The media permeates and saturates virtually every aspect of our lives, but we seldom analyze it beyond our initial response to the product they are peddling. However, in order to be effective consumers, that is exactly what we must do! We must turn on our brains and analyze what the images and products we are buying say about us -- both as individuals and as a society. For this assignment you must analyze a piece of media, which essentially means you must take that image, advertisement, or movie and break it into its components and examine those components carefully.
Choose one of the following essay prompts, and a corresponding piece of media, and write a well-developed, cohesive essay about the different elements presented within.
The essays must be:
- Double spaced
- **Typed in 12-pt Times New Roman font**
- **At least 4 full pages long.**
- and Follow MLA guidelines
Note: Failure to comply with these specifications will result in a terrible loss of points.
Prompt #1
Analyze stereotypes (or lack there of), the main character(s) (limit two), or the themes (limit three) in either a movie or a video game of your choosing. I recommend choosing a movie/game you can sit through a couple of times. Do not analyze all three of these things; however, a character, for instance, may be stereotyped or play an important part in a theme, so it is okay to include these ideas if they are relevant to your analysis of one element. Things you should consider when looking at the above elements include: cinematography, dialogue, lighting, music, story, genre, and audience expectations. Then try to draw some conclusions about the audience of this particular movie/game. Are they reinforcing these ideas by paying for a ticket/ buying the game? How culpable is the audience in what is displayed on the screen? Although in a movie, the movie itself is the product, be aware of any product placement or instances where they are trying to get the audience to buy or buy into a certain thing.
Note: Do not spend more than one paragraph summarizing the movie/game. Although it may help to choose a critically acclaimed movie/game or one that has won an award of some nature, you do not need to. If you do choose a movie/game with serious or extensive reviews, do not simply recycle what the critics say!
Prompt #2
Print ads make a complex argument in a very limited space – even if they are on huge billboards. Analyze a print advertisement of your choosing (you may want to pick one that you feel strongly about). Look both at the appeals and the visuals presented in the ad that assist with these appeals. How are these appeals conveyed? How do they affect the audience? Who is that audience? What does that say about the audience that looks supports or responds to these ads? You may want to start by describing the advertisement; if so, keep it brief. The real description should be sprinkled throughout the various paragraphs that are analyzing different aspects of the advertisement. Berger’s “Checklist for Analyzing Print Advertisements” might help here. Consider things such as: who is in the ad (is it anyone famous?), color, space, mood, design, product being sold, models used (race, gender, class of those models), use of text, and where the ad is found. Also, try to boil down the advertisement’s argument to its most extreme message.
Note: You must turn in a copy of your advertisement to me with a cover page with the title of your paper and your standard information on it on the day the paper is due.
Prompt #3
Live action commercials fall somewhere between print advertisements and movies. They often have plots, likeable characters, and delightful music, in addition to trying to sell their product. Choose a commercial (preferably one you feel strongly about or can watch a few times) and analyze it by looking at the combination of appeals and visual arguments, and how these two elements work together to persuade the audience to buy a product. How are these appeals conveyed? How do they affect the audience? Who is that audience? What does that say about the audience that looks at, supports, or responds to these ads? You may want to start by describing the advertisement; if so, keep it brief. The real description should be sprinkled throughout the various paragraphs that are analyzing different aspects of the advertisement. Consider things such as: who is in the ad (is it anyone famous?), color, space, mood, product being sold, models used (race, gender, class of those models), use of text, and where the ad is found. You may also consider: cinematography, dialogue, lighting, music, story, audience expectations, product being sold, and the importance of the central character (including his/her personality/charisma/effectiveness). Berger’s “A Primer on Analyzing Television Commercials” may be of some help here. Just as with the print ad, try to boil down the advertisement’s argument to its most extreme message.
Note: You must find a website that hosts this commercial and include the link at the end of the essay, so that I may watch it.
Appendix: What does it mean to look at Gender/Racial/ Class Stereotypes?
For gender, show how the characters or models are either typically feminine or masculine or how they do not fit the normal categorization of gender, as well as the implications of this gender “norm.” If looking at race, are they stereotyped? Are the models/characters simply tokens intended to appeal to a great audience? Are the models even that ethnically diverse or are they extreme representations of their race? Do they act naturally or do they seem false? If the main character is a certain race, how are other races situated around him/her? When looking at class, see if the main “character” is part of a certain class. How can you tell? How are other classes represented? Are they stereotyped, offensive, over the top, or more moderate? Does that help indicate who this product is being marketed to? When you check, see if the models/characters are sexualized, objectified, stereotyped, or realistic. Look at their physical characteristics, emotional behavior, actions, clothing, and word choice. These are important focal points for this assignment. Virtually all of these ideas can also then be applied to the audience.
Prompt #4
Creative Options: In these options you are the force behind the advertisement. While the creative options require less writing, you must have a clear understanding of the techniques you are utilizing, as well as have a clear focus of what you are trying to achieve. Also, you must get your idea cleared by me before you can do it as an option.
Choose one of the below options:
+Create a movie trailer roughly one to three minutes in length for a movie that does not exist. Write up a short explanation of the video and the techniques you used to appeal to the audience and entice them to come see the movie (one page minimum). You may also want to tell me what the plot of the movie “would” be.
+Create a live action commercial roughly thirty to sixty seconds in length for a product that does not exist. Write up a short analysis of your commercial telling me about the appeals you used, your target audience, and your commercials main method of persuading the audience to buy your product (two page minimum). You may also want to explain what the product you are selling is or does.
+Design a detailed print advertisement on a professional medium for a product or cause that does not exist. Write up an analysis of your own advertisement (similar to prompt #2), where you describe the major appeals and techniques you used in order to persuade the audience to buy your product (3 page minimum). You may also want to explain what the cause or product that you are promoting does.
