Study Task 03 - Public Information Video/Research

"For 65 years, the UK Government's Central Office of Information produced a marketing literature and films to inform and educate the British public on all manner of subjects, often in dramatic and shocking fashion."

During the Christmas break we have to select and watch one of the listed public information films. By watching one of the chosen film, I have to analyse the following aspects:

• Message 
• Key facts
• Tone of Voice 
• Audience 

The public information I have chosen to analyse is: "Charley - Strangers" 

Here is the link to watch the whole 30 second video: 
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1964to1979/filmpage_strangers.htm

Here is the little boy and the ginger cat called 'Charley'

Here is the little boy with the stranger and 'Charley' the cat
is warning him to not go with strangers.

In this public information video that I have chosen, is about Stranger Danger scenario, based on a children's animation cartoon ginger cat, named 'Charley'. In this video Charley the ginger cat is with a little boy playing in the park. Whilst they are playing, there is a strange man in the background watching them. Later on in the video the strange man goes up to the little boy and asks if he liked puppies. Then soon after the little boy says yes, the man asks him to follow him to see these puppies. As soon as they were about to go, Charley stops the little boy and the stranger in there tracks. Charley quickly tells the boy not to go with someone he doesn't know, by that the little boy says to the stranger that he shouldn't be going with him. The stranger quickly walks away after the little boys statement. After this the little boy and Charley go up to the mum and told her what they did. The mother is pleased with him and rewards them from not following a stranger, the little boy got an apple, whilst Charley got given a fish.

Message

The message of the animation is to warn many young children not to talk or follow strangers (people who they do not know). This is to prevent children being kidnapped or abducted, by these dangerous people. It also creates an awareness of 'Stranger Danger". 

Tone of Voice

The tone of voice of this animation is very child friendly, due to how the story is told by a young child. This creates a rapport with the same age audience as the children can learn from another child with the companionship of the cat, Charley. Charley the cat is like an idol who children would look up to, plus the animation portrays him as a hero of responsibility or conscience of the young child.

Audience

The target audience for this animation is for young children. This is due to how the narrator is a child, thus this creates a relationship between the children audience and little boy main character. Also it could relate to children who have pets too, thus portraying the cat 'Charley' as a hero for the boy as he could of gotten kidnapped by the stranger. The audience could be for the parents of the child as to demonstrate to them keep an eye on there children. 

To prove this point I got my younger brother, age 13 and younger cousin aged 7 to watch this video to see if they understood the concept of the animation as I did. The immediately understood the videos significant message and purpose. I asked them question based on the video: 'What is the video informing (telling) you?', 'Why is it in a cartoon style than a live action style?', 'Why is it in colour, than black and white?', 'Why is it that the narrator voiced by a child than an adult?' and 'Why does the mother give the children and cat a reward at the end of the video?.

• It tell children not to go with strangers or with people who they do not know.
• Its in a cartoon style as it attracts children more, like a cartoon series.
• Colour is more interesting and eye catching.
• The narrator is a child as the child can relate to the younger audience.
• The reward is important as it is like a treat for the children if they do good. 

Key Facts/Research

In 1973 there were a lot of  animation based on the ginger cat named Charley, he warned children many dangers against: strangers, matches, water safety and other everyday perils. 

The quirky 'Charley Says' was an animated series for children. Which included the warning of the growls, 'voiced' by the late Kenny Everett, this provided more of a dark message in a darkly comical way. Richard Taylor Cartoons, the creator of this animation, depicted the garbled meows of the ginger ca were later sampled by the UK dance act of The prodigy for the 1991 Top 10 hits 'Charley'.

Charley was also given a series in 2005 when it was voted 95th on the Channel 4 TV special 100 Greatest Cartoons.  

In recent poll conducted by the BBC News Website in association with The National Archives and The Central Office of Information (COI), the Charley cartoons were voted The Nation's Favourite Public Information Film.