Media Analysis Lesson: Public Service Announcement
A public service announcement is a short film presented which attempts to persuade the audience to take specific action or adopt a favorable view towards a service, institution, issue, or cause.  Most producers attempt to create something memorable so that the viewer can remember it.  On this day, we will all view the same PSAs, answer the following questions as a class, then together we will create a checklist of qualities which make an effective PSA.

Name the organization responsible for the PSA:
What topic does the PSA address?
What is their message?
Who is the target audience?   
If there are facts used in the ad, what are they?
Is the tone of the PSA positive or negative?
What are the benefits for you if you change your behavior (according to the organization)?
What are some of the production elements used?  
Which emotions is the PSA trying to produce in the viewer?
Do you think this PSA is effective? 

Class/Homework. The student will be asked to view or listen to another PSA of their choice from the following websites and then ask themselves to compare the qualities of the PSA to the criteria on the class generated checklist.  The completed PSA checklists will be collected and analyzed by the teachers.  The students will be told that they will present their research topic at the next class. 

Public Service Announcement Checklist

A public service announcement is a short film presented by a nonprofit organization which attempts to persuade the audience to take specific action or adopt a favorable view towards a service, institution, issue, or cause. Go to one of these sites: 
http://www.ifilm.com/collection/2763/channel/commercials
http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/PSAHome.html
http://www.mediacampaign.org/mg/television.html
and choose one PSA to analyze.

Name the organization responsible for the PSA:

What topic does the PSA address?

What is their message?

Who is the target audience?   

If there are facts used in the ad, what are they?

Is the tone of the PSA positive or negative?

What are the benefits for you if you change your behavior (according to the organization)?

What are some of the production elements used?  

Which emotions is the PSA trying to produce in the viewer?

Do you think this PSA is effective? 

What Qualities Make an Effective PSA?
Does your PSA have these qualities?