#its funny because kiera would make him wear it

[ashmcgivern]

IM FUCKING SCREAMING

I drew this for my friend Ash’s birthday, here are her OCs that I would die for.

[rjgadvert-blog]

TASK 1

The first advert I will be looking into is the Coco Chanel Mademoiselle Film. The advert runs for approximately 3minutes and 21seconds directed by Joe Wight and released in 2011. The script entails a young woman participating in a sexy photoshoot before leaving her suitor dazed and in awe from a sneaky escape.

To start, one of the techniques used in the advert is the strong sense of product branding through visual imagery. The Coco Chanel advert explicitly uses Sepia tones all throughout the film, these subtle warm colours have connotations with a romanticised scene, and a relaxed mood. Chanel relishes in the idea of an irresistible perfume that creates an irresistible woman. This being the main concept of their branding we can see this when Kiera comes to a stop at the red light and is surrounded by men dressed in black. The juxtaposition to her cream coloured clothing persuades the audience that she is untouchable, because she wears the perfume, and therefor she is in control. This is more than ever convincing when she leaves them in the dust as the light turns green, proving that she has first pick. This idea again is construed through the scenery, and backdrop of the advert, filmed in France – the city of love – the passionate setting for any perfume advert. (More specifically the Fashion Street in Paris, which presents a clear opinion of the director and that their product is a high-fashion brand.) This automatically sets the mood for the film, and engages the female viewer as it plays to their romantic ideals and desires. Moreover throughout the Advert, long smooth shots are used, this also identifies the intense and teasing nature of the advert, which not only makes the film more breath-taking but also foreshadows the latter.

Taking a further look into the ideology of using romance to capture an audience, we can note that this advert uses high amounts of sex appeal to do so, and is done in a matter of ways. Woman have used perfumes for generations for their distinctive scent, and appealing quality. However it can be seen as a new-age ideal that perfume is used to attract the opposite sex for well, exactly that. Perfume adverts toy with this idea by using a high-profile model that not only are desired by men, but are coveted by woman. In this particular advert, we can assume that the producers have targeted the product at the younger generation by using Kiera Knightly, known for her part in Pirates of the Caribbean and other, new-age films for which she stars in. Quite strategically using a public figure so admired by those mentioned, this technique is called Celebrity Endorsement.

Moreover, there are many areas to the Advert that convey a strong theme of sex appeal. To start the clothing is nothing but a ploy to illustrate the attractiveness of the model. As mentioned before, the tight-fitting nude coloured clothing highlights every aspect of her figure, portraying the idealistic body of any woman, in no shame objectifying Knightly in explicit detail. The director’s choice of colour seems clear to highlight the similarity of skin and flesh, therefor arousing the sense of feminine and sexiness of the actress. Having her ride a motorbike in the most seemingly poised manner again is striking and enticing for both men and woman who either want to be with her, or want to be her. An example of how the filming is used to do so is when Knightly is mounting the motorcycle, and the camera is positioned pointing up at her waist, highlighting her feminine figure. The film also uses a range of long shots, and profiling shots to illuminate and frame the actress’s face, making sure that the audience is aware of her beauty and charm, this also creates tension in the scene as her every expression is captured in great detail, making the viewer want that same affection, and mystery. A good example of this is when Knightly has fled from the bedroom and is looking up at her suitor, her eyes convey both longing and a flirtatious distance. Proving that with this perfume, she is at her own will.

Once again, Chanel embellishes the perfect world, where many, suits and cars are at hand, and somehow their perfume will get you there. After Knightly pitches up outside the suitor’s house, the mood again changes to be even more so ‘romantic’. Kiera stages as a model having her photo taken on a bed, posing dramatically and sharing longing looks with her photographer, before he is told to excuse his staff. Having the photoshoot taken in the bed again has connotations with lust and desires, that the produces want their audience to crave, as their perfume is supposedly going to be the item that can give you that happy ending. That’s not to say that the audience is hoping for that ‘Happy Ending’ on screen, however the concept is enough to taunt and tease the viewers into ‘needing’ that perfume.

Another technique to consider is the primal use of music throughout the video. The director uses clear intentional contradiction in his choosing of the song. Having the song ‘It’s a man’s world’ performed by a woman signifies the irony in the fact that it really isn’t. The whole scripted film suggests that a woman can be in control, that a woman can taunt a man, and leave him breathless and in awe, and it is all down to how she starts her day. However the song specifies that the world is owned by man and man alone, so the audience is left conflicted and thought-provoked. Chanel strives to prove that woman are just as much the object of attention and affection, you just need the right perfume.

 Continuing into looking into the different techniques that are used in Advertisements, I will be analysing the 2014 Netflix Airport Advert. This advert couldn’t be more dissimilar to Chanel’s sexy screenplay. This sequence uses comical report and play-on humour to engage its audience and stand for a well-produced promotional video.

The video plays out with a middle-aged man arriving at the airport looking flustered and in a hurry, with contrasting shots of a woman on her way to catch her flight. Already the audience can piece together the romantic cliché scene about to take place, as shown in so many films, for instance ‘Friends with benefits’ or ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, although from this point it is still unclear as to the point of the video.

The first difference to make note of is the colour scheme, with Mademoiselle, the director fondly uses soft beige and brown tones, however with this advert the colours are realistic and down to earth. This brings to life the realistic nature of the advert which I personally found very entertaining and amusing. Another way the director has intentionally downplayed the melodrama of this advert is the actors. Unlike Coco Chanel’s typical casting criteria, Netflix has opted for the ‘everyday man’ an actor who has let himself go – respectively, has an unkempt beard and rocks jeans and sneakers. The woman also dressed in a low-fashion attire, checked shirt and scarf, conveying the assumed ‘everyday woman’. Which is not to say that the actor and actress are purposely unattractive however it is made clear that this particular advert is not promoting a product of superficial desire.

Another difference is the techniques used, where Chanel focus on sex appeal, Netflix focusses on bringing humour into tense situations, playing with the audience’s expectancies. This is shown when the man finally reaches the woman in a gust of romantic whim, and just where the viewers would think a declaration of love or some earth-shattering realisation, the man asks for the Netflix password. This style of production is very entertaining for viewers because it gives the audience a sense of comical relief. Especially when we as a millennial are so involved with the importance of Netflix, and other ‘film fanatics’. Moreover the comedy continues when the woman painfully answers “I love Stephan” –lower case, no spaces. The reason perhaps as to why viewers would find this type of humour funny is because we tend to laugh at other misfortunes, along with the reality check of just how important Netflix is.  

The variation of shots used in this piece range from quick cuts, to long drawn following shots that build tension, this is noticeable when the ‘hero’ has made it into the airport and is looking for his partner, exclaiming “Elizabeth!” Once again toying with the cliché romantic end scenes of so many loved films. Notice that also many of the shots are taken from below, looking up at the personal. This is another way the director has intentionally ‘downplayed’ the suspense, by empowering ‘Stephan’ as he makes his heroic journey through security.

The music used in this is also essential when leading the audience into a false sense of romance. The song is an intense dramatic instrumental which builds perfectly to the point of interaction. Although the name and artist of the song is unlisted, the melody proves to be a seamless addition to the advert.

All in all I really enjoyed both adverts, although the Netflix ad, is more my speed, I do appreciate the art of Coco Chanel productions, and their creativity and flawless piece speaks for itself.