Task 4- Up to minute web research

http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/cmsconference/2001/Papers/Marketing/Hogg.pdf

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/del0001.html

http://www.mediaed.org/assets/products/238/studyguide_238.pdf

Historical text

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7w8XxeaA64- criminal woman strips/ levi's ad (1995)

Media Language/ Representation

'You can stay blind to the beauty of the world, just be in the right place in the right time'.
Long shot at the start of the advert this to catch a whole image of the setting of the petrol station. Fearless driving and the female jumping out the car quick refers to her as a criminal and the use of a low angle shot looking up at her signalises power to the female as she walks to the toilet after commiting a crime. The womens toilets being locked she then walks into the mens toilet being a easy target for males for sexual events to be carried out. The male drops his stick and theres a close up on the stick and his hand not being able to pick up the stick on his first attempt indicates that he's blind. There is then quick shots of her undressing herself to change her identity and creates a female gaze. She then walks up to the blind man which is eye level with the womans vagina with her buttons undone creating a enigma of mystery of what will happen next, she is then looking down at the male almost showing that shes in control and has power to do what she wants, however instead of any sexual activities taking place she does her buttons up challenging the typical stereotypes. Moving on to someone who makes a noise in the toilets, she then escapes having a quick look back at the man again creating a engima of what would of happened if that person was not in the toilet. Throughout the advert the man with the stick is assumed to be blind however the man which comes out the toilet is actually the blind person therefore its as if she was almost performing for the male while he just sat there.

Institution

The institution Levi's is a very well known brand, both for male and females. Producing highly valuable clothing, the aim for Levi's brand is to make money so they carry out typical advertising techniques of sexualisation to sell their products. This advert raises awareness to females as feminists would argue that brands reinforce typical gender stereotypes. Audiences are 'dumbed down' and this links to the hyperdermic needle and society begins to believe that woman are sexualised and seen as sexual objects.

Genre


Audience

The primary target audience for this advert is woman as the woman quickly changing outfits shows that there's a high selection of clothes available with Levi's, in addition allowing woman to look sexy and attractive. The secondary audience would be male's as it helps them decide where they can buy gifts for their wives and girlfriends, the advert links to Blumler and Katz uses and gratifications theory creating escapism for audiences while watching the advert forgetting stresses from the outside world. The setting being in a dirty toilet shows that it can by both middle and working class.

Textual analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiO2o1NChAU- Chanel Coco Mademoiselee with Keira Knightly

Media Language/ Representation

The advert starts with a high angle shot looking down at the well known female in the advert 'Keira Knightly' this shows dominance and power to the audience and showing the female as being powerless. Close up shot to the the female actress's behind creating a female gaze and for men to use their imagination and create a fantasy in their minds. Earlier on in the trailer typical stereotypes of a female are subverted as she is dressed revealing not much skin. in addition she stops at the red light with men turning up in motorbikes both sides of her showing that she is obedient, however drives off without paying any attention this shows her challenging typical stereotypes and showing that she is not interested. 

However later on in the advert typical stereotypes are reinforced the male owns the photoshoot and is in charge showing hegemony and that the male in the advert is the dominant ideology. Close up to the females lips as she puts on lipgloss creating seduction to the male audience. The male closing the curtains and creating darkness as this is when most sexual activities take place. Taking photos while the females carries out sexual poses this reinforces that woman are shown to be sexual in advertisements and pictures to appeal to their target audience. Male then looking down at the female while she undresses herself showing that he's in control and in charge. She undresses herself while the male is still in clothes showing that she is weaker

However  towards the end she then escapes and then the male is standing with his shirt undone and  this time she is dressed and showing the female as being more powerful than the male however feminists would argue that there is still unequal power share between the male and female. The sound also used in the advert 'its a man's world' again reinforces that male are the more powerful person.

Institution

The institution is Chanel  a very well known brand and genuinely their products are very expensive. They mainly choose to advertise on commercial channels this is to achieve their main objective to make profit. By the representation of woman in the advertisement it shows that Chanel as a institution reinforce typical gender stereotypes however are now also adapting to the changes in society and woman's position.

Genre

Keira knightly is the main icon in this advertisement. The setting changes from place to place showing that he perfume can be easily transferred across to people. The use of celebrities and a rich middle class man shows the advert and the product is of high value and worn by middle class, wealthy people.

Audience

Male and female-  The primary audience for this particular advert would be female as the product in the advertisement is a  .The secondary audience is male as they may want their wives or girlfriends to be sexy and attractive like Keira Knightly. The pschographics would be aspirer's women which aspire to be like keira knightly and the demographics of A,B, C1, C2 people which would be able to afford the product. 

Quotes

PROPOSAL

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/slut-dropping-and-pimps-and-hoes--the-sexual-politics-of-freshers-week-8203400.html-

• "Freshers' Lunch...This will be mainly a chance for you to scope out who's in your department and stake your claim early on the 1 in 5 girls."  female students to be sent an email from a university society marking them out as sexual prey before they’d even started their course seemed extreme and inappropriate. 
•  driving around town with friends in the early hours of the morning and offering a lift home to a young woman they deem a “slut”
• “Slag ‘n’ Drag” themed club night as part of the freshers’ week festivities at the University of York. The university’s student newspaper, Nouse, describes the event as “the one night of Freshers ‘…where a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it’”. It goes on to say that “the girls rock out in their best bra and French knicker combo.
• Themes range from ‘Tarts and Vicars’, ‘Rappers and Slappers’ and ‘Geeks and Sluts’ to ‘Golf pros and Tennis hoes’.
• both male and female, are being sent the message by their own universities that men are CEOs, Pros and Geeks – powerful, talented, intelligent, whilst women are condemned to derisive sexual valuation alone.
• “.“Contest where girls had to dance on stage. Most cheers win. Girls encouraged to take off items of clothing. No guy version.”At our [Student Union]…girls had to suck the choc off a kit kat chunky placed between a blokes [sic] legs”
  http://psych.hanover.edu/research/Thesis11/papers/WalkerEffectsofSexualizationinAdvertisements.pdf-
  There has been a major change in the way messages in advertisements have shifted the central focus of an ad whereas the product/service being promoted is no longer the crucial importance (Beasley & Danesi, 2002).
  Advertisers assume that the use of sexy models in promotional messages is what appeals to countless individuals due to how the model is portrayed (Monk-Turner et al., 2007).
  This can cause identification with the model in a way that will elicit some sort of affirmative feelings within the consumer, 
  

  ---

  http://psych.hanover.edu/research/Thesis11/papers/WalkerEffectsofSexualizationinAdvertisements.pdf-
  which may increase the likelihood of purchasing a product or using a service
  Many advertisements do depict women with either alluring behavior or exposing some or the  majority of their bodies, which contributes to the consumers ability to remember brand/product (Monk-Turner et al., 2007).
  Past research conducted revealed that not only are women under represented, but they are also sexually objectified, in advertisements toward men.
   McArthur and Resko (2001) also noted that advertisements geared toward men usually portray women in a much more objectifying manner; while advertisements geared toward women depict the woman as less sexualized. 
  https://sites.google.com/site/mediasportrayalonwomen/Home/the-perfect-woman--1950-vs--today/the-sexualization-of-women
   Throughout the media it is obvious to see that women are very sexualized and they are usually portrayed as objects that belong to men in these advertisements. 
  With women treating their bodies as sexual objects it then leads women to believe that that is all that is important. 
   Also with these ads showing women as sexual objects, men then begin to believe  that the sexual image of women is what is important and what makes them "attractive"
  With this sexualized image that is being portrayed in the media it becomes hard for women to be accepting of their own beauty and constantly compare themselves to images in the media which are more often times unattainable.
  
  
  Super sexualise me article
  
  
  

  
  

  women: the dumb blonde, the unintelligent housewife, the passive sex object, and so on.
  
  
  their appearance – looking
  beautiful and sexy - was more important than anything else;
  
  
  

  voice-overs were generally done by men, indexing their greater authority.

  
  

  
  
  

  In contrast, men were portrayed in a range of settings and occupational roles; as independent and autonomous; and were presented as objective and knowledgeable about the products they used. (Dyer 1982; Livingstone 1986; Lovdal 1989; Furnham and Bitar 1993; Gunter 1994).

  
  

  
  
  

  Women were typically shown lower or smaller than men and using gestures which ‘ritualised their subordination’(1979:43), for example, lying down, using bashful knee bends, canting postures or deferential smiles

  
  

  
  
  

  feminist work has been the analysis of how ‘cropping’ is used in adverts. Many studies have highlighted

  the way in which women’s bodies are fragmented in adverts, visually dissected so that

  the viewer sees only the lips, or the eyes, or the breasts, or whatever (Dyer 1982;

  Coward 1984).

  
  

  
  
  

  frequently mirrors the text in which women’s bodies are presented simply as a composite of problems, each requiring a product-solution. The effect is to deny women’s humanity, to present them not as whole people but as fetishised, dismembered ‘bits’, as objects.

  
  

  
  
  

  young women are presented not as passive sex objects, but as active, desiring sexual subjects, who seem to participate enthusiastically

  
  

  Goldman argued that advertisers' response was to develop ‘commodity feminism’i [;] adverts that attempt to articulate a rapprochement between traditional femininity and what are coded as

  feminist goals: independence, career success, financial autonomy

  
  

  
  
  

  gender reversal adverts or in revenge adverts which mock or turn the tables on men.

  
  

  Midriff advertising has four central themes: an emphasis upon the body, a shift from

  objectification to sexual subjectification, a pronounced discourse of choice and

  autonomy, and an emphasis upon empowerment.

  
  

  today's midriff advertising women are much less likely to be shown as passive sexual objects than as empowered, heterosexually desiring sexual subjects, operating playfully in a sexual marketplace that is presented as egalitarian or actually favourable to women.

  
  

  Women's bodies are evaluated, scrutinised and dissected by women as well as men and are always at risk of 'failing'.
  
  
  recent past, women's cooking or domestic cleanliness or interior design skills were the focus of advertisers' attention
  
  
  Instead of caring or nurturing or motherhood, it is now possession of a 'sexy body' that is presented as women's key source of identity.
  
  
  women can gain control through the commodification of their appearance - that by acquiring a particular look they can obtain power (Goldman, 1992)
  
  
  South African advert for She-bear lingerie in 1999, for example, featured an attractive young white woman wearing only her lingerie and a nun's habit and rosary. The slogan, 'Wear it for yourself', ties the brand identity to women who dress for themselves rather than for men
  
  http://www.kon.org/urc/v5/greening.html
  
   Empirical studies have indicated that women are overwhelmingly targeted more for sexually objectifying treatment than men (Gardner, 1980; Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997; Henley, 1977; Van Zoonen, 1994).
  
  Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) coined the term, objectification theory, which suggests that our culture socializes girls and women to internalize an observer’s perspective on their own bodies.
  
  females learn to be more concerned with observable body attributes rather than focusing on non-observable body attributes such as feelings and internal bodily states.
  
  Kilbourne (2002) suggested that the dismemberment of women is a monstrous problem in advertising. Dismemberment ads focus on one part of the body, e.g., a woman’s breasts.
  
   dismemberment ads employ female body parts for the purpose of selling a product.
  
  These ads overtly and covertly encourage a woman to view her body as many individual pieces rather than a whole.
  
  . If a woman has less than satisfactory legs, then her potential for beauty is spoiled
  
  Many women compare their bodies and sexuality to the eroticized images that are plastered on billboards and television and in magazines and movies (Kilbourne, 2002)
  
  The feminine body has been constructed as an object to be looked at.
  
   the sexualized portrayal of women in the media has significantly negative outcomes. These negative outcomes are not only affecting adult women but also young girls. Females are buying cosmetics and beauty products at increasingly younger age
  
  
  

  http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/sp2003/gp1/Article1.html
  
  more and more ads are made to look sexual because the new motto is “sex sells.”
  
   As many people have probably noticed, the majority of sexual ads out there are showing women as being the sexual objects. 
  
   “Women-and their body parts-sell everything from food to cars” 
  
   women tend to be shown as rewards for men who chose the right product 
  
  Advertisers know that sexy woman appeal to men, so they use their images to get males to buy certain products. 
  
  Not only are women exposed sexually in ads, but they are also presented in very limited roles. They never seem to be shown in business roles, work settings, or any position involving authority.
  
  Of course, ads do not only show women. Men too are shown in many different ways. Most often they are shown in more dominant roles.
  
  women who are shown as being excessively thin, men are shown as being muscular and athletic, which in turn shows that they have more power
  
   muscular male bodies is also causing men a lot of insecurity
  
  women are sexual objects that are around just to please men became reinforced.

  
  

  
  
  Pin-ups in public spaceSexist outdoor advertising as sexual harassment
  
  
  Bob Garfield explains, “[t]here is scarcely a category in all of advertising… that hasn't invoked sexual imagery, sexual situations, or just basic sex appeal” (Garfield, 2003, p. 63).
  
  
  advertising operates predominantly by changing consumer tastes-– Nelson, P. (1975) pg. 213
  
  

  advertising and body image article- the emphasis media place on the thin ideal body image may be responsible for body size overestimations that women make, and indirectly cause increases in anorexia
  page 106 
  
  
  Applying Evolutionary Psychology in Understanding the Representation of Women in Advertisements:
  
  
  Feminists argue that because advertisers have historically been sexist white males who
  are members of the patriarchy and participants in the capitalist system, they have used advertising as yet another instrument to oppress women.
  
  Lady Lumps and Growing Up to Want Boobies: How the Sexualisation of Popular Culture Limits Girls’ Horizons:
  
  
  ‘Sexualisation
  
  

  narrows girls 

  
  

  “space for action”, 

  
  

  their aspirations and 

  
  

  achievements by 

  re-defining femininity 

  and beauty as of 

  most importance’
  
  

  
  ‘Young girls are “adultified” and adult women are “youthified” ’
  
  ‘Particularly boys, who are exposed to sexualised media are likely to perceive women to be sex
  objects’
  
  women can use their bodies for profit as a means to power;
  
  ‘Young women may find that a sexualised identity gives them confidence and a sense that they are
  able to take control of their lives’
  
  ‘Young people use pornography as an instruction manual for their own sexual relationships’
  
  ‘Almost a quarter of 14-year-old girls have been coerced into sexual acts’
  
  Living in a Sexualised Society
  
   young girls in fact compare their physical
  attractiveness to models featured in advertising
  
  
  Young girls in
  particular are becoming increasingly influenced by the fashion, music and advertising industries
  that advertise that “they should look „hot‟ not later  but now” (Reist, 2008: 42)
  
  
   extremely rare for an  unattractive and overweight
  model to appear in such campaigns
  
  
  
  http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/pdf/publications/brochures/children-and-the-media/Corporate-Fact-Sheet4.pdf
  
  
  fashion industry has started using younger models and now commonly
  portrays 12 year-old girls as if they were women
  
  Shahids quotes
  
  female characters, according to Mulvey, are there just to be looked at In this way, the camera is like the eyes of a man, so we as the audience watch the images through the male gaze” 5 - Ibid
  
   "Young women are especially susceptible to objectification, they are often taught that power, respect, and wealth can be derived from one's outward appearance” 6- APA Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls - http://www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualizationrep.pdf
  
  “as the hypodermic needle theory suggests that audiences are affected by what they see in the media” ^8- Thompson, D. Hypodermic Needle theory.(2011)  - http://prezi.com/7x999ogdbu68/hypodermic-needle-theory/
  
  ^{“Men are visually aroused by women's bodies and less sensitive to their arousal by women's personalities because they are trained early into that response” 9-} Wolf, N (1991) pg. 152
  
  ^{“brainwashes its audience with base, deceptive promises and appeals, designed to promote materialism” 11-}  Advertising trigger sheet - http://goo.gl/sAr1Z
  
  ^{"The media is dominated by images of women as sex objects whose value is based on their appearance. These portrayals can potentially limit girls' self-perceptions and influence their attitudes regarding the importance of appearance." 14-} 
  

  Sexual objectification ofwomen(2010) - 

  
  ^{“develop an expected physical appearance for themselves, based on observations of others; and are aware that others are likely to observe as well as the sexual objectification and self-objectification of women is believed to influence social gender roles and inequalities between the sexes" 15.-} 
  

  J. Greenberg, SL, Pyszczynski.T (2004). Pg. 28 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  ^{"Pro-feminist cultural critics such as Robert Jensen and Sut Jhally accuse mass media and advertising of promoting the objectification of women to help promote goods and services" 16.-} 
  

  Jensen. R (1998),pg. 213

  
  
  

  
  

summer project

Media Summer project

Transformers 2

Media Representations

The film consists of many important male roles. These are mainly the protagonist, Optimus prime and Sam Whitwickey and the the male villain, Megatron. This connotes to the audience that the male gender in the film is the dominate gender in the film.  

In the movie, the protagonist Sam Whitwickey (Shia Le Beouf) is represented in the film as a heroic saviour similar in ways that a super hero is represented. This all takes place when the high school student goes out to buy his first car which turns out to be a robot.

Through Sam is represented as innocent, clumsy characters. Furthermore, the other two main protagonists in the movie are Optimus prime who is the leader of the auto bots and also the female protagonist, Megan Fox who plays the attractive female role which is way out of Sam’s league. Voyeurism is used to keep the audience engaged and want to see what she has to show.

The subject is being represented in this way because before Sam was represented as a hero, he was a normal unpopular kid who's life was dull. However towards the end of the movie this all changes as Sam is represented as being a hero by his bravery and getting the girl he’s always wanted and resulting in a typical happy ending.

Furthermore, Optimus Prime is also represented as the heroic figure that rises from the dead, it seems to everyone that he is dead however due to Sam's spirit and determination he resurrects Optimus with the help of the all spark and helps Optimus to restore calm and defeat the decipticons. This also shows the representation of a great hero.

Narrative

Transformers 2 is a linear narrative as the film progresses forward towards a resolution which consists of a Begging, Middle and End. The movie is also packed with binary oppositions as we see many characters who are good, many who are evil, some who are funny, and some who are not.

The structure of Transformers 2 also includes Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and a new equilibrium (Todorov). 

The film begins it starts off with a New Equilibrium as it gets straight into the action when we see conflict between the Autobots and the Dcepticons which ends with the Good (Autobots) defeating the evil (Deceptions), this gives the audience a sense of achievement as they feel positive about the film straight from the beginning.

But then we see a Equilibrium as there is partially an existing state of harmony as we see Sam’s love life with his romance with Meganfox  who is the Second main character within the film which also sends out a warm vibe to the viewers as romance is a happy feeling.

Halfway through the film we experience a disequilibrium as the flow of the film is disrupted by unfortunate events as Optimus Prime (Leader of the Autobots) is defeated by the Decepticons. 

However, at the finale a new equilibrium occurs as Optimus Prime rises again with the help of Sam Witwicky and then defeats the Decepticons leader (The Fallen) once and for all which gave the audience a feel good factor as we also see Sam and Makaila cuddling in a sunset backdrop.

The audience throughout are always positioned to follow and take side with sam as the progtaginistic 'hero'. Furthermore, the audience are made to personify with Sam and feel the emotions he feels and are positioned in relation to the narrative to sympathise for Sam during the period of disquiet and disequilibrium and then are made to feel good for themselves and Sam at the end of the film during the new equilibrium where the chaos comes to an end.

Furthermore, Heroes and villains are created and represented in the film spontaneously as the Heroes in the film are bright and colourful, clever and blue eyes whereas the villains in the film are dark, rusty, not so clever and red eyed. This allows the audience to tell the differences between the heroes and villains in the film.

The role of Sound and music in the film is very big as it is responsible in being able to bring to life dramatic moments as well as add to moments of intimacy and intense action. Furthermore, mise-en-scene in the film is crucial to  its success as their is a lot of violence and fighting in the film, the mise-en-scene has to seem realistic and look like a complete war zone in order for action sequences in the film to seem as real as possible.

The film was given a £250 million budget, which was £75 million more than the 2007 film, and some of the action scenes rejected for the original were written into the sequel, such as the way Optimus is reintroduced in this film.

The film itself has typical codes and conventions that would be expected of a Paramount pictures film. One of the typical conventions that the film holds is the use of Animation.  This is because the action scenes in the film are all animated and paramount pictures are known to produce a lot of animated films such as, Kung fu panda. 

Another convention of a Paramount produced film is the use of humour. There is paramount pictures always produce and release action movies that intense and action filled but also with a touch of humour. This is present in other paramount films such as, Iron man and Mission Impossible and is also present in Transformers 2. 

The institution have always followed Propp’s narrative theory within their films and have again used it in the film Transformers 2.  This allows the audience to easily recognise and relate to the film and institution.

Media Values and Ideology 

I believe the major values and ideoligies  present in the film is the importance of family and the need to never give up and stick together. This is because throughout the film we see Sam and Optimus prime and the autobots build up a relationship much like a family as they all look out for each other.

Furthermore, towards the end we see Sam fight to save the earth form falling into the wrong hands and he does this by risking his own life in order to save optimus prime and does this whilst telling his mum and dad that he loves them and that they should go and find safety which shows the audience enormous courage and loyalty to his "family of autobots" and his original family consisting of himself, his mother and father.

Genre 

The genre that best suits Transformers 2 is action. We know this because of the fast paced scenes and numerous fighting scenes and intense storyline. The major generic conventions within the text are explosions, a villain, a hero and also many fights and battles. This is generic because all action films are full of these conventions which makes the action genre so noticeable as a single explosion in a film highlights to the audience that the movie they are watching is a action movie. The relationship between Sam and Mean Fox also makes the film include the genre of love.

The iconographic features of the text consist of colourful, fast cars. This is iconic in the text because it creates an identity between the good and the evil, as the colourful and fast cars are the good guys where as the evil blends in with ordinary things such as an laptop. This is really important in the text as it allows the audience to identify whose good and whose bad.

The text features a director who is strongly associated with the genre. Michael bay is known throughout the movie industry for his humorous action movies. Such as Bad Boys 1 and 2. Furthermore, Transformers 2 also has a writer that is directly associated to the genre. Steven Spielberg has directed many action adventure movies such as the Indiana Jones films and is known for his high budget movies.

Media Audiences 

The Paramount pictures marketing team alongside the movie director was targeting a large audience which ranged in age from 12 to 38 years old, and it was clear that the campaign for the movie needed to showcase the creativity and visual effects which the audience would expect from the Transformers sequel.

The target audience for Transformers 2 included teenagers, students and working adults, all of which have a high reliance on the Internet for getting information. The Microsoft Advertising team worked closely with Paramount Pictures to devise an innovative multimedia advertising campaign across various online channels to promote ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’.
In the film there are many assumptions about the audiences characteristics. These assumptions come from the movie directors. Which are that the majority of the audience will be young males. Therefore the directors decided to use Megan Fox who is the female protagonist in the film as eye candy to persuade them to watch the film. We see this in many scenes where the camera slowly follows around her in different angles clearly attempting to show off her looks and create a sexy bad girl persona.

The film was released on the June 10th 2009 (early summer). During this time the films primary target audience, kids and young teenagers have just finished school this therefore makes the film act as a form of entertainment and a form of escapism (diversion) for kids to get out of the house and go out with their friends.

Transformers had already established itself as a worldwide hit before the film was released due to the Transformers cartoons and marvel comics. Therefore the the audience is most likely to be mass audience.However the film alone may subliminally teach them messages and lessons such as never give up on the things you believe in and always care for the people that care for you.I personally view the film as a form of entertainment and escapism (katz and blumler)

Media Languages and Forms 

The significance of the text connotations in the film is that are the values and ideologies in the film contain ideas and meaning. These Ideas and lesson are portrayed to the audience through the film.

The mise-en-scene allows the audience to watch the film and understand the story whilst the setting (New york city and the desert) allows the audience to know what the film will be about and the themes, mood and ideas of the film.

In the film, Parallel music is used in certain scenes to have a more dramatic effect. Also sound effects add to certain aspects of the film. Sound effects is used to add to the dramatic intensity.

A dominant image/iconography of the text is the all spark. This is relevant to one of the themes of the texts which is because both good and evil are fighting for the same objective which is to secure the power of the all spark. This therefore directly relates to one of the major themes of the text which is power.