0:01 In the first second of this ad we see an image of Smokey the bear. This image contains Smokey’s head floating in a patch of forest with sun shining through. From this we could tell if we know anything about Smokey the bear that we are about to learn how to prevent forest fires. The forest background with the sunlight shining through it was most likely added to capture the pure beauty of forestry, to show how sacred it is and to exemplify why fire safety in forests is very important. Smokey the bear is present in this first second because he is the symbol of forest fire prevention in America.
0:03 In this scene we see a man in what looks to be a lake side backyard. This man is grilling something. In this backyard there’s a table and some chairs. On that table there’s plates and buns of some kind but it’s out of focus. This may indicate that there is burgers and hotdogs on the grill. The man on the grill is in focus in this scene. Most likely because the grill is what could easily start a forest fire. 

0:04 In this scene two children are seen running through the yard past the man on the grill. There are two kids in this scene. One white female and an African American male. Considering the man on the grill is white we can assume the white girl is his daughter and the African American boy is her friend. The children were most likely added to this scene to show the importance of safely grilling. Nobody wants to hurt children or see them get hurt because of  an avoidable mistake. Adding children can really drive home the point of safety because it touches people’s hearts when they see children. 

0:06 In this scene we can see the man grilling talking to his phone. The phone is on a table. Along with the phone there is an oven mitt and a lighter on that table. The oven mits are most likely there to show that the man behind the grill is practicing safe grilling to the fullest extent. On the man’s phone we can see the head of Smokey the bear. It looks like the man is asking Smokey how to practice the safest grilling possible because the look on the man’s face is of curiosity and slight confusion. On the phone below Smokey’s head we can see wavy lines indicating that Smokey is talking back to the man, giving him the advice that he asked. 

0:11 In this scene we see the man smiling with his phone in hand. We can also see a hazy smoke behind him. This smoke is coming from the grill and was most likely added to show that the man is now distracted from the grill and fixated on his phone. The man now has a smile on his face indicating that either he or Smokey had said something funny. Comedy is used in these ads because everyone loves to laugh and it is a lot easier to show someone your points if you can make them laugh. They are now more invested and waiting for you to crack the next joke. 

0:15 In this scene the man is still holding the phone in his hand but his face has changed from a smile to a curious and questionable face. This indicates that he is asking Smokey a question. Considering the audience knows who Smokey is, we can use context clues to figure out that he is most likely asking a question about safely grilling outdoors. The director most likely altered his face in that way to show the man’s concern for safety, hoping that the audience would reciprocate such a thing when they are grilling. 

0:18 In this scene the camera is flipped to the man’s point of view which in this case is his phone with Smokey on it. Out of focus we see burgers on the grill which answers the question we had previously. The director most likely chose burgers on the grill because burgers are the trademark for grilling in America and they wanted everything to be relatable. On the phone Smokey’s face is informative and stern, showing that he is giving advice  to the man. 

0:20 In this scene the camera is now flipped back on to the man holding the phone. His facial expression is very different now. It is now an understanding and informed face which shows us that Smokey has good advice that the man can follow to safely grill outdoors. Out of focus in this scene are the children still playing in the background giving off that sense of wholesome family content. The director most likely added this to show that the man is in control and he will work hard to keep everyone safe, especially the children. 

0:25 Now we see the man from the same distance as the first scene. He is holding tongs in his hand most likely about to flip the meat on the grill. He is smiling at the phone again. He most likely said another funny joke. The director added that for the same reason as the first one. To keep the crowd laughing and make light of a serious situation while still being very stern about what needs to be done in order to safely grill. 

0:26 In this scene the camera is in the same position but this time the man turns his head towards the children saying something to them. Most likely passing on what Smokey said or repeating the joke that may have been said in the previous scene. This was most likely added so that the presence of the children was heavily noticed to drive that impact of the children even deeper. 0:28 This scene is the closing scene of the ad. Like every Smokey the bear ad it is a picture of Smokey with writing “Only you can prevent forest fires”. For an older audience this was probably added to make them reminisce on their younger days when similar commercials were aired frequently on TV.