Representation of women

Synopsis;  Headhunters is a 2011 Norwegian action thriller film, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Jo Nesbø. The film was directed by Morten Tyldum and stars Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Synnøve Macody Lund. Hennie portrays the successful but insecure corporate recruiter Roger Brown who lives a double life as an art thief to fund his lavish lifestyle. He finds out that one of his job prospects is in possession of a valuable painting and sets out to steal it.

Although the representation of women within the movie was rather inadequate, the few women starred within the film played quite significant roles.  The way they were portrayed though was quite unflattering, and giving in the stereotype of women.  For example;

Diana, at first she is made to seem materialistic and quite the flirt with other men.  But as the plot continues she is then portrayed as clingy when she keeps on asking him to have a child with her, and when he refused she slept with another man.  Also, at one point within the film it is made to seem as if she was in on trying to kill her husband.  Only at the end of the film is she portrayed as loyal to her husband and quite a strong women, but even then through out the whole film she is seen as submissive.  This portrayal of her only shows that women care for only material things and that's what makes them happy and that when a woman does not get her own way for the littlest of things she will go out of her way and do the most, and betray who is necessary to get what they want.

Lotte, she is depicted as obsessed with the main character and she is also whom he is having an affair with.  She again is depicted as submissive, obsessive, easy to get with and vulnerable.  Even though this was all a ploy just to help kill the main character, which she failed at doing she was still portrayed in an unflattering way.  This shows that in relationships women are seen as clingy and obsessive and willing to be or try to be with a man that is already in a relationship with someone else.

Natasja; was a Russian prostitute that was within the movie.  She is then obviously depicted as sexual and easily bought.  This again is a unflattering representation of women.  That when "bought" can be used to fulfill the pleasures of men.  

Overall the movie was interesting and very well produced but the representation of women was below sub-par.

Government looking to speed up house buying process

My source is the Independent.

The ministers plan to launch a probe into unscrupulous home-buying practices where people who have already put down an offer on a property can be out bid by rival buyers.

Communities secretary Sajid Javid has asked for views on this custom, known as gazumping, as a way of making house buying and selling cheaper, faster and less stressful.

This consultation will also consider the boosting of confidence within the housing chain through "lock in agreements" to prevent purchases falling through, as official figures show a quarter of sales collapse each year.

Buying a home is on of life's largest investments therefore if it goes wrong it can be costly and stressful, that's why they are determined to make it as stress free, faster and cheaper as possible.

I believe that this would be a great idea for the economy and for persons in one sense but in another sense, if prices for houses are too cheap there can be a loss of economies of scale and if rivals can out bid each other that can also put a lot of persons off from wanting to buy a house.

The 8 questions

The five slogans for products recently advertised are; Finger lick in' good by KFC, I'm lovin' it by McDonalds, just do it by Nike, Because i'm worth it by L'Oreal and once you pop you can't stop by pringles.

Advertisers that have used shock tactics lately are; Benetton and Barnados.  The reason why they are shocking is because: the adverts contain content that you would not expect and therefore has an effective impact upon the viewer.

An advert that justifies Maslow's Hierarchy of needs in play is in Mercedes Benz.  It was used to lull consumers into believing they are buying into a better life in this way.

Stereotypes found in different adverts are; the portraying of black men as thugs or gangster as well as violent or dangerous in the advert welcome to the jungle.  The use of white women as a standard of beauty therefore fulfilling the stereotype of white or fair skinned women as the standard of beauty as seen in the newest Dove campaign.

An example of intertextuality in an advert are the many adverts created by specsavers over the years.

There are many different used of music or the lack of in lots of adverts such as; welcome to the jungle, this is where there is no sounds which adds a very eery effect and ties in perfectly with the end of the advert.  The music normally used in Barnados is very slow and mostly instrumentals so as to invoke a feeling of sadness or guilt.

An example of an elite person in a current advertising campaign; is the use of Kendall Jenner in the pepsi campaign, they did this so as to make their brand more popular and make it seem more elite, even though the response was quite the opposite.

Five examples of "reward and punishment" persuasion in current; Face cream that will keep you "young looking" by Pantene.  Iams cat food where they basically say if you feed your cat Iams you are a good owner if not then you are a bad one.  In Lynx they are saying to men if you use their product you will attract a lot of females but fin to then you will be alone for ever.  The way apple advertises is that is you buy their product you will be exclusive or elite but if you do not then you will be an outcast.  

Hospital to ban "supersized" chocolate bars

"Supersized" chocolate bars are to be banished from hospital shops, canteens and vending machines, NHS England says.

Sweets and chocolate sold in hospitals should be 250 calories or under, the head of the body says.

Under the plans, most "grab bags" will be banned - with hospitals given a cash boost for facilitating the change.

The proposals would also see 75% of pre-packed sandwiches coming in at under 400 calories.

Pre-packed savoury meals and sandwiches must also contain no more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g.

And 80% of the drinks stocked must have less than 5g of added sugar per 100ml.

This is to combat the "obesity epidemic", preventable diabetes, tooth decay, heart disease and cancer.  As much as this may be effective inside of the hospital, if the patients are more familiar to living an unhealthy lifestyle then when they leave the hospital all the hospital efforts would of been useless.

So this decision can go 50/50, it depends on the patient what kind of lifestyle they live, and if they would continue the "healthy lifestyle" or not, but the hospital's efforts are a nice gesture to the health of society.

BREATHE Review

The synopsis of the movie is; Multiple award winner Andy Serkis directs his feature debut with an incredible story of a man who made a huge impact on mobility and access for the disabled in 1960s Britain.  Young Englishman Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) is paralysed from the neck down by polio whilst in Africa.  Against medical advice, Robin decides to leave hospital, lead a normal life alongside his family, and fight for improving the lives of other disabled people.  Based on the true story of producer Jonathan Cavendish's own parents, BREATHE is an inspirational and heart-warming celebration of bravery and human possibility. 

This picture depicts the interviewing of Jonathon Cavendish after the showing of the film.  A few of the audience was able to ask questions as well.

Overall, the movie was well put together and was very inspiring and emotional.  It showed that at any moment in time your life can change and be impacted forever and also impact the ones around you and closest to you. I believe this will help to influence and change the way that some people still view disabled persons.

This advert is done by an organisation that helps children in problematic home situations.  It depicts a child whom is listening to their parents arguing and becomes distraught and hides in a cupboard under the stairs.

Close-up shots and high-angle shots are used to connote the child as innocent and vulnerable.  Therefore causing a sense of sympathy and guilt on behalf of the child.  The dim lighting used causes a sense of darkness and foreboding for the child's future.  The sounds used coincide with visual aspects of the advert, therefore giving more information about the home situation of the child.  The soft but urgent voice of the narrator causes a sense of emotion, a sense of prompting and convincing so as to reach out to help the child in some way.

Even though the advert was very prompting and convincing, it did not really say how it helps the children or what the organisation is really about or how it functions, etc.

Pantene Gold series (Advert analysis)

On the 22nd March 2017, Pantene presents a poetic celebration of black women's hair elevating it to a standard and appreciating it as not seen in mainstream beauty media. It features women and girls who are beautiful, confident, vibrant and elegant and who draw personal strength from their hair whether it be long or short, natural or chemicalised- its texture, its style and its history.

The advert shows a series of shots and angles that go along with the voice-over being used. It mostly uses close-up shots so as to connote emotions and intensify each scene.  The advert uses medium close-ups to show more of each persons body and the fluidity of their body to coincide with the narrative of the advert.  High-angle shots are used to make the characters whom range from a variety of ages and sizes to seem vulnerable and naked while also using low-angle shots to make them seem confident and superior.

The use of voice-over in the background goes perfectly with the pictorial movements of the advert and coincides with the constant change in lighting which provokes emotion, preferably a sense of confidence and self worth, especially for black women and maybe also men.

More companies should do as pantene as have, and encourage the appreciation and elevating of black women and other ethnicites as well.  So as to create unity and self-love and decrease discrimination and the constant comparing of women on a day to day basis.

Is the Dove 2017 campaign "racist"?

This source is from the Guardian.

Dove newest advert has sparked mostly outraged and controversy.  It depicts a black woman taking off a shirt that matches her skin tone and transforms into a white woman who then transforms into a middle eastern woman.  What sparks even more outrage is the fact that on the Dove cream bottle it says "nourishing lotion for normal to dark skin.

Let's start off with the fact that on their bottle it has from normal to dark skin, what is meant by normal skin? what exactly is normal skin, this denotes that lighter skin or white skin is normal while dark skin is not.  Therefore, discriminating against women of colour and degrading black women as has been done for hundreds of years, and making lighter or white skin as a standard of beauty, therefore in a sense encouraging the notion of black women bleaching their skin to fit an "ideal" standard.

Even though they depicted a white woman transforming into a middle eastern woman, middle eastern women still do not get as much hate or are degraded as much as black women are.  This makes it seem as if black women are not comfortable in their own skin and want to be like white women or that they want to look like them.  Even though, this may be the case for some, it is not the case for all, and it encourages the never ending discrimination and under-valuing of black women, from the texture of hair to the colour of skin to the very features, that are only acceptable on other ethnicities.

In my opinion, this advert was racist whether that was the intention or not.  It can cause the continuation of under-valuing of black women and fuel the insecurities that happen from since young.  Even though Dove did issue an apology, it still did not come across as half-hearted and as far as i have seen it may not have been taken down.  I can only hope that Dove can learn from its mistakes and do better in the future.

Encoding VS Decoding

The way in which media represents aspects of society, issues and events is very influential and powerful, it links directly to the way in which audiences interpret, understand and respond to these areas.

The repetitive of a particular representation by a media product over time has the effect of making it 'appear' normal.  For example; the covers of women magazines continually offer a unrealistic representations of perfect women.

Encoding: The producers of a media product use media language to garble(encode) ideas and messages through the representations that are constructed within the product, or in other terms ideas and messages communicated through a system of signs.   

Decoding:  The audience is then to decipher(decode) these messages and respond to them in a range of different ways or in other terms, this is the process by which an audience interprets a message.  This is also when the audience extracts from it only what matters to them.  

Therefore, in conclusion, encoding and decoding are very important in the world of media, because it is the relationship between the audience and the creator.

Maslow hierarchy of needs

Maslow's hierarchy was created by Abraham Maslow in 1943.  He split the needs of people into five sections.  Those being physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs and self-actualization.

Biological and physiological needs: This is needs such as air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex and sleep.  This is the basic needs that every human needs to survive day to day.

Safety needs: This is the protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, etc.  This is also a basic need that someone has, that will help them to function on a day to day basis.

Belongingness and love needs: This is intimate relationships or friends that someone has at least once in their life.  This is a psychological need, this is the comfort and recognition that most want from their peers or simply from those around them. 

Esteem needs:  This is the feeling of prestige or a sense of accomplishment.  This is a psychological need.  This is when someone feels as if they have achieved something in their life and therefore feel better about themself.

Self- actualisation: This is when someone achieves their full potential including that of creative activities.  This the self-fulfilment and the seeking of personal growth and peak experiences.

In conclusion, a person has a variety of basic needs on different levels in order for them to grow and develop and to reach their full potential.

How shot types and angles create meaning

                                                                           Camera Shots

Camera shots are a range of shots that are usually used to create specific techniques.  They range from a wide variety of shots such as;

Close-ups: This is used to create emotion and tension.  For example the close-up on a character's face makes the audience feel more involved with the character.  It can be a way of creating an impersonal relationship between the character and the viewer.

Extreme close-ups: This is used to create suspense or to draw attention to something important that will be used later in the narrative.  For example; this is mostly used in drama, action or horror movies. 

Long shots: Used where more information about the character or situation is required.  This is where the audience may be shown the characters and part of their surroundings to enhance the understanding. For example; this may be used in a crime scene.

Medium close-ups: This is also known as 'newsreader shots'.  This a shot from the shoulders up that would normally be used by a news anchor.  This shot is therefore related to a specific genre.

Establishing shots: This is a rapid ways of advancing the narrative by showing the audience where the action is about to take place.  This gives the audience an expectation of what will happen next and this normally enhance their pleasure.  For example; the use of shots of washington in films such as CSI cyber.  

                                                              Camera angles

A high-angle shot: This shot is normally used to make a character to appear vulnerable, innocent or insignificant.  This is normally seen from an aerial or bird's eye point of view.  For example; in action films or film sequences such as a car chase, so as to allow the viewers to see what was fully happening.

A low-angle shot: This shot of a character or object will create a sense of power and dominance.  For example; this is used in the marketing campaign for the 2016 Paralympics and it made the subjects appear strong and powerful and challenged the misconception of disability, helping to meet the campaign's slogan 'Meet the Super humans'.

In conclusion, different angles and shots are used depending on the scenario.  Therefore meaning that certain shots and angles are best suited for certain scenarios, etc.

Man vs Doll

The source from which the following was retrieved from is BBC News.

A thirty three year old man by the name of Simon Glerum was given a twelve month prison sentence and suspended for two years, as well as put on a five year sexual harm prevention order and a sex offender treatment programme as well as the doll being destroyed, for the following act that he would of gotten away with lest it had not been intercepted.

Mr Simon Glerum had purchased a anatomically realistic child like sex doll which came with accessories such as; hair, a hair brush and fingernails from Hong Kong which it was fortunately intercepted at the Stanford airport in January.  Not only that but he also admitted to the sickening act of not only importing the indecent or obscene doll but to also to the possession of indecent images of children.

The relevance of this is to show how serious this subject is and that it is a dark and disgusting reality that is enacted by persons.  It also brings awareness to this issue and it also indicates the increased and possible offences that can and are being committed against children.

Cross reference advertising

Cross reference advertising is the use of different social media platforms to advertise a service or a product.  For example a company may decide to use the radio and posters to advertise a particular product.

              

So cross reference advertising enables a business or an individual the ability to reach a larger audience and customer base.  For example while the elderly may read newspapers and listen to the radio the youth would most likely watch television and use apps on their smartphones to learn about new products or services.  Another reason is that certain platforms appeal more to certain people, therefore those particular persons would be more likely to watch the advertisement therefore gaining more public acknowledgement,

              

 So much public exposure can help the individual or business to make a profit.  For example, so much exposure of a service or a product on several social media platforms will reach a wide range of audience thus increasing sales or income.

               

 The use of so many platforms can be quite expensive and can cause damage to the revenue of the business or individual.  For example, if a business is just breaking even or making a loss, the use of money for so many platforms can cause a dent in the revenue of the business.

                

 If an advertisement connotes a negative message, then it being advertised on so many platforms means that it will be seen by so many persons and have a negative effect on them.  For example, if a business or individual uses an advertisement that encourages crime then that can influence persons negatively and encourage them to become involved in crime.

Even if a company or individual was to use more than one platform of media, it still won't reach 100% of the population.  For example, if a company uses posters, newspapers and the radio to advertise a product or service, it might not get to those who watch the television.

Therefore, in conclusion, I believe that it is effective and positive because it can reach a wide scale of the public.