Sandy Hook Promise Thesis

Do people usually get surprised watching a public service announcement (PSA)? In “Sandy Hook Promise” the audience follows the journey of Evan, in high school, talking to a girl. At first, the audience is led to believe that it’s a heart-warming video, when suddenly, near the end of the film, a shooting occurs. The PSA shocks audiences with one of its ending statements, “Gun violence is preventable when you know the signs,” (“Sandy Hook” 2:18). This PSA does a fantastic job at grabbing the audience’s attention; it starts with a fun, entertaining, and relatable storyline before taking a tragic twist. This PSA was sadly inspired by the true event of a Newtown shooting on December 14, 2012 in Connecticut (“Ray” par.1). The shooting took place

The audience is immediately immersed in their relatable love story. Whereas said previously, it is hit with a plot twist. The PSA starts with a relatable and heart fluttering storyline that reminds audience’s of their own innocent first love. Relatability is defined as being “able to be related to, possible to understand, like, or have sympathy for because of similarities to oneself or one’s own experiences,” (“Relatable” par. 2). The adage of the adage. One of the most important conditions towards successfully raising awareness is causing the public to sympathize. Even if a PSA is shocking, the audience might not take the message with them because they can not relate to it. Despite the plot twist, of the sudden school shooting, the plot still contains its relatability; the act of just living holds risk. The unexpected event is tragic, but realistic. No one is exempt from the dangers of people and nature. Everyone has experienced going from happy and relaxed to sad; everything right to everything wrong. Casting is one of the prime factors in evaluating the success of a film. Casting is defined as, “the assignment of parts and duties to actors or performers,” (“Nyfa” par.

8). The syllable of the syllable. Production value is more than fancy cameras and costly set pieces. All scenes should be scrupulously crafted from cinematography to sound design. Production value involves aesthetics and technical elements like sound, scenery, costuming, lighting, etc. High production value inspires credibility in a film because it signals professionalism and expertise. “It can make or break a project and directly impact how your audience perceives your work,” (“Jenkins” par.2). If a PSA is made with low production value, its message will either not get across, or it will not be taken seriously. A PSA fails in it’s purpose when it does not successfully get its message across. The production value of “Sandy Hook Promise” is high. It gives the impression that every scene is meticulously crafted. For example, in the numerous scenes where Evan was looking around for his crush, there were signs in the background that indicated that someone was thinking about committing a school shooting. Despite the presence of those hints, the angle of the camera did not emphasize those