Discuss the audience appeal of your 3 main texts?

Discuss the audience appeal of your 3 main texts?

The representation of mad men in my chosen scene from the Jaguar Pitch is from the 1960s you are able to determine this by the way women are treated and the behavior of the men, for example the men have more authority and the women are undermined and dress very sexual for example low cut and fitted dresses. Also the mise en scene creates a setting from the 1960s with the use of type writers which you can hear through the diegetic sound in the background and the intake of alcohol in work settings and smoking at work. A scene i am particularly referring to is when the man throws money in to peggys face this makes her out to be a prostitute who sells her body for money, which manipulates her and breaks her confidence as he is controlling her, also when he walks in to the office he is drinking alcohol which would be obscene in this day and age. This would appeal to a range of audiences such as people who lived in the 1960s as they feel they can relate to them and have an understanding of what is going on, also it may appeal to people who did not live in the 1960s as it may interest them on the behavior of people from the 60s and how things have changed over the years.
It also appeals to a niche audience because of its authentic views and attitudes from the 1960s. A lot of enigma codes are put in to place however because it is more of a niche audience you are having to work out the answers to the questions yourself which can leave it very open and can be interpreted in lots of different ways. Parallel editing is also used which makes you thinks that 2 different scenes are happening at the same time. There is also no non diegetic sound as which makes it seem more realistic as there is no added effects on the TV program. The way the men talk about the jaguar pitch 'curves, you can have the jaguar' ' if it weren't pretty or temperamental' it is as though they are talking about the women and belittling them as if they are an object.

"If they weren't out of our reach, beyond our control, would we love them like we do?" - Don Draper
This was an epic episode with a thoroughly disquieting tone. It is sometimes said that none of the characters in Mad Men are likeable. Such thoughts were borne out spectacularly in this hour. The weight of obnoxiousness falls exclusively on male shoulders too. If every plot event this week wasn't set off by a misogynistic act, then you could have fooled me. This was an epic episode with a thoroughly disquieting tone. It is sometimes said that none of the characters in Mad Men are likeable. Such thoughts were borne out spectacularly in this hour. The weight of obnoxiousness falls exclusively on male shoulders too. If every plot event this week wasn't set off by a misogynistic act, then you could have fooled me.
Cutting the pitch (I love it when they take us along on pitches) with the scenes of Joan’s reluctant hotel room transaction made things nicely unambiguous. “Built like a B52”, Joan (and later, Megan during a theatre audition that seemed more peep show than anything else) was coveted as a possession. She was the hot red, the out-of-reach prize, the head-turner, anything but a person with thoughts and feelings. Her mother raised Joan to be admired, she told Don last week, but objectified is the word.
The orange couch - 'all women are given 2 options wife's or mistresses and view-ix or jaguar,  these give men objects to use but all of the women don't want to be objects. This TV program does not have a formula.'
Don draper is the ruler but fails at it every time.
Basket of kisses - ' The Other Woman may be the most disturbing episode of Mad Men we’ve ever seen. We’ve seen bad things happen to characters we love, some of their own doing. ' Ginsberg’s line, “At last. Something beautiful you can truly OWN”, reflects Don’s life. He probably feels that he really truly “owns” nothing at the moment. He doesn’t “own” Megan who’s turning up to be less dependent on him than he imagined, he doesn’t “own” Peggy who’s leaving him, he doesn’t “own” Joan because he wasn’t able to dissuade her to spend the night with the guy, he doesn’t “own” the agency because the partners decide against his will.'
I can’t tell the difference between something that’s good and something that’s awful.
— Peggy Olson, The Suitcase

Most media texts target a range of different audiences, how true is this with your chosen texts?

Most media texts target a range of different audiences, how true is this with your chosen texts?

The chosen text is Lost, I feel that this relates very well with this text as it is aimed at various different audiences. With the TV programme Lost it is open to a wide range of audiences this allows them to reach a wider audience and have more people watch it. It is a mainstream text by the techniques which are used through out for example the programme is constantly telling you what is going on which makes it passive, you do not have to work out what is going on you are constantly being told this.

Also it uses enigma codes to question what is going on, when the bear is running towards them it does not show what the animal is which entices the audience in and makes you intrigued, also it uses non diegetic sound to build up the tension for the audience to understand that they should be scared and frightened. It is also using a camera shot where it is shaky and on a slight angle this makes it seem a lot more realistic and like a hand held camera. 

When the bear begins to get really close the Man shoots the bear this gives him a sense of authority and strength which is the stereotypical view point of men, this could mean that men feel as though they can relate to the man because he is the one who is in charge and they like to feel they have some kind of power.  When looking at the man it uses a low angle shot to show that he is over powering and is taking more authority. Also the women begin to run away and scream which could show they need to be protected and they don't have much power this may make women feel as though they can relate which is also another stereo typical view point. It uses a high angle shot on the women to show how they could be manipulated and that others can over power them.

Also with their being an English person it can relate to different people from all over the world as it also include chinese people and their cultures and religious aspects which they have to abide by. This means that more people can relate to the programme.

Targets

1. Spend more time out of college going over notes and revising.
2. Ensure to look on the blog a lot more to help with my revision.
3. Try to contribute more in class to feel more involved.
4. Try to go in to more detail with technical scenes to make it more relevant.
5. Try to quote and mention other films to support my work.

'Most texts today mix genres.' How true is this of your 3 main texts?

Referring specifically to District 9 it is very noticeable that in the modern day use bricolage, this is when they mix different genres and styles and put it in to one film. This opens the film up to a wider range of audience for me people to enjoy.
One of the main genres of District 9 is sci - fi you are able to come to an understanding that this is sci - fi for the different connotations which are used through out the film for example more or less all sci - fi films use aliens and spaceships and this is repeated though out all sci - fi films. Also another key element is the non- diegetic sounds used through out this is used to build up tension through out the film and make it seem dramatic if there was no music being played through out the film then people would struggle to understand when something dramatic is happening and doesn't give you the shock factor.
A key scene which uses connotations of the sci-fi genre is the scene where Wikus is taken in to a hospital/ scientific experiment. In this scene you can see that they are using different scientific experiments on the aliens and using up to date technology this creates the miss en scene of dystopian  as the world isnt perfect and this is showing that not everything is perfect at aliens are beginning to take over. Also you are able to see the transformation of Wikus on his arm as he has been infected by another alien his arm is beginning to transform in to an aliens arm, they then begin to use scientific experiments on him to work out what is going on. This is also very similar to 'The fly' as he is infected by another fly you can see that he is going through that transformation and he begins to change in to a fly. In both District 9 and The Fly when they begin to transform in to the alien and the fly the follow through similar steps for example pulling out their finger nails and pulling out their teeth. Although this shows transformation which relates to the sci-fi genre it is also very gruesome this can also include the genre of horror this is because they use very low key lighting to make it seem very dark and to begin to scare you and they also use non-diegetic music to build up tension and dramatise the scene to make the audience understand that it is scary and that they should be scared.
Also in alot of sci-fi films they use the narrative Todorov, most of these films begin with a equilibrium where everything is normal and then there is a dis equilibrium where they aliens begin to take over or the Fly begins to take over someones body. However in District 9 you are not able to see when the aliens come in and start to take over Johannesburg so the movie begins with a dis equilibrium, however at the end the aliens do leave and their equilibrium is then restored. Also to ensure that they have the audiences attention they create enigma codes for people to keep asking questions and the audience want to no the answers so they keep watching until the questions are answered.
Documentary is also used in District 9, they try to create the film as though it is from Wikus's point of view to make it seem more realistic. They create this mise en scene by using hand held cameras this make it seem a lot less professional and as though it is looking from his perspective as it is always looking at other people and the camera is shaky. An example of the scene is the one i referred to earlier of Wikus beginning taken in to do science experiments on him, in this scene they use the hand held camera a lot, when he is using the hand held camera it is of him lying down and looking up at the people in gowns this makes it seem that they are over powering him and he is just insignificant at this point however when they use the shallow depth of field it shows that he is the main focus of attention and is very important. In another clip it shows 4 different view points of looking at Wikus through a cctv camera you are able to confirm this as it is always from the corner of the room and it has letters and numbers going across the screen, this gives the impression that you are always being watched no matter what you do. They have also fast forwarded this clip to show hat time is passing and he hasn't moved any where.
Throughout all films they all have their own genres or mixed genres, you are able to understand what genre the film is as they use repetition in set genres to help people understand which genres they are for example sci- fi uses : Aliens, spaceships,transformation, technology. They also have a heroic character which saves everyone in District 9 although Wikus begins the film by trying to destroy the aliens and trying to get rid of them however by the end after he has begun to go through this transformation he becomes part of the aliens and works together with them to save them and becomes the heroic character. Also in the film 'Invasion of the body snatchers' when the group of people begin to feel threatened by this creature there is one man who stands forwards and does what he can by protecting the women and sending people out to go and help them.
District 9 also relates to E.T as both of the aliens just want to go home that is what they set out to do which shows that this is just a recycles narrative and both use biblical scene such as in District 9 as the alien spec ship begins to fly away it forms the shape of Jesus's cross. Also they use postmodernism's of repetition of the past.
In conclusion more or less all films are use mix genres to entice different audiences to watch these films and give off different effects such as horror is scary, and documentary and sic-fi.

District 9 Cast

District 9 Cast

Wikus - The main character changes from being very selfish to a hero.











       Sarah Livingston - Sociologist

Grey Badnam - UKNR Chief Correspondent/ Christopher Johnson







Obesjando - The villian who supplies all of the aliens with cat food for their weapons













Tanie - The main characters wife, she is also known as the princess as she is the innocent one in the whole movie.

How far do Tom Ford and Gucci perfume campaigns offer stereotypical aspirations?

How far do Tom Ford and Gucci perfume campaigns offer stereotypical aspirations?
I will be investigating how advertisements for Tom Ford [1] and Gucci perfume [2] use stereotypical aspirations in their campaigns and exploring the effects. To help analyse these advertisements I will be using theories such as Laura Mulveys theory 'male gaze' [11] and the objectification of women and their stereotypical gender roles; [6] I will also be looking at the hypodermic model and trying to establish how the audience is influenced. [9] It could be argued that these advertisements use different methods, as in Tom Ford’s campaign women are represented in a very controversial and objectified way, to sell the product to their target audience of both men and women. In Gucci's advertisement it is very different as they are using glamour to attract their audience. Uses and gratifications show a strong role model who is a celebrity, for example Blake Lively, is very glamorous, you are able to indicate this from the way she is presented in media, with subtle colors such as gold and the clothing she wears for example long dresses. This works on influencing women to buy this product as they want to be like this celebrity and the celebrity is the audience’s role model.
It is very clear that media has a huge impact on both men and women's lives. [13] In the past, women were always made out to be controlled by men and they were not capable of doing anything on their own. [3] Advertisements have long been sexist towards women and would portray them as subordinate to men. 'You mean a women can open it?' [3] Was a quote used from a poster from around the 1940s, however as the realisation came that this was discriminating towards women, the media soon began to change and make women more sexualised.[3]
It could be argued that in the present day the media influences the way men and women think, by showing models who have perfect body's and hair, focusing purely on appearance. [13] However this is not an accurate representation on women as many of the photos of models have been photoshopped to make them appear to look better then they are in reality. In terms of uses and gratifications the media use photoshop to make the 'perfect' human, this influences both men and women to look like these 'perfect models' and effect them, however it leads them to a false goal as it is not realistic. [12] These beauty standards affect the way women and men view the female body, women feel as though they should have this perfect body which is more or less impossible and they feel they can achieve this, which creates men to think this is the way women should look and if they don't they are not 'perfect'. 'From 2000 to 2009 there was a 36% increase in breast augmentation and a 84% increase in tummy tucks' [3], these results confirm the fact people are changing their body's to match how they look in the media and won't be happy until it's completely the same. A study has found that 50% of ads in women's magazines portray women as objects. [3]In advertisement women are also portrayed as sexually submissive, and the sexualisation of women in advertisement has become a lot more violent meaning that they women are in skimpy clothing and showing of all of their body parts to the camera and being very seductive towards the cameras.
However it could be argued that men are often represented as strong, dominant and aggressive, they are affected by the hyper-masculine stereotypes. 'Depression in men has increased dramatically in the past 2 decades' [5], this shows that media does have a huge impact on men and women and can lead to them having various illnesses.
Heavy exposure to media alters the viewers perception of social reality in a way that matches the media world' - Levin and Kilbourne. [4] 'Advertisement companies spend over £5 billion a year to tell you how to think. After a media report a shocking fact was found that only 30% of women are behind the published articles and a shocking 70% are men' [4], this shows that a lot of the media today is viewed in the way of a man which is very biased.
In terms of uses and gratification Tom Ford is very clever with this as they use different angles on the camera to show women belittling men, this gives connotations of power but also showing that men will abide by the women's request but also they are able to influence men to buy their aftershave as they make out that women will fall to their feet to be with them and that half naked women will soon come after them. In Tom Fords advertisement we are able to analyse this by using Mulveys theory the male gaze, Tom Ford is able to sell his products by using sex cells which use women as sex objects in order to attract men to buy his products. In Tom Fords perfume they intend to sell the product by objectifying women in order to attract men. He also uses enigma codes because people begin to wonder the extremes Tom Ford will go next so they become intrigued and excited for what he will release next. You can see that in Tom Fords advertisement the women are passive as they are just lying across the men they are not doing anything however the men are active as they are the ones who are controlling the advertisement, this is very stereotypical as it is represented that men are able to control women as the women abide by them.
In 'Tom Fords' advertisement he uses have very bright red lipstick and fingernails, which signifies desire as well as sexuality. [7] She has her mouth slightly open which is a very erotic signifier, this can also mean sexuality and submissiveness this is because when women show their mouths slightly open it can mean they are try to seduce you and make you obey to their commands, they also make her skin shiny by using oils, which makes it shiny and almost wet which evokes emotions of heat and passion. They create arousal and vulnerability by placing the fragrance bottle between the cleavage to entice the viewers to look at her breasts and between her thighs. All of these signs indicate that they are considered to be sexually impure or 'dirty' the white background can signify purity and innocence. Tom Ford’s main objectives are, to make the audience feel aroused and excited by his sexy fragrance. In terms of uses and gratifications they use close ups on breasts and carefully covering areas between her thighs which are very explicit, they also use close ups on sensitive areas such as your mouth and fingers to make them more sexualized. They also have high key lighting, which can give a sense of innocence and not abiding by the rules. The different props that they use are the perfume bottles and place them very provocatively to get the audience excited and astonished. The mise en scene for this perfume advertisement is to create a setting, which is very simple but stands out very strong such as the red lipstick and fingernails but it also being very simple has an effect on the audience.
However in Gucci's perfume its main audience is for women as it is using glamour women will feel they are highly thought of and known as someone who is glamorous and not sexualised, this may make them feel that they are more unique and independent. The mode of address which Gucci use is that women can be glamorous, we do not need to be objectified we can have our own independence. Gucci intend to sell the perfume to women through love and romance. At the beginning of the Gucci advertisement it uses mise en scene by having Blake Lively over looking some outstanding scenery looking out over the city with all of the lights lighting up the city and wearing a long golden dress, which fits to the curves of her body. The gold is used to show glamour but it is also a very bold colour which makes her stand out from everything around her to show her importance in this advertisement also it fits to the curves of her body for women to aspire to be like her and be jealous of her appearance, this then influences women to buy this perfume. The mise en scene used through out this advertisement shows how women have power and independence Gucci are able to do this by making Blake Lively appear to stand out from the surrounding environment and although there is no one else in the room it shows power through her strides.  The lighting on this advertisement differs because in the background it is very low key lighting however it is very high key lighting which spotlights Blake Lively this again shows her importance and makes her stand out, it also signifies innocence. She then imagines herself with a handsome man and she is able to get him; this will have an effect on the audience, as it will make the audience feel they are able to get any man. They use a very respectable and well known celebrities such as Blake Lively to sell their product this is to sell the product to the audience who are familiar with this celebrity and aspire to be like her. In terms of uses and gratifications they are able to do this by using well known celebrities who have a good reputation to advertisement this is a key to selling a perfume and ensuring it is a big hit. [15] [18]
In Tom Fords advertisement with perfume especially his most recent campaigns for example Neroli Portofino they use very explicit pictures and videos of women’s breasts and in-between her thighs on women for example his perfume/ aftershave and eye wear, using this technique makes it possible to encode, this effects the audience by making the men feel if they use this after shave women will get naked and want to be with them. It also creates social integration as more and more people begin to talk about their advertisement and become overwhelmed with it.

Tom Ford aims at his audience by making the men feel that if they use this perfume they can get any women that they want, because of this it is a very closed text which leaves little room for the audiences interpretation. Tom Ford uses a very clever technique by enticing and shocking the audience and creating enigma codes for people to have unanswered questions by a very sexually explicit advertisement this entices the audience in and in terms of uses of gratifications the social integration theory is used by shocking the audience which makes them talk to others about what they have seen. He is very clever on how he positions his fragrance bottles to sell his product as men may feel that it will assist them to find a girl. [18] An example of this was Robin Thickes music video when the ASA quoted "particularly the shots of the women's bodies with their heads obscured and the shot of the woman on all fours". [14] This is very shocking advertisement for people who are not accustomed to these sort of advertisements it may stick on their mind, it could be argued that this is what Tom Ford is trying to achieve. However we live in a increasingly sexual culture where these sorts of images are becoming a lot more 'normal'.[12] 
How far do Tom Ford and Gucci perfume campaigns offer stereotypical aspirations? Tom Ford and Gucci take this quite to an extent however in very different ways. Tom Ford influences the audience to buy this product by using shock tactics and making men feel as though they can get any women they desire, however Gucci make women feel they have importance and can be dignified and feel well presented by using a glamour technique. Tom Ford is able to use social integration to be able to sell his products as people begin to talk about how shocking it is which makes more people look at it even if it was to be band. [16] Through this research I have been able to prove how Tom Fords advertisement is a success all though very explicit it has a huge impact on the audience. Also in Gucci's advertisement they don't want the women to be made out as sex objects or the women wouldn't buy this product so they show them as respectful women. Overall with using these different techniques they are both very successful and do their job of selling their perfume to their target audience. [17]

Bibliography

[1] - Tom ford perfume advertisement
[2] - Gucci perfume advertisement
[3] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaB2b1w52yE&feature=youtu.be
[4] - http://www.thesaint-online.com/2012/11/the-representation-of-women-in-the-media/
[5] - http://www.policymic.com/articles/41949/men-are-hurt-by-sexist-ads-too-new-study-says
[6] - http://geniusbeauty.com/celebrity-gossip/christina-aguilera-is-the-new-photoshop-victim/#.UI_C7o4iFvc
[7] - http://www.global-customer.com/images/Fragrance_Tom%20Ford/Tom%20Ford_Fragrance_18.jpg
[8] - http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-gossip/blake-lively-stars-in-gucci-premiere-1207835
[9] - http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Levels%20of%20theories/macro/Hypodermic%20Needle%20Theory.doc/
[10]  Advertising and Reality: A Global Study of Representation and Content  edited by Amir Hetsroni 2012
[11] Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) - Laura Mulvey http://imlportfolio.usc.edu/ctcs505/mulveyVisualPleasureNarrativeCinema.pdf
[12] http://www.pinterest.com/kimastrum/no-makeup-photoshop-and-airbrushing-oh-my/
[13] http://www.beautyredefined.net/photoshopping-altering-images-and-our-minds/
[14] http://news.sky.com/story/1152186/robin-thicke-ad-banned-from-air-before-19-30
[15] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrzHWaHhyPE
[16] http://www.tappernet.com/marketingworkshop/targetaud.htm
[17] Advertisement uncut 1/2/3/4
[18]  Understanding Audiences: Theory and Method By Andy Ruddock 2001
[19] Naomi Wolf - The Beauty Myth