Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- October 1995 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
Part of 1 VHS and 1 mp4 (35.2 MB)
Context area
Archival history
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Two copies of an advert advertising the news, preview and review sections of the Observer in turn. Each section has its own background music:
a. This is an advert in four parts, with the final sentence of each part is written accross the screen as a tagline.
The first part shows grainy footage of armed soldiers - with one man being dragged away by another, with the commentary: "You don't need a flak jacket to investigate fringe theatre. The news section: where the real journalists work." It ends with a shot of the newspaper on the ground, with broken glass scattered over it.
The second part shows a young man being kissed by two women, as verbs in the past tense appear on the screen around them - the 'ed' at the end of each highlighted in pink. The three share the commentary as the camera speeds through a series of bars and cafes and returns to them: "The other sections are written in the past tense. They're history. Preview: your guide to the next seven tomorrows."
The third part shows an academic in an old fashioned study with the commentary: "What follows is for the benefit of the rest of the Observer." There follows the dictionary definition: "Erudite: in possession of scholarship and knowledge" written across the screen over [reversed] footage of a books 'falling' up a flight of stairs, and read aloud in a female voiceover. The academic continues: "The Review: the bit that uses the big words" and the part-advert ends on a shot of the review section with a pair of glasses resting on top.
The advert is finished off with an animated spread of the paper and all its supplements and the commentary: "The Observer, set your alarm this Sunday."
The advert starts at 0.07 on the 'flak and hidden' mp4 file. Duration: 40 seconds.
b. Duplicate of version (a), on the same VHS and mp4 file. The advert starts at 01.28 on the mp4. Duration: 40 seconds.
Creator: The Observer Limited, 1917-1993
Creator: Chiat/Day, 1968-1995
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Access via GNM Digital Repository.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Access Status
Open
Closed until
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Also included on the VHS and mp4 file are Observer adverts OBS/9/1/1/71/2c-d.