Monday, November 25, 2019

Representation Analysis

Representation One: Tide

This advertisement involved a mother and her daughter, who were very different from each other. The mother was wearing pink and floral clothing in her living room, which was also the same color and design, showing that this mother is wealthy enough to afford a some decorated clothing and house.  On the other hand, her daughter was wearing green and dark colored clothing, which can be most typically associated with being worn by boys. This provides a representation of a gender and look that are opposite, different from what is usually presented of girls. Still, it provides the audience with a varied look of how girls could look at that age, as not every girl is into things such as pink, flowers, skirts, and more. As she explains the uses of the product, Tide, she looks at her daughter, who may be around 7-10 years old, with not the most pleasant look, showing her distaste with what her daughter is doing or how she may be looking. The mothers implicit disliking can be detrimental to audiences who are the little girl or who are the mom of this type of little girl, who may be thinking that who they are is wrong, and the certain treatment of their child like in the advertisement is correct.  and cause them to think the way the mother looks is the way that those little girls should look. This advertisement presents a alternate way that a mother and daughter may look, one being more girly than the daughter, but does not provide the validation of their differences as correct, and proceeds to show the daughter in a more unfavorable light than the mother.

Representation Two: Axe

This advertisement involves a mass amount of women on an island, who come from different places on the island like the land, the sea, and other places. At first, it is not noticeable who they are running to, but it is later shown that they are running to a man, who is spraying Axe body spray. From the beginning, the women in the advertisement are expresses as animals, as they are running in a more rough fashion, yelling at certain times when people are in their way, who they even push down. As who their running to is revealed, it can cause for the women to be looked at as people who may only care about men, as the advertisement showed more than hundreds of girl running towards the one man spraying the Axe spray. This can represent the gender of women as limited to talking about men, when women independently have accomplished dreams and goals in life like getting a certain job, living in a certain place of liking, and overall create the best life for themselves, without the help of a man. Moreover, this portrays the man as an alpha figure, or one who has the most power, after spraying the Axe body spray. This can represent and influence either gender to believe than men have the most power in a women's life, and in society in general, causing for men to believe in this "power" and women to conform to that reality, which is most definitely not needed. The advertisement showed the product as one of the most powerful and working, but put forth a flawed notion of women as an example. 


Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Genre Database

Mystery Genre The genre mystery is one genre that has been prominent in the movie industry for a long time. 
The mystery genre can be defined as a production involving the main character being a detective in a certain crime or murder. The detective can be a professional detective or an ametueur trying to solve the case, that may affect their life personally or the lives of people in their community. The mystery is developed through the plot being in certain phases or steps, with certain surprise events, that can keep the viewer guessing what may happen next. Moreover, the genre emphasises the work of the detective versus the lawmakers in place, and how the work of that detective can be more logical and efficient than what the government officials may do. 

In the context of production of the mystery films, they contain a variety of shots. One example is the zoom in or extreme zoom in, which can be used to emphasis a certain object, person, or place that advances the plot in either a positive or negative way. Moreover, the often cutting between shots can show the anticipation of a certain event in the plot, or bring attention to an important “piece of the puzzle” to the case trying to be solved. Lastly, the use of dolly zoom can add the shock factor to a certain scene, when one of the characters has a revelation or is presented with a situation suddenly. 

The demographic for mystery movies can range from age 35-50 years old, as many mystery movies contain a complicated plot, that needs some experience and understanding of thinking a step ahead. Moreover, the content of the story can contain crimes involving murder, with characters speaking explicit language. In a recent study, the mystery genre of movies was one of the top 5 most viewed movies, with both men and women watching this genre being statistically equal. In terms of marketing, the use of trailers and common movie advertisement is used, with the use of important scenes in the movie to get the target audience to come and watch. 

Embodying the Genre
Image result for Zodiac (film)The movie Zodiac(2007) is a movie about a serial killer, The Zodiac, who is living and rampant in the city of San Francisco. The investigators and reporters, played by Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhall, and Robert Downey Jr, become invested in the Zodiac and bringing them to justice, and stopping the certain attacks in the city. This movie embodies the mystery genre as the main characters are detectives and related jobs, who embark on the journey to solve a crime or murder that continues to occur, with not an exact reason or logic behind it. Moreover, it contains zoom in shots to emphasize a change in the mood or a distinct change in plot, that can cause an overall shift in the storyline. 


Sherlock Holmes PosterThe movie Sherlock Holmes (2011) is about a nemesis that is potentially attacking England, and Sherlock Holmes and his partner go on a quest to solve the problem and bring the threat to justice. This movie embodies the genre of mystery because it contains the plot with a detective becoming invested in solving a certain crime in the city. Moreover, it has a more complicated storyline, which works well with the target audience of the genre. 

Other Movies in the Genre

  1. A Simple Favor
  2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Image result for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  3. Murder on the Oriental ExpressImage result for Murder on the Orient Express
  4. PsychoPsycho Poster
  5. The Unusual SuspectThe Usual Suspects Poster


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