Advertising and Film

 

Week one - Advertising and film

1 – advertising media language (unseen) and audience (seen) 

Media language

• Explore how this product uses genre conventions to construct meaning 

Nando's This must be the place:

Genre: Fast Food genre

- Fast Editing style

- Comedy 

- Close up shot

- Mise-en-scene

- Typical advert to it's genre

- Fast editing 

- Intertextual references to appeal to younger audiences

- Comedy

Plan:

- MES

- Editing

- Slang

- Lexis

- Shot Types 

- Mode of address, informal, light-hearted

- Steve Neale

- Genre changes over time

- Hybrid genre

- Repetition and difference

- Semiotics

- Referential code

- Symbolic code

- Hermenutic code

- Proairetic

- Presold audience

- Mid close shot

- Binary oppositions

- Humour

- Narration

- Doegetic sound
- Non-diegetic
- Extra-diegetic
- Complex diegesis
- Setting
- Lighting
- CUs
- Montage 
- (representations)
- Hyperreality 

(representation of young adults)

(ethnically diverse representation)

Introduction:

DAC - Definition, argument, context:

Genre conventions refer to elements that typically construct a genre. They are used by the producers to construct a genre which is both relatable and meaningful to a target audience. Genres are fluid and they can change over time to appeal to new audiences and demographics. In this essay I shall argue that the Nando's advert is typical of the fast food genre in order to effectively target a young working class and ethnically diverse presold audience who are already familiar with Nando's as a product.

Paragraphs: Point, evidence, argument

 One way in which the Nando's advert uses genre conventions constrict meaning is through its highly involving montage of mid shots and close ups to construct and interesting and humorous mode of address.

Another way… (dialogue, narration and lexis)

(use of typical setting, MES and lighting)

(Use of referentiality, and the assumption of a presold audience). 

(genre has evolved over time)

(digitally convergent media, e.g. digital distribution and digital post production methods)

(binary oppositions construct stereotypes for humorous effect).

Compare how audiences can respond to and interpret the representations in the WaterAid advert you have studied and the Barnardo's print advert you have been provided.

Both charity adverts use stereotypically vulnerable representations to create a sympathetic mode of address

Plan:

MES

Binary oppositions

Editing

Postcolonial theory 

Cultivation 

Sound

Non-diegetic

Diegetic

Lighting

Polysemic

Lexis

Visual/audio code

Stereotypical

Representation

Identity

CU

MS

Tracking shot

Establishing shot

Zimbabwe

High angle

Stuart Hall

Van Zoonen

Lexis

Graphics

Anchorage 

Representation is the way in which something is re-presented by the producer for the purpose of demonstrating their ideology. Audiences can interpret these representations in a variety of different ways depending on their own identity. Producers will typically use representations to minimise and maximise profit. In this essay I shall argue that charity adverts in particular. In this essay I shall argue that charity adverts in particular use vulnerable and emotionally manipulative representations to garner sympathy from the audience and to encourage them to donate money. In order to explore this idea, I shall refer to the 'Claudia' WaterAid advert, which provides an atypical representation, and the Barnardo's advert, which presents a stereotypical representation.

One way in which both adverts use stereotypically vulnerable representations is through the:

- The close up shot of the young boy's face. The MES of his sad, vulnerable looking expression creates a sympathetic mode of address to the audience,

- This is anchored through the MES of the broken cracks placed upon his face, which acts as a symbolic code of being broken and emotionally vulnerable. This is further anchored through the MES of the dark lowkey lighting, which functions to connote abuse, and mistreatment of children.

Heavy use of high key lighting with lots of shadows in the Barnardo's advert constructs symbolic connotations of poverty and sadness, This is further anchored through the MES of cracks that run through the boy’s face, which emphasis the idea that he is poor and vulnerable. The MES of key lighting on his face draws attention to his downtrodden, bored facial expression and the blackness of the background symbolically encodes ideas of innocence and victimhood through the binary constructed between light and dark.

However, a complex representation of vulnerability is constructed in the WaterAid advert. Claudia is a girl and is constructed in a feminine way throughout the advert. The use of slow paced tracking shots, in combination with the use of long takes constructs a stereotypical representation of femininity, which may be appealing to the target audience

While she may be stereotypically feminine in some ways, Claudia arguably presents an atypical representation of teenage girls which may appeal to the British Working class and middle aged target audience. Claudia’s atypical representation is constructed through a montage of extreme close up establishing shots that emphasise her lack of makeup and her hardworking feet. In combination with the MES so the bucket on her head which not only polemically encodes her hard work

• Young, working class black woman. Non-stereotypical representation of a sixteen year old girl.

LESSON 31/03/23:

Define Distribution (2)

Distribution refers to the ways in which a media product is made accessible to an audience by the producer. For example, the film Black Panther has been distributed through digital streaming on Disney+, through theatrical distribution in cinemas and physical distribution for example, through DVD and Blu-ray sale.

                                      

To what extent is Black Panther typical of a mainstream film? (6)

- Produced by marvel

- Mainstream Actors (Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan)

- Stunts high quality action

- High budget of $200 million 

- Marketing budget of $150 million

•  Highest grossing film made by a black producer, and the 14th highest grossing film of all time 
• Originally shown on Netflix, but then the rights reverted back to Disney
• First planned in 1992, with the actor Wesley Snipes in the main role
• Budget of 200million$$$,
• Marketing budget of 150million$$$
• First two months: 1.34billion$$$

Plan

Conglomerate

High production values

200 million dollars

1.6 billon dollars revenue 

Michael B Jordan - established actor 

Kilgore 

CGI

150 million spent on marketing

Producer - marvel studios

Distributer - Disney studios

Clear genre conventions

Action

Superhero

Minimise risk and maximise profit - Hesmondhalgh 

Synergy with other brand e.g Toyota

Product placement

Pre-sold audience

Curran and Seaton - power and profit

Buying out competition

Vertically and horizontally integrated

Ryan coogler director - established director

Introduction: DAC - DEFINITION, ARGUEMENT, CONTEXT:

Mainstream or major cinema refers to films created by vast conglomerates that are motivated by profit and power. In this essay I shall argue that BP is typical of mainstream fream film production. Black Panther (2018) is a big budget blockbuster superhero film that appeals to a wide audience.

One way in which Black Panther is typical of mainstream cinema can be seen through it's high production values. The film is fixated on a series of extremely expensive and visually stunning scenes that are only made possible through its extensive use of CGI, showcasing very high production values. It is essential for superhero films to demonstrate their high production values and massive budget in order to engage and appeal to a mass global audience. Black panther was popular in it's home market of America, yet was also highly successful in the UK, China, and France.

Another way in which BP is typical of mainstream cinema is through the use of established actors. For example, Michael B Jordan established actor famous from Creed

As part of the Marvel cinematic universe, BP had the advantage of a presold audience, and would appeal to existing fans. 

A largely black cast allows the producers to target an audience who may not previously have been engaged with the MCU. Released around the same time of the BLM.  Black Panther captured the zeitgeist of political movements at the time, and the phrase ' Wakanda forever' became associated with the BLM movement. This widespread exposure is typical of mainstream.

Steve neale - repetition and difference: the representation of black people becomes a marketing technique for the producer, allowing the film to target black audiences

Black Panther was districuted in a variety of different ways to minimise risk and to maximise profit. These methods included digital distribution, theatrical distribution and physical distribution. Such mass distribution is only possible through the involvement of a mainstream, major conglomerate

To what extent has Black Panther been affected by regulatory frameworks? 

Regulation refers to the rules and restrictions that a media industry must follow. The film industry in the UK is regulated by the BBFC, who princely regulate films through a system of age certification. I shall argue that Black Panther has been significantly affected by regulatory frameworks, in order to ensure the film receives a 12A certificate and can therefore minimise risk and maximise profit

• No realistic depictions of violence shown
• Fast paced editing obscures injury detail
• Brief flashes of blood, but not gratuitous 
• Clear distinction between good and evil is established through context. The villain is called 'Killmonger' and acts in a theatrically evil way 'I've killed people before' 
• Film takes a clear moral viewpoint
• A 'duel to the death' and a fight to be crowned king, clear conventions of a fantasy adventure 
• Beautiful fantasy setting with clearly high production values softens the impact of the violence
• Death in superhero films is different, and audiences will be comfortable that Black Panther is not actually dead
• No on screen deaths, at least for the main character
• The death that does occur does so for moral reasons
• Audiences will be aware of narrative conventions, the ups and downs, the heroes journey 
• Fight scene is fast paced and with little injury detail 
• Fight scene is choreographed and highly stylised, resembling a dance routine 
• There is a specific purpose for the battle, which is made clear to the audience
• Clearly fantasy violence, with no instances of actual trauma or extreme gore
• A little blood on teeth, but no excessive blood splatter
  

The BBFC primarily exist to reduce the risk of harm and offense that may occur if someone too young were to watch a certain film. In order to mitigate this risk and to be seen by as many many people as possible, BP is edited in such a way as to reduce the impact of the violence. The BBFC is concerned with the detail of violence, with explicit violence being potentially harmful to younger audiences. To mitigate this, Black Panther does not focus on injury detail. With explicit injury detail, this film may be a 15 certificate, and therefore exclusionary to younger audience.

Disney and other major conglomerates aggressively target younger teenage audiences. Younger audiences typically have more time to watch films, and also have expendable income which is highly desirable to producers. While the fight scenes of BP are brutal, the editing will cut away before any explicit injury detail.