water) is valuable for people shown in this advert. 

- In this camera shot, the sun is captures together with the water, which creates a gold effect. This connotes how the water is a valuable thing for Claudia and other people from her town. The advert compares the water to gold, it encourages the audience to see how something so little for an ordinary person can be priceless for someone else.

Props, costumes and mise-en-scene 

- The main character is wearing colourful and bright clothes, which have positive connotations, it emphasises how Claudia is happy even though she lives in poverty. It gives a positive message to the audience, how people have to value even the smallest things. In this particular shot, we see all of the people in this advert to wear bright coloured clothes, which contrast with the stereotypes about donation adverts. Often they show children wearing minimum amount of clothing, with dark or white colours, which connotes poverty and its linked with bad references. While here it gives a vivid and joyful image. 

Lighting and colours

- At the beginning, UK is represented in a gloomy way, the use of low key lighting with blue undertones, creates a darker and depressed image. In the scene where the advert represents Africa, colours are warmer, there is bigger use of yellow and orange, which connotes happiness and positiveness. These colours as well portraits weather in both countries. 

Sound

- Water Aid's advert doesn't include any additional music, the main character- Claudia, sings her own version of the classical song "Rain for Good". The song links with the campaign's theme and at the same time  can have bigger impact over the audience, because this is a western musical single, which older people would recognise. It gives a positive message, which would have a good affect over viewers. 

Language 

- At the end of the advert, Water Aid includes a statement which suggests that "650 million people still don't have access to clean drinking water". This encourages readers to donate, because the advert shows positive images, which in some viewers might not have a big impact. This advert show the more positive and hopeful  side of countries with big poverty. It shows how the money that has been donated help people to feel happier and live a better life.