“The audience for British pantomime is an integral part of the action, explicitly acknowledged by almost all of the characters and with particular functions to perform”. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A47629416)
A fair amount of Shakespeare’s scripts use the dramatic component called an ‘aside‘. Most commonly seen in ‘Hamlet’ (1600 approx). This is when the actor directs their attention to the audience and reveals a certain emotion/happening. This is used for dramatic irony which pulls the audience in and is usually for empathetic or humorous effect. The first time Hamlet speaks in ‘Hamlet’ is an aside, he describes his true feeling toward the new king as “a little more kin, and less then kind” (act 1, scene 2, line 66). Meaning his uncle is now related more closely to him now he’s married Hamlets mother but is also unkind towards him, this is both informative and humorous. When Shakespeare’s plays where first performed in the Globe Theatre, it is common knowledge that the audience where welcome to harass the actors by throwing fruit if they are displeased.
The same theatrical ingredient of audience participation can be found in the brew of today’s seasonal Pantomime’s. Throwing out sweets, asking the audience questions and inviting the younger members up on stage to sing are all seen as traditional elements. Hurling verbal harassment’s such as ‘he’s behind you’, ‘awwww’ and ‘oh yes he is’ make the audience feel like they just as an important part as an actor. All these plus more are a way of identifying, engaging and appealing to the mass audience for an all round success. Similar to Shakespeare’s Globe Productions and the modern day Pantomime, the ‘Bounty Carry on Cleaning’ advertisement uses examples of audience address or engaging through informality. They are primarily used to inform the audience and promote the product and secondarily used to entertain and make it memorable. The informal ‘cockney’ voice over communicates with the audience directly, most apparent when, after the visual spillage, he says ‘right ladies…(cough cough) let’s see how New Bounty…‘. The coughing implies that he knows they really aren’t ‘ladies‘ so is therefore indirectly addressing the ‘ladies’ watching the advertisement at home. The adjective ‘New’ tells the sudience they are yet to try this product.
Our kitchen roll ‘hero’ who is using Bounty and not “ordinary kitchen roll” is Brenda, who looks down the lens of camera at least twice through during the advertisement. First, at 0:13 when she/he reveals their “single” sheet of Bounty Kitchen roll she will be using to literally “Carry on mopping and ringing”. Dominantly showing the story of Brenda with Bounty puts the audience in a supporting, following or more imporatantly: focusing position. The second time she/he acknowledges the audience is at 0:28 when a close up of her/him giving a smug glance into the camera. This communicates to the consumer that there is now need for competition and that “Blimey, Bounty’s much better value”.
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