There could be many different ways to approach this text, and many different things to think about such as it’s aesthetic, how it portrays ford’s new design, if it works as a marketing tool and so on. I’m going to discuss, specifically, how it communicates with its audience.
- Information about the director: Write about his working background, who he works for, who he worked with on the advert. Refer to http://www.crossroadsfilms.com/commercials -> Nick Lewin -> Biography
- The kinetic design philosophy: Information about ford’s new design language. How it works, what it is. Discuss the design elements and aesthetics. Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Kinetic_Design , http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/KineticDesign?campaignid=Brand_Generic_Exact&advertiserid=Google&bannerid=Ford_Kinetic_Design_Exact
- Information about the advert: Write about how it was made, the effects used. Refer to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAt2-N34dpM , Lewin, N. Email: “Ford Kinetic Design” 2/11/2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZzZcnzphRI
- The way it is shot: Explain the camera angles used, how each shot cuts with the next
- The narrative: Explain the story, what happens ie. car chase scene. Explain who the protagonist and antagonists are and how they fit in the story.
- The mis en scene: Explain the lighting, the sets used ie. the film studio, the car park and the city streets, the actors used and the colour of their cars the costumes they wear, how they look.
- The Sound: Explain the music track that runs through the entire ad. Talk about the vocal track that comes in toward the end. Refer to Klein, B. “As heard on TV: Popular Music in Advertising” P.9
- Context: Discuss big news stories of the time ie. Swine Flu, Economic crash, global warming etc. Refer to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8321970.stm , http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8321202.stm , http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27531033
- Semiotics: Explain in brief what semiotics are then go onto discuss the semiotics in the advert. Firstly the imagery; what kind of ideologies are being portrayed by the film, the types of signals being generated Then the linguistics ie. the sentence spoken at the end; how it is said, who says it, how this is significant, what it connotes. Then the music track; how it sounds, what the feeling of the song is, what it makes you feel, and, again, what is connotes. Refer to Bignell J, “Media Semiotics: An Introduction” http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html , http://www.soundtree.co.uk/ , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:James_Nesbitt
- Product Placement; Discuss where and when it was aired. How is this relevant? What impact does it have on advertising. Refer to Larry D. Kelley, Donald W. Jugenheimer: “Advertising media planning: a brand management approach” p.71/72 , http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/908851/Ford-introduces-brand-led-marketing-strategy/
- My opinion of the advert, explain why I think this. Does it communicate effectively, and to the its audience? “It increased fords market share by nearly 2% in 2009 so it achieved it’s goal, which is essentially to boost sales.” Refer to Conclusion
