Brief - Produce a public information leaflet, which effectively communicates the key facts, details, figures, statistics, data and/or knowledge that has been identified within Study Task 03. The leaflet should be no larger than 35.3 cm by 25cm and it should communicate the information in a clear, understandable and engaging format, whilst being appropriate for the identified target audience.
For 65 years, the UK government’s Central Office of Information produced marketing literature and films to inform and educate the British public on all manner of subjects, often in dramatic and shocking fashion.
For this task, I watched and analysed a public information film named Charley - Strangers in terms of the message, key facts, tone of voice and audience. It will provide a starting point for the public information leaflet and determine the focus of the content.
Charley - Strangers, 1973, sponsored by the Central Office of Information for Home Office.
The message of the video is that children should not engage with people that they do not know, despite whether they seem friendly or are offered something that is of interest to them. The cat, named Charley, is represented as an adult/parent substitute to remind the child of what they should be doing; it is the sensible voice. The noises that the cat makes are humorous to engage children viewers with the video. Yet, at the same time, the serious underlying message is never lost.
This video is definitely aimed at young children; however is also relative to parents and adults too. Rather than some of the other UK information videos, such as Electricity: Football and Electricity: Kite, which instill fear to enforce a message to older age groups, this video uses positive reinforcement to tell children what they should be doing in a more gentle, understandable way. It doesn't show the negative aspects of what could happen when going off with strangers because this would be inappropriate for the target audience and ineffective. Furthermore, the video was created in the graphic style of a children's cartoon to try and appeal to and capture the young audience that would have watched it.
The tone of voice is simple, direct and innocent. By using a child's voice and point-of-view there is a more likely chance that children will take notice of the video, as it's a message spoken by children to children. It's not patronising or condescending and expresses the dangers of talking to strangers in a clear manner that can be understood by all ages, especially children.
