Analysis of a series of adverts promoting "Virgin Mobile."

Over the years, advertisers have been looking for new ways to get their point across. They do this in a number of ways, but mostly my suggesting that we the viewer should be thinking about the connotations of what we see on our TV screens. The idea that what we see can be associated with what we already know is not a new one however. The relationship between what we see and what we feel has been studied my many such as Saussure and Barthes. Both wrote about concepts relating to connotation and signs in the media, which I will be referring to in my analysis of the advert. The advert which I have chosen is part of a series of adverts promoting "Virgin Mobile." It features Busta Rhymes and is set onboard a private jet. The opening shot is from the outside of the jet. We know that is private jet because it is obviously too small to be a commercial aircraft. Through general connotations we assume that the occupants are wealthy or famous. Then, the next shot is of the interior of the plane where we see Busta getting up out of his seat. The whole advert has a very cinematic feel to it, with high contrast and an expensive looking set. As Busta stands up we see that he is wearing a lot of gold. Our pre-conceptions of people who wear lots of gold again tell us that these people are rich which affirms the previous sign given by the shot of the jet. This is showing the

  • Word count: 1049
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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Psycho was a landmark in film history due to Hitchcock's Stylistic innovations - Discuss.

Psycho was a landmark in film history due to Hitchcock's Stylistic innovations. Discuss Psycho is one of the most famous, ground breaking and most influential film ever made. It was so ground breaking it created a whole new genre of its own which was the slasher horror. Hitchcock aim was to achieve certain effects. Hitchcock wanted to make a film that would change the ways films were made and to shock the comtempary audience. The film challenged many Hollywood conventions. Until Psycho it was usual to walk into a film, watch it to the end, and then sit and watch it again until you have seen all of it. Films were played on a perpetual loop with the news and B films. Hitchcock wrote to every cinema showing the film. He gave them specific instructions and a handbook about how to show the film "The manager of this theatre playing Psycho has been instructed, at the risk of his life not to admit any person after the picture starts. Hitchcock wanted to engineer people's experience of Psycho. He also wrote "Close curtains after end credits and keep lights of a greenish hue and shine spotlights of the same colour on patrons as they left. Under no circumstances should credits be interrupted by news or anything else." Therefore the cinema going experience of Psycho was very different Audiences were also confronted with a film, which challenged many social taboos such as voyeurism,

  • Word count: 1215
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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Analyse how Amy Heckerling’s film ‘Clueless’ portrays the youth of contemporary America and the society in which they live.

Analyse how Amy Heckerling's film 'Clueless' portrays the youth of contemporary America and the society in which they live. Clueless is a satire, which means it's satirical; it makes fun of something in one of two ways, irony, or exaggeration. This can be seen throughout the film although it is only satirical about one thing in particular: the youth of contemporary America. The film does tend however to mock just one person as opposed to the whole youth of America and that person is Cher. Cher is portrayed as a spokesperson for her generation and we are led to judge most of her friends and relatives by how she behaves. The story, therefore, focuses on the life of Cher, a 15 year old 'spoilt rich kid', who feels she has to be in control of the life of her friends as well as her own. The main turning point in Cher's life is when her plan to makeover Tai backfires on her: 'I've created a monster'. As Tai becomes more and more popular and self-centred Cher 'makes over her soul' and sees her life and her friends for what they really are; shallow and selfish. At this point Cher changes drastically, she is now involved fully in her friends' wants and needs and even tries to help with the 'Pismo beach disaster league'. She loves to be the centre of attention and I think that might be one of the reasons why she buys so many outfits, to be different and to stand out, in

  • Word count: 1300
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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Compare and contrast the representation of "the man with no name" in "A Fistful of Dollars" and William Munny in "Unforgiven". Do we have sympathy for with these reworked heroes?

English Media Coursework Compare and contrast the representation of "the man with no name" in "A Fistful of Dollars" and William Munny in "Unforgiven". Do we have sympathy for with these reworked heroes? Your answer should include reference to film language, especially the use of generic conventions and iconography. The Spaghetti Western film "A Fistful of Dollars" by Sergio Leone and the Western film "The Unforgiven" by Clint Eastwood (who also starred in both films) are about corruption American society, they both portray a hero who only works for money and has no morals. "The man with no name" is the lone hero in "A Fistful of Dollars" however he shows no emotion when a child is being hurt by older men. He is sharp but not impulsive. Also, he does not do anything unless he is getting something out of it for himself and this something is mainly money. The close up shots in the first gun fight of the film are used to show how unperturbed he is in danger, but the Baxter's are sweating and even afraid of this man. "William Munny" in "the Unforgiven" is the same kind of hero but he has become old and no longer possesses his skills which he had when he was young. He can no longer get on a horse without help he cannot shoot very accurately and he does not drink anymore. William Munny has become a father and is no longer the feared assassin he used to be. When he was in his

  • Word count: 2711
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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What are the codes and conventions of the Western?

What are the codes and conventions of the Western? In this essay I shall examine the various codes and conventions which are present in the Western film. I shall examine three films. These are The Searchers, a film which includes as its hero John Wayne playing the part of Ethan, A Fistfull of Dollars, in which Clint Eastwood plays the part of the hero with no name, and Stagecoach, in which John Wayne is also present, acting the part of The Ringo Kidd. I shall examine the first sections of all three films, as to perform a detailed analysis of all of the three films is a task beyond the scope of this essay. Beforehand, however, I shall describe some common aspects of cinematography. . . A high camera angle is used to make the audience appreciate the significance of a character in the Western. This camera angle is used to make the person look ordinary or common, inferior to another character, or small in relation to another character in the script. A low camera angle is used to stress the importance of the dominant character. The person's status within the film is very easily measured by how large they appear to be to the viewer at one particular time. If the camera follows one character in a film for example, this could provide a link between scenes in the mind(s) of the viewer. If the camera stays in a static position, and the person walks away for example, this could

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  • Word count: 4687
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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Analyse the Effects Created for the Spectator by the Mise-en-Scene and Camerawork in the Sequence Lynn's Bedroom

Analyse the Effects Created for the Spectator by the Mise-en-Scene and Camerawork in the Sequence Lynn's Bedroom "LA Confidential", directed by Curtis Hanson and co-produced by Brian Helgeland, is a neo-noir film looking at corruption and propaganda influenced by the press ("Hush Hush" magazine) certain aspects of the police force and the high society influence of Mickey Cohen on the Sunset Strip. It only portrays certain elements of Film Noir and in quite a modern fashion when it does. There is not much smoking in "LA Confidential" as perhaps there is in most Film Noir, however we manage to pick up some elements of disillusionment and paranoia. The femme fatale in this film does not follow the usual rules of a traditional femme fatale although could well be led to believe that she does, towards the beginning. Lynn Bracken - first introduced wearing a black cloak with a white trim around the hood surrounding her face. First impressions suggest that she could be our femme fatale, as black is a colour of corruption and mystery. We also come across her abode - a large studio-type room, white and stylised. It mimics the background that we would see in a celebrity photo shoot. The bed we see is in the sitting room, which seems to us a strange place for it to be. It is raised up and on a hard, black, wooden stage-like block. The covers are satin and very elegant

  • Word count: 1223
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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Representation of Black Women in Vogue UK: Is Fashion Racist?

Representation of Black Women in Vogue UK: 'Is Fashion Racist?' Tania Claudia Varga MD3248 Special Study: Explorations in 'Otherness' Abstract '"Racism and the Media" touches directly the problem of ideology, since the media's main sphere of operations is the production and transformation of ideologies. An intervention in the media's construction of race is an intervention in the ideological terrain of struggle' (Hall, 2003). This extended researched essay focalises on the representation of black women in the media, especially in issues of the Vogue UK Magazine. The hypothesis is that black women are underrepresented in the pages of Vogue UK and where they are represented their image still suffers from stereotypical constructions and politics of representation. I will aim to prove my hypothesis by looking at examples from various Vogue UK magazines and critically analyse them in relation to the images they portray and the representations they construct for contemporary black women. CONTENTS Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Vogue 5 Black Women as Metaphors for Africa 12 Erykah Badu's Representation in Tom Ford's Perfume Advert 14 The Assigned Place of Black Women in Fashion 15 'Blackface' 19 What kind of pretty are you? 21 Successful Black Women 23 The Age of the Cupcake - Lorraine Pascale 23 First Wives Club - Michelle Obama 24 Conclusions 25 Bibliography 26

  • Word count: 5449
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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In this essay, I will be analysing a film called "Fight Club", in terms of title, pictures, colours, layout, size of words, quotations & language and audience.

MEDIA COURSEWORK- FILM POSTER ANALYSIS. In this essay, I will be analysing a film called "Fight Club", in terms of title, pictures, colours, layout, size of words, quotations & language and audience. Fight is a conflict between two people or groups of people that might involve bodily contact while club is an establishment or building or regular event at which people dance to records. When put together as has been done in this poster it suggests a place or gathering where people fight, and therefore makes an audience think the film will be about a place where fights regularly occur. The pictures in this poster are the faces of a smiling man and an angry/sad man. The people in the poster look like thugs who might have had a conflict. The smiling face of the first man might suggest that he had a conflict with the second man with the sad face and was victorious. The photos remind me of a mug shot. The original colour of the poster was black and white, which might have been used to emphasise a word in the title of the film " Fight". I think the effect of this is to create a dark atmosphere corresponding to the word "Fight". In my opinion, the layout of the poster is very good. The pictures are in the middle with the quotations in large letters on top. The actors' names written in large letters and other unimportant things are at the bottom. The first thing an audience sees

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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Why is the film Pulp Fiction of so much interest to students of the Media?

Why is the film Pulp Fiction of so much interest to students of the Media? The film Pulp Fiction is of so much interest to students of Media because it is unlike other films. The film capitalises on the audience appreciation of clichés and well-known genres and includes everything from gangsters in black suits and dark glasses to the beautiful woman who manipulates men in order to achieve what she wants and the nervous househusband. One thing that is unusual is the opening of the film; it begins with a black background with very plain text: PULP (pulp) n. 1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass or matter. 2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper. American Heritage Dictionary American Heritage Dictionary This is unusual, as the audience does not know what this reference has got to do with the film and they are intrigued to watch the remainder of the film to see if this is explained. The main irregularity in the film though is that it is shown out of its natural chronological order. Narrative is an important tool for organizing seemingly random and incoherent events into a coherent and logical form that an audience can assimilate. It is a means by which producers can shape and control the flow of information to the audience. This normally would follow a Linear Narrative, a plot that moves forward in

  • Word count: 916
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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How does Lean use film form to represent the character of Laura

How does Lean use film form to represent the character of Laura? The character of Laura is a very divided troubled individual, but do we ever stop to think why we make these assumptions about her? The way David Lean uses film form and film technique to show the various sides of the way Laura is feeling is exceptional. In this essay I am going to explore this. For example in the voice over narration in the opening scene, Laura is on the train sitting opposite someone she hasn't met before. The voice over narrative here gives us a path into what Laura is thinking, although she is being spoken to by someone she knows, her head is running with thoughts. This here suggests that Laura is troubled. The introspective nature of Laura, a sign of paranoia and anxiety, is expressed here through Lean's use of a voice over narration. Although this early into the film we are unsure as to why Laura is anxious, we know that there is something external bothering her. This is shown through her lack of interest in her internal surroundings. Later in the film, once it has been established that Laura is divided between her loyal and committed husband Fred and her new flamboyant passionate lover Alec, Lean invites us into the mind again via the voice over narration. This happends throughout the film, represented just how much of a divided character Laura is. The voice over narrations at home with

  • Word count: 484
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Media Studies
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