Understanding Visual Grammar on the Stop Smoking Public Service Announcement: Analysis of Television AD ‘Vocal Cords Loss Due to Smoke'

Public Service Announcement (PSA) on television is designed to convey a social message through text and image elements. To facilitate the understanding of the message, PSA should be designed with the visual grammar. This article discusses about the television ad—Stop Smoking-Vocal Cords Loss Due To Smoke—from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia to warn people about the danger of cigarette smoke. This PSA visualizes about the woman as victim who had lost her vocal cords due to frequent exposure to cigarette smoke even though she was not a smoker. Analysis of the PSA uses a qualitative approach and theory of visual grammar in audio–visual media. PSA presentation through audio–visual media is considered to build the perception about harmful actions, disruptive and unsafe from the smokers. This PSA communicates visually through a system of signification in the visual grammar that consists of shot sizes, framing, shooting for impact, and sequences. The discussion in this article shows that the visual grammar in the ad is part of a strategy to convey the message that aims to build awareness of behaviors that could endanger themselves or people around. In the visual language, this PSA uses a strategy of fear sense visualizing the suffering of the victims who are often exposed to smoke.     Keywords: visual grammar, public service announcement, televisio