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Official trailer

TV trailer

Billboards

Heineken advert 2012

Heineken website 

Coka Cola Zero advert 2012

Coka Cola limited edition collection

Coke Zero commercial

 Skyfall advertising on London bus (on blog)

Omega video advert 2012

Omega advert (on blog)

Skyfall standee construction

Skyfall blog

DVD release ad [x] [x]

The Bond Phone (Sony ad) [x] [x]

Spinifex group 

 

 

 

1) Media Forms – How does the page use the typical convections of a mid quality newspaper?

Large and bold headlines are a classic convection of mid-quality newspapers. The Mail is clearly recognised as a newspaper targeted at lower-middle class individuals, therefore it is categorised as a mid-quality broadsheet. One media form that evidently specifies this particular tabloid, as a newspaper from that grouping, is the boldness of the fonts that have been used for its headings. Sizable and bold headlines are used to summarise and outline the main points and features of the articles.

Tabloids have a habit of publishing celebrity related news; incorporated with scandals, gossip, and rumours. Clearly, this broadside principally focuses on Hugh Grant, a celebrity who is known to live a scandalous life. For instance, more than three-quarters of the paper is dedicated to Hugh Grant and his shocking, yet typical attitude; with this structure, the magnitude of the article is openly anchored. Lexes such as “star” and “charming” present the principal topic of the editorial. The article is further anchored as a large heading -positioned in the middle of the broadsheet- exposes the subject of the feature, as Hugh Grant’s name is stated boldly – this method is used to easily attract the audience. This is primarily targeted at women, as the majority of them are interested in reading and knowing about celebrities and their lives – in other words, women favour voyeuristic pleasures.

Moreover, prim and proper vocabulary is not an essential element of mid-quality newspapers; this is evident as the language used for this broadside is not as formal as the vocabulary used for high-quality newspapers, yet not as informal as redtops. The following article, at the base of the tabloid, is an example that supports my line of reasoning. It is extremely rare to find a headline similar to “Happy pigs make better bacon butties… so give them toys!” in a high-quality newspaper; for instance, the term ‘butties’ is an idiom you wouldn’t see in a newspaper that is targeted at higher-class parties.

Undoubtedly, less formal expressions are used because mid-quality newspapers, such as The Daily Mail, are directed at lower-middle class communities, whom aren’t as educated as the higher class societies. In addition to that, people who read quality newspapers wouldn’t be interested in an article about “better bacon butties”, as they are likely to prefer political and economical related news instead. Nonetheless, swear words have been used on this specific tabloid; this is another convection of a mid-quality newspaper. In a high-quality newspaper, these terms would be hardly included in the articles, as no one in the upper class would want to read them.

Concentrating on the magnitude of this broadsheet, it is evident that more than half of the sheet consists of photographs linked to Hugh Grant’s scandal. A large image of a girl –portrayed innocently- is positioned on the right side of the article, as another photograph of Hugh Grant himself, and his wife is located next to the girl’s picture. Here, there is a contrast between the two chief characters of the article; the girl is represented as a harmless girl, whereas Hugh Grant’s image is demolished and over-exaggeratedly judged. 

Music Promo: Analysis 1 – Florence Welch

Audience:

• Primary audience: girls, between the ages of 16 to mid-twenties.
• Her unique sense of style, which is similar to free-spirited hippies, mainly attracts the younger generations.
• Florence is in her mid-twenties, so people (mainly girls) around that age may look up to her as a role model.
• Secondary audience: younger girls between the ages of 13 to 15 and also women between the ages of 27 to mid- thirties.
• Her videos, along with this music promo, offer the viewers sensory pleasures – pleasure derived from spectacular and beautiful images/music.
• On IMDB we can see that her songs have been played in many TV shows. But they are mainly TV-shows that are targeted at teenage girls and young adults, such as 90210, Gossip Girl and Skins.
• However, her songs have also been played in Top Gear episodes and Sport Relief 2010, which are mainly targeted at men. – They could also be a part of her secondary audience.

Narrative:

• In this video promo of Florence Welch, they have used voice-overs to help tell the story of one of her photo-shoots.
• She also talks about the themes of her songs and music videos in the voice-overs.
• She is interviewed in this video promo. She has been asked about her sense of style, her themes and some personal things that the audience would like to know
• In her interview, she talks about fairytales and how her characters in her music videos are usually princesses and heroines.
• There are enigma codes in this video promo, but in her music videos there are a couple of enigma codes and action. For example, in Cosmic Love a source of light enters her eyes and then the shot fades, leaving the viewer to wonder what happens next. And the following shots and scenes include a lot of emotional pleasures as it looks like she’s being attacked by something (possibly the light source).
• Furthermore, in Cosmic love the Todorov theory is used (equilibrium), where everything is okay at the start and then she faces a problem (disequilibrium), but as the music video slowly ends, the problem is solved (resolution).
• Also, in her Cosmic love video, Binary oppositions are used:

-Good vs. Bad

-Love vs. Hate

-Strength vs. Weakness

Genre: 

• The video promo is dreamlike.

-Because of the white, pink, yellow and the orange tones that have used in the shots.

• The lighting makes everything look vivid, glowing and diffused.
• Her voice is very clam and relaxed, plus there is a little bit of echoing when she speaks
• Her own song is faintly playing in the background
• In this promo she talks about princesses and fairytales, which relate to her videos and songs (her child-like personality is shown here).

Media Language:

• At the beginning of the promotional video, a picture of the magazine cover with Florence on it is shown.
• The magazine includes the following headlines:

–      “Beach body fixes: Bazaar’s last-minute tone-up tricks”

–      “Swimwear special: find your perfect style”

–      “36 easy summer beauty”

• It is obvious that this magazine is targeted at young adult females.

Representation:

• Florence is also a good role model as she goes for the nature look, which is good because this way she can show her fans that they should be taking care of their environment (e.g. recycling and reusing).
• She also talks about her style; she’s really into fashion and her sense of style is vintage/ similar to the 70’s – her audience could also look up to her sense of style.
• All her videos and photographs are linked to nature (flowers, animals etc.) For example: her album is called lungs; there’s a butterfly on her website.
• Florence Welch’s representation is very positive in comparison to other artists
• Her style (fashion, songs, music videos) is very original and unique

Ideology and Values:

• Her personality can be both child-like and elegant onscreen and off-screen.
• This could mean that you should take life seriously, but not all the time.
• She has this sense of uniqueness and weirdness to her and she applies that to everything, which is related to her (e.g. her official website, music videos, interviews, photo-shoots).
• She’s not ashamed of being different
• She’s very creative in everything she does (fashion, songs, music videos etc.)

Institution: 

• Record labels:

–      Moshi Moshi

–      IAMSOUND

–      Island

An Analysis of Meet the Superhumans

The advert emphasizes on the fact that even though the athletes are disabled, they are as talented as people who have everything. For example, if you use this ad to compare the Paralympians to the Olympic athletes, you can certainly realize that they are both capable of achieving the same ambitions in life. Whether it’s competing on a racing track, participating in football tournaments or even in swimming competitions, they can all accomplish the same goals and this is why the Paralympians represent powerful characters.

The title ‘Meet the Superhumans’ is another example of how the advert represents the Paralympians as powerful characters. Instead of focusing on their disabilities –what people see as flaws- they have concentrated on their successes. Therefore, this clip focuses on the skills, abilities and talents the Paralympians have. For instance, a shot may consist of a swimmer with no leg or no arm, a group of football players who cannot see or even track and field competitors with different disabilities.

The people behind the short but effective advert are attempting to make the world recognize this specific matter; the commercial is aiming to prove to the world that we shouldn’t give up on our dreams and aspirations just because something is stopping us, instead we must overcome that particular problem and prove to ourselves that we are able to achieve what we aim for, no matter what. Through these strong and positive characters, they are seeking to show us all that we must confront our problems with strong and confident attitudes, just like the Paralympians.

The advert is also very similar to the way the Olympics were publicized. These competitors aren’t compared to the Olympic athletes; in fact they are matched up to the Olympic participants; as strong and competitive people, full of ambition.

The commercial begins with a number of shots that involve sporting equipment and environments. For instance, a swimming pool, a racing track and a basketball are shown in different shots that are revealed one after another; this is where the first anchorage takes place. However, these scenes have been used to trick the viewers into thinking that they know what the advert is about. It is possible that their first guess would be the Olympics, 1) because both of the competitions were around the same time, and 2) because during summer most of the commercials were related to the Olympics.

Then a different shot is used where a silhouette of someone is shown. The person is walking towards the camera, however the viewers cannot see who it is. The backlighting highlights and outlines the figure of the person and immediately the viewers can see that the figure is somewhat different to the figure an Olympic athlete has, the advertisers have deliberately used a figure like this to reveal that there’s something different about this advert and that it’s not related to the Olympics. This is where the second anchorage takes place. Yet, some people may have still not realized what the advert is about. Therefore, another scene is revealed and this time it is much more clear. It is a still shot of a basketball team on wheelchairs; the lighting is high key and most of the shot is sharp and in focus.

The way this advert represents disabled people is very different to how other commercials represent them. Usually, they are represented as weak people who seek help from other. However, what I personally like about this ad is that it shows us the complete opposite. Disabled people are shown as very powerful and positive people. The way they are represented shows that they do not seek help from others around them. They are shown to be very strong; physically and emotionally.

This advert advertises their abilities, and this way it changes the perspective we have on disabled people. 

Lawless Trailer Analysis

1. Now deconstruct the mise en scene –

• Lighting –There is a combination of both high-key and low-key lighting throughout the movie trailer, where some shots are moderate and others are intense. Some scenes feature bright and clarifying lights where only a few obvious shadows are seen, whereas other scenes consist mainly of diffused shadows and a little atmospheric (which could be artificial) light to highlight the important features of a specific shot.

• Camera shots – There are no extreme long shots built-in this trailer, but most of the clip consists of full shots (a range with just enough space to contain the human body from head to toe), medium shots (displays the human figure from the head and down to the waist/knees – which is a relatively close shot), some scenes also include close ups of the figure (from head to shoulders or even closer) in order to increase intensity between that character and another. Usually the shots contain only one figure, but there are some scenes that hold more than two figures.

• Camera angles – All of the angles are captured from eye-level, which is the clearest view of an object, but can be occasionally dramatic. However, there are two scenes which are shot at a high angle – 1) at 0:53 a female character is shown; the shot was filmed from the second floor, but it’s still from someone’s eye-view, who is standing by the window, on the second floor. 2) The next high angle shot is at 1:29 where one of the brothers is being attacked. The shot is filmed from a high angle, which shows that he’s weaker than the one standing above him. However, this shot is also filmed from someone’s eye-view, who is looking down at Forrest, revealing the fact that he’s got more power than Forrest.

• Camera movements – In some shots, the camera is motionless, but there is a combination of tracking (following the action), panning (the frame moving from left to right) and zooming in and out, which seems as if the camera is moving closer to or further away from the subject. In some scenes the framing is tight, but however, many scenes also consist of loose framing.

2. Consider how the narrative of the trailer is shaped

• Is there evidence of anchorage?

Yes, there is evidence of anchorage at about twenty seconds into the clip, where the first shot of a violent scene is shown, however that one scene is not enough to completely clarify the plot of the movie, but enough to make the genre of the movie (a criminal gangster film) clear. As the clip resumes, we find out that the plot is based on a business that the main characters handle. Between 34 to 48 seconds into the clip, another evidence of anchorage is revealed. These two scenes finally anchor the plot of the movie and therefore the audiences have an idea of what the story of the movie could be based on. In those two scenes it is revealed that the main characters are involved in an operation out of law when Jack (one of the brothers) refers to the sold item as ‘this stuff’ and not by its real name. Also, the next scene is between Jack and his brother, Forrest, where the tension between them appears to be fairly high, as Jack –who seems to be somewhat troubled- drops the money onto the ground in front of Forrest -who doesn’t look impressed.

• When are there moments of high tension?

The moments of tension are scattered throughout the trailer. For example, the first moment of tension is between 43 to 48 seconds into the clip in which the anchorage takes place. The next moment of high tension is revealed at 1:14 minutes into the trailer where a threatening conversation between Forrest and someone -who seems to be a member of the government- takes place. From then on, the moments of high tension continue on until the end of the clip.

• How is tension created?

Different lighting in various scenes creates tension; some scenes are low-key and then there is a sudden change to high-key lighting. Tightly framed close ups of the characters faces in various shots increase the intensity as we can sense the emotion and hate exposed from the character. There are many moments of eye contact between the main characters and their enemies and also a range of emotions that are revealed by the characters (such as fear, distress and sorrow). There are sudden cuttings in between each change of shot or scene and some scenes -violence in particular- change very quickly in time with the music. Through the movie trailer there are dramatic sound effects in the background when tension is high during a conversation and also dramatic music is played during close-ups, eye contacts and other shots.

• What conflict is evident?

The trailer mainly includes conflict between the gangers and the government department over a particular illegal action that has been carried out by the three brothers.

• What enigma codes are apparent?

In a number of drama films, heartrending scenes, such as death, take place in order to escalate the emotional aspect of the movie and so, 1:58 minutes into the trailer, we hear Forrest talking about death and at the same time, a shot of Jack is revealed as he stands over a grave. Forrest could be foreshadowing his own death with that dialogue, however, the audience is still clueless of who’s grave it could be.

3. What is the genre of the trailer?

•  Crime – Many aspects of violence, such as physical fighting, gun shooting and explosions are put on view in the trailer. Also, from what I have gathered from the clip, the characters are involved in several deeds that are classified as operations outside of law – in other words, taking illegal action. In the short film advert, it is revealed that the gang is struggling – where the viewers question the gang’s position of power – when they have conflict with the law, who seem to be aggressively assassinating their way through the movie.

• Drama – The tensions between the main characters, Jack, Forrest and Howard Bondurant and the other characters grow throughout the trailer since their gang is under pressure and in battle with the law. Furthermore, the trailer also focuses on the emotions of each character, which seems to build up as the gang continues to struggle more and more.

• Western – The movie promo deliberately reveals that the theme of the movie is western; this is revealed through their costumes, accents and props such as guns. Moreover, the film is set in the depression-era.

• Romance – some elements of romance between one of the brothers (Jack Bondurant) and -the only female character that is revealed in the short ad- Maggie Beauford was shown in-between other shots and scenes near the end of the trailer, where the tension has reached to its highest point. However, the trailer does not focus on that aspect for too long, and therefore it means that romance only has a miniature role (compared to the other genres) in the whole movie.

4. Who is the trailer primarily targeted at?

• It is mainly aimed to attract male viewers who are specifically interested in action scenes, such as fighting and gun shooting.