advertisement analysis unfinished
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AUDIENCE: THEORIES AND APPROACHES
Hypodermic Needle– used to disseminate propaganda via popular forms of media
Hypodermic model– Passive consumption , used in ww2 to manipulate the masses through the media to justify the govs actions
Who?– Dyson
Says what?– If you buy Dyson hairdryers, you will be trendy and have nice hair
Channel-This ad was featured inside of a women’s gossip magazine
To whom?– This ad would be targeted at the same demographic that read women’s magazines
With what effect?-This add would generally make the viewer want to buy a dyson hairdryer in hopes that they can be cool and have nice hair.
Who?-Gucci
Says what?-Women will come running if you wear this aftershave
Channel-Ad would be an advert during the broadcast of a UFC fight
To whom?-Targeted at males 16yr-45yr olds
With what effect?-This add would ideally convince the viewer that if you buy this aftershave then more women will be attracted to you if you wear it.
My product- Gucci Aftershave
Ideal endorser- Travis Scott
ANALYSE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIGNIFIERS AND SIGNIFIEDS IN THE TWO CSP GAMES COVERS
In this essay, I will be applying a semiotic analysis to both the Metroid and Tomb Raider video game covers. This will include analyzing the semiotics (the study of signs, symbols, and signification) including symbolism and representation featured on the covers.
I will argue that the representation of the female character on the cover of the Tomb Raider videogame is reactionary, in that it follows common sexualization and diminishment of females in the media industry. Firstly Lara Croft’s posture and her exaggerated body features is a classic example of the effect of Lara Mulvey’s theory The Male Gaze, in which she theorizes the male gaze is “the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer.” This is a direct contrast to the main character on the Metroid games cover. This character
Moreover, Tomb Raider’s games arguably portray women in a positive sense in many other ways. The key signifier, Lara croft, is holding multiple guns in the very center of the cover because the game only has a 12-year-old rating (stereotypical young male video game players, a particularly susceptible group, are fully exposed to the use of guns and in a way, this will desensitize them as well as alter their expectations of everyday life, creating this alternative perception of the real world as well as how women act and are perceived.
The character on the cover of Metroid is completely radical, in that it is an unfamiliar representation of a female character as for once they are not overexposed to appeal to certain demographic so that a major corporation can capitalize on the modern portrayal of females in the gaming industry by using their body to attract attention and gain sales; for once the female character is full clothes and is in fact wearing a futuristic, warrior-esque metal combat suit and is confidently brandishing a large weapon. This portrayal of a female videogame protagonist simply just presents the character as a warrior.
In conclusion, both the ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Metroid’ covers feature signifiers tied to masculinity and power which are opposed by the use of two female characters. Both characters are represented in an equal way as a result of the main character being female, this is presumed as both can be said that they suggest some sort of radical representation due to their bravery and independence as well as their female body’s being sexualized to please and entertain the assumed straight male demographic that these mega-corporations try to appeal to in an attempt to make maximum sales and profit. However, the Metroid cover could be argued to be in fact, less radical as a result of the assumption that the main character is a male on the front cover because of their stature, build, weapon, and large appearance.
CSP 3- Score (notes)
- White male being treated like royalty by a group of white women after presumably using the hair product
- The gun is being used as a signifier/symbol of the male autonomy.
- The anchorage is the phrase “get what you’ve always wanted”
- Women being attracted to you after using this hair product is being signified
- Poor production quality (fake plants, cheap costume)
- Studies show that if a celebrity appears in an advert it makes consumers believe that the product is more trendy and effective
- The fact that he is above them is a representation of how men are sometimes seen as superior to women.
- Male subject is portrayed as white and straight which is sometimes considered the normal orientation of men.
- The female subjects are dressed in skimpy outfits which coheirs to Laura Mulvey’s theory on “The Male Gaze”
ESSAY PREP
I produced an open world multiplayer PVP game in which I attempted to use females on the cover which I warped to fit stereotypical body standards to try and target a specific audience using specific stereotypes. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation seeing as the model is female, has feminine features and is a feminist stereotype. The main reason I chose to present these radical representations of women is to copy how “The industry traditionally projects to an image that is young, white, straight and male”, a point which is made in The Guardians article on Why diversity matters in the modern video games industry.
My character also falls in line with the typical representation of the male gaze, which refers to the sexualized interpretation of the gaze in a way that sexualizes/objectifies women and empowers men. In terms of the male gaze, women are often positioned as the object of a generally straight male desire- which is exactly what John Berger mentions in his book Ways of Seeing.
definitions
Male Gaze- The male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer.
Voyeurism-An interest in observing unsuspecting people while they undress, are naked, or engage in sexual activities. The interest is usually more in the act of watching, rather than in the person being watched.
Patriarchy-a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage.
Positive Stereotype– refers to a subjectively favourable belief held about a social group. Common examples of positive stereotypes are Asians with better math ability, African Americans with greater athletic ability, and women with being warmer and more communal.
Negative stereotype-a stereotype that describes the undesirable, objectionable, or unacceptable qualities and characteristics of members of a particular group or social category.
Counter-Type-a positive stereotype that emphasizes the positive features about a person. An example of a countertype is that all religious people are kind.
Misrepresentation-a false statement of a material fact made by one party which affects the other party’s decision in agreeing to a contract. If the misrepresentation is discovered, the contract can be declared void and, depending on the situation, the adversely impacted party may seek damages.
Selective representation– is only showing (representing) some events/conflicts, not all, sometimes chosen based on importance, proximity to home, and viewer preference.
Dominant ideology– the attitudes, beliefs, values, and morals shared by the majority of the people in a given society.
Constructed reality-when people and groups interacting in a social system create, over time, concepts or mental representations of each other’s actions, and that these concepts eventually become habituated into reciprocal roles played by the actors in relation to each other.
Hegemony-media hegemony is a perceived process by which certain values and ways of thought promulgated through the mass media become dominant in society. It is seen in particular as reinforcing the capitalist system.
“pithy quotes”
“For a time, some of the only places where Black characters could be found was in sports games, such as PUNCH OUT!!, released in 1987″
“stereotypes were not limited to African Americans; Latinx characters have often been portrayed as gangbangers and drug dealers”
“The industry traditionally projects an image that is young, white, straight and male”
“games are his home. “games let me explore sexuality and gender at times when I’ve questioned both” “
Games cover
Games cover sketch
Tomb raider
To be updated