Reference no: EM133767946
Analyzing Visual Media
Choose an advertisement, a painting, or a professional photograph to analyze. Decide what the ad exec, artist, or photographer was trying to "argue" with the image.Choose any ad or painting you would like. If you are stuck, a great source is to choose a spoof ad. You can find these on spoof ads from adbusters.org. Click on: adbusters.org spoof ads Or choose one of your own. Be sure you can attach it to your paper.Be sure to add the four kinds of evidence to your paper for context: data, expert opinion, values, personal experience (yours or someone else's).Know what the real ads look like so you understand the spoof if you choose a spoof.
What's the idea being put forth?What's the political agenda or argument being expressed by the image?
Where did you find the ad? Who is the intended audience?How is the intended audience meant to feel? Newport cigarettes have 75% African-American female customers; therefore it makes sense that they advertise in Ebonyand feature African-American female models who are the center of male attention.
What is the picture's context? History? The picture didn't just turn up in a vacuum. Ralph Lauren advertisements after 9/11 were literally draped in American flags. What kind of context or contemporary moment is your ad/picture a product of?
What are the visual detailsof the picture? Emphasis on DETAIL. EVERY LITTLE THING-framing, color choice, background, mood, atmosphere, tone, shape, connotations, emphasis. This is your paper's evidence. Be specific and thorough. This will take up a lot of your paper. Start with a brief orientation to the image as if your reader can't see it.
TEXT, font, etc. Analyze any written words (if there are any) and the kind of font used. How do the written words reinforce the picture's argument?
If you are writing about an ad, think about or research the company's demographic/ target consumers. If it's a painting, research the artist or photographer. This could be a great excuse to spend a few hours at the Getty or LACMA.