Hovis Advert Readings

1) In the bread shop
- boy wearing old-fashioned clothes, dull colours - brown, grey, dull blue; cap; shorts -> Victorian
- man gives him bread, wears white baker's clothes
- another customer, man wearing smart black old-fashioned suit - very Victorian
- at a counter in a shop -loaves of bread on shelves behind counter
- baker: "Here you go love"
- starts on MCU of back of boy, he turns around with bread, starts walking and there is a reverse track
- no cuts
- upbeat piano music, quiet, evoking sense of anticipation?

2) Cart
- cuts to outside shop, then CU of boy, and reaction shot after hearing horse neigh
- MS of back of boy, horse and cart coming towards him, nearly run him over
- driver of cart shouts "oi"
- cobbled narrow Victorian street
- man in background wearing top hat, suit
- cuts to VLS; name of bakery = Hovis
- runs, ducks under door and his hat falls off, runs past to posters for the Titanic - around 1912
- music and mood established in baker's continues

3) Women's march
- wide street
- lots of women protesting, placards saying 'VOTES FOR WOMEN' etc. -> Suffragettes
- women all wearing long skirts and hats, but seem fairly upper-class
- old men looking indignant, top hats and suits - very Victorian gentleman
- boy continues running; cut to HA ELS of street - see all the women marching with banners etc.
- sound of shouting
- same music continues

4) Soldiers
- boy's clothes have changed - wearing brown pinstriped suit, long trousers
- still carrying bread under one arm
- starts marching next to soldiers - young men in army uniform -> WWI
- boy and soldier salute each other
- violins are added to piano music, giving it a more sad feel

5) Street with car
- boy is wearing shorts again
- pan as he runs across past some people standing by a car
- their costume is late 1930s/early 1940s
- motor car
- dog barking

6) War - bombs, people passing and plane
- VLS of bombed area -> WWII
- smoke, rubble, emptiness, destroyed buildings, old furniture
- MS of broken family, carrying things, old woman carrying portrait
- MS of boy, walks past broken windows; radio on in house, broadcasting Churchill's We Shall Fight on the Beaches speech - MS of it, also showing boy through window on outside
- boy carries on, climbs over rubble and looks to sky - fighter plane flies overhead
- all music cuts out for a second, and no other diegetic sounds; piano music returns, quietly, with violins again, very solemn, reflecting period and in respect for the loss of life from the war - starts to build up again with Churchill's speech, bringing sensations of defiance and a feeling of pride

7) Street Party
- boy runs into wide street, tarmac road, brightly lit
- Union Jack in window
- random boy dressed as a pirate - fun
- long table in middle of road, British flag banners from house to house
- children and adults around the table eating and drinking
- party hats, food, lemonade, flowers - 1950s -> Queen's coronation, 1953
- music is upbeat once more
- laughter, talking

8) Girls/Football players
- boy runs round corner - clothes change again -> trousers, blue jumper, brown jacket
- 2 girls at corner; very 60s costume, miniskirts, coloured leggings/tights, different hairstyles
- more modern car at corner
- street with mor Union Jacks in window, and on cars driving down street
- dialogue: "CHAMPIONS!" -> 1966, England won world cup
- also passes black man on pavement
- different angles and levels, faster-paced cutting
- car horns beeping, shouting, rowdy but in good spirit
- music changes to guitars -> demonstrates progression in music at the time -> pop music with guitars

9) Street with Asians and TV Shop
- boy's clothes change again - diagonally striped jumper - orange, green, blue - & shirt
- 1970s - Asian couple pass him on pavement
- TV shop
- music -> guitars continue

10) Cole not Dole strike/protest
- boy's jumper changes to bright blue, trousers change to brown, jacket changes - collarless brown with yellow stripe, trainers
- crowd with placards etc. shouting 'COLE NOT DOLE'
- riot police on other side of big road with plastic shields etc.
- someone shouting "'Ey lad, is it past your bedtime?"
- riotous crowd noises
- music quietens so we can hear what the man shouts

11) Fireworks
- London, night, fireworks everywhere - Millenium!
- sound of running, and of fireworks going off
- build up in music, more instruments, strings - anticipation

12) Home
- high key lighting
- 2 boys outside house with a football, modern dress, leaning on modern car
- boy's clothes updated to modern - blue tshirt, brown hoodie
- runs into kitchen and sits on chair, puts bread on table
- kitchen is natural, earthy colours; lots of wooden furniture -> echo 'natural'ness of bread?
- dialogue: "Is that you 'ome, love?" [presumably boy's mother]; "Yeah" [boy]
- music returns to piano music from start as he sits at the table, and it stops
- end of boy's journey

13) Narrative/Story development through whole advert
- boy is shown to travel through different periods, signified by costume, setting, and props
- shows significant events through history of Britain
- ends on slogan under brand name Hovis on side of bread, 'AS GOOD TODAY AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN' -- boy's journey through time showing that Hovis has been making bread for a really long time and that it's lasted, and that it's 'as good today as it's always been'
- very British - appealing to pride of British people, especially with soldiers, war, street party for Queen's coronation, and England winning football world cup [woooh!] in 1966