Children drawing toy commercials: re-imagining television production features

Abstract

Using a selection of toy commercials that were designed and drawn (as part of a small-scale research study) by a sample of primary school children between the ages of 7 and 11 years, this article aims to demonstrate and carefully analyse the extent to which young children understand and appreciate the visual appearance and functions of technical production features in televised toy commercials. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which the sample children demonstrated their understanding of technical production features (especially ‘camera’ angles and shot sizes), advertisement layout and the overall composition of a meaningful ‘text’. The children’s advertisement designs or ‘texts’ are also cross-matched with their televised counterparts (where appropriate), to further demonstrate the audience’s levels of understanding and appreciation.

Keywords

advertising children media literacy production techniques television toys

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