Lace is the new black.
BLOG RESPONSE SEPTEMBER 1, 2010-Ch. 1:
In this chapter, Rose describes her complex methods for closely examining photos, and images done with various different media. No matter what a viewer is looking at, he or she can apply three different categories of understanding, known as ‘sites’ to the image at hand. The different ‘sites’ include the production of the image, the image itself, and the audience the image is geared toward.
Once a viewer is able to pinpoint the structural make up of each image by using ‘sites’ he or she can further analyze the image by understanding ‘modalities’ that explain the images deeper visual understanding.
As I began looking deeper into my image choices and these are some of the conclusions I was able to draw:
-The American Apparel advertisement I chose, can be described as both controversial and successfully executed. Upon viewing this image, one can see its production was a simple solution with depth that stretches beyond its minimal presentation.
-Technology plays an important role in the presentation of the image; for both its technological use, and lack thereof. Both technological aspects coexist in the image and play on each other. As in most advertisement campaigns, it is clear that this photograph was shot with a high quality camera. The exposure, color and tones of the image are what seems to be a clear, truthful representation of the model. The representation of the model can also be viewed as a successful lack-of technology. It is a widely known fact that most, if not all, of American Apparel models (i.e. regular people found on the street, or employees for the company) take their photos with out being airbrushed. This lack of technological enhancement plays a role in the last site Rose mentions, audience. More on this later…
-Compositionally, this image is hard to beat. When focusing on the production alone, an all white background with overlaying black type give the viewer no where else to look. It is extremely minimal, but the simplicity is striking enough to capture the viewer’s attention. (This could however have a lot to do with the fact that she’s wearing a lace onesie…seriously American Apparel? I guess if you live in a nudist colony and decide you want to be fancy one day, this is the outfit for you.)
-A viewer has to wonder what the company was trying to achieve with their social image when they produced this risqué ad. Clearly, (this speaks for American Apparel in general, not just this specific ad) they want to cause a bit of controversy. To some, any attention is good attention, and when considering all that this company stands for, it is interesting to see their ad campaigns. They are known for ‘sweat-shop free’ clothing, made in downtown LA. It is rumored that they pay uneducated and often non-English speaking factory workers well over minimum wage, (Wooooo! Go American Apparel!)in most cases upwards of $12 an hour, (their Chinese counterparts make less than 50 cents an hour) as well as providing them with English classes. So, at first glance one could view this image and draw the conclusion that it marginalizes women, makes them an object to be stared at rather than, an intellectual, someone who can stand on her own without having to expose herself for attention…you know, the usual PC argument. I am not by any means arguing against that, generally I would agree that 80-pound models in provocative poses can only harm society, young women especially. However, knowing that this company uses their own employees and people off of the street as models, and that their philosophy is to provide clothing made by Americans for Americans, it raises unique questions about how society was meant to view this image. Perhaps this girl/model in the ad felt like she was expressing herself with this pose. Perhaps it was not a suggested pose by the photographer to enhance the company’s sexual ad campaigns. Perhaps it was…I guess that is where American Apparel leaves you, and your own understanding steps in. (Perhaps you’re too busy prancing around in your lace onesie to even consider thinking about the social production of this ad.)
-The image itself speaks volumes.
-Technologically we can conclude that it was created with some sort of computer aided layout program, such as InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator. The layout along with the advanced technology needed to produce such a high quality photograph, are both important aspects of what makes the ad have the this particular look.
-As I mentioned in the above section, this composition is hard to beat.
The negative space is just as beautiful as the pose and presentation of the model herself. Aside from the visual aesthesis and complexity of the pose, the simplicity of the actual design plays a positive role in its composition.
-Socially the image itself can, as previously mentioned, go either way. An individual can take offense to such provocative ads, with malnourished models, being displayed to a nation of people obsessed with weight, whether it be too thin or too heavy. I can’t blame them for thinking this way, and I have actually done pieces against the type of representation seen in this ad. The counter argument is never usually as strong as it is in this scenario however-keeping in mind the company’s main objectives, model choices, lack of ‘perfection’ with airbrushing, etc; the image itself has social motives that are not exactly what they seem at first glance.
-Ah, the audience, my favorite part…
-Technology can be an important factor for the audience. Where is this ad displayed, how, to whom, and why? I would imagine it is being geared toward a young female, (lets hope it’s not aimed toward the elderly…there goes the neighborhood!) technology will help expose this ad to the target audience of young females, on sites like facebook, myspace, Pandora, ect. Outside of computer-based ads, this can be made visible on billboards, buses, taxis, etc. Its safe to say, wherever you are, so is the lace onesie, technology forces us all to be part of the audience. Technological advances show that its not just which magazines you purchase that show ads geared toward you, now ads can surround you completely, whether you are interested or not.
-For the viewer, the image itself is a beautiful composition. It captures ones attention because of its obscure pose, and obvious title. It catches you off guard-which is exactly what they want to do.
- Socially, I could go on for days…people will/do have a different reaction to a product when they feel they can relate to its advertisement campaigns. Since most women do not wake up in the morning and airbrush themselves, its safe to say that a model lacking the perfection airbrush provides, would likely appear more approachable to their viewer, thus the audience can relate. The counter argument, as expected, could say something along the lines of…why are you displaying what is supposed to be a ‘natural model’ and someone we, as women/regular people are supposed to relate to, as a 5’10” 80-pound, long haired, perfect skinned, beauty? As a 21 year old I feel like, woah…I don’t look like that, (aw snap, I can’t pull off a lace onesie) I can only imagine what a 14 year old girl thinks. Or even a 10 year old girl, because like I said earlier…wherever you are, technology forces all of us to become part of the audience.
The Pink Panther Opening Credits:
-The reason for the production of these opening credits is pretty obvious, to lead the viewer into a film; however it is interesting to take in all factors, like the time period, and the genre of the film.
-Technologically this production was somewhat simple. The animation quality got the job done, but it was simplistic, with flat backgrounds.
-Compositionally, it was again very simple, but since it was an animated piece the movement of the characters across the screen definitely kept the audience interested. It’s simplistic, but in an iconic way. When considering the reason for the pieces production, it’s important to keep the composition simple because it would otherwise make the viewer loose focus on the type which is the whole purpose of the opening credits.
-The social context of the production of the Pink Panther cartoon character is interesting because the pink panther was not an actual character in the movies, it was actually a title they had given to a fake pink diamond the characters are searching for. It was a smart creative decision to produce a literal pink panther as an iconic symbol for the series, because it (the pink panther) served as somewhat of a logo/identity for the movies from that point on.
-The image/video itself is so great…thinking this was done in the 1960s; it’s cool to see what the contemporary typography was like at the time.
-Technology was not too advanced and that plays a part in the imagery, because it provides reason for the simplicity.
-Compositionally, the simplicity was a success; each character (text included) has enough animation on its own to pull its own weight on the screen. It never seemed dull or plain because of each character had its own exciting/entertaining qualities. It had a corky presentation, I thought it was interesting how all of the characters disregarded the text except for the pink panther, and he actually interacted with it, which was a successful way to add interest to the text in the scene.
-Socially, as I mentioned before, the pink panther played a significant role in the identity and branding of the movie series, even though it was not an actual character.
-The audience was is important feature of an image, especially when discussing opening film credits. The way an introduction scene makes an audience feel determines the way they will approach the movie as it begins.
-Technologically, there is not an overwhelming amount of information to be said. The advancement of color film was important seeing as the panther is in fact pink, an important detail that would have been missed if it weren’t for the introduction of Technicolor. Technicolor…wooooo! The sound is also important, because the music in the opening credits is not only creating the mood for the scene, but along with the pink panther itself, it too is an iconic identity only associated with the pink panther films. Without these forms of technology, the audience would have never been as drawn to these aspects of the film.
-As I mentioned earlier, I think it’s is important for the composition to be as simple as it is in these opening credits, so as not to distract the audience from the text, which is in a sense, the main event/point of opening credits.
-The mixture of the character with the easily recognized music, made these opening credits a socially important aspect to the film. Any time this theme song is played, the Pink Panther films are the first thing that come to mind.
