To answer section A on your exam you need to be able to talk about advertising in more than one medium
That means commenting on a couple of print ads alongside the video ones
Coke Zero - Quantum of Solace
This print ad follows the conventions of the TV ad: the predominant colours are the colours of the product (black and red) and the product itself is advertised using a classic male icon: James Bond. Remember how advertisers use celebrity to sell their products – in this case the audience (of men) can feel in some way like James Bond by buying into the marketing and consuming Coke Zero.
Black and Red are nature’s warning colours: they’re strong, bold, powerful and masculine. Using an image of James Bond, half hidden in the shadows directly addressing the audience is challenging you to be a man and drink Coke Zero. James Bond is an icon, the ultimate ‘man’ – sophisticated, good with the ladies, and almost indestructible: three major appeals to an audience who want to stress their manliness!
The product is featured centrally in this advertisement, and it uses graphics from the James Bond films (the gun and the shutter). The white swirls are suggestive of ice, emphasising the coolness and freshness of Coke Zero, and the slogan ‘Zero Zero 7’ combines the name of the drink with the James Bond slogan itself. This advert is a natural extension of the ‘Our Hero’ campaign, using a fictional hero to firmly aim the product at an audience of men.
Diet Coke - 'hello you'
In this print advertisement Diet Coke aim their Product at a female audience by using an image of Duffy (the singer) posed in front of an image of a female superhero. Duffy represents the Diet Coke drinker: female, independent, smart and cool, and someone who is able to define herself by what she drinks. She is in black and white (traditionally representing sophistication and cool) and stands out against the bright colours of the background in the same way as the Diet Coke can’s red stands out against her.
Duffy is there to represent the audience: they should see themselves reflected in her and in the ‘hello you’ of the slogan. This is an advert featuring a woman aimed at women: there is none of the obvious sexuality or masculinity seen in the Coke Zero ads. She is casually dressed, in jeans and a checked shirt, and is casually posed – any woman can aspire to be like her, to be this cool, ‘no superwoman’ but just a woman who is that little bit cooler for drinking Diet Coke.
Unlike Coke Zero, which sells its product across the platforms through sex and masculinity, the Diet Coke ads feature women in control of their lives and the situations they find themselves in, drinking Diet Coke as part of the everyday process of being a modern woman. The cross-platform tie-in with this poster is the TV advert which features Duffy taking time out from performing to cycle to her nearest supermarket to get a Diet Coke, singing on the way about life. She’ll do what she wants, with a smile, and diet coke will help her get it.
The Production Brief should be clearly stated in the heading on each candidate’s Evaluative Commentary, as should the title of the candidate’s production. The Evaluative Commentary should be split into the following three parts in order to address the following points:
Part 1 Planning
The brief and aims of the production. The genre of the production and the conventions followed. If the candidate worked in a group, he/she must list the names of the other members of the group.
The brief was to make an opening sequence or a trailer for a new horror film. In an opening sequence or a trailer for film in this genre you would expect to find…
I worked in a group of … The members of my group were…
The institution that would produce the production and details on where and/or when the production would be seen/heard/bought/sold.
I would expect this film to be produced by a major studio/small independent studio such as… This is because… The film would be shown in… [major cinemas/small independent cinemas/arthouse cinemas nationwide/locally/in festivals]
The target audience/s for the production (including age, gender, income bracket if relevant, and other interests).
I have identified the target audience for my film as being… They would be interested in…
Details of the background research carried out by the candidate. This should include the titles of TV or radio programmes, films, magazines, advertisements, or websites analysed and which of these were inspirations for the candidate’s production. Details of any audience research carried out can be included.
As part of the research for this production I watched a number of horror films such as… [The Grudge, The Ring, The Strangers, The Blair Witch Project]. I found that the most influential on my project was… because…
A description of the stages of planning the production, including storyboarding, scriptwriting and outlines.
In planning my film I created...
Part 2 Production Process
An account of the working process.
What you actually did during the filming of the project. The allocation of roles within the group and an account of the candidate’s individual contribution to the production.
Talk about how you divided the roles up within the group and who was responsible for what during the filming process.
Details on the technology used – cameras, publishing programs, audio recording equipment, etc.
Talk about the process – using mini-DV cameras, tripods and Adobe Final Cut Pro, plus any work you did with still cameras taking test shots, etc.
The learning processes involved in using the technology. Problems and how they were overcome.
What difficulties did you encounter in the filming and editing processes? How did you overcome them? What did you learn?
An explanation of choices of mise-en-scène, shot, music, fonts, colour, logo, etc. and how these choices fitted in with generic conventions.
Why did you make the decisions you did in the editing process? How do these fit the horror genre and your choice of product – opening or trailer?
An explanation of how these choices were intended to attract the target audience.
How did you fit your film to the target audience? Be specific about what is there to appeal to them in your film?
Part 3 Evaluation
A close analysis of one or two pages/minutes/sequences/images that the candidate considers to be successful.
Talk about a couple of bits in your film that you are particularly proud of, and why they work so well. What is good about them, and how did you create these particular sequences?
A comparison of the production with actual media texts. An identification and analysis of any weaknesses in the production. Responses from audiences to the production. Proposed improvements and a reflection on what the candidate has learned.
How does your work stand up against actual media texts (trailers/openings.) What didn’t work like you would have wanted it to, and how could you have improved it – what would you have done differently if you could do it again? How have other people (i.e. your audience) responded to your work? What have you learned about the film-making process?
The Appendix Materials in the Appendix are required as evidence of planning for the external Moderator. Only one copy of the Appendix is required per group, although candidates may include evidence of their own individual research and planning.
Candidates are not expected to provide a detailed diary of the production, or to include every page of planning material produced during the production. Where questionnaires have been produced as part of audience research or response to the finished production, only one copy of the questionnaire is necessary.
The Appendix should demonstrate the stages of research and planning and support the Evaluative Commentary. The contents of the Appendix will vary according to the brief. The details below indicate what must be included in the Appendix in bold and also give suggestions for other additional material that could be usefully included.
The material should comprise documents produced during the planning stages and not retrospectively. These should be working documents, and their lack of finish should reflect this.
The poster consists of a single image, in this case a face of an ‘avatar’, the central character of the film. The face is twice as big the frame, and is placed on the right hand side of the frame, split down the middle, which increases the idea of ‘alien’ – we are used to seeing a whole face, not half of one, and especially not a blue one – this plays with our expectations of a movie poster, and teases us with the idea that ‘less is more’...the striking visual leads us to expect a striking film, and the fact that the poster does not reveal much about the film, apart from the alien nature of the characters works as a teaser, designed to make the audience want to know more, and to see the film.
We see a blue male face (or half face on a dark background), and the face is lit from the top left, highlighting the cheekbones and the lips. Because the poster is essentially dark, the glowing ‘spots’ on the face (intensifying the character’s ‘alien’ nature) and the single yellow eye are prominent: they are much brighter than the surroundings. The eye holds the key central position in the frame, and looks straight at us, the audience, challenging us to explore the film to find out more.
The idea of ‘halves’ is important here: the avatar is half alien, half human DNA, and to reinforce this we get half a face. One half is presented, the other half is mystery. There is very little text in the poster: the banner across the top says ‘From the Director of Titanic’ – this intertextual reference gives a sense of the size and the scale of the film: it’s very much in the blockbuster mould. The title of the film, at the bottom of the poster, is in a distinctive font, which glows with the same light blue as the spots on the character’s face, standing out against the dark background, and highlighting the key text which anchors the image: in comparison, the text at the top of the poster is much less clear.
Despite the unusual font, the block capitals help this stand out. In the bottom left of the poster is a the address of the film’s homepage, avatarmovie.com, giving the audience the opportunity to seek more information if they need it, and in the bottom right is the production information, letting us know the studio financing and producing the film (20th Century Fox) – again, we know that this is going to be a major film because of major studio involvement.
This Trailer analysis comes from the News of the World website (!) - the language is informal, but there is some good commentary on why things are as they are and the meanings of the trailer: use this to supplement your class notes.
By Robbie Collin, 29/10/2009
WHEN the Avatar teaser trailer was launched back in August, movie fans were split into two camps.
Those who were intrigued and excited by the possibilities of a brand new £120 million movie directed by James Cameron, and whinging idiots.
And now, surely, the naysayers will be silenced. Because this brand new three-and-a-quarter minute trailer sets out Cambo's stall more clearly than ever. There Will Be Robots. There Will Be Aliens. There Will Be Carnage. But most importantly, There Will Be Plot.
Convinced? No? Then read my shot-by-shot analysis - and, more importantly, watch the damn thing yourselves and savour the sweet, sweet blockbuster magic. * Avatar is in cinemas on December 17.
New full length trailer for James Cameron's Avatar
0.03 "Are you Jake Sully? I'd like to talk to you about making a fresh start..." The first thing we see is a pair of eyes, opening. James Cameron wants you to OPEN YOUR EYES and appreciate his new VISION. Do you see?!?!
Character
0.16 "I became a marine for the hardship. I told myself I can pass any test a man can pass. All I ever wanted was a single thing worth fighting for..." Aha! Something about character. One of the few legit criticisms of the first Avatar trailer was there wasn't much more to it other than a means of introducing the film's rough plot and the Na'vi, the ten-foot blue cat people who make up about half the film's cast.
But Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) is the star of the show and now we find out a bit about him. He's a wheelchair-bound marine who wants to get back in the game. And a mining operation on a far-off planet is going to give him that chance. How? Read on...
0.24 "Ladies and gentlemen, you are not in Kansas any more..." Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) introduces the marines to the planet Pandora, where most (if not all) of Avatar is set. We get amazing shots of big colourful rhino beasts, floating islands and pterodactyl thingies.
"You should see your faces," says Michelle Rodriguez. Cameron will be hoping this applies to the audience too.
By the way, the first film reviewer to describe Pandora as "Jurassic Park on acid" WILL be fired.
0.40 "This is why we're here. Because this little grey rock sells for $20 million a kilo..." The marines are on Pandora to harvest un-special-looking minerals that cost a fortune back on earth - maybe they create nuclear energy, or are endorsed by 50 Cent, or something.
Marines
0.45 "Their village happens to be resting on the richest deposit and they need to relocate. Those savages are threatening our whole operation..." Whose village? The Na'vi's village of course.
The marines need to get rid of the pesky Na'vi in order to harvest their loot, so we get some shots of their impressive looking war machines rumbling through the forest, and the Na'vi waving their spears in the air and rolling in a move that's basically film shorthand for Noble Savages Who Will Not Be Oppressed. Ewoks did it. So did the Scots in Braveheart.
But it looks like before declaring all-out war on the Na'vi, the marines are mounting a last-ditch attempt to find a "diplomatic solution". (NB - judging by the end of the trailer, this is not very successful.)
Wait a minute, was that Sigourney Weaver, playing some kind of doctor who probably has a crisis of conscience about the whole operation? It WAS? Excellent.
0.59 "The concept is to drive these remotely-controlled bodies called Avatars..." And the film's key plot device gets explained in layman's terms. Jake Sully is one of a number of soldiers whose mind will be transplanted into a Na'vi body, so he can infiltrate their ranks. Sneaky.
1.13 "You get me what I need, I'll see to it that you get your legs back. Your real legs."
Colonel Quaritch gives Jake his reason to fight. This guy is going to relish the ability to walk unaided as an Avatar, but to be free of the wheelchair for good? That's his dream.
1.19 "Looks like you...this is your Avatar."
This shot of Sam Worthington's half-smile when he realises he's about to walk again was one of my favourite things about the entire teaser trailer. And it's back here. Because it's great.
1.30 Apparently when your mind goes into the body of an Avatar you get a brief glimpse of an early 90s rave video.
1.34 The first of many new special effects money shots to be previewed, we see Sully's Avatar cross a lake in a helicopter. I have no idea what a ten-foot-tall blue cat person would look like under the rotor blades of an army chopper, but this probably isn't far off.
1.51 "You should not be here..."
Introducing Zoe Saldana's character, Neytiri - a Na'vi who befriends Sully on his infiltration mission. Do you think they'll have some kind of forbidden romance? Probably not, eh.
2.07 "Outstanding..."
Lots of special effects shots that should look fantastic in 3D, most involving people jumping off high things. 3D films normally either go down the thrill-ride path (eg A Christmas Carol) OR the subtler, give-the-shot depth route (eg Up) but it looks as if Cameron's trying to have his cake and eat it.
Dramatic
2.15 "Did you forget what team you're playing for?"
And here's the dramatic bit! Once he's in his Na'vi body, Sully's torn between fulfilling his mission - and his ambitions as a marine - and defending the interests of the mysterious and weirdly sexy natives he's grown to love. It's a bit like Pocahontas! But in space!
2.19 "The strong prey on the weak..."
A lot of very impressive war scenes, as the Na'vi square up against the marines for the Final Showdown.
Clearly Quaritch just wants to wade in and knock the nine lives out of these dumb blue hippies, and it appears he gets his wish. But a small band of marines including Sully, and it looks like Michelle Rodriguez, are going up against him.
2.32 "We're going up against gunships with bows and arrows..." But which is better? Gunships, or bows and arrows? There's only one way to find out...
2.40 FIIIIGGGHHTT!!!
Interestingly, the trailer namechecks ALL of James Cameron's biggest hits - Terminator, Aliens, T2, True Lies AND Titanic. The implication being, this is a film that will appeal to fans of all the above. So expect bad-ass robots, brilliantly-designed ET beasties, big action and a tender, candlelit scene where Sully draws Neytiri with her boobies out. Possibly.
2.50 The cup of coffee shot. This is the single best shot in the entire trailer - it tells you everything about Colonel Quaritch that you need to know. Here is a man who will launch a missile strike designed to cause cultural genocide, and then take a delicious sip of piping hot java from the comfort of his deathbot's cockpit. James Cameron gold.
2.55 "We will send them a message...that this...is our land!"
FREEEEEDOMMMM!
3.07 AVATAR.
BICKETY-BAM! Sorry, but this is going to be freaking excellent.
'A Woman Alone' is a 1959 advert from Persil (produced by JWT advertising) from a simpler time, when there wasn't the multitude of products on offer, and the sole purpose of a washing powder was to get things white. In an age of black and white television (colour television broadcasts didn't start in Britain until 1967) there was no point in saying that a washing powder got things clean - you couldn't really demonstrate one red shirt being cleaner than another - so you had to sell a product on its whitening power. This you can see -look how the white in the advert stands out against the (untouched by Persil) greys of the shirts around it.
These are the kind of things you need to think about in your analysis, and when considering this advert as part of your case study: Sound
The advert opens with emotional string music, the kind of thing you would find in a romantic drama, particularly in the 1950s. This is designed to tie in with the love the woman in the advert feels for her family, tied in with the care she shows for them by making sure they're Persil whitened.
The other non-diegetic (coming from outside the original recording) sound consists of a male voice over, speaking formal standard English using a RP accent (received pronounciation) This gives him authority, and is designed to make the audience for the advert believe in what he says. He is someone to trust, because he speaks well and is a man. All experts in advertising land at this time were men - this was where the power lay.
The actual words he speaks are:
"This woman is alone...yet not alone. Even though her family may be apart from her, they are still a part of her. Being judged by the care she takes of them. Being judged by how white she keeps their clothes. Being judged by the care she takes of them. Being judged by that same whiteness. So Persil is part of her strength, and their happiness. As a mother she uses Persil. As a wife, she uses Persil. Persil washes whiter."
There are some very interesting messages here: look at how the word 'judged' is used - the advert seems to suggest that she is failing in her duty as a wife and a mother if she doesn't use Persil - she will be letting herself down! The voiceover plays on a woman's guilt: only Persil can save her from the scornful looks of the world (and the other Persil mums who are smug in the knowledge that they 'wash whiter' and are looking after their families properly.
Mise-en-Scene
The physical context of the advertisement is clear: the woman is in a clearly ordered kitchen with neat cups and crockery arranged on the dresser, on the sink, and on the dining table where she is in the process of arranging her kitchen. The table is set, and the kitchen sink is clear in the background, firmly placing her as in role as a woman in her natural place - in the kitchen. Her hair and make up is simple and unfussy, and she is not made a sex object either by her make up or clothes: she is dressed in a unrevealing jumper and an apron - hardly the stuff of glamorous dreams! The product is featured in close up so it is foregrounded, but it isn't shown in use...the advert is not selling the practicalities of washing in Persil, but its results. School and office locations are both represented as being ordered and calm environments. Colours are toned to allow the 'Persil whiteness' of the clothes highlighted to stand out.
Facial Expressions/Body Language
The central character is often shown looking downwards, either at the soft toy in her hands or in close up, making her drift off and think of her family with a dreamy smile on her face. She doesn't look at or challenge the camera, and she doesn't invite the camera to look directly at her. She is not provocative, but could be seen to be submissive, lowering her eyes, and knowing her place. Even though she is doing boring domestic tasks, the look on her face suggests that she enjoys this and enjoys fulfilling her role as a woman, wife and mother, and it is these last two (the wife and mother roles) that define her as a woman.
Sequence 1. Long shot of kitchen to show domestic setting. Woman clearing up breakfast table. She then picks up child's toy. 2. Cut to close up of her face as she thinks of her child. 3. Cut to close up of child's face with the same dreamy expression. Camera zooms out to show child is obviously in school, sat at a desk by a window. She seems to be wholesome, good, and well behaved, clean and attractive. She is sat next to another pupil whose shirt is noticeably less white. Shot ties in with the words of the voiceover 'being judged...' 4. Cut back to mother's face with loving/longing expression. 5. Cut to husband in an office behind a desk. Juxtaposed (put against) colleague wearing a shirt that is less than gleaming white. He notices this and looks concerned at the grey of his own sleeve in contrast to his colleague's 6. Cut to Persil product being put on a cupboard shelf by female hand. Camera pans to woman's contented and downward gazing face. 7. Zoom out to long shot showing the kitchen. Woman gazes lovingly at her husband and puts her arm through his. They smile at each other and wander over to well behaved and calm child who is playing with bricks on the table. Both parents add a brick and the child completes the pyramid, showing family unity. Child looks happy. 8. Cut to close up pack shot of product with bubbles in background, suggesting sparkle/cleanliness.
Narrative The narrative or story of the advert is actually quite straightforward. The 'Woman Alone' of the title is not actually alone, because she is always with her family thanks to the magical properties of Persil. By dressing them in gleaming white she is showing her care for them. She is first shown alone, in the kitchen (is this a woman's place?) and then we see what her family are up to without her: her daughter is well behaved at school and rewarded for it, and her husband lights up the office (all thanks to her care). Back at home, the woman is joined by her husband, and then child, in building a pyramid of bricks that symbolise their family unity, and the glue that holds the family together and makes it so strong is the care she shows through the use of Persil.
Representation This is the interesting one. For a modern audience this advert raises a lot of questions, and it is ripe for exploring. Does it reinforce the stereotype that a woman's place is in the home? Why? What is the woman's role here? How does this differ from that of her husband? Why does she keep looking down in such a submissive way? Is this all her life should revolve around, and should she be content with this? Is this the ideal woman, someone other women should aspire to be. Obviously this doesn't really fit with a modern view of the world, and a 1950s reading of the text would probably be much different, but are there echoes of this world view (and this hegemony) in the Persil advertising website? Bear all these questions in mind when you go into your exam, and you'll ace it!
To go along with your own notes, I have annotated 5 pages from the site - use this as you revise to get your head round how Persil are advertising their products. We may have moved into the 21st century, but there are still clear similarities with their mum-focussed adverts of the 1950s and early 60s. Are Persil reinforcing traditional values and supporting women, or are they creating stereotypes and making a woman's place clear?
Based on Maslow's Heirarchy of needs (see earlier post), this scale identifies social groups that exist in the UK - these groups form useful consumer groups for advertisers to target, alongside the NRS groups.
insight social value groups (uk)
The insight Value Group Ltd carried out a vast study of UK social values and change, and upon its findings established this social value scale. It draws heavily from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This is the Insight Value Group scale, which claims to be an accurate representation of the groups that exist in the UK today.
social value group characteristics
self actualisers
focused on people and relationships, individualistic and creative, enthusiastically exploring change, 'in a framework of non-prescriptive consideration for others'
innovators
self-confident risk-takers, seeking new and different things, setting their own targets to achieve
esteem seekers
acquisitive and materialistic, aspiring to what they see are symbols of success, including things and experiences
strivers
attaching importance to image and status, as a means of enabling acceptance by their peer group, at the same time holding onto traditional values
contented conformers
wanting to be 'normal', so follow the herd, accepting of their circumstances, they are contented and comfortable in the security of their own making
traditionalists
averse to risk, guided by traditional behaviours and values, quiet and reserved, hanging back and blending in with the crowd
disconnected
detached and resentful, embittered and apathetic, tending to live in the 'ever-present now'
It is unlikely that advertisers will specifically target the disconnected group, who don't show much interest in...well, anything, but all the other groups should be identifable in the target audiences for the adverts you are studying. Being able to talk about the insight Scale will boost your chances of getting good grades in the advertising exam.
The NRS grades are a useful tool to use when analysing advertising, particularly when focussing on audiences, and deciding which group is being targeted by a particular advertiser. You will need to know these catergories when going into your exams - this kind of stuff gets you grades!
NRS social grade
The NRS social grades are a system of demographic classification used in the United Kingdom. They were originally developed by the National Readership Survey in order to classify readers, but are now used by many other organisations for wider applications and have become a standard for market research.
The grades
The classifications are based on the occupation of the head of the household
Grade - Social class - Chief Income Earner's Occupation
A - upper middle class Higher managerial, administrative or professional.
B - middle class Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1 - lower middle class Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional
C2 - skilled working class Skilled manual workers
D - working class Semi and unskilled manual workers
E - Those at the lowest levels of subsistence Casual or lowest grade workers, pensioners and others who depend on the welfare state for their income
The grades are often grouped into ABC1 and C2DE and these are taken to equate to middle class and working class respectively. Only around 2% of the UK population identifies as upper class, and this group is not included in the classification scheme
One of the important theories that you need to get your head round for your advertising exam is Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs.
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist that came up with a theory dealing with the hierarchy of human needs. Advertisers are aware of this theory, and the products that they offer can be shown to meet one of the categories Maslow has listed in his hierarchy of needs: there is no point trying to appeal to an audience and persuade them that they should buy the product if it does not fulfil one (or possibly more) of these needs. And if advertisers know which need they should appeal to, it will be that much easier to market to their target consumers.
The first level on Maslow's hierarchy deals with physiological needs. These are the most basic necessities that humans require to survive. Food, water, shelter, and oxygen all fall into this category, along with sleep, activity and other inevitable human functions.
If the product or service has to do with a basic need, your main problem is getting the customer to buy from you instead of your competitors. Everybody needs food, so why would potential customers be more inclined to buy lunch at your restaurant instead of the burger bar across the street? Perhaps you have lower prices, better quality, faster service, or a more comfortable environment than they do. It is important to stress that what YOU offer holds certain advantages over the customers' other choices.
The next stage of human need deals with safety and security. Turn the TV on for five minutes, and see how many ads about insurance, retirement plans, banking, investment or home alarm systems play during the ad break. Advertisers need to think how would the use of their product initiate feelings of safety and stability in their customers' lives? These factors would be the main selling points.
The third tier of Maslow's hierarchy is the love and belonging step. We have all felt the desire to be closer to our families, to have more friends, or to find a significant other.
Appealing to these desires is useful if you run a personals web page or a own a club. Tell your prospects about the great interactions they will have if they try your service, and use testimonials from customers past. Hearing about great results from former clients is a great way to get new buyers. Look at the number of ads you see for dating websites, for phone companies promoting staying in touch or for products that will bring you friends. These all fall into the third level of need.
Maslow's next area of human need deals with esteem. One area of esteem needs calls for recognition from others, status, attention, and recognition. The other area hits a little closer to the self, involving self respect, confidence, competence, independence and achievement.
I am reminded of a shampoo commercial in which the lead actress walks through an office building with the admiring eyes of many workers following her around. At the end, she walks into a board meeting and states that she doesn't even work for the company, and all the attention must be the result of her shampoo.
The last tier of Maslow's hierarchy is called the self actualisation level. Ever heard the army slogan "Be all that you can be"? This is an appeal to the self actualisation needs of human beings. Approaching people at this level of the hierarchy involves inviting them to live up to their full potential as a hard working, motivated member of society. You can become a better person, and make the world (or your world) a better place because of this.
Think of the adverts you see on TV, and come up with an example for each level of need. Write a couple of paragraphs about how this advertisement fits into the hierarchy and meets its particular need.
The main image is a 1960s yearbook or school photo, tied in with the ‘since 1961’ slogan displayed with the product [Head and Shoulders shampoo]
The image is distressed, possibly using image editing software, and looks old, with white flecks over the central image of the young man. The fact there is a strong possibility that this is a modern image created especially for this advert means that the distressed effect is significant here, and is important for the overall message of this advertisement.
These white flecks are quite cleverly used to represent dandruff – important for an anti-dandruff shampoo, although their original reading would be as signs of photo age.
His hair, however, is glossy, shiny, healthy looking and free of white flakes, showing how effective the product is at clearing dandruff.
This advert suggests that Head and Shoulders has been clearing dandruff since 1961, and is still doing so effectively now, so the product has the benefit of being proved to work historically.
The lighting is subdued and represents studio lighting as it would appear at the time – the light is coming from the left, and the subject is clearly lit.
The colours are given a washed out, aged effect, to make the ad seem as if it is using an authentic 1960s picture. There is no way of knowing if this is the case, but it what they want us to believe.
The subject is dressed in 1960s school or college uniform: navy blazer, light blue shirt (with massive collars!) and dark blue tie, making it feel authentic.
In terms of mise-en-scene, there is nothing added to the picture apart from the studio backdrop to make it clear that this is a studio portrait.
The representation here is of someone who has dandruff/flake free hair. Whether this is actually true or not is open to interpretation, but that is what the advertisers want us to believe, and this is due to using ‘Head and Shoulders’(although it doesn’t actually say it - we have to read the connotations of the advert to work this out)
The USP (unique selling point) is obviously that Head and Shoulders keeps your hair flake-free, and has been doing so since 1961, meaning that it is a tried and tested product, and one that you can believe in and trust in to do the same for your hair.
Task - Apply the same techniques of analysis to your own print advertisement. Use the guidelines (available on this blog) to annotate your own advert, then turn your findings into a 500 word written analysis of your advertisement.
Following on from his Olympic success, triple gold medal winning cyclist Chris Hoy was used by Kelloggs to advertise their Bran Flakes breakfast cereal. He promotes a healthy, successful lifestyle, and is ideally placed to be an aspirational figure: if you eat Bran Flakes, you’ll be just like him, the way he is standing emphasises his muscular physique, and the Union Jack background suggests that British is best, and that a healthy British breakfast is the breakfast of champions.
The copy ‘I believe The French have pastries for breakfast’ is used to suggest that the British way is Better, and uses patriotism to promote the product. The slogan ‘Are you built on Bran Flakes?’ is aimed directly at the audience, suggesting that if they eat Bran Flakes they could be like this.
Hoy is the central figure in this piece, and is looking directly at the camera (and at the audience) while the product itself is in the key bottom right Corner. Hoy’s signature suggests that he personally endorses the product.
Persil - Terrifying Tiger
Persil adverts are especially well known for targeting women as consumers: they know that women do most of the washing in the home, and that if anyone is likely to buy cleaning products it will be them.
This advert uses the central image of a happy, crawling child to grab the audience’s attention, and appeal to the maternal instincts. The child is reaching out of the image towards the viewer, and the shot is angles slightly to make the child appear more balanced. He is in bright, clean clothes, even when crawling around the garden, suggesting that the product (Persil) will be able to deal with the stains.
The slogan at the bottom; 'Tough on stains. Sensitive on skin.’ reinforces this and suggests that the child’s skin will be safe with Persil, an idea backed up by the copy at the top of the page designed to promote an emotional reaction from the audience (awwww!). The colours orange and black tie in with the tiger theme: the advert uses metaphorical language (he’s not really a tiger!) to make the child seem strong, healthy, clean and safe (all thanks to Persil!)
Disneyland - Escape
This is a very clever advert, as it’s aimed at parents but shows an active child doing what it wants – wrapping up the monster under the bed! She is in charge of her own actions, and what she clearly wants, shown by her looking directly at the camera in a challenging way, is to go to Disneyland, where she can escape the bad dreams and swap them for good ones. Disney are using the guilt factor here, as well as pushing the idea of escape. The blue light coming through the window gives a magical, dreamy quality, just like Disneyland!
Allure Homme Sport - Sailing
65-70% of all men’s fragrances are bought by women, and 30% claim to buy it for their own use, according to a recent survey! This means that the majority of men’s fragrance ads are aimed at women, as they are the target consumer, and not the men the product is designed for.
Women buy these products for many reasons: to get their men to smell nice is one of them but the main one may well be that if they buy (in this case) Allure Homme Sport and spray it on their man, they may well end up looking like this.
Here the man is framed in a close up shot, with his hair messed up and his eyes hidden behind his fringe. He is looking directly at the camera and is holding the gaze of the audience (or the female consumer, who is thinking about getting some for her man, or for her) The shadows falling across his face give him a look of mystery or ‘allure’, and he is shirtless, adding to his sex appeal. The picture is in black and white, which makes it seem arty and sophisticated, promoting the idea that this is a ‘classy’ product. The product itself is in the key position at the bottom right of the advert, and is copy in itself – there is no other text needed.
Lynx - Get Dirty
The central image of this advert is very significant in terms of the message behind the product: a shower gel aimed at men. The woman is faceless, meaning that the audience’s view is on her body, which fills the whole frame.
She is covered in mud, with the words ‘wash me’ written on her stomach, and she is suggestively standing with her hand in the waistband of her underwear.
This is a product aimed at men, and yet we don’t see the product in use as it is designed, suggesting another purpose for this! The soft blue lighting is designed to make the image seem more alluring, tempting the (male) audience to wash her to see what happens. The product itself is featured in the key position, and is accompanied by the slogan ‘Get Dirty’ which in this case has obvious connotations.
Lynx have been quite clear in their advertising strategy, targeting the 15-35 age group almost exclusively through advertisements promoting action and sex.
Posters and trailers have been used to promote films for many years, but the nature of film marketing and promotion has changed rapidly in recent years. Posters are a vital part of the marketing process, and appear in magazines, newspapers, on bus shelters and buses, and on billboards for big releases.
Film poster conventions:
• An eye catching image or images – often related to characters (and the stars of the film) or the setting of the film
• The title of the film carefully constructed in terms of font style, colour, size and placement. A lot of thought goes into the title – it is meant to be memorable and suggest the genre of the film.
• A tagline for the film – like a catchy slogan of an advertisement – offering another clue to the genre and main themes or content of the film.
• The names of well known or key people connected to the film. These are usually actors but may be the director or the producer if they are significant enough to deserve it.
• Endorsements from other media productions (such as Empire Magazine) giving their comments…’5 stars…Unmissable!’
• Details of any award nominations or awards that it has already won. These will be placed clearly on the poster
• The production blurb – info in tiny print that lists the production and distribution companies as well as other information.
This is pretty much the same as some of the BTEC groups have been doing for their Advertising Production module, but this is a useful way of checking what you should be looking at when you are deconstructing and decoding adverts, especially print ones...
Analysing Adverts There are many factors to consider when analysing an advertisement :
Image – what is the central image of the advert. What does it make you think? How has it been framed, edited and cropped? Text – what words are used in the advertisement? Do they anchor the image (give meaning to it)? What effect do they have on the audience? Lighting – How is the image lit? Is it bright? Dark? what are the meanings of this?
Colour – what is the significance of the colours used in the advert? (ie. red=danger/sex/passion, green=calm/peace, black=darkness/evil/mystery, white=good/peace, blue=cold/mystery, purple=passion/luxury/wealth, gold=rich/luxury...)
Audience – what is the target audience for this advert? how do you know?
Representation – who or what is being represented in this advert? is this a fair and accurate representation? (based on what you know of the world)
Mise-en-scene – what props and other items are in the advert? what is their meaning? Why have they been put there?
and importantly...
What is the USP (unique selling point) of the advert? What’s special about what it’s selling?
The first GCSE coursework task for this year is on Music Videos - you need to use your lesson notes to (a) create a storyboard and outline for a new music video for a genre of your choice, and (b) write an analysis of a music video. The coursework sheet I gave you is reproduced here, so make sure you go through it carefully.
May the Force be with you.
Mr G.
GCSE Media Coursework 1
The Coursework consists of two tasks:
• Analyse a music video. How does it appeal to its target audience? (500-700 words)
• Present you own ideas for a music video for a song aimed at a specific audience. Ideas should be presented in storyboard form using drawings and writing to represent what is seen on screen. It is important that this is a detailed and clear piece of work.
• Basic Details. Who is the artist/band, what is the name of the song, and when was it released? Who directed the video?
• What type of video is it? Illustration, Amplification or Disjuncture? How do you know? Explain, using examples.
• What is the narrative of the story? Give a brief summary of what you see on the screen. Don’t write too much here – your task is not to tell the story, but to analyse the video.
• What genre is the video? How do you know? What features make it fit into this genre?
• How does the camera work make the video appeal to the audience? What shots are used? What impact does this have on the viewer?
• How is the video edited? Is there lip synching/performance happening, or is there a completely separate audio track? What impact does this have on the video, and how does an audience respond to this?
• How important are the lyrics to the video? Print a copy of the lyrics to help with your analysis. Does the video relate to the lyrics directly or indirectly?
• Is there any intertextuality? (This means that the video refers to another video – perhaps taking ideas from a film or similar video)
• Your overall interpretation. What is your response to the video? How does it appeal to you? Do you think this is a successful video, and why?
Like a box of chocolate, but without the chocolates, or the box, this blog is for GCSE and BTEC Media students at Chorlton High School, and anyone else who wanders by. Here you'll find resources, lesson materials, links and any other goodies that are particularly useful.
