What is Propaganda?
Propaganda is information which is extremely biased and subjective, it can be considered to be misleading. It tends to promote political view points in order to persuade viewers to believe in the information and viewpoint being provided. The imagery tends to use loaded language which produces an emotional response to the information which is being presented. In a 1929 literary debate with Edward Bernays, Everett Dean Martin argues that, “Propaganda is making puppets of us. We are moved by hidden strings which the propagandist manipulates.” There are 7 different types of propaganda which are:
- Transfer – The act of relating something or someone we like or respect with product, this form tends to use symbols.
- Testimonial – The use of well known, respected people to endorse a product or service.
- Glittering/Generalities – The act of referring to words or ideas that evoke a positive emotional response from an audience.
- Plain Folks – The use of everyday people to sell a product or service.
- Bandwagon – Attempts to persuade the target audience to take a course of action. This technique reinforces peoples natural desires to be on the winning side.
- Name Calling – Using names to evoke fear and hatred in the viewer.
- Card Stacking – Strategy of showing the products best features, only telling half of the truth.
Why was Propaganda used during the war?
Propaganda was used during the war in order to persuade British men to fight in the war. The type of propaganda used was mainly bandwagon as the images tried to persuade audiences to take a course of action, to join the army and fight for their country. Due to the persuasive and misleading nature of propaganda it lead to many English men, young and old, joining the army and fighting, leading to millions of deaths. The posters never focused on the negative effect of joining the army, only the positives and why men should be joining. The images and captions were usually captivating, persuasive and can sometimes come across as threatening which almost forces viewers to do as the image says. As mentioned propaganda had a massive impact within the second world war, as it lead to many deaths, which will help to present another stage of Jersey’s journey through the second world war.
What is Tableaux Vivant?
The phrase itself is a French phrase which translates to ‘living picture’. A tableaux vivant is a static scene where there is a singular or multiple models telling some sort of story. These paintings and images are usually well thought out, not only in terms of lighting and camera settings but also in terms of costume, positioning, background as all these factors contribute to the message being sent across to the receiver of the image. This type of imagery combines aspects of theatre and photography to create a staged reality.
How does Tableaux and Propaganda Link?
The two link, as my idea is to replicate some of the more well known propaganda images in the style of Tableaux vivant. This photography technique will allow me to carefully think and replicate the manipulative imagery and will allow the same conceptual and contextual elements to be presented to viewers. Doing this will allow the project to move onto another idea and also showcase a new element of the Journey of Jersey through the second world war, along side my knowledge and understanding of different photography techniques and styles
Action Plan: