Perfume Advertisement Analysis

1.

The first of the two perfume advertisements is a Calvin Klein advert for a perfume called CKIN2U. I think the way this is written shows a connotation of boldness and standing out in this perfume. This includes a male and female perfume, therefore aimed at both men and women. I think this advertisement is aimed at men and women between the age of 18 and 30, but younger people will be compelled to buy they perfume because they want to attract the opposite sex by wearing the perfume.

I think this perfume would appeal to its audience because the names of the perfume links, for example the female bottle says CKI and the male bottle says N2U if you put the two bottles together it completes the name. I especially think this may appeal to couples because if you use the perfume the opposite sex will be more ‘into’ you.
The advertisement very much shows sexual tension between the male and female in the picture, it is as if because they are both wearing the perfume, they are attracting each other. This may make viewers of the advert think that if they wear this perfume they will become attractive to the opposite sex.

I think that the man in the advert touching the women’s hair shows that the perfume makes the women irresistible to the male, which would appeal to any women. The women also has the mans belt undone and is holding onto it, this also shows that the man is irresistible to the women; also I think this all shows how sexual and sensual the advert is. The advert also shows two young people satisfied with each other and the perfume. They are in a intimate lock of eye contact and touch, this helps to sell the perfume because it perceives you will have the same satisfaction when you get the perfume.

The ‘BUY NOW’ at the bottom of the advert next to the name, is more of a demand rather than a question this helps to persuade people to buy the perfume.
I think this advertisement does well in attracting a large amount of people of buy their perfume CKIN2U.


2. In my second advertisement I think it was successful in its selling points. It was advertising to women, the perfume is called Secret Obsession also, by Calvin Klein. I think this perfume is aimed at young women between the ages of 18 and 25.

I think this perfume is called secret obsession because it will help sell the perfume by showing that the 'secret' part of the name is forbidden or a secret. Which can be seen as ‘naughty’ because it is forbidden, if you are wearing the perfume it makes you feel as if you are breaking the rules. And the 'obsession' part of the name implies that the perfume could be addictive either to the women or to men who are attracted to the women.
In this advert they use a celebrity or icon to pose in the picture, so people will admire the women and it shows that the perfume could make you iconic or stand out like her.

She is naked in her pose and this shows that you only need the perfume on to be irresistible to men and that she is completely confident with how she looks wearing the perfume. This will make women think that if they buy the perfume they will be confident wearing it and confident naked. The entire picture is in black and white except for the perfume bottle, which causes the bottle to stand out in the picture and attracts you to look there straight away when you cast your eyes on the picture. The name of the perfume is at the bottom of the picture and is large and in capitals, so it attracts the attention of the audience. It gives the writing a connotation of being important.

This picture is very sexual because she is naked, and it is a way of showing that the perfume gives the women confidence towards men. She seems to be lying down in the picture and is brushing her hair back to reveal her face which shows sexiness, and her eyes are shut showing satisfaction with how she is.
The women being naked and wearing the perfume shows that the perfume will make you attractive and men will want you, and find you sexy.
Overall I think the advertisement sells the perfume well and will be appealing to a wide audience.

Edited Images (cropped, colour changed and anchored)

I have learnt that you can use certain programs like Photoshop to edit images to give them different connotations. I can use these techniques when making advertisements and other media pieces of work.

In class we made our own examples of different camera shots and angles in pairs. Doing this has helped me understand how different shots can be used to give footage different feelings and perspectives. Now i hope to use most if not all of these shots in my thriller introduction. Here are mine and my partner's images:

Bird's Eye

Over The Shoulder

Tilted Up

Worm's Eye

Tilted Down

Close Up

Extreme Close Up

Mid Shot

Long Shot

Extreme Long Shot

First thoughts on the thriller genre and thriller signifiers

In class I have watched the opening to the thriller 'Vertigo'. This helped me understand the main thriller signifiers. For example, there is a hero, however this hero has a flaw which prevented him from saving someone; he has vertigo. Having a flawed hero is a common aspect of thriller. This is true in the other thriller I watched in class, 'Chinatown'. In this, the hero's flaw is drinking and smoking which sometimes distracts him from his work and almost gets him caught spying on someone.

Another main thriller signifier is the use of spirals. This is due to spirals turning round and round; the plot of thriller films mainly have many plot twists. This is in both films mentioned. In 'Vertigo' there were special effects of spirals in the opening credits, and in the eye of a woman. Also, there is a long spiral staircase in one scene, which also links with the signifier of having a flawed hero; the man couldn't get to the top of the spiral stairs due to his fear of heights, which then resulted in letting the girl he was following fall from the tower and die.

Dark, urban settings are also common in thrillers. An example of this is the film 'Sin City'. In this film it is all set in a dark urban city. The film also has other thriller signifiers such as 'ladies in red', woman as sex symbols and women that are deceitful and dangerous to the hero.

Having long corridors and enclosed spaces are also used in many thrillers. This is because in corridors there are only two ways to go. For example, if you are being chased, you can either fun forward, or backward towards the person chasing you. The use of small enclosed spaces gives the feel of claustrophobia and being trapped. An example of this is in the film 'Panic Room', in which the whole film is based around a small room where the main characters are trapped and cannot get out. Having vast open spaces can also be used to create the feeling of claustrophobia as having a vast open space like a desert can make you feel like there is nowhere to go or hide.

Watching these films has helped me gain an understanding of thriller signifiers and what common thriller signifiers are. Now i can try and incorporate these signifiers into my thriller introduction piece of coursework.

I feel pretty confident about making my own thriller footage after watching examples of thrillers. I now know that I want the film to be set in a long, winding and dark road, which well help give the thriller feeling to the film. I intend to use this long road as an equivalent to a corridor; only two ways to go.