Skip to main content

KEY ASSESSMENT ONE - 16/10/17

Short Answer Questions

1.

- Symbolic
- Proairtic
- Hermeneutic

2.The way a text speaks to an audience
3.The language that is used
4.Encode,Decode Theory and Reception theory

Long Answer Questions

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Media language can be used by a producer to communicate multiple meanings. For example, in the Kiss of The Vampire advert, the producer has deliberately chosen to used bats and a full moon to convey a sense of horror. In the tide advert, the producer has decided to present the ideology that women love cleaning and that it is the only thing they do. This is due to the time it was written.

In the Kiss of The Vampire poster, the producer has used bats and a full moon to show that this poster is advertising a horror film. A full moon has scary connotations and is often associated with supernatural creatures. Bats are also often shown to be associated with supernatural beings. The text on this poster has blood dripping off the 'v' which is a symbolic code referencing the blood sucking that is done by the vampire.

An audience may see this poster and may be intrigued by it as there are a lot of hermeneutic codes which will make them ask a question. For example, an audience member may ask why the vampire depicted in this poster looks scared when vampires are stereotypically seen as dominant. An audience may also question why the vampire seems to be protecting the women in the poster and not attacking them like a stereotypical vampire would. In this poster, the vampire is represented as weak and afraid which goes against the stereotypical representations of vampires. This may confuse an audience and make them want to see the movie to solve the mystery created by this hermeneutic code.

The serif font used in the Kiss of The Vampire poster may be used metaphorically to emphasise the age of the vampire. It may also be used to add a sense of mystery to the poster. By itself, it wouldn't create a sense of mystery but it has a wooden texture used to represent a stake which is considered to be deadly to a vampire. In the Tide advert however, a sans-serif font has been used. It may be seen as more inviting from an audience's perspective as it is less harsh to look at. The boldness of the text makes it stand out more as if it is closer to the audience.

In the Tide advert, the words "cleanest, whitest, brightest" create a hermeneutic code because it makes the audience question how good the brand actually is. To get the answer to this question, the product must be purchased. The woman hugging the box is a stereotypical representation of a woman at the time these posters were producer. They were seen as inferior to men and only good for housework.

In the tide advert, the producer has taken the rule of thirds and the z-line into account. The producer has chosen to position the slogan in the two top left thirds. This may suggest that it is important. The slogan 'what women want' is also in red which is a colour that stands out and has connotations of being upper class/important. The colour red is also used in certain parts of the Kiss of The Vampire poster to make them standout. For example, the vampire's cloak is red like the Tide box in this advert. The colour red is used so that the audience looks at that part of the image.

The close up view of the woman and the washing box and the mid-range shot of the vampire with the woman creates contrast. The close up of the woman in the Tide advert is used to put across the producer's ideology that Tide is the only thing that is important in life. However, in the Kiss of The Vampire poster, even though the colour red highlights the vampire's importance, it isn't the only thing shown in the poster. In these posters, the connotations of the colour red are different. In the Tide advert, the colour red has connotations of importance whereas in the Kiss of Vampire advert, the colour red is used to connote danger and violence.

In accordance with the z-line, the last thing an audience will see/remember the most is the media in the bottom right of the poster. For the Tide advert, the tagline 'Tide gets clothes cleaner than any washday product you can buy' is the last thing you see. If you take the cultivation theory into account, this will make the audience think about the tagline and ask a question thus creating a hermeneutic code. In the Kiss of The Vampire poster, the last thing an audience will see is the logo 'a universal release'. This doesn't give something to remember. From a producer's viewpoint, they may think that the z-line is a good think to follow but from an audiences perspective, they might not look at the producer's names at the bottom which actually leaves the film title as the last thing that is remembered.

REPRESENTATION

In the Save the Children advert, the audience is put in a position of guilt. This is done with imagery that depicts a child trapped in a clear box. This is an example of a symbolic code as it shows the perspective of one child soldier when in reality there are multiple child soldiers. This is an example of a stereotype that is manufactured by a producer to convey a message. The message that is conveyed here is that the only way we can get children out of these 'glass cages' by donating to save the children. The use of a 'glass' box may also be used to represent how society know this is happening but they have chosen to ignore it.

In the WaterAid advert, Claudia (the female African teenager) is represented as hopeful and optimistic. This is evident when she repeatedly sings 'sunshine on a rainy day' which is used metaphorically to show that she is making light out of a bad situation. This is a symbolic code as it shows the producer's ideology that African children don't need everything that we have to be happy. However the producer also shows the children at their happiest when they are drinking the clean water that WaterAid has allowed them to drink.

Both of these adverts show children in different positions. For example, the WaterAid advert shows Claudia going against the generic stereotype of children in Africa as she isn't lacking water. The Save the Children advert shows another child from a different part of Africa in a bad position. This contrast in-coincidentally shows that not all parts of Africa are the same and that not all people in Africa have the same living conditions. The Save the Children advert shows that the child can be saved from this 'glass cage' but the WaterAid advert shows that the stereotype cannot be escaped.

In conclusion, I think that both the adverts put the audience in a position of guilt. However, I think that the way this position of guilt is manifested is different. I think the audience is meant to feel guilted in the WaterAid advert because even though people have helped African children live with water, they are still stereotyped in the same way that they were before they had that help. In the Save the Children advert, guilt is created by showing a child trapped in a war zone and being helpless unless money is donated.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Adbusters

Deliberately challenged the image. Its childish defacing. This defacing plays on the ideology that nothing is too high up to take down. Banksy Drawing of Policeman snorting cocaine. This is know as detournement. It is a form of high-jacking or re-routing. It is more commonly seen as Culture Jamming. Culture jamming is often obsessed with the idea of destructing consumerism/capitalism. Culture jamming - the practise of criticising and subverting advertising and consumerism in the mass media, by methods such as producing advertisements parodying those of global brands. Adbusters potential genres: Pop Culture - Sans serif font has informal connotations Satirical Comedy - Attacks something. Adbusters uses a lot of negative white space which connotes purity but directly contrasts with the image shown on the background. Masthead changes every time. Every magazine cover is unique which shows they are challenging. There is no reference to anything that is inside. No

Fandoms

Fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterised by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Examples: - Bronies - Rick and Morty fans - Furrys - Beliebers Textual poaching - Stealing something from a media product and often using it in a way that subverts normality/ the intention of the producer. KEY THEORY 18 - FANDOM - FANDOM Fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience of a certain media producer franchise. 'Fans use the media in ways not intended by the producer' 18 - Fandom - Henry Jenkins  (radio, videogames, television, online media) • Fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience of a certain media producer  franchise • Unlike the generic audience or the classic spectator, fans are active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meanings • Fans appropriate texts and read them in ways that are not fully intended by the media producers (‘textual poach

Attitude Online - Wednesday 13th March

Attitude online's primary purpose is to promote the magazine. It has a dedicated readership which may be influenced by the online version of the magazine. Camp - A deliberately tongue in cheek attitude to the world which reinforces a lot of gay stereotypes. Drag shows are very camp to appeal to a gay audience Diva is a gay magazine that is also aimed at women but it is less popular than Attitude. Attitude online is a hyper-sexualised representation of men - most images of these men are topless and often in provocative poses which is surprising in accordance to societal hegemonic norms. An article is critical of lack of representation of different body types which isn't reinforced very well by the singular muscular representation of men which suggests that these images are only being used to make money as they know it plays on the potential desires of homosexual men. Articles are generally focused on grooming, fashion, celebrities and their appearance which suggest