This is a commercial for the Honda Accord.
All the footage you see is real! That's one of the most amazing things- these are real skydivers doing real formations.
The video interacts with your reptilian brain with the first leap out of the planes, this is nerve racking stuff even for a firmly on the ground viewer. Once all the red and white jumpers are out into the air, the limbic and neocortex parts of the brain are activated. There is a sort of calm once they have joined hands and the trumpet music is playing. Even more so as the piano music sets in and the car starts to drive. And some thoughts as well: What are they forming? How do they do that? As the symbols for the steering wheel, the suspension and the camera show up the brain has to process those images and understand what they are and this takes a second or two. With "and...deploy" the reptilian brain is active again. Then there is another bout of calm intesity- the landing. Followed by a neocortex activating question; "What is next?"
1. Strength- This ad has the sort of epic, powerful feeling that comes with planes and skydiving. The combination of the airplane's roar and these daring feats translate to strength which can appeal to those drawn in by high action type of media.
2. Humor- There are definitely some chuckles in this commercial. The interactions of the men as they wait for the okay to jump is humorous. As are the different formations- especially the camera! These, I believe, are used to diffuse the strong images described above, and put the ad on a more accessible level with the audience. Not too intense, but not too funny either. A healthy mix of both to keep the intent- selling the car.
3. Symbols- The symbols in this ad are obvious. The steering wheel, the suspension spiral, the camera and the word Accord (the car's name). These are good ways to sell the vehicle's perks but there is only one symbol in this ad that was put there for persuasion purposes. It shows up at the very end, above the motto "The power of dreams." This symbol is the word Honda- almost as recognizable as the H that grace all Honda grilles.
4. Timing- The editing of this clip adds to the message. Cut from steering wheel sign to man driving the exact car being sold, to the skydivers intense concentration to the car again, and so on. The word "Accord" appears in the sky at the perfect time as well, showing up just when the viewer is involved enough to wonder what the skydivers will form next. They wonder and then...Pow! There is the brand name of the product and made in such a ingenious way as well!
5. Plain Folks/Well-Known Personalities- First, the plain folks. Though they soon are seen not to be the "plain" at all, the shot in the beginning showing the interactions and playfulness of the skydivers is so normal it makes what they do next even more incredible. And once they land, they again are refreshingly ordinary, this breaks down any walls between those associated with the car and the regular consumer. But there is definite opposite-of-plain character in this ad as well. This person's role didn't quite fit under the "Testimonial" category nor the "Beautiful People" one, but should be mentioned. This is Garrison Keillor, whose voice is heard every weekend on the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion". In this ad, it is only Keillor's voice that is heard; "Remember gentlemen, difficult is worth doing", and "Okay... what's next?" But this is his most well-know feature, and therefore quite fitting.
However, one can't pretend that every person seeing this ad will immediately recognize this voice. I know that there are many in this country who don't know of Keillor or his show- to them the voice they hear means little- understandably. Add to that the fact that this ad was first run in the UK and "A Prairie Home Companion" is an American Public Radio program. So I'm curious why Garrison Keillor would be put into this commercial. Maybe it is simply because Keillor has a pleasing voice, one made for radio, recognizable or not. Or maybe Honda was trying to reach a certain audience- the NPR listening type.
Whatever the reason, I feel this is a successful ad. Though it does not exactly make me want to go out and buy a Honda Accord ( I also couldn't ... I only have my driver's permit) I do think it is an exciting, clever commercial. There are no Big Lies or other destructive tools of persuasion. Perhaps some skimming over truths... but it's hard to find commercials that don't do this. We just have to learn how to gauge the amount of skimming over that a media source is doing, to separate fact from fiction. This will result in a healthier relationship between the public and our media.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Module #3
Our Brains
This is an advert for the jean company Levi's. I think that the brain most influenced by these images is the Limbic brain- the soothing duet of a well-known song, muted colors- not many brights or neons to distract, and though what the two characters are doing is not exactly normal there is a sense of comfort in the extreme straight line they are walking- a purpose in a chaotic world around them. But to a more active viewer this video could activate the Neocortex part of the brain with questions: WHY are they doing this? What is their destination? Who are these two characters? Could this happen in real life outside of the tv screen? And of course, what are they selling?
This is an advert for the jean company Levi's. I think that the brain most influenced by these images is the Limbic brain- the soothing duet of a well-known song, muted colors- not many brights or neons to distract, and though what the two characters are doing is not exactly normal there is a sense of comfort in the extreme straight line they are walking- a purpose in a chaotic world around them. But to a more active viewer this video could activate the Neocortex part of the brain with questions: WHY are they doing this? What is their destination? Who are these two characters? Could this happen in real life outside of the tv screen? And of course, what are they selling?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Module #2
Ah! I have been incredibly busy lately with school and basketball and so forth, but here I am, finally getting to Module Number Two...late. :)
I LOVE books! My mother is a librarian, which gives me the advantage of reading new books early, AND an at-home book critic! My favorite type of book is one set in a different country. I love the Khaled Hosseini books (Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns), and those written by Jhumpa Lahiri ( The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies). The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad and Three Cups of Tea, are other well-known foreign books that I have enjoyed. But I also just recently found a book that I hadn't heard about before that fit right in with my foreign book criteria; The Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz ( Nobel Peace prize for literature winner in 1988). I loved it! It was thick, and sometimes really hard to slog through, but well worth it in the end! I also devour Ernest Hemingway books, I'm currently reading Islands in the Stream, which is a book put together by his wife post Hemingway's death. I love poetry as well, especially Grace Paley poems. A year before Grace's death I had the great honor to hear her read some of her poems at a Mother's Day Celebration in my town. I'm friends with her grandson, so I then met Grace face-to-face, which, in retrospect, makes me feel really lucky! I also am a huge, huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I can't count how many times I've re-read all seven books!
I try to read my local newspaper, The Valley News, everyday. I -as I mentioned in my first post- am an avid reader of The New Yorker, and probably always will be! I keep up with the The New York Times online. When I'm not looking for current events and ground breaking news, I turn to Nylon magazine, or The Rolling Stone. I also love skiing, so Backcountry is a favorite magazine of mine.
Music is one of my passions! It's such a social thing, that's probably what I like about it the most. Playing together in a group is one obvious way music is social, but also that exchange of "Hey, whatcha listening to?" "Oh this new band, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons", can spark great conversation. I am always on the look out for new bands. There is this great podcast, KEXP Free Songs, which gives you a new, underground song each day. That's where I find about 60% of the music on my ipod. New music is exciting, but I also faithfully listen to the "classics". Eric Clapton, The Who, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Miles Davies, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen. My absolute favorite music comes from Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead and The Beatles. Hands down.
This is music video for the song "Art" by Tanya Davis, an artist I like a lot.
I don't watch that much television( just don't have the time), but when I do watch TV my favorite shows are The Office, Chuck, Flight of the Conchords, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. Even though Monty Python is only re-runs on BBC now, its my all-time favorite show. I really enjoy any show that makes me laugh!
This is a classic Monty Python sketch. Ignore the laughing audience. :)
I use video games even less then I watch television, so my favorite games are the only two I've used; Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. These are the BEST though, because you move to play them, instead of the stereotypical type of video game with hand-held game controllers used on the couch.
I use my computer all the time- it's one of the most inescapable tools of our time. I use my laptop for schoolwork, power point presentations, Internet, managing all my photos, and as a music and DVD player. In a normal week, I am on the computer at least once everyday. This sometimes frightens me, because its such large amount of screen time, but I also realize that computers are essential, and aren't going to disappear anytime soon- and are incredibly helpful when used the right way.
Most of the time I am on the computer it is to use the internet. Research for papers, email, Facebook, music searching, Youtube watching, article reading, blogging (now!), and the time-wasting web surfing are all reasons I am on the internet for such long periods of time. The Internet is a vast, amazing source of knowledge and information. But it can also be overwhelming, and I'm not always sure I use it to its full advantage.
This is just a video I found on Youtube. Its 8 minutes long, so I understand why you'd not want to watch the whole thing, but it is sort of enlightening once you get into it.
Ranking my Media Preferences:
1. Magazines/Newspapers
2.Music
3.Books
4. Internet
5.Computers
6.Television
7. Video Games
I LOVE books! My mother is a librarian, which gives me the advantage of reading new books early, AND an at-home book critic! My favorite type of book is one set in a different country. I love the Khaled Hosseini books (Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns), and those written by Jhumpa Lahiri ( The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies). The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad and Three Cups of Tea, are other well-known foreign books that I have enjoyed. But I also just recently found a book that I hadn't heard about before that fit right in with my foreign book criteria; The Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz ( Nobel Peace prize for literature winner in 1988). I loved it! It was thick, and sometimes really hard to slog through, but well worth it in the end! I also devour Ernest Hemingway books, I'm currently reading Islands in the Stream, which is a book put together by his wife post Hemingway's death. I love poetry as well, especially Grace Paley poems. A year before Grace's death I had the great honor to hear her read some of her poems at a Mother's Day Celebration in my town. I'm friends with her grandson, so I then met Grace face-to-face, which, in retrospect, makes me feel really lucky! I also am a huge, huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I can't count how many times I've re-read all seven books!
I try to read my local newspaper, The Valley News, everyday. I -as I mentioned in my first post- am an avid reader of The New Yorker, and probably always will be! I keep up with the The New York Times online. When I'm not looking for current events and ground breaking news, I turn to Nylon magazine, or The Rolling Stone. I also love skiing, so Backcountry is a favorite magazine of mine.
Music is one of my passions! It's such a social thing, that's probably what I like about it the most. Playing together in a group is one obvious way music is social, but also that exchange of "Hey, whatcha listening to?" "Oh this new band, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons", can spark great conversation. I am always on the look out for new bands. There is this great podcast, KEXP Free Songs, which gives you a new, underground song each day. That's where I find about 60% of the music on my ipod. New music is exciting, but I also faithfully listen to the "classics". Eric Clapton, The Who, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Miles Davies, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen. My absolute favorite music comes from Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead and The Beatles. Hands down.
This is music video for the song "Art" by Tanya Davis, an artist I like a lot.
I don't watch that much television( just don't have the time), but when I do watch TV my favorite shows are The Office, Chuck, Flight of the Conchords, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. Even though Monty Python is only re-runs on BBC now, its my all-time favorite show. I really enjoy any show that makes me laugh!
This is a classic Monty Python sketch. Ignore the laughing audience. :)
I use video games even less then I watch television, so my favorite games are the only two I've used; Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. These are the BEST though, because you move to play them, instead of the stereotypical type of video game with hand-held game controllers used on the couch.
I use my computer all the time- it's one of the most inescapable tools of our time. I use my laptop for schoolwork, power point presentations, Internet, managing all my photos, and as a music and DVD player. In a normal week, I am on the computer at least once everyday. This sometimes frightens me, because its such large amount of screen time, but I also realize that computers are essential, and aren't going to disappear anytime soon- and are incredibly helpful when used the right way.
Most of the time I am on the computer it is to use the internet. Research for papers, email, Facebook, music searching, Youtube watching, article reading, blogging (now!), and the time-wasting web surfing are all reasons I am on the internet for such long periods of time. The Internet is a vast, amazing source of knowledge and information. But it can also be overwhelming, and I'm not always sure I use it to its full advantage.
This is just a video I found on Youtube. Its 8 minutes long, so I understand why you'd not want to watch the whole thing, but it is sort of enlightening once you get into it.
Ranking my Media Preferences:
1. Magazines/Newspapers
2.Music
3.Books
4. Internet
5.Computers
6.Television
7. Video Games
Friday, January 23, 2009
Knowledge Tree
My name is Kate Spencer and I live in Strafford, Vermont. I was born and raised in the little village of Strafford (population 1,100!) and I am so thankful for it. Strafford's community- full of vibrant, varied people has taught me so much: the importance of listening, the beauty of staying down to earth, how to keep active and happy in the long winter months, and much more that belongs in another piece of writing. I am also part of the equally vibrant and interesting community that is the Sharon Academy, my high school. This year is my first year at TSA and I'm already amazed at all I have learned there and the opportunities that we, the students, have access to, even as freshmen. It was through my Humanities teacher, Stephanie, that I was introduced to DOTCOM! TSA is not just unique because we are a small school, or because students trot around in socks or even because we refer to teachers by their first names. TSA is unique because it fosters open communication every day between teachers and students, board members and students, parents and students. We definitely have a voice at Sharon and we are taught to utilize it well. My favorite classes are Humanities and Spanish. Current Events time in Humanities is most fascinating part of my school day. I am passionate about solving the world's environmental issues, staying on top of the news, music and art. I dream of traveling around the world and giving my whole life to aiding the starving, hopeless, and poor. I am mostly outgoing and friendly, I like to keep moving and laughing, but I do try to take time to observe and listen and keep quiet- I feel its important to use both sides of the spectrum, it's sort of a yin and yang idea of mine.
My family has subscribed to The New Yorker for as long as I can remember- the issues have always laid around the house on tables and chairs. When I was in fourth grade I started to flip through them just for the comics, when I was in sixth grade I stepped up to the movie, art and music reviews, and in seventh grade I started to read select articles and the short fiction piece near the back. Now, I make a point of reading it cover to cover, and though that sometimes is quite a task, I am always impacted by what I read- be it a particularly beautiful poem or a abstract on the Peace Corps. NPR is another constant presence in my house. The voices of Terry Gross, Robert Seigal, Melissa Block, and Steve Inskeep wake me up every morning- again, it was in seventh grade that I began to pay real attention to everything those newscasters were saying, but I feel that having NPR as the background music to my life has affected me in a positive way!
I am most concerned about my community's approach to major environmental concerns. Before I say more, I must explain that the majority of my town is environmentally conscious. About a fourth of our community lives off the grid and GroSolar, a successful solar panel company, is based in Strafford. But it is the rest of us that I am worried about: our idling cars, minimum carpooling and energy draining establishments like the town's school and general store. A group of people are working on organizing a carpooling board, I want to become involved in that- another idea of mine is to convert the two buildings in question to some sort of alternative power.
I really enjoy working with people. I love being around people, observing people, having engaging conversations and hearing stories. There is nothing more invigorating then bouncing ideas off of others, be it in an acoustic jam session or a heated debate or a even just a discussion about what to do on a Friday night. School has done a good job of training me to work in groups, I have always found my work turns out the best when I am surrounded by people. And if producing good work isn't incentive enough, there seems to always be laughter in group work (no matter how hard or serious the project), which is never a bad thing!
My family has subscribed to The New Yorker for as long as I can remember- the issues have always laid around the house on tables and chairs. When I was in fourth grade I started to flip through them just for the comics, when I was in sixth grade I stepped up to the movie, art and music reviews, and in seventh grade I started to read select articles and the short fiction piece near the back. Now, I make a point of reading it cover to cover, and though that sometimes is quite a task, I am always impacted by what I read- be it a particularly beautiful poem or a abstract on the Peace Corps. NPR is another constant presence in my house. The voices of Terry Gross, Robert Seigal, Melissa Block, and Steve Inskeep wake me up every morning- again, it was in seventh grade that I began to pay real attention to everything those newscasters were saying, but I feel that having NPR as the background music to my life has affected me in a positive way!
I am most concerned about my community's approach to major environmental concerns. Before I say more, I must explain that the majority of my town is environmentally conscious. About a fourth of our community lives off the grid and GroSolar, a successful solar panel company, is based in Strafford. But it is the rest of us that I am worried about: our idling cars, minimum carpooling and energy draining establishments like the town's school and general store. A group of people are working on organizing a carpooling board, I want to become involved in that- another idea of mine is to convert the two buildings in question to some sort of alternative power.
I really enjoy working with people. I love being around people, observing people, having engaging conversations and hearing stories. There is nothing more invigorating then bouncing ideas off of others, be it in an acoustic jam session or a heated debate or a even just a discussion about what to do on a Friday night. School has done a good job of training me to work in groups, I have always found my work turns out the best when I am surrounded by people. And if producing good work isn't incentive enough, there seems to always be laughter in group work (no matter how hard or serious the project), which is never a bad thing!
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