Unicef’s new film featuring David Beckham and his tattoos uniquely highlights child
abuse and promotes the organization’s campaign to combat it. Beckham is not
only a well-known soccer star, he’s also a Unicef goodwill Ambassador. Although
his celebrity status may draw people to the video, the attention he would
normally receive is deflected to the message he physically carries about the
scars left on children who are victims of violence. In the film Beckham sits
silent and still as his tattoos become animated while sounds of cries and
sinister music play. Most of the colors in the film are black and grey reinforcing
the somber message in this video. Beckham only speaks for a few seconds at the
end with a forceful voice. He says, “Violence against children marks them
forever. It’s wrong. End it.”
What
stands out most about the film isn’t Beckham’s presence or the horrific imagery
of animated children hurt, it’s the way these features come together to push
the point of Unicef’s campaign, which is to stop violence against children. At
the end of the video, there is a call to action, which people can answer by
using the hash tag #ENDviolence , by visiting unicef.org/endviolence, and by
sharing the video.
It’s
clear that the video aims to trigger people’s emotions, but it also aims to
change people’s thoughts on violence against children. Some of the animated
characters in the film show violence between children and verbal abuse, which
some people prior to watching the video may overlook. The way Unicef framed the
stories of violence against children in this film seems profound. Although the
video is short, it may leave a lasting impression on its viewers.
Also
worth noting is the way Unicef frames Beckham, he is a vessel for the campaign
not the driver of it. While other organizations might have video ads featuring
a celebrity talking about issues (Jennifer Aniston’s St. Jude’s commercial), Unicef
does not use Beckham as the reason people should care about its campaign. His
body, which is usually sexualized and idolized, becomes a canvas and the significance
of his tattoos is redefined as vivid examples of what real children go through,
not body art or decoration.
In the
book Communication Power by Manuel
Castell, he asserts, “Alternative projects and values put forward by the social
actors aiming to reprogram society must also go through the communication
networks to transform consciousness and views in people’s minds in order to
challenge the powers that be” (Castells, 2009, p53).
Castell’s
quote captures what this film does. The alternative value put forward by this
film is to pay attention to the messages people carry not the people carrying
them. As a character living in the world full of tabloids and red carpets,
Beckham has humbled himself to guide those who know him to issues that are more
important like violence against children. Maybe after watching the film people
will think twice when they see someone screaming at a child or when they see Beckham
on the cover they’ll think about this video and the message it sent. This video
is a chance to “reprogram society” and although when people see it they may
consciously focus on Beckham and his physical features, subconsciously they may
associate him with his stance against child abuse and support the stance too.
To
further explain the potential impact this video might have on viewers, one can
turn to Castell again. In Communication
Power he states, “…When emotional mechanisms are triggered in the brain’s
surveillance system, higher-level decision capacities are activated, leading to
more attention to information and a more active information search. That is why
deliberate frame is typically based on the arousal of emotions” (Castells,
2009, p156). The way that Unicef aims to stir emotions in this video seems
strategic and more challenging than the routes other organizations addressing
similar issues have gone. Unicef could have featured a child telling a story of
violence or with bruises, but even without the use of real children the message
film delivers is raw. The fact that the message about violence against children
in this film isn’t theatrically done might trigger people’s emotions on a
deeper level since they may have been desensitized to images of violence when
it is prominent in the movies and ads. Once viewers get roped in to use the
hash tag or visit the Unicef website, they’ll learn more about the realities of
violence against children.
This film
reinforces the importance of framing in regards to storytelling. Even though people
are constantly overwhelmed by messages and adverts in their daily lives, it’s
refreshing when an organization can reframe a social issue or how the deliver
information about that issue.
Reference:
Castells, M. (2009) Communication Power.
Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.