Representation Analysis

 Representation is the way media chooses to portray reality or aspects of reality such as people, communities, gender, sexuality, and events. The media creator has a particular ideological perspective on these topics that can affect the audience in a positive or negative manner. 

The first advertisement I analyzed was the Axe Body Spray commercial. In this ad, there is a group of women that are voraciously running after the man that is spraying himself with the body spray. There is almost no variety in regards to race among the women, they all appear to be young white women. Also, they all have the same body type, the typical slim model body. They are all wearing bikinis, revealing almost their entire body in hopes of making them seem more seductive. This sexualizes women and portrays them as a sex symbol. It is dehumanizing them, depicting them to be nothing more than savages that are wild for men. As seen in the image on the right, the man appears in the center as the women come running towards him as a result of the Axe Body Spray. 

Towards the end of the advertisement, their slogan stating, "Spray More- Get More- The Axe Effect" contributes to the idea that women are only for their sexual needs, and are no more than objects that they can collect. Their target audience is mainly straight white men, so displaying this group of young women running after the male as he is spraying himself will attract more young men to buy the product. This is detrimental to society because it negatively impacts females in numerous ways. There is no diversity in the group of women, this raises expectations of how they should look and what specific physical traits they should possess. The portrayal of hungry savages that cannot control their desire for men can be seen in the closeup shots of their faces, expressing a desperate and eager look. This contributes to the message that women find men easily irresistible just by the cologne they are wearing. By watching this commercial, men will perceive women as sexual objects that they can acquire because they are meant to fulfill their sexual needs.

The second advertisement is the H&M "Close the Loop" commercial. Unlike the previous advertisement, H&M includes diversity in terms of race/ethnicity, body types, ages, religions, sexualities, and gender. This ad breaks stereotypes that can be seen in society, while also promoting a positive message about the environment, fashion, and wearing whatever one desires to wear. It differs from other fashion advertisements because it is not promoting the brand's clothes, but rather asking for the audience to donate their unused clothes to the various stores that exist. There isn't one specific style or fashion exhibited during it because they are trying to exhibit that no matter who the person is, they should wear what makes them comfortable and content, even if it goes against what society expects them to wear. 

Genre Research: Science Fiction Films

                                                                 Living Through Fiction

Science Fiction is one of the most popular genres in the film industry, having some of the most successful films. It deals with the scientific, imaginative, and visionary aspects of films that are also visualized through imaginative settings, advanced technology gadgets, scientific developments, and special effects. There are various sub-genres to it, and it works with different genres to develop films that relate to a wide audience, which is why it is currently, as well for the past decades, been doing so well in the film industry. 

 Content: 

These films often include heroes, distant planets, impossible quests, unique settings, unknown places, villains, futurist technology and gizmos, and inexplicable forces. Since there is a variety of different combinations and possible factors that make the story, people of all ages are interested in watching science fiction films. In the majority of the films, there is a protagonist who is often portrayed as the hero of the story and it can be a single character, but more often than not it is a group of people.

Production Techniques: 

Science fiction films most of the time take place in our reality, but it incorporates fiction settings and a futuristic society or technology. A technique that is commonly used is the use of special effects throughout the movie. Special effects such as CGI or digital composition allow the filmmakers to dive deeper into the world of science fiction and bring this specific world and society that the characters live on to the audience. A lot of times there are action scenes in the movie and to convey those scenes, they use fast pace editing to make the audience more engaged and intense background music is used to emphasize the intensity. 

Marketing:

To promote these films in order to reach a wider audience most science fiction films use well-known actors in the industry to attract more people. An example can be seen in Rampage with Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock. He has been part of extremely successful franchises and is known around the world. When hearing his name, someone can immediately recognize the actor and become interested in the film. The posters used include the main characters, most times the hero in the story, by himself, or depending on the movie, the group of people right in the center of the poster. This illustrates a lot of actors that will take part in the film, attracting more people because they will recognize more actors, therefore, become more interested in the plot and what it has to offer. 

Sample #1:

 The film Avengers Endgame (2019) is the highest-grossing film of all time, taking first place at the box office. It is an action, science fiction film that includes action and has that superhero theme to it. As the poster illustrates, there is a group of people in the center that are the superheroes in the story, and in the back, the villain is shown to be mysterious and shadowy to create suspense to it. By looking at the poster, most will be able to recognize the actors in the film because they are extremely well-known in the film industry, this attracts more people to see the film rather than just having one person on the poster to promote the movie. The movie contains the science fiction genre to it by having different planets and creatures in the film. Some characters have special abilities and superpowers. 

Sample #2:

  The film The Mazer Runner: The Death Cure is a Dystopian Science Fiction movie that centers around a group of teens. It is the last of the trilogy for The Maze Runner Series, from the adaptation of the famous novels. The poster just as the other film contains a group of people, in this case, teens, that are the main focus of the movie. They are after a cure, while simultaneously fighting the government or organization that is controlling some people and using young adults to experiment on and find a cure. It takes place in a futuristic society where there are "cranks" or people that are infected, as well as other natural obstacles that are occurring. The director uses the fast pace editing during important scenes, especially when they are fighting the bad guys in the film. 

                                                    Other Science Fiction Films to consider: 

                                                                 Annihilation (2018)

                                                 

                                                               Divergent (2014)

                                                   

                                                        Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

  

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

                                            

Introduction

 Hey! Welcome to my blog! My name is Larissa and I'm currently a junior in high school. I created this blog for my AICE Media Studies AS class where I will document my creative process and progress for my Cambridge portfolio. I am very passionate about this class and what it has to offer me! Here you will see projects and discussions that I will take part in. My progress will be documented throughout the school year and I'm excited for you to see what I will post and create from my class!