Bullying: When Words Become Weapons

This video is a commercial demonstrating just how much words can hurt. The video starts with a timid looking girl drinking from a water fountain when a group of three girls spot her across the hall. They start making comments about her that she can obviously hear and the words that come out of the bullies mouths become tangible with the use of special effects and slap her across the face and push her into the lockers. This demonstrates just how much their words are affecting her. Eventually the bullies start to laugh when the victim falls to the ground and she feels their laughter and their words swirling around her head. She gets up and runs away and “Words hurt. Don't be a part of it.” appears on the screen.

The topic being addressed in this commercial is nothing new yet the topic of bullying is still relevant and important. Even though there are countless posters, videos and other commercials about bullying and just how much it can effect people, the way that the subject is approached and discussed in this video is quite fresh. The use of special effects as well as the lighting and sound makes the commercial interesting to watch and effective at conveying it's message.

In this commercial, the acting from the actors was crucial to the effectiveness of the message.

If the actors didn't play their roles correctly the whole thing wouldn't make any sense. Luckily, the actors who played the bullies were very effective at persuading the audience of their mean teasing. The over exaggeration of the bullies laughs shows how the victim must be perceiving their actions and this helps viewers sympathize with the

victim.

The lighting used in the video is dim and bleak and this is effective at reflecting the victims somber feelings. This helps viewers aline themselves with the victim's emotions and state of mind.

When the bullies words coming to life and physically hurt the victim, the special effects show that words hurt just as much as punches do. The video demonstrates that emotional damage is just as severe as physical damage and it is also considered to be bullying. The use of special effects helps show how the words and laughs of the bullies affect the victim. The close up shots of her on the ground helps viewers sympathize

The close ups of the bullies laughter and the quick editing between the victim and the bullies makes the advertisement just dramatic enough to really stick in the minds of the people who view it. The

The clothing that the people in the video are wearing make the commercial more realistic. Their outfits aren't gaudy and over exaggerated and this helps the message be the focal point. The clothing that the victim is wearing is quite understated and this shows that she is trying to be invisible. This is another indicator of what the victim is feeling. The clothing that the actors are wearing in the video are not futuristic or from the past. This helps illustrate that the theme of the video is important and relevant in the present day and what they are warning people of doing does happen everyday.

The setting is most probably a middle school and the empty halls depict how alone the victim must feel. In reality the halls wouldn't be empty but for the sake of the video they are no other people around to reflect the victim's inner emotions. The set is very believable and helps add to the mood of the advertisement without drawing attention from the actors performances.

There sounds that are made when the bullies words slap and push the victim around are loud because of the empty hallways. This enables the viewers to see and hear just how alone the victim must feel even though it's probably a crowded hallway in real life. She feels as if she's alone because no one else is standing up for her and this all ties back to the audience being able to align themselves to the victims emotions to understand the message effectively.

This commercial is highly effective at conveying it's message. People watching it can really understand the emotions of the victim and through that they can really see the impact that words can have on other people. People who see this commercial about bullying can get a really clear sense of the meaning and it's a commercial that can be understood by all age groups.