Cosmetic Advert

This is the cosmetic advert that I have created.

The target audience for my advert are glamorous, seductive, sexy women that are between the ages of 25 - 35 when women mainly appear to be confident and glamorous. They are most likely to be feminine and elegant. I chose to advertise a perfume because it connotes glamour and flirtatiousness. It naturally stands out and I thought that this suited the target audience that I wanted for my perfume. The advert appeals to the audience by connoting dominance, success and seductiveness. I chose to have the whole of the women in my advert because it shows that the women is dominant in the advert and that she is glamorous and the women herself demonstrates the connotations that I also want the perfume to have. The dominant gaze on the face attracts the audiences and the face connotes strength and the flirtatious side of women. This appeals to the audiences ambitions to be independent and dominant females who can take control over their lives. They want to be like the women in the advert. The way the model is sitting connotes the seductive side of females and that they can be dominant over men. This appeals to the audiences ambitions because they strive to be sexy, confident and attractive to males, yet still have control. The model in the advert is wearing a very elegant dress; this connotes the sophistication and femininity of the perfume itself. These can all be linked to the ambitions of the appealing audience. The advert uses very dark colours apart from around the name of the perfume, this is so that the name of the perfume stands out, and also connotes the dangerous, sexy side of women that I want the perfume to connotes. The darkness also symbolises power and the purple of the bottle symbolises love and seduction. This is juxtaposed by the light of the moon and the border of the name which symbolised innocence. I chose to call my perfume midnight because I thought it related to the connotations of the perfume and that people tend to be more glamorous and elegant when they go out at night. Also this is when they need a confidence boost and a spray of the perfume 'Midnight' is just what they need. I chose the font because it was black with stars on, this symbolises the elegance and confident product that it is. The theory of the male gaze links to my advert because when men look at this advert they will 'see a relationship between the image and them'. When men see women in an image like this they often admire them and see them as an object of his desire in his domain. Women would like to be admired and desired therefore would like to be like the model in the advert.

Technologies played a big part in helping me in the process of constructing my advert. I used a digital camera to get the pictures I needed. I took more than one of each of the pictures so that I could choose the one that I wanted to use for my final advert. Also so I had the right lighting for the advert that I needed. I found the digital camera easy to use because I have used one before, this was good because I was able to take good pictures for my advert. I edited my advert on photoshop and considering that I had never used it before I think I picked it up quite well. I think that if I had more experience my advert would have been a lot better. Photoshop enabled me to put all the components of my advert together and make it as one. In photoshop I used a range of tools which allowed me to cut out the picture of the model. I used the magic wand which cut out all of the colours that I didn't want, this meant I could keep mainly all the darker colours which made the advert appear sexy. I used the lasoo tool which let me have a clean cut around the whole body. This meant that it looked like it fitted in my advert and didn't have any parts that I didn't want in it. On my perfume bottle I used the same tools, but I also used the smudge tool. This meant that I had a clean cut around the bottle and didn't look like I had cut it out, it looks like it is supposed to be there and it is a real advert. I used the website 'dafont.com' to get an appropriate font for the title of my perfume so that it relates to the product. I found this website quite easy to use even though I had never used it before. Technologies such as these are empowering amatuers to produce semi professional media products in a way that couldn't be done before. Amatuers are interested in how it is done and then they have a go at it themselves, realising that it is possible for ordinary people to become media producers. These technologies are letting the audience become the producer because they are able to produce their own advert using technologies such as photoshop. The audience has realised that you don't have to be a genius to create adverts such as these and they can do it themselves. They have more power than the media producer.

My advert represents women as glamorous and dominant, even though my advert is aimed at women between the ages of 25 - 35, women at any age can be like this. They are confident in themselves and find that they are seductive and sexy and that they can take control over men even when it is usually known as men being the ones in control. It shows that women can be who they want to be and don't have to stick to the stereotypical label that they hold. If a feminist was looking at my advert then they would say that the man would be the more dominant one and that the women is looking weak. This is because is the 'male gaze' theory when they see an image of a women like this they see the relationship between the image and themselves and see her as a creature of his domain and that they are under his gaze possession. I disagree with this because I think that the women is more dominant as she is laying because it shows exactly what she wants and men are weakened by her gaze.

Audience survey

Remote audience research: how many social network friends or e-community consume films?
The age group I did my survey on was 16 - 18, they were both genders and they were all students.

How often do you go to the cinema?
Participant 1 - One or two times a month
Participant 2 - Once a month
Participant 3 - One or two times a month
Participant 4 - Couple of times a year
Participant 5 - Once every two months
Participant 6 - Once a month

Which is your favourite cinema? why?
Participant 1 - My favourite cinema is Vue because it is cheap and easy to get to.
Participant 2 - My favourite cinema is Odeon because although it costs more, it is easier to get tickets and it is a lot more comfortable than Vue.
Participant 3 - I don't have a favourite cinema, I just go to the cinema that is showing the film that I want to see at a time that is appropriate for me.
Participant 4 - My favourite cinema is Vue because it is in the city so it is easy to get to. It is cheaper than Odeon so it is better for me as I am only a student and can't really afford it.
Participant 5 - My favourite cinema is Odeon because it isn't extremely busy during the day which is when I go to the cinema, it is also a lot more comfortable than Vue.
Participant 6 - I don't have a favourite cinema, I go to the ones my friends choose to go to.

How do you hear about films? trailers, word of mouth, magazines, newspapers, radio?

Participant 1 - I mostly hear about films from trailers that I see on the tv. Also if my friends have seen a film that is good then I am more likeyly to go and see the film or watch the trailer to see if that interests me.
Participant 2- The way I hear about films is mainly through my friends.
Participant 3 - I watch trailers of films and if I like them then I go and watch them.
Participant 4 - I hear about films from reading reviews of them. If they sound good then I watch the trailer on youtube.
Participant 5 - I usually hear about films in magazines and advertisements.
Participant 6 - I hear about films through friends, trailers and I also read reviews in magazines.

What's the last film you've seen?

Participant 1 - The last film I saw was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Participant 2- The last film I saw was Inception
Participant 3 - The last film I saw was The Notebook
Participant 4 - The last film I saw was The Last Exorcism
Participant 5 - The last film I saw was Grown Ups
Participant 6 - The last film I saw was A Walk To Remember

What is your favourite genre?
Participant 1 - Comedy
Participant 2 - Thriller
Participant 3 - Romantic comedy
Participant 4 - Horror
Participant 5 - Comedy
Participant 6 - Romance

How do you like to consume films?
Participant 1 - I like the ambiance of seeing a film at the cinema. Also the screen is so much bigger and the sound is a lot better.
Participant 2- I like to watch films at the cinema because you can go with a group of friends and then discuss the film afterwards.
Participant 3 - I prefer to watch films either at the cinema or at home.
Participant 4 - I prefer to watch films at home on my television because there is nobody to disturb the film.
Participant 5 - I prefer to watch films at the cinema because it has new films that you haven't seen before
Participant 6 - I like to watch films at home because you can watch it for free, there is no one to disturb you and the food and drink is free.

Identify a British film or tv drama that you have seen recently

Participant 1 - The last film I saw that was British was Green Street
Participant 2 - The last tv drama that I saw was This Is England
Participant 3 - A British film that I saw recently was Harry Potter And The Half - Blood Prince
Participant 4 -  The last British film that I saw was 28 Days Later.
Participant 5 -  A British tv drama that I always watch is Skins
Participant 6 - The last British film I saw was Atonement.





Why do film directors consider cinema as the best place to view their films?
Film directors consider the cinema is the best place to view films because you get the full experience of the film. The picture is amazing and the surround sound really makes you feel as if you are in the film.

How does 'The Third Man' use film noir conventions?

Film Noir was discovered by French film critics who noticed the trend of how 'dark', downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many American  thrillers following the war, such as  The Maltese Falcon. It is a term to describe the 'bleak' American films produced after the war.  A wide range of the films reflected the tension, bleakness and insecurities of the time period or post war. Bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and isolation are evident in the film noir thrillers, reflecting the war period. The criminal, violent or greedy perspectives of anti-heroes in film noir were a metaphors of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice. There were rarely happy or optimistic endings in noirs.

'The Third Man' is a very good example of the film noir conventions. The lighting and sound, mise en scene, shots and angles, the characters and the corruption of the city all represent the tension and isolation that the city of Vienna has post war. The montage at the start of the film reflects the mood of bleakness, fear and destruction that has happened throughout the war. The image to the left is from the montage and it shows the distruction of the city.The cobblestone street setting which is constantly wet and the lighting shines on them and the British officers seeking to create law and order in a city which is divided where the British Americans and Russians are in charge which contrasts with the characters and the underworld that is below the city are all features of film noir. The setting of the film usually has either bombed out buildings and a lot of rubble around, it shows the corruption of the city and symbolises right from wrong. The same as the world on the surface of Vienna where Holly is contrasting with the underworld underneath the surface were Harry is.

When Holly Martins is running away from the police he runs up a spiral staircase. This convention is used in alot of films that use film noir such as 'M' by Fritz Lang. This is because it creates a distance for the chase and makes the audience feel disorientated and it also creates mystery.  Aswell as the spiral staircase causing disorientation, the sewers in the big chase at the end also do. It is such a complex structure with barely any light and so many exits and entrances that it causes confusion as to what way to go. The sewers also shows the other side of the city, it contrasts to what people can see. There islolation in the sewers and for Harry Lime, also known as a rat, there is no escape. The water down there can infect the whole city, so Harry being down there and using it as a way of getting around, is infecting the good side of the city and it symbolises the corruption.

The lighting used in 'The Third Man' creates a lot of tension, especially when Harry Lime is revealed for the first time. It is night time so there is complete darkness, the only light source is from a street lamp, and all you can see from that is a cat. Holly Martins starts shouting at someone he thinks is following him when suddenly a women opens a window. This reveals Harry because there is strong key lighting shining straight onto his face. The lighting highlights the shadows on the walls which creates tension as we know something is always coming, especially when Holly is waiting for Harry to arrive at the cafe and the way we are expecting Harry to arrive comes a shadow of a man. This leads the audience to believe it is Harry but instead it is a man selling balloons who blows Calloways cover. Throughout the film there is barely any natural light which creates mystery and also shows the despair of the city after the war because of the darkness.

The characters in 'The Third Man' face a moral conflict, involved in crime and they have an ambiguous side to their character. Harry Lime is like a rat infecting the whole city with his medicine that made people ill and we know all this because of the evidence that Calloway shows Holly. Although Holly and Harry are best friends and have been for a long while, Holly feels that morally he has to do right and the only way he can do that is by turning him into the police. All these evidence shows that there is no escape for Harry and at some point he is bound to get caught. The signs of no escape such as the evidence and Harrys fingers through the grills in the drain when he is trying to get out of the sewers link to the Film Noir convention of there never being a happy ending because even if Harry is caught or killed then his love or best friend will not be happy.

A convention of film noir that is in 'The Third Man' but slightly different is the use of the femme fatale. The femme fatale is a women who presents ambiguity in their character, they are usually always attractive which mans they lead the men to act against their better judgement and they are usually deceptive. They represent a threat and are often seem as much a victim as they are a villan. In 'The Third Man' Anna is the femme fatale, she is beautiful, Holly falls in love with her and she has moral ambiguity. Anna challenges the values of right and wrong. After what she has learnt about Harry she 'feels sorry for Harry' and instead of them hunting him down she wishes 'he were dead'. With the corruption of the city, Anna is seen as a victim feeling uncertain about her life saying 'I don't know anything anymore'. She is adrift and only has Holly Martins to protect her against the corruption that is happening, she rejects help from anyone and she is admired by Calloway for her bravery.

Overall 'The third man' is a good demonstration of the conventions of film noir which brings us a fantastic thriller with all the elements needed to build suspense and tension.

Analysis of Identity

The opening scene opens with a voice over over black starting before a picture is shown. This creates suspense for the audience. This then cuts to a close up of the psychiatrist. The voice is of a man, Malcolm Rivers, who the psychiatrist if listening to on an examination tape. Whilst the tape is playing there are quick jump cuts to each piece of evidence, files of the murder case and old newspaper clippings revealing that there was a young boy abandoned at a hotel by his prostitute mother and how Rivers was caught, trialed and sentenced to execution. There is a sound effect of the tape being rewound whilst the pictures also change. In this scene there is a mid shot of the psychiatrist looking extremely confused by the case. Over the opening scene there is a voice over of Malcolm Rivers being questioned, throughout the interview Malcolm Rivers talks in an extremely childlike way. This gives the impression that he never had the stabilization of a childhood so he doesn't know what it is like to be an adult.


To break the interview it suddenly cuts to a phone ringing and a man who is asleep, the voice on the phone sounds very nervous and informs the man asleep and the audience that Malcolm Rivers has been let out for a re hearing the night before his execution. This makes the audience extremely nervous and the audience know that something is bound to happen which includes Malcolm Rivers. It cuts from a close up of the man asleep to a wide shot of the other man walking down a corridor.


It then cuts to an interior roadside motel and there is a lot of rain. This is pathetic fallacy, the bad weather creates the tension for the audience because usually when there is heavy rain etc. then something bad is going to happen. The manager is drinking a lot of alcohol and he is shouting at a version of countdown when a car pulls up and crashes into the motel. A man comes running in, dripping wet, carrying a women who is bleeding. This causes the audience to panic because they automatically think that Malcolm Rivers has got something to do with it.

Content of analysis of film distribution in Norwich

How many films in total are being exhibited?

Odeon

3D Piranha - Horror – 18

3D Resident Evil: afterlife – Horror – 15

3D The hole – Horror – 12A

3D Toy story 3 - Animated – U

Buried – Thriller – 15

Devil – Thriller - 15

Dinner for schmucks - Comedy - 12A

Diary of a wimpy kid – Comedy – PG

Eat, Pray, Love - Drama – PG

Going the distance – Romantic comedy – 15                     

Grown ups – Comedy – 12A

Inception – Science Fiction - 12A

Marmaduke - Comedy – U

Salt - Thriller - 12A

Scott Pilgrim vs. the world - Action - 12A

Tamara Drewe - Comedy – 15

The expendables - Action – 15

The other guys - Comedy - 12A

The town - Thriller – 15

Tinkerbell and the great fairy rescue – Animated – U

The trailer for the film 'Buried' persuades audiences to watch the film because the trailer creates suspension and tension becaue we don't know where the voice is coming from because it is just a black background. People want to know where the man is and how he got there and if he survives or not.

Cinema City

My son, my son, what have ye done - 15                                  

The Town - Thriller - 15

Eat, pray, love – Drama – PG

My afternoon with Margueritte – 15

Tamara Drewe – Comedy - 15




This is the trailer for the film 'Tamara Drewe', it is the only British film that is in cinemas at the moment. I think that this persuades audiences in English to watch it because it is from England and it also looks really good. The comedy elements about it draw people in and makes them want to watch it.

How many films are being screened at the same cinema?
All of the films above are from the day Wednesday the 29th. All the films named under the title 'Odeon' are being screened at that cinema on the same day and all the films under the title 'cinema city' are being shown on the same day at that cinema. There are 20 films being shown at Odeon cinema on the same day and there are 5 films being shown at cinema city.


Identify the percentage of British films?
At Odeon the percentage of British films being shown is 5%. This means there is 1 film out of 20 that is British.  
At Cinema City there is 20% of films that are British, but considering there is only 5 films being shown, that means that out of these 5 there is only 1 British film.


Identify the percentage of USA films?
At Odeon the percentage of USA films is 95%.
At Cinema City there is 80% of USA films.


Identify the percentage of foreign language films?
Neither cinema is showing any foreign language films, therefore 0%.


Identify the percentage of films from Australasia, Canada or other country? 
Neither cinema is showing any Australasian, Canadian or any other language other than British or American.

What conclusions can you draw about film distribution in the UK?
By the results shown, we can see that the British film distribution is dominated by the American film industry, particularly at a multiplex cinema such as Odeon. This means that there is less opportunities for British film makers, directors and technicians because if all the films are coming from America then the British film industry will soon die out.

Which demographic are multi-plex cinemas targeting?
The demographic that they are targeting are males between the ages of 12 - 18. This is mainly because the majority of film directors are males, so usually they are more action with less dialogue. Another idea that highlights this is that when you now go to buy tickets for cinemas, you are automatically drawn to buy the food and drink available. This mainly attracts the younger generation because of the type of sweets, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks that there is to offer.

Which demographic is Cinema City targeting?
This cinema contrasts with the multi-plex cinemas because it is keeping the traditional ways of an old fashioned cinema with very standard facilities. This attracts the older generation because it is a place where they can all go which isn't dominated  by teenagers. It is simple and easy for them to use instead of being caught up in modern day chaos.

Do you consider that British audiences have a rich diet of international films which entertain, educate and inform?
From our research we are able to see that British audiences rich diet of international films is dominated by American films. So the British audience aren't getting educated, informed or entertained about any other country apart from America. And if we do then it is from an American point of view. Therefore our knowledge of international films is extremely poor and also the films we watch have biased attitudes and values from USA's perspective, especially in action films.

What percentage of films are directed by female directors?
Out of all the films above, only one is directed by a female, this is only 5%. This shows that the film industry is dominated by men. This also supports the demographic audience that the films are targeting. This could be a reason why most women in films are tall and skinny with big breats and a large bum because that is what men find attractive. This makes women feel that they have to be like this and the film industry is a big reason why women feel that they have to change to be more attractive for men.

Overall I have found out that most films distributed in the UK are USA films and that the main audience is teenage males who want alot of action and little dialogue. This is bad because the film industries are losing a lot of the audiences because there is nothing suited for females or older people. Also the UK film industry are losing out on a lot of money and good films aren't being able to be shown because there isn't any funding for them anymore now that America is dominating.