Textual Analysis: Independent Study

NEXT TV ADVERT- September 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m62yEZ4KDTw&feature=relmfu 

Summer 's over, it's back to work and time to discover what the autumn season has in store. Spend a day in the life of Emanuela, the face of Next, as we follow her on a day in the life of a model and glamorous girl about town. In 50 seconds of fashion heaven, Next showcases the new season's defining fashion moments.

Drawing inspiration from New York's rich fashion and pop culture heritage, from the graffiti and street art to the city's cafe culture, the action is cut to the soundtrack of Blondie's iconic pop rock classic 'Heart of Glass'. Join Emanuela as she travels through the city from subway to photo shoot in cool SoHo, meeting friends after work in a cafe on the Lower East Side.

Dont miss the cameo of Le Call putting her best foot forward to show off the hottest shoes and boots on the High Street. Catch her in the new Next shoe brochure - It's All About Shoes...
So sit back, enjoy, and start shopping the new season's collection from Next.

1. Media Forms- What techniques does the ad use to persuade the audience to shop in Next ?

The advertisement uses various techniques to persuade the audience to shop in Next for example the long  shots on the model. The long shots give a direct and complete view of the product. LS reveals a lot in terms of its quality and it shows every corner of "New York's rich fashion from the graffiti and street art to the city's cafe culture". This appeals to audiences because now they can experience "New York's rich fashion" in London.

 Low angle shot increases the reputation and the quality of the product which persuades the audiences to shop in Next because it has the quality products which you won't find anywhere but in Next.

Music used "Heart of Glass" released in the 80s which was one of the huge success by Blondie also gives an huge advantage to the brand as audience with the taste of 80s music identify with it.

2. Media Representation -How is gender represented in the ad?

Women are being represented as having a wonderful life being a model and dressed in clothes by Next. They are also seen as most important than men

women are sterotypically represented as portrayed as beautiful, elegant and sophisticated.

capitalist ideologies: women are portrayed as high class life as they are living in New York, wearing sophisticated clothing and they are models.

hetrosexual: when they meet up with their boyfriends which could indicate that Next also plays an important role in relationships.

3. Media Institution- What does this ad tell us about the Brand Next and its ideologies/values.

In this advertisement next is represented positively and known for its elegant clothing. It also shows that Next is the only brand that produces such classy, elegant clothing which fits not only every women's style but according to the seasons. 

ideologies: it shows that as its current, the positive approach towards the representation of women, it shows women as independent which would appeal to most of the women to shop in Next as it is not negatively representing them. However, the view is objectional and reinforcing stereotypes of women/

"hottest shoes and boots"- shows only Next has the best quality products

4. Media Audiences- Who are the target audience for this ad?

-Primary audience: women- 18-25 years old appeals to women who want to explore the New York's rich fashion in Next, shopaholics, sophisticated, models

-upper class, working women B/C (socio-economic)

Children: 6-12 years old

technophobes

Technophobes

A. AUDIENCE: Who would this program appeal to? In your answer include gender, socio-economic status, psychographics and demographics.
it would appeal to BBC 3 primary audience who are young teenagers around the age of 16-34 year old. However, it could also appeal to secondary age group. because it also appeals to a younge teenagers the socio-economic class status is D and E as most teenagers generally fall into the category and much older teenagers could fall into B, C1, C2 as they are more technology literate and also they earn to provide themselves with enough money to have techology products. It appeals to males and females as the programmes on BBC3 are targetted at males and females which will appeal them to watch documentaries.
The pychographics are inform and educate because content in documentaries' main aim is to inform and educate.

B. INSTITUTION: What assumptions can you make about this program just from knowing that it will be broadcast on BBC Three?
We can predict that it will appeal to young/old teenage adults because BBC3's target audience is around 16-34 year old. As it is stated that BBC3 launches programmes that attempt to challenging common beliefs similarly this programme will also challenge the 'common belief' about the use of techonology that it is frequently used nowdays and how some people are scared of technology in the world where technology seems to be a way for survival.

C. MEDIA FORMS: What kind of program are you expecting to see when it is broadcast? Include specific ideas about content, along with more broad knowledge of the codes and conventions of this genre.
One of the form will be Obverservational mode. obverservational mode is observing undercover and camera observes what happens as it happens in a natural setting. This will allow the actors to act natural.
Expository mode: the documentary aims to inform and educate and there is a voiceover taking through the events. This documentary will inform the audiences how difficult the technophobes' life are when technology has become an extremely important part of our lives in today's world.

D. REPRESENTATION: What kind of position or opinion about these “technophobes” would you expect this documentary to project? Explain why.
This documentary will present "technophobes" in a negative light because according to today's world, in the 21st century, the techology has drastically developed since the past and it has sort of become a survival for the youth. Therefore, audience will tend to mock the characters in the documentary as they will presume how can someone be scared to technology when it has been a big part in 21st century.

f. Write a web blog review of the program (as if you have seen the first episode) commenting on one of the subjects/people in it. What kind of tone would your review take?

How can you be scared of TECHNOLOGY? C'mon it has become a huge part of our lives. I use technology every millesecond. I still don't understand how can people be scared of technology. The new show on BBC3 "technophobes" observe couple of teenagers scared of techonolgy. Are you kidding me? It is completely out of my sense but it is quite interesting to explore how can people be scared of technology.
The first episode was observing a boy screaming every time he sees any technology. Seriously? and there was literally no traces of any forms of technology in his house like nothing! His house must have been totally boring. Imagine how would he would be doing his homework? however, this documentary is quite interesting in exploring how this technophobia causes psychological stress and how it affects the brain. It has a lot of aspects that are entertaining because we tend to mock the characters whenever they try run away from technology or when the girl locks herself in the room when her parents buy a new computer.
overall, it is interesting to watch how people can be scared of technology especially young teenagers like me and in the 21st century

documentary DVD cover

Main title

The main title is placed at the top which connotes its extreme importance as the film subject. It attracts audience’s attention as the word ‘inconvenient’ is written in red. The colour red resembles the meaning of the word ‘inconvenient’ (difficulties) and red connotes danger. This combines the “warning” that the title is trying to convey. The colour red contrasts with the other words written in white “an” and “truth” which connotes that there can be a solution to the danger.

The three words are written without any spaces which connotes that the producers are trying to give out a message you can’t ignore such danger and we have to act soon.

Spine Title

The spine title doesn’t really stand out because the colour white blends in with the background colour blue as the blue has been used elsewhere in the DVD cover. It consists of the institution logo, the main title, the slogan and the format logo.

Main Image

The main image is very successful in getting its message across. The image consists of a power station producing smoke and the smoke is in the shape of a hurricane. This could be indicating that there is major danger taking over the earth like the fact that there is too much poisonous gas releasing into the atmosphere which might cause many problems. The use of blue background connotes there still a lot we can do to save this from happening. The use of colour blue is on the cover is raising a ray of hope and trying to pass on the message.

Opinion

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative... your mind will be changed in a nanosecond”-Roger Fried man, FOXNEWS.com

This opinion reassures audiences that it is extremely important subject that will make a big impact on every individual whether you want to be a part of it or not, it will make a change. The opinion is referring to political parties which could also be indicating that no matter where you belong to everyone is involved in this subject. This targets a wide range of audiences because the subject is very critical which is related to every individual.

The other statements and opinions in newspaper articles also encourage that particular newspaper buyer to believe what they say and get attracted towards this documentary. It reassures audiences that the film has received positive reviews from such newspapers and people, which makes them want to watch this documentary.

Institution logo at the back and on the spine title

The institution is ‘Paramount Classics’. The institution is well known which supports the film as it has a strong base.

Special Features

The back cover also contains a ‘special feature’ which includes clips of making of the film, music videos and commentary etc. This gives away audiences a chance to explore all the research done by the producers, directors and actors and how the film was made into a final product. This allows audiences to also believe the issues that are raised by this film as they have provided sufficient results to support the truth.

Other Features

it provides various subtitles such as English, French and Spanish which appeals to a global audience therefore the message is spreading across the world however as it is a global issue they should have included more language subtitles.

Blurb

this provides a brief summary of the story so the audiences are aware of what type of documentary they are watching. It states it is a “must-see” this confident call to the audiences encourages audiences to watch it.

Documentary

Documentary

Documentary

A documentary is work of non-fiction. It involves events of a true story and it can be in various forms such as video or audio (movie or radio programme).

History

·         In pre 1900s documentaries were classified as “actuality films”. The duration of these films were a minute of less because of less progression of technologies back in 1900s.

·         1900-1920: “Travelogue” films (tourism or travel documentary, providing information and entertainment about parts of the world since the late 19th century) were extremely popular at the time.

Documentaries established:

·          Romanticism

·         The city symphony- focused on the realistic and tradition
·         Kino-Pravda (cinematic truth): camera could provide more accurate information than the human eye.

·         Newsreel tradition: newsreels were usually re-enactments of events that had already happened.

·         The propagandist tradition: films were made with the intention of persuading an audience of a point

·         Cinéma vérité: used light, quiet and reliable cameras, and sound

·         Modern documentaries

·         Historical documentaries

·         Modern documentaries have merged with television such as the “reality television” that is now classified as documentaries

Six different types of documentaries

1)      Poetic Documentaries: The films were fragmentary, impressionistic, lyrical

Examples: Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s Play of Light: Black, White, Grey (1930),Oskar Fischinger’s abstract animated films
2)      Expository documentaries: communicates directly to the audiences in the form of voiceover usually presenting a strong argument or a point of view. These are films are rhetorical and persuasive.

Examples: TV shows and films like A&E Biography; America’s Most Wanted; many science and nature documentaries; Ken Burns’ The Civil War (1990)

3)      Observational documentaries: these films observe lived life and are re-enactments related to human character in ordinary life situations.

Examples: Frederick Wiseman’s films, e.g. High School (1968); Gilles Groulx and Michel Brault’s Les Racquetteurs (1958)

4)      Participatory documentaries: How the situations in the film are affected by the presence of the filmmaker (the relationship between the filmmaker and the subject).

Examples: Ross McElwee’s Sherman’s March (1985)

5)      Reflexive documentaries: these films portray how the world gets represented by documentary films.

6)      Performative documentaries:  these films show experience and emotional response to the world. They are personal or unconventional. They also link up personal experiences with larger political or historical realities.

Codes and Conventions

Ø  Voiceover

Ø  Real footage of events/incidents

Ø  Realism

Ø  Interviews

Ø  Sound: non-diegetic sound (relevant music)

Ø  Real setting

Ø  Mise-en-scene

Ø  Editing: mostly cut

Ø  Camera work: medium close up in interviews

Super 8 Cross Media Study

1.   Film Media in context

The industry promotes film to audiences using Print media, Broadcasting media and E-media.

Print Media

Industry promote film to audiences using reviews in newspapers/magazines or interviews of star cast or director/producer in magazines. This allows the audiences to get brief thought whether they are interested in watching the film or not. For example, http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/04/super-8-review.

We can imply that print media is at the edge of being outdated as well as nearly declining because E-media is now kind of taking over Print Media. E-media is making it cheaper for institutions to promote films for example creating a fan page on Facebook and millions of fans will be aware of it. Institutions are now fully aware of the fact that most teenagers spend more time on E-media than reading a magazine and accordingly the institutions target their young audiences using E-media platform.

Advantages

Ø  print media have a loyal readership –it is likely that loyal fans will definitely watch the film

Ø  Targets particular geographical area, for example if the film is based on a particular setting, character or culture, it makes it easier for the film promotion as targeted primary audiences will definitely be attracted towards it

Ø  Readers are engaged as they turn page after page to read articles, look at image and view advertisements in their favorite magazines or newspapers

Disadvantages

Ø  May not always give you a wide reach. On the other hand, Internet can target global audience

Ø  There is a limitation on who may actually read your message. The particular newspaper may not actually be accessible every time to your target group, which means, your message may be missed. However, The Internet can be accessed from anywhere

Ø  Cost: if the film is being advertised in a popular magazine then it can be very costly compared to a magazine which is not so popular

Ø  Scheduling: it is hard to schedule advertising placements for publications that run monthly because the space often books in advance

Ø  Print Media is not instant and free like E-Media

Broadcasting

The most common way of promoting films using broadcasting platform is by teaser trailers or official trailers of the film. This allows the audience to have the first glimpse and a more detailed and visual indication of the films content. It is more interactive and engaging than Print media for example “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCRQQCKS7go -super8 trailer”. Broadcasting also includes exclusive interviews on news channels, radio channels premiers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLiFbtBmvK8 –super8 premiere).

Advantages

Ø  Transmit sounds or images electronically

Ø  Broadcast engages more senses than reading and adds audio as well as motion for television- visual

Ø   has a larger impact/influence  on audiences than Print Media

Ø   Permits you to reach great numbers of people on a national or regional level

Ø   TV- short but long lasting

Disadvantages

Ø  Costly

Ø   Most ads are ten or thirty seconds long, which limits the amount of information you can communicate

Ø   more people can be informed and therefore involved in the happenings of the day

Ø  TV is becoming less dictated by scheduling (Sky+), more and more specialist channels, competition from the likes of You Tube

E-media

E-media is nearly taking over Print Media as it is being operated more regularly than Print media. E-media involves social networking sites, YouTube or Official websites (http://www.super8-movie.com/ -super8 official website). Magazines now have their own website and the same information can accessed online as the information in a magazine. So it makes it easier for audiences to access the internet more easily than to buy a magazine. The internet and modern telecommunications has changed social networks and socialization greatly. It has opened up our ability to communicate and now we have many more ways in which to communicate and socialize.

Advantages

Ø  More interactive and engaging

Ø  Free

Ø  Attracts more audiences

Disadvantages

Ø  E-Media is hard to police (piracy); people are bombarded with information; social networking and increasing audience participation (user generated content)

 

2. How are texts in the three platforms constructed?

Print Media

Super 8 is promoted using Print Media through reviews in newspapers and magazines. It provides a review and other information about super8. For example (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8682243/Super-8-review.html -the telegraph review) it states “Abrams has created a clever, enjoyably reverential, and very entertaining update of an old-fashioned boy’s-own caper” the positive review of super8 is persuading the audiences to watch the film. Audiences are also attracted on the basis of the guraantee of a review in a famous newspaper. 

 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/04/super-8-review )

Broadcasting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smylfYKH7Ss – super 8 interview with the cast allows audiences to engage and connect with the characters. It also provides details on how they felt working in super8. Gabrille Basso stated that “it’s like getting paid to work with your friends” this implies that their experience working in the making of super8 which encourages audiences to watch the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTtc-gjLmR0 –super8 interview with J.J Abrams. He discusses how effective each character was which enhanced the story of the film. He also states the genre “science fiction, monster movie imposed on love story”.

E-media

Viral marketing campaign created massive hype for super8 way long before its release. For example the first trailer for the movie was attached to Iron Man 2. This gave audiences a ‘topic’ to discuss therefore; it was being promoted way before it even released.

http://www.super8-movie.com The official super8 website contains an “editing room”, which allows users to find various clips from around the web and piece them together. This increases interaction and also gives opportunity to audiences to discover new findings. This might make the audiences visit the super8 website again and again which is promoting the film. Its website allows audiences to access information about the cast. The website also has links to social networking sites which again attract more young and middle aged audiences.

To promote the film, Valve Corporation created a short video game and released it alongside the PC version of Portal 2. The video game Portal 2 contained an interactive trailer placing the player on board the train before it disrupts, and showing the carriage being smashed open. This attracts many young audiences and increases their interest in Super8.

 

3. How do audiences access the text across the 3 platforms?

Who are Super 8’s target audience(s) and how do you know?

-          Primary audience is children- we know this because the central focus in the film are the bunch of kids who making a short film. Young audience tend to identify with the characters and  with their personal grief  for example Joe who has lost his mum and his relationship with his dad or the friendship between Joe and Charles

-          13-16 years old- because the main character is 14 years old in the film and the other characters seems to be similar age

-          Secondary audience- adults (much older people) because of Steven Spielberg as he is quite famous, his name would attract older audiences who were fans of Steven Spielberg in his era.

-         

3. How is Super 8 promoted to its target audience(s) through?

Print

Print media targets on narrow-casted audiences who are sophisticated and older.

The producers are aiming to older and sophisticated people who read magazines/newspapers on a regular base. Because print media is not as interactive, young audiences tend to ignore print media (one of the reason why print media is declining) due to alternatives taking over print media such as E-media. In addition, the language used in newspapers/magazine is sophisticated and doesn’t match up some teenagers’ understanding when the articles are produced with sophisticated words. Print is not as interactive and engaging as Broadcasting and E-media, so it doesn’t allow audiences to participate with the film. For example

Broadcasting

Broadcasting is more interactive and engaging. It allows the characters directly engage with the audiences.

Trailers are very effective in reaching to its audiences, young teenagers, it provided visual details of the film and some important and dramatic scenes retrieved from the film. For example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCRQQCKS7go super 8 official trailer provides us with the genre so that we can decide whether it is a relevant film to our taste. It gives us a idea of the storyline and how the film is.

E-media

E-media is becoming more and more advanced in technologies and various E-media products it is producing. It therefore leads to more effective promotion.

Social networking sites have played an important and effective role in promotion as it is quicker, cheaper and reaches large amount of audience.

http://www.facebook.com/search/results.php?q=super8&init=quick&tas=0.2466379673874019#!/Super8Movie  super 8 fan page allows various facebook users to connect with latest information being updated on their fan page. It also spreads very quickly as one of friends might forward a message and so on therefore it leads to more and more people getting involved.

http://www.super8-movie.com/-

 

4. How are representations constructed across the 3 platforms?

Print

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8682243/Super-8-review.html - The telegraph shows positive representation of the characters in super 8. The newspaper article states “At first, the young cast come across as over-gabby and grating, but they soon win us over”, This shows how effectively the cast has played their roles which gained them a positive representation in the print media.

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=118873 – The empire review also gives positive representation of the young cast for example “Thankfully, the kids are more than alright. They’re fabulous: yearningly fresh-faced and infantile”, this shows that their acting has really impressed the audiences whether it is young audience or older.

Overall, even though super 8 has been criticised, casts’ acting has been praised well by many reporters in famous news papers and magazines.

Broadcasting

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smylfYKH7Ss-  Interview with the super 8 casts (Boys) the interview illustrates a good relationships with each other which reflects in the film. They also seem very enthusiastic about the film from the way they react and respond which breaks through the stereotypical representation of young teenagers as being lazy.

5. Who are the key institutions involved in promoting Super 8 and how are they involved?

Amblin Entertainment

Amblin Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1981. Amblin is only a production company, and has never distributed its own movies, nor has it fully financed its productions.

The Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group has also collaborated with Amblin in such films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Arachnophobia, Noises Off, A Far Off Place and War Horse.

Super 8 is the first original J. J. Abrams film project produced by Amblin Entertainment, Bad Robot Productions and Paramount Pictures.

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production/distribution company. Paramount is consistently ranked as one of the largest top-grossing movie studios.

The institution are aware of the fact that e-media is playing a huge role in media industry as it is advanced and attracts more audiences than print or broadcasting.

Super 8-media platforms

Monday, 28 November 2011

Super 8-Media Platforms

Broadcasting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCRQQCKS7go - super 8 trailer-allows actors to engage and interact with the audiences and also provide brief account of the story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLiFbtBmvK8 -super 8 premiere at regency Theaters Westwood Village-2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smylfYKH7Ss super 8 interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTtc-gjLmR0 super 8 interview with J.J Abrams
Print
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/super_8/ super 8 review-rotten tomatoes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/04/super-8-review super8 review- The guardian
"Of course we do get to see the kids' completed homemade movie, and, though it would be a cheap shot to claim that this film is a tighter and clearer piece of work than Super 8 itself, I have to confess, churlishly, to a faint disappointment here. The completed film does not particularly reveal anything that had been mysterious in the preceding action, and it does not mesh in any particularly ingenious way with the real-life adventures we have all just lived through. But it is funny and likable, like everything else Abrams has to show us.
The movie elsewhere suggests the more general experience of families' home-movie-making. Watch Super 8 home movies and you'll see mum and the kids, but not dad. Dad is the one doing the filming, the only one allowed to hold the camera. So the father is intensely present and absent at the same time: Abrams hints a little at this more melancholy aspect of Super 8 culture. The rest of the time it's a boisterous genre piece with some of Spielberg's tricks but little of his storytelling pizazz and none of his intense heartfelt belief."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8682243/Super-8-review.html the telegraph- “Abrams has created a clever, enjoyably reverential, and very entertaining update of an old-fashioned boy’s-own caper” attracts audiences on the basis of the guraantee of a review in a famous newspaper. 

http://www.velvetv.com/2011/06/j-j-abrams-and-steven-spielberg-super-8-ew-cover/
E-media
-viral marketing campaign http://www.super8-movie.com/ official website-The official super8 website contains an “editing room” which allows users to find various clips from around the web and piece them together-increases interaction and interest
- links to social networking sites which again attract more young and middle aged audiences
-To promote the film, Valve Corporation created a short video game and released it alongside the PC version of Portal 2
http://www.facebook.com/search/results.php?q=super8&init=quick&tas=0.2466379673874019#!/Super8Movie  super 8 facebook fan page
http://twitter.com/#!/super8movie- super 8 twitter account
twitter: Paramount Studios recently used twitter to offer advanced screening tickets for their new sci-fi release ‘Super 8′ directed by J.J. Abrams.

For Paramount, twitter presents a good opportunity to reach out to an audience that engages with topical discussion, and with a sponsored ‘trending topic’, this can create a lot of buzz, especially for a movie release.

http://www.filmindustrynetwork.biz/paramount-turns-to-twitter-for-super-8-promotion-will-it-work/11256

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386773,00.asp

Viral marketing campaign created massive hype for super8 way long before its release. For example the first trailer for the movie was attached to Iron Man 2. This gave audiences a ‘topic’ to discuss therefore; it was being promoted way before it even released.