S P E C T R E: James Bond is no longer 007

007 is slick, smart and sexy. He always knows what is coming next and exactly how to deal with it, still making time to find a woman to be intimate with. Though this James Bond has most of these traits, the 24th Bond film did not stick to all its traditional conventions. The usual phrases were portrayed: "the names Bond, James Bond", "martini shaken, not stirred" etc. However James Bond no longer knows that the big Austrian man is on the train with himself and his Bond girl whilst their sipping martinis and making sultry eyes at each other. No, instead 007 is being saved by his girl when he is getting battered and we have no hope he is going to get out of it. James Bond is losing the slick and the smart, these scenes reflect that he is getting weaker, older and less vigilant. Could this be a sign of the end of James Bond?

We all love Daniel Craig because he subverts the role of the traditional James Bond, it is refreshing to see that Bond has flaws. On the contrary this Bond is always walking into traps, this is reflected in spectre a few times. We first seen these flaws in "Casino royale" when he drinks the martini that is drugged, we were all thinking: "Bond always knows when something is wrong WTF". Spectre just portrays this to a larger extend, yes its nice to know that Bond is a real person who doesn't know whats happening sometimes, but I never thought that he would be saved by a girl he is supposed be protecting. In my opinion everything has to come to an end, and 24th film of James Bond could not reveal that more. The 00 spies are being abolished, this is the digital age which is strongly portrayed in the film.

Representation for Film texts

Film - How are people represented in your chosen text

My three studied texts are Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez Sin City, Niel Blomkeps District 9 and Fish Tank. The characters in the texts are represented in both a stereotypical way and a way that subverts from the typical role of a male and female. The representation of the characters are constructed through the miss en scene and technical conventions alongside the narrative.



In Frank Milers and Robert Rodriguez Sin City the female characters are typically represented as femme fatales due to texts hybrid genre which includes noir film. The character "Nancy" is represented as a femme fatale to some extent due to the fact she is objectified. Laura Mulvey said "women act as an erotic object for the male". An example of this is portrayed in the scene where Nancy is dancing in the bar, the technical convention of slow motion objectifies her body allowing the audience to view every aspect of her body. This is further highlighted through the numerous close ups on her sexual assets. The male gaze can be applied here as the camera angle portrays a male sitting on  a stool below her, therefore the camera is looking up at her giving the audience the impression they are looking through the males eye. However the typical noir femme fatale is diluted in Nancy as she is also represented as an innocent when we sees her as a child. Thus linking to Propp's character role of the damsel in distress or princess.



Moreover women are also represented as typically niave, this is highlighted through the character Lucile. Lucile is one of the female characters that does not use men to her advantage as she is a lesbian, however when she tries to take control in the scene with herself and Marv, she ends up getting shot by the corrupt cops. Thus representing women as niave and helpless if they are not using their body to be empowered. As the text is based on the time during the cold war, it portrayed women trying regain the power and control they had when the men were in the war. Therefore the text could be representing the women trying to take control however can not handle as they need men to save them,  again linking to propp's theory that in a narrative the woman is usually the damsel in distress.



Typically in sin city men are represented as cynical and insecure thus creating the typical noir cynical protagonist. This links to the time noir was set 1947- 1953 which was during the time of the cold war. As people were afraid of war beginning again, as this is not long after world war 2, they are depressed, do not trust anybody and are paranoid. The producer has encoded this in the male protagonists in order to express the attitudes of the time, an  example of this is expressed through the character marv who says: " hell is waking up everyday not knowing why you are here". This comment adheres to the fact that people of this time felt they were not supposed to be living ad thus were insecure. Due to the fact that trust was an issue at this time the men were also represented as aggressive and violent. An example of this is at the point when Marv escapes the murder scene of Goldie, he jumps through the police car window and punches the cop in the face to escape in the police car. As he knows the police think he committed the murder, therefore does not trust them and uses aggression to escape.



In my second text fish tank women subvert the role of being sexually objectified, and are untypically represented as violent and perhaps even masculine. This is highlighted through the female protagonist Mia. An example of women being violent and is the scene where Mia finds her friend in park provocatively dancing, which is the only point women are objectified, the shot of Mia sitting on the fence encodes that she is distant from the environment as suggested from the shallow depth of field. Her face expression indicates that she does not desire to be objectified which is untypical of a female role in film. she replies to the girls asking her why she is staring by head butting one of them followed by swearing.



However the text still portrays that females desire men to take care of them, and that a male is needed in the family for it to be able to function.  As the text is a social realist text, there is a lack of slow motion as this usually something used in fantasy or for scopophillia. However at the point in the narrative when Mia is on Connors back due to an injury we experience the first insight into her desires. The use of the slow motion creates a dream like and fantasy atmosphere that shows relies and wants him to care for her, the digetic sound of heavy breathing also adds to this. The representation that men are needed for a male to function is encoded in the scene when the four character are in the car. This is the first point in the narrative when we see Mia, her sister and mother getting along and doing something together. One could argue that this is because the male is there for them to be able to function as a family.


Though there is a lack of male representation in Fish tank, the male that is mostly represented is Connor. In some aspects the male is viewed through the female gaze, this is encoded at the point in the narrative when Mia first meets Connor. When he leaves her to go back upstairs to her mother there is a low angle shot that takes on the eye of Mia looking at his bottom thus showing she is sexually objectifying him. It is also encoded through the fact that at the point in the narrative when she meets him, he doesn't have a shirt on.


However in  Neil Blomkemp's District 9 Males are represented as powerful and dominant, this is encoded through the use of low angle shots that take on the eye of the character looking up at the male that is in power thus representing them as powerful and dominant. This is shown at the point in the narrative when the MNU solider Koobus Venter captures Wikus, this scene shows Wikus looking up to him whilst he is holding a gun to him. This implies man gain power through aggression and status, as he is a solider. As men are represented as in power we also see that if people oppose them, they respond in a brutal way. This again represented through the character Koobus Venter again during this scene when he says: "you're not going to waste anymore of my time" and "im just going to fucking kill you myself".


The women in district 9 are mostly represented as domesticated and only exist alongside the male. This is represented through Tanya, Wikus' wife, and Wikus' mother. At the point in the narrative when Wikus has disappeared Tanya is talking about him disappearing to the camera, she is presented in the home and is represented as emotional. The fact that throughout the narrative she is shown in the home encodes that she is domesticated. However at this point in the narrative she is presented in a pink bedroom implying that she is a kind of princess or damsel in distress, thus linking to prop's character roles. The fact that the majority of the time she is on screen she is talking about Wikus represents she only exists alongside the male in the narrative. Wikus' mother is also represented as only existing alongside the male as when she is presented in a documentary style scene she is captioned as "Wikus' mother. However there is also a positive representation of females through the psychologist "Sarah Livingstone". This is a positive representation of females as we see her being represented through her complex job role and not existing alongside a male. However one could argue that due to the fact she is talking about a male throughout the narrative, she only exisits in the narrative due to the male.

Music Industry Question

Explore the impact of digital technologies on your selected industry

digital technology such as the internet and online services such as internet and social networking sites such as Facebook, instagram and twitter, alongside having online stores such as iTunes all present new ways for a consumer to discover or buy new music.

Nirvana was a band formed before the invention of the internet, their album "never mind" came out in 1991. by this time the had diluted their alternative heavier sound with more popular music conventions. By this time they were also signed to "Geffen", a globally known record label. Nirvana helped change the genre and ideology surrounding mainstream, popular music . They combined more alternative genres such as punk with more popular genres at the time such as metal.

 To help promote and publicise themselves Nirvana would rebel on mainstream television shows such as "Jonothan Ross" in order for people to talk about them gaining publicity through "word of mouth". when this happened magazines and newspapers would talk about them, therefore more and more people would know who they are. On "Jonathon Ross" Nirvana achieved this by singing one of their more alternative songs rather than the one they were ordered perform which was "lithium".  As i said before due to the fact the internet not being invented, Bands and artists like Nirvana relied heavily on television performances, music videos and their record label in order to get publicity.

Nirvanas single "smells like teen spirit" with its controversial music video in a high school with cheerleaders and teenagers is still popular and is still being discussed amongst new generations today, this is due to the numerous amounts of music channels provided by television, in which Nirvana never experienced during their career. They also have a YouTube channel to enable consumers/audiences to access and share videos of their live performances and music videos through the internet.The invention of the internet this has enabled Nirvanas music to be accessed more easily even after the time they were most prominent, though nirvana have not released an album for over twenty years, around 30 thousand copies of Nirvanas album "never mind" are still being sold every year through online stores such as iTunes, amazon and eBay. Digital technology has allowed social interaction and communities to form for Nirvanas fans and their new generation of fans due to the internet, as a form of nostalgia. Ultimately digital technology for older bands such as Nirvana has generated discussion about their music and the life and suicide of lead singer Kurt Cobain.

However this differs from new artists of today such as Lady Gaga who seem to rely heavily on their fans through social networking and album sales through the internet. Lady Gaga's album "Born this way" was released in 2011. In the short time period of 3 months she released 5 singles alongside their very theatrical and flamboyant music videos. Lady Gaga has a close relationship with her fans due to social networking sites such as twitter, Facebook and instagram. This built by her heavily promoted ideology of self acceptance, an example of this is on the photo sharing social networking site Instagram where numerous "little monsters", the nickname for her fans, upload images of her quotes and performances. One of these quotes is "you laugh at me because I'm different, I laugh at you because you're all the same". This promotes to her fans that it is okay to be different and stand, which is why she not only targets the typical teenage girl target audience but also homosexuals and transgender people who are typically different, this strongly promoted in her single "born this way"as her lyrics quote "not matter if you're gay, straight or by". Lady Gaga embraces technology to form a parasocial relationship with her fans.

Lady Gaga calls herself "mother monster" to enable her fans to reflect upon her and embrace their differences from the mainstream culture. Her fan base have been cultivated to believe that being different and standing out is a good thing due to her actions through social networking such as Twitter that allows fans to access her personal life and personality. However Gaga does this by rewarding her fans for uploading complimentary tweets or images of her at a show or event. She does this by commenting on their images or tweets or simply just retweeting them so that they get the impression that they know her personally. On 13th may 2014 Lady Gaga sold her concert tickets for the 7th time at Madison square in new York. One of her fan twitter blogs uploaded "RT if you're exited to see Lady Gaga hit the stage at Madison square" in which she retweeted. Moreover to promote the fact that she is dedicated to her fans more than other artists another "little monster" uploaded an image of her kissing one of her fans in which she also retweeted. This parasocial relationship through social networking media has enhanced sales for Gaga's music. Her album "Born this way topped charts in 23 different countries, with the single setting an iTunes record for selling one million copies in five days.

The current band radiohead took a very experimental and innovative approach to marketing their album through digital technology. instead of setting a price to the album and selling it online and in shops, the band used the method of  "pay what you want". this highlighted the importance of the fan and musician relationship. The album "in rainbows" in which was released in 2007  made more money digitally than any other album they had ever sold. it allowed their fans to think that for this particular band it wasn't about the money, but more about the music and enabled them to pay the worth of what they thought the music was. This was a very intelligent way of increasing threat of piracy to the industry and moving away form the reliance of  a powerful record label to release, distribute and promote albums.

Radiohead used digital technology to increase financial gain, though they did not sell as many albums as they would with their record label, they made more money digitally due to the fact they kept all of the money and did not need to give any to their record label. The album has been purchased over 3 million times due to the downloads, CDs and £40 disc boxes. The album in rainbows was available free or "pay what you want" for three months. The albm alon sold 1.2 million copies with the average customer buying the album at 4 pounds on the "pay what you want" method. With 291 million subscribers on YouTube Radiohead has used videos and host live to promote and publicise themselves . As well as doing performances such as "live at the basement"  on a channel you have to pay for such as "Sky Arts", this highlights that Radio head were trying attract their core audience and trying to avoid any mainstream attention.

Digital technology is highly used and relied on in order to market and promote artists in the music industry. This is due to the fact that it is easily accessible, cheap, immediate and high quality as well as reducing costs of production and distribution for music labels. It allows for new artist to become wodely known through social networking sites as lady gaga did with twitter.

uses and gratifications in - Peaky blinders, Lost and Mad men

Uses and Gratifications in Peaky Blinders,     Lost and Mad Men 


study the uses and gratifications theory and question, which gratifications audiences would gain from each of your studied texts

Identify

justify your answer with clear kinks to technical conventions, responses or sequences from the narrative

Justify 



Peaky Blinders 

Personal identity- finding reinforcement for personal values 
Identify and justify- At some point the narrative we discover Ada, the sister of the Shelby brothers, is pregnant with Freddy's baby. The twist in the narrative is that Freddy is a communist and is also Tommy's best friend who Freddy saved during the war in France. In one scene in the text we witness Aunt Polly taking Ada to the train station to be taken to have an abortion. This suggests in this particular time period it was looked down upon to have a child when not in a marriage, as during this scene Freddy proposes to Ada and Aunt Polly seems to be happier. This allows the consumer to find reinforcement for personal values due to the fact that in modern day society having a child out of marriage is not as negative, Allowing the audience to see the positive elements in modern day society. 


Entertainment-  Getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment 
identify and justify - Towards the beginning of the text we consume a scene which involves the shelby brothers and the gypsy brothers in a domestic. during this seen we see complex cinematography of  Tommy Shelby taking off his hat which has a knife on. This allows us, the audience, to gain an insight into how people in Birmingham in 1919 lived, and more importantly how gangsters such as themselves would act in those circumstances. the use of the slow motion in this scene is used to allow use to see and be educated in how they lived. using such detail as this to allow us to notice the small elements of life in 1919. This is used throughout the narrative to make the text as accurate on the time period as possible. Another scene which involves gaining intrinsic cultural enjoyment is the seen that invokes Tommy and Grace talking outside, the audience consume the noise of the machinery in the background. This is diegetic sound used for an active audience to notice the technical conventions used to make the text as authentic as possible. 

how does peaky blinders attract its target audience

peaky blinders is a 6 episode series of a text based on the time just after world war 1 in 1919. the text demonstrates events and how people felt at this time. the text was aired on bbc two which is known for targeting an active audience. due to its historical content peaky blinders is a very high brow text, however the mainstream conventions within the text. one could argue that the use of the baseline building up and quicker to express the feelings of the main character, tommy shelby,could be aimed at a passive audience due to the producer physically portraying how the character is feeling in which is frequently used in main stream texts.

However the use of cinematography in the text could also be to attract a mainstream audience. The use of high production value prominently shown the fight scene, attracts an active audience due to the lighting and carefully constructed camera angles allowing this audience to deconstruct to the scene without the music to show them how they are feeling. `They do this by just the use of camera shots and high value lighting. however the producer has included the fast paced modern soundtrack in this text to also attract the passive audience. the use of the juxtaposition between the modern music and time era

Lost

Lost

One could argue that the intended audience for the very popular television programme "lost" is a mainstream, passive audience. This maybe due to context due to the fact that at the time of recording these series, issues occuring atthe time were events such as the 9:11, in which the majority of the world was aware of.

However the first convention that makes me believe that this text is aimed at a passive, mainstream audience is the use of the none linear narrative. Though this may have been regarded as as niche technical convention a while ago, the fact that more and more mainstream television programmes are using it, the more popular and frequent it has become. for example this king of structure is also used in the very popular disaster based text "the walking dead". An example of this is at the beginning of  the episode when the text starts off after the plane crash and the characters are in the jungle, however as the begin to talk about the crash the narrative jumps back in time to when the characters are on the plane. This kind of narrative is used in this particular text to let the audience easily get a grasp of all of the characters own stories gradually through the narrative. it is particularly used at the beginning of a brand new series for of the characters to show their identity and importance to the role.

Another factor that suggests the text is intended to a mainstream audience is the propp character roles, in one segment of the text a male character says to another character named Jack: "you're the hero" therefore implying that he takes on the role the hero. Another section of the text shows a girl lying in her bikini. The camera pans slowly up her body for scopophilia, this implies she takes on the role the princess.

Fish Tank - Clip 2

Fish Tank - Clip 2

The text fish tank holds connotations, narrative themes, technical conventions and character roles of a social realism film. The text demonstrates various techniques that help the audience to draw into the narrative and gain feeling as if this the text is real life. the producer of the text achieves this by using the camera and lighting as if you were in person looking at the circumstances yourself,

At the point the text mia has broken into the run down, abandoned flat, which is iconic for a social realist text, we view an establishing shot form the back whilst she is dancing. The miss en scene used within the shot is iconic of social realism. the cider on the window sill looking out at the council houses, this shot very much establishes the texts title fish tank. Mia is stuck in a community that consists of the under class and cheap alcohol that she can not escape. The fact she dances looking out of this window is a constant reminder that she is bound to this life style. The natural lighting with in the shot gives the audience a sense of realism as it allows you to view the shot as if you were there. This also links to the consist digetic sound through the text, however more importantly the  diegetic sound f breathing and the music with in this shot which also allows the audience to become part of the shot. The digetic sound and natural lighting are typical technical conventions of a social realism film.

There are various shots of hand held camera work whilst the protagonist Mia is walking. in this particular shot Mia is walking down the isle of flats after she walks out of her home. The long shot helps us to establish the poor conditions she lives in and allows to view her circumstances allowing the audience to have empathy for her. Th shadow depth field used at the point when she is watching the male doing tricks in a park allows us to view what she is viewing exactly how she is and exactly how the human eye would.

The Hunger games- sci- fi conventions

The Hunger games- Sci- fi conventions

The narrative theme of anti- establishment ideology is present in The Hunger games. This is seen in a particular scene when a military like force are surrounding district 12 moving them into the reaping. This scene shows the children of district 12 lining up waiting to be picked, it shows the wealthier district in a negative light as they choose these children to fight until the death, punishing them as they tried to rebel against the wealthier district thus linking to the concept of Hegeomy. A hegemonic society is shown within the text as we view the binary opposition between the poor people of district 12 and the wealthy people, dressed in nice clothes, from the ruling district. The hegemonic attitude is shown through the fact that the ruling district is overpowering the poor by fear. This shown through the use of camera shots as the close ups of the children's faces from district 12 portray fear during the reaping. Primrose, the younger sister of Katniss who is the protagonist in the text, is a strong example of being ruled by fear of the wealthy district as she gets emotional over the reaping and fears what is going to happen.

A technical convention which frequently occurs in the sci-fi genre is quick cuts this occurs in the Hunger Games.

Noir conventions in Drive

         Noir conventions promenant in "Drive" 

2011's film "Drive" holds various conventions of the film noir. The conventions are demonstrated through the narrative structure, technical conventions and character roles. As the text is modern, set in a sunny city with fast modern cars, the text doesn't hold the mise en scene conventions of a typical noir film. 

In the first scene we viewed of the text we witness a family at a dinner table with the fathers friend present. At this particular point the mother and father are talking about how they met in which is a positive subject. However a binary opposition is made due to the use of the non diegetic sound of sinister music. This is a convention of a noir film as the themes usually base around fear, violence and paranoia which conjures  up these feelings due to the music. This binary opposition is created to foreshadow the sinister events later to come in the text. During the same scene the camera pans on to the fathers friend, the protagonist, who is shown in a low key lighting. the low key lighting allows a shadow to form on his face which shows half of his face lit and the other half not lit up. This is conventional of a noir film as the low key lighting highlights the themes of depression and sadness that are usually present in noir film. The lighting used in this scene also portrays the good side and the bad side of the cynical protagonist present in the text. The use of the low camera angle facing up to the protagonist gives the character a sense of power and shows his importance in the text as this is the first low camera angle we see. 

In oir film the protagonist is usually very cynical with a fatal flaw. In the next scene we very the protagonist breaking into a car in the city whilst people are around, this gives the audience a sense of not caring. This is shown in noir film as at the time when noir film was set it was the time of the cold war 1950's, people started to care less as they felt they were going to die anyway.The fact that the character was breaking into a car, therefore showing he is a criminal, it becomes his fatal flaw in the text. The noir film themes are also shown in this text through the narrative. After the male dies, when he and the woman attempt to rob a shop, the protagonist questions whether woman did the right thing by walking out in the other male. This raises the themes of paranoia and mistrust in the text. 

INVESTIGATION

Investigation

How women are represented in Men’s fragrance advertisements to sell their fragrance?

During my investigation I am to going analyse, using primary and secondary data, how females are represented in fragrances advertisements with a male target audience in order to help sell their products. The texts I will be investigating are Dolce&Gabbana's men’s fragrance Light Blue campaign (2013) and Calvin Klein’s men’s fragrance Eternity campaign; both have contrasting representations of females. To do this successfully I will assist my investigation by applying various theories: Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze, the Cultivation theory and post modernism.

Firstly I will explore if the female in Dolce and Gabbana's campaign light blue is stereotypically represented. Furthermore I will be questioning if female objectification occurs and does it gratify to its intended audience? I will also study what the brands sell apart from the product and in addition to this is it essential to sell a hyper reality and aspiration to successfully promote. I will then go on to explore Calvin Klein’s eternity campaign, applying the same aims.

Due to primary analysis I have discovered to help sell the products within the Light Blues campaign (2013) the producers have attached a narrative, which contains, a love story between the male protagonist, in the advertisement and the objectified woman. In advertisements, one could argue, woman can be represented as sexually objectified to a male to help sell the product as by creating a hyper reality through editing photos, men feel if they purchase a fragrance they will gain a woman who looks flawless. “She represents the Dolce&Gabbana woman: a self-assured beauty who her lover cannot resist" (1). The producers of the text are suggesting that the male cannot resist her due to sexual appeal rather than other intellectual assets a woman may have. Therefore degrades the woman as she  must use her sexuality to gain a male. The sexually objectification towards a female is expressed through the mise en scene and technical conventions, her facial expression is considered sexual as her mouth is open, her eyes portray a sense of power as she is scowling though only possess power due to sexual objectification. The fact that she leans on the male, with her head on his shoulder, creates connotations of reliance and need linking to the fact that that women require a man. The quote reflects how the role of women is to gain a males attention. Though this primary data reflects prominent stereotypes of women being passive towards men the text also reflects the male

gaze theory.  “97% of everything you know about yourself, your country and your world comes from a male perspective as only 3% of clout positions in advertising are women" (8). As suggested in this quote majority of advertisements we see are from a males view therefore we are cultivated to believe what we see is how the world actually is, and that this is what women are. This is reflected through the the technical conventions in Dolce&Gabbanas (2013) light blue video campaign as the camera emphasises the females body parts due to the use of close ups on her specific parts that high lights sexuality. “The camera becomes the mechanism for producing an illusion of Renaissance space, flowing movements compatible with the human eye, an ideology of representation” (11). The fact that the camera pans up her body gives her a sense of power, again, through sexuality as she stands over the man as he is getting out of the water.  In addition to this, this reflects the quotation “Brunettes represent exotic, sexual desires” (2) by putting women into a category like this, they are able to over power them.  The fact that the text is a television commercial means women also have to view the text as well, as the text highlights women’s sexuality, women view the text as men do. Meaning they are viewing themselves as sexual objects. One could also argue that years of cultivation and post modernism has created a prominent ideology that women have to look a certain way to conform to their role, Expressed in advertisements such as these. This has created controversy in the world of feminism. Due to the theory of the male gaze it exaggerates women do not get to view women from their perspective as very few women control media we endure: “Females own 5.8% of all TV and 6% of radio” (8).

 The text uses subliminal technical and visual codes to gratify their selected audience
due to the repetitive connotations of women being portrayed as sexual objects, it cultivates people to believe that women are simply sexual objects. “There are 22 ESPN sports channels” and “fox news corp, a board 16, 1 of are 16 are women” (8). This emphasises the fact our opinion leaders who are cultivating are beliefs are men as the majority of what we see is male dominated. This is demonstrated in this particular text as the female is represented in a sexual way and the male is seen as masculine, which the majority of men aspire to be.  Cultural hegemony describes domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class. The ruling class are the upper/middle class, men and white (9). Feminists have even theorised this into hegemonic masculinity: “why, in specific social formations, do certain ways of being male predominate, and particular sorts of men rule?" They do this as by degrading women, it suggests they keep women below them therefore have no competition. This links to the fact that the ruling class do this as an attempt to control the masses beliefs. As society is a big viewer for the media such as television, film and advertisements, the ruling class use the media to portray their views therefore control the masses(9).

However the second text I have studied subverts from this archetype of female representation, although at times still represents a negative stereotype of women being domesticated and viewed as carers.  My texts preferred target audience is males, though the text suggests it is for an older male who is most likely to have started a family. As we still view in from a male perspective women are domesticated and therefore viewed as carers in advertisement: “56% of women in adverts were shown as domestic housewives and only eighteen different occupations were shown for women, in comparison to forty three for men”(11) . A Hegemonic attitude is also applied here as the male is being represented as dominant and the woman is represented as the carer, which is how men view women in some cases. Calvin Kleins Eternity campaign conforms to the concept that women are domesticated and therefore certain stereotypical gender roles as the woman is not viewed sexually as we cannot see her body, but however with children therefore represented as a mother. The fact she has her head on the child shows elements of being possessive over the child. Her face does not show any expression of sexism, on the other hand she is looking down at both the children and male therefore showing her devotion to being the stereotypical mother/house wife.  Although the man also looks domesticated being around children, he represents dominance as his family crowd him as if he is most important. The fact they are leaning on him creates connotations that they rely on him, again suggesting the woman especially is domesticated.  This differs from my first text “Dolce&Gabbanna Light Blue” as the first text subverts this stereotype. However conforms the fact that women are sexualized in advertisements for men.

The text subverts from the typical sexual objectification of women that some would argue is most prominent in certain narratives:  “Traditionally, the woman displayed has functioned on two levels: as erotic object for the characters within the screen story, and as erotic object for the spectator within the auditorium” (11). Mulvey suggest that in most cases the woman is represented as the meaningless sexual object that has no significance (11) which is implied through the visual pleasure in narrative cinema.  This subverts this stereotype and takes a different approach by still expressing male perspectives as males also view women as the domesticated carer they have power over due to the archetype that has been created. Calvin Klien’s Eternity Camaign still has connotations in common with the first text as men are in power, so still represents women as the weaker sex. Hegemony also applies here as both texts suggests cultivation of men influencing our beliefs has become prominent. The text shows how as it is 97% of men that control the media (8), we seeing their perspectives which is to create a weaker image of women for them to be most powerful: “we replicate the world we grow up in” (8).
One could argue that the norm is men are most dominant and in charge, and this shines through in advertisements and the media as men dominant not only their family and the business world, but also the media itself. “70% - 85% Men also dominate the production side of television, so it is hardly surprising then, that the masculine or patriarchal ideology is presented as the norm”. To a certain extent this advertisement adheres to this ideology though female and children are smiling and not looking directly into the camera, the male has the controls as he looks into the camera implying he has an identity and the woman/children are just part of the male. The fact the male isn’t smiling also indicates sexuality which reflects the patriarchal society that we live in and that the male are the ruling sex. Whereas the women are the secondary sex that are represented in a derogative way or seen as nothing but a wife and carer.
Through this research I have discovered our society is male dominated which is demonstrated through the Media. Women have been become objects of sex to be able to sell products, if they are not sex objects they have become part of the ideology that they are simply just mothers/wifes. This is due years of cultivation from men ruling our beliefs and perspectives as we view their personal views through the media, this is through fact that it is mostly men that work in the media. Especially my two chosen texts are male dominated due to the fact the products were made by them, therefore we view the world through a male perspective. However what helps sells these male fragrances is a hyper reality of perfectly structured women, for my first text, and the idea of a perfect good looking family where the male dominates everything. Which in a modern day society may not apply, so this again has created a hyper reality.

REVIEW ON CLAVIN KLIEN ETERNITY

CALVIN KLIEN- ETERNITY

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR COURSE WORK

(1) http://www.dolcegabbana.com/dg/beauty/perfumes-fragrances/light-blue/notes/ - LIGHT BLUE CAMPAIGN

(2) http://baker45.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/analysis-of-dolce-gabbana-ad/ - REVIEW


 (3) http://keca2media.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/laura-mulvey-male-gaze.html- MEDIA BLOG FOR MALE GAZE BY LAURA MULVEY 

(4) http://keca2media.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/cultivation-theory-television-shapes.html- MEDIA BLOG FOR CULTIVATION THEORY 

(5) http://keca2media.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/post-modernism-theory.html- MEDIA BLOG FOR POST MODERNISM 


(6) //www.dolcegabbana.com/beauty/perfumes/light-blue/ - DOLCE AND GABBANA CAMPAIGN 



(7) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yUGpvXJe9NAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=post+feminism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LZhmUq7pHYejhgeAlIG4DQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=post%20feminism&f=false - POST FEMINISM 

(8) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKqF0wcGhIE- miss representation


(9)http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1149&context=artspapers&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dhegemony%2520feminist%2520theory%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D5%26ved%3D0CFoQFjAE%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fro.uow.edu.au%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1149%2526context%253Dartspapers%26ei%3D4mt7UoTVCsqb0AWBhIHwAg%26usg%3DAFQjCNGEwBt13MvulAEzrnLUUxPIW4YyOw%26sig2%3DzFq1cG-6JBVKNYdnMc-ITA#search=%22hegemony%20feminist%20theory%22- hegemonic masculinity

(10) http://www.detnovel.com/FemmeFatale.html


(11) visual pleasure in narrative cinema

 (12)http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hzi9401.html- how women are viewed in television


(13)
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/perfume-advertisement-strategies-45134.html

(14) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hyperreality

REVIEWS ON LIGHT BLUE- DOLCE AND GABBANA

DOLCE AND GABBANA - LIGHT BLUE REVIEW

LIGHT BLUE CAMPAIGN:
http://www.dolcegabbana.com/dg/beauty/perfumes-fragrances/light-blue/notes/

review on first advertisment with a woman with dark hair-
For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to use the semiotic analysis method on a Dolce & Gabbana advertisement.  According to Berger, semiotics is defined as the science of signs.  It is how the advertisement or commercial gets their message across to the viewing public.  If you take a look at almost any Dolce & Gabbana advertisement, one word comes to mind:  domination.  We live in a male dominated society and that is clearly evident in this advertisement.  Going along with Saussure’s system for analyzing signs, there are many signifiers and signifieds within this ad. 

The way the young man is holding down the woman’s arms as if she is trying to get up, but he isn’t allowing her reinforces the idea of our male dominated society.  She is appears to be struggling to get up but his body is placed above hers, giving her no option of getting up.  This is also a prime example of femininity and masculinity.  It shows off femininity because it represents all of the main characteristics of being a female.  For example, the woman in this ad is demonstrating passivity.  She is not in control of the situation and is giving off social/facial cues that she is not happy about it.  On the other hand, this ad also is a great example of masculinity.  The man placed above the woman is showing obvious physical strength and is in a dominant position, as I mentioned earlier. 

You can also see the apparent sexual desire within this advertisement.  The man placed above the woman clearly wants her sexually and is very adamant about it.  The body language and clothing worn by all parties in this ad suggests sexual desire.  Every model has oil on their bodies to increase this desire and want.  The woman is wearing minimal, tight clothing and her male counterpart is shirtless. 

Another visible sign is the woman’s dark hair.  As Berger mentions, dark hair signifies sexuality as opposed to blonde hair.  Blonde hair represents innocence and submissiveness.  Brunettes represent exotic, sexual desires.  As you can see, there are four men to one woman in this advertisement.  This has really caught my attention.  All four of the men are carefully placed about the woman.  They are all even looking down upon her.  I think this says a lot about our society and the gender roles present.  All men are dominant and controlling while the woman lies helpless and passive, unable to do anything about her current situation.  None of the men in the ad are trying to help this woman.  They are just looking down on her seeming to be content, while her facial expressions display completely discontent. 

The last sign that I noticed in this advertisement is the setting.  The lighting is high and there are light, fluffy clouds in the background.  From a feminist point of view, this ad is very demeaning towards women.  Therefore, one would think that this ad should be dark and “unhappy”, but that isn’t the case at all.  Perhaps the ad is suggesting the gender roles are heteronormative?  Maybe society believes the man should “always be on top” and women should always be submissive to a man. 

Heteronormative/heteronormativity: Cultural bias in favor of opposite-sex relationships of a sexual nature, and against same-sex relationships of a sexual nature. Because the former are viewed as normal and the latter are not, lesbian and gay relationships are subject to a heteronormative bias.

Femininity: qualities and characteristics conventionally understood to be associated with the female human, such as passivity, emotiveness, and nurturance.  In gender studies this is to be understood through social expression and is not limited to the female human, but is expressed by all humans.

Desire: A want/wish for something, a sexual attraction, a craving.  Associated with structuralist theory through discourses on

Masculinity: qualities and characteristics conventionally understood to be associated with the male human, such as physical strength, courage, and emotional distance.  In gender studies this is to be understood through social expression and is not limited to the male human, but is expressed by female humans as well.

review on advertisment with the light haired woman in it-

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue

J Gorman's view

As a group, we had very mixed emotions about the advert. We initially thought it was a very aesthetically pleasing advert with all the bright colours of the ocean and the bright white of the clothing on the models. The operatic music also helps to add to the sense of beauty about the advert and gives a sense of "the finer things in life". Although it is also quite sinister too with the woman being submissive and being dominated by the male in the advert there are hints towards sexism. We were also quite confused about the clapperboard at the end of the advert and exactly what it signified in terms of the advert.