00:00- Video starts

00:01– There is a young girl, maybe early to middle teens. She is fidgeting with a necklace which looks to be a ring of some sort. The worried look on her face accompanied with the ring/necklace gives me the thought that maybe this ring around her neck could be a comforting object for her. The poorly lit room she is in also isolates her and focuses us in on her.

00:02– There is a quick cut accompanied with what appears to be a video of the same girl in a well lit room taken on a phone. Juxtaposed with the dark and gloomy feeling of the first two shots, it feels completely different and the change of aspect ratio to fit that of a phone is giving the hint of a flashback.

00:03– We’re still with the girl and its pretty consistent with the last second. Well lit room, not so dour facial expressions, and a relaxed body language make this feel less isolating than the first two shots.

00:04– We get whatever the end of what she was saying and then a cut to a bathtub with what appears to be a yellow lab getting cleaned. The colors are warm. Contrast isn’t too crazy but the lighting accompanied with the texture of the walls and how bland they are gives a dream sequence like feel to it. I’m starting to think that the girl may have been yearning for this life that we are seeing. Her clutching of the ring and the worried look followed by the selfie video and now a clear shot of the girl in a family setting make me think that the ring might have belonged to this woman that we are seeing now.

00:05– The smiles on the faces of the woman and girl make me think that these two have a close relationship. They are both washing a dog and the doorway on the edges of the frame give us a look into the girl’s past. Or at least that’s what I think. The door could have been removed but was so perfectly placed to create an artificial border to our screens. Are we seeing who the ring is for? Is this girl in a different situation where she might need the ring to feel safe? The first few seconds give us exposition but not a whole lot of plot.

00:06– The next shot is a match on action of the woman looking at the girl and the girl with a big smile. Notice how she is the only one in focus. The sun behind her illuminating her and giving that big natural light. This juxtaposed with the only source of light in the first two shots being a dim and artificial light source in the lamp. Clearly we’re meant to see that the first two shots are of a world where the girl doesn’t have access to the woman and that is what’s making her upset.

00:07– Here are two quick cuts of the girl doing a video of her falling onto a bed. The shirt she’s wearing and every other color in the shot is a light color and making us feel not so intimidated like the first two shots did. And then we see a little graphic of the two with “ADOPTED” above them. Now I see that this is a story of adoption and love.

00:08– Then we see a pic of the woman in Halloween get up. This might be the start of a little collage of pictures. Collages could be good and create good vibes.

00:09– We are shown a video of a cartwheel or some type of flip. I’m not a gymnast. This is just another element of the happy vibes the video is trying to portray.

00:10– Another addition to the collage is a picture of the girl in a prom dress. Just another to add to the overall feelings.

00:11– we’re now seeing a little home video of the girl playing piano. Like before, it’s only here to give a happy vibe.

00:12– A little longer version of the piano vibes but very late cuts to the woman and girl laying and listening to music. The bonding and smiles show the happiness between the two.

00:13– The end of the music listening clip goes to an exterior shot with the two in view. They’re huddled around a mailbox but they’re not putting any mail in or taking any out. They’re staring at the side of the mailbox but their expressions don’t tell a lot.

00:14– The last part of the two sitting at the mailbox is interrupted by a cut to the mailbox. The exterior of the mailbox says the family name, “Harrison”. The only thing in focus is the art work and the name. The clear use of keeping the foreground in focus and the background out of focus shows that these two created a bond through adoption strong enough to consider themselves family.

00:15– Same shot as last second.

00:16– Shot of mailbox is interrupted by the two with smiles on their faces admiring their work. The smiles show that they are both proud and view this as an accomplishment for their journey.

00:17– The girl gives a gesture which makes me think that she needs to do something. What else could make this feel more like family?

00:18– With only the girl in focus we can see that she is painting something. It appears that she is still on the mailbox.

00:19– We still see her painting on the mailbox.

00:20– The girl pulls away and the mailbox that says Harrison now says, “The Harrisons”. This makes it plural and gives us the feeling that they see each other as two people in a family.

00:21– Mailbox is in focus still and we get to see the whole piece.

00:22– The woman starts to cry and the phrase, “Learn about adopting a teen” pops up on the screen. This is pretty clear especially after all the imagery before.

00:23– Just more affection for one another.

00:24- The woman embraces the girl showing that she accepts her and truly loves her.

00:25- The camera moves in and both of their expressions are in frame. The love they have for each other is that of a family even though they are not bound by blood.

00:26/00:30– The rest of the video is just a title screen for adoptions and the contact info.

What I gathered is a story of connection and bonding. The close and personal shots of the two with no one else present made the audience feel welcomed into their worlds. The mise en scene of the whole ad told a tight story. We knew the who’s, the what’s, the where’s, and the when’s of the piece. Using contrasting imagery like the first two shots and then the happy and upbeat videos of the two in a montage made it feel like a story of overcoming and finding one’s soul. Maybe it’s just the film major in me but they did a very good job of keeping focus where it needed to be with plot and camera work.