Representation In Media

The representation a certain media piece decides to present can decide the overall feelings of its audience, or whether that audience feels well represented by the piece. Though in some cases certain advertisements, for example, try to be funny and appeal to the intended audience, it can impose the wrong idea or intention upon the viewers. Some advertisements, however, incorporate different levels of representation throughout their piece, including people of color, different ages, genders, etc to appeal to everyone.

Advertisement #1: Axe

In this advertisement, the audience views one woman running in a small bikini. As she continues to run, more women join her, all wearing different color variations of the bikini the first woman was wearing. As they continue to run, a white male is shown spraying the body spray.

Though the targeted audience for this ad is clearly the heterosexual male, it can also be seen as degrading and depicting women as savage and to go crazy for the opposite sex. Speaking of the women representation in this advertisement, all of these women have the exact same body type; skinny, big-breasted, and toned. Though one could argue that the ad used a variation of races amongst the women, they were all chosen to be cast in the advertisement because they supposedly fit society's standards on what men think is attractive, and therefore the consumers of Axe bodyspray will obtain these women if they use it.

The representation in this advertisement is just simply horrible. Though it may boost the ego of the white male (oh how we so need more of that), the women representation is wrongfully executed. This may show younger girls watching that in order to be attractive they need to look like the women in the commercial and that a women's purpose is to compete for a man's attention and satisfy his needs.

Many categories of representation are left out, including older men/women, LQBTQ+, plus-size individuals, etc. This advertisement may have done more harm than good, for those who don't fit into what the commercial is putting out may not like the feeling that they may never look like what the commercial is saying is attractive.

Above, we can see a group of women wearing strictly bikini's running and chasing one another.

Here, we can see the male, shot from a lower angle that makes him appear in a stronger, more confident viewpoint as he sprays the bodyspray.

Advertisement #2: H&M

This commercial is in very high contrast to the previously mentioned advertisement. The purpose of this commercial, though sponsored by H&M, is to make a change in the environment and to recycle your clothes, where H&M states that you can go to their stores and recycle your clothes there.

The range of representation in this commercial is very large. The advertisement showcases individuals who are straight, gay, people of color, older individuals, younger individuals, men, and women. The point is that no matter who you are, you are able to express your fashion freely as well as recycle your clothing.

In contrast to the Axe commercial, the apparel shown in this ad also has a broader representation than the previous advertisement mentioned. All types of styles are shown, chic, goth, older individuals dressing in "teen" clothing, men dressing in pinks, etc. It gives the impression that all are welcome and accepted no matter what you look like or your style. This commercial doesn't rely on stereotypes to get their intended message across, which allows the audience to feel more represented.

Above, a man wearing a skirt is shown. This sets the premise that gender roles don't matter and individuals should wear what they want to wear.

Here, an African- American woman is standing, showcasing her unique outfit. POC representation can be seen throughout the entire advertisement.

Marvelously Musical

The musical genre in film is one that incorporates many different visual and auditorial techniques to encapsulate the audience as well as connect to the audience through song and dance that is interwoven into the narrative. It is one of the media's more unique genres, for actors portray themselves as if there were a live audience in front of them. The musical genre has a wide umbrella of subgenres that are associated with film, such as musical theatre. The musical genre is intended for a specific audience of those who enjoy the expressivisms characters can develop through song, and certain musical numbers may hold a large role in the film itself.

Content:

Musicals are known for their jazzy, care-free persona, and while the stylistic and musicality of said musicals have evolved throughout the decades, the premise is the same; a musical isn't quite a musical without song. Depending on the musical, the song types could range from very upbeat to very slow and soulful. The theme of musical films can vary, but overall every musical has the same stylistic imprint; a fun, upbeat song(s), a serious, slowed-down song(s), and an iconic song that may leave its notes throughout the film.

Example: The film Into the Woods sets the premise of its main song (literally titled "Into the Woods") and its iconic notes can be heard throughout the film, for its melodies are repeated.

Another underlying theme that the musical genre partakes in is the theme of the main character having a "rags to riches" buildup. Typically in a musical, the main character climbs their way up the social pyramid and ends up with their dream job, dream partner, or whatever else they were trying to achieve from the beginning of the film. We follow the characters journey as they typically begin as the underdog and eventually make it big in whicever endevaours they choose to progress. Movies such as these are typically predicatble, but give the audeince a heart-warming sense of pleasure that the protagonist got what they wanted in the end.

Example: In the movie Annie, the main protagonist is introduced to be an orphan with a terrible woman as the orphanage's caretaker. She sings songs such as "Tomorrow" (a song about how even though it may be hard things will get better) and "It's a Hard Knock Life" (a song about how her and her fellow orphan friends spend day after day cleaning and never get to enjoy being a kid). These types of songs make the audience feel for the character, but in the end, the audience gets to see her dreams come true as she gets adopted by a rich family and is able to find a loving home.

One thing about all musicals, no matter the plot, is that the songs being sung by the characters must progress the narrative along. Though it may seem silly to have a character all of a sudden burst into song, that's what gives the musical films its charm, but the songs still need to make sense in the plotline. Most musical content in previous years were filled with flashy colors and feathers.

Example: In the film Grease, the first song "Summer Lovin'" not only holds a catchy tune, but it also has a purpose; the two main characters are telling their friends (and the audience) about each other and their summer fling.

Production Techniques

Certain production techniques go into creating that musical movie magic. A very common technique used in musical movies takes place in post-production, where the songs sung by the characters are pre-recorded in a studio, whereas the non-singing acting is done on set. When acting out the singing scenes, many actors/actresses will lipsync to their previously recorded part of the song. This is a very popular technique used to ensure that the audience can not only hear the singing clearly, but it also allows editors to make slight edits to the singing voice to improve the overall quality (this is typically why a song recorded in a studio will sound better than a live singer).

The certain set design in musicals can achieve the desired look of "jazzy" or "playful". Bright colors are often used throughout a musical to make certain characters stand out or to just be used overall. Typically, along with color, sound is also utilized in musical film to initiate when a song may be coming. The use of lingering notes as background noise in the air makes the incoming song less abrupt.

Example: In the original and revival version of Hairspray, the use of very bright colors grabs the attention of the eye and is a common use throughout the film.

Example: From the movie, "A Star is Born", one can hear the introduction of the music starting while the characters still have dialogue, right before she starts to sing "I'll Never Love Again". This is an example of easing the song up on the viewers instead of abruptly starting the music and song.

Marketing

The targeted audience for these types of films definitely has a large range depending on the musical. Older musical films such as "The Sound of Music" and "Singing in the Rain" may attract 30-50-year-olds, but as of late, certain musicals like "La La Land" and "Hamilton" (technically a film) has attracted teenagers from 13-20 to start viewing this genre. But, many Disney movies are musicals as well, which makes the target audience reach children too, from ages 5-12. The acquired gender is typically female, for many musicals have themes such as romance or main characters who are also female ("The Little Mermaid", "Mamma Mia!").

Typical posters for musicals portray the main character(s) with bright colors either smiling, mid-twirl, and typically looking like they're high on life. Rarely ever do we see a musical poster that seems dark or depressing. Again, musicals like to incorporate bright colors to catch the eye.

Example: The poster for The Sound of Music shows the main character, Maria, smiling and spinning, looking joyous. There is also a high contrast between the greens and blues, for they are very bright against each other.

Samples:

The film "The Greatest Showman" (2018), follows the story of P.T. Barnum as he grows up from nothing to create his own production the Barnum & Bailey circus. Featuring catchy musical numbers and exquisite performers/acrobats, his show becomes one of the best in the world. This goes well into the previously discussed theme of "rags to riches", where P.T. Barnum came from nothing and developed his own franchise. The film shows the struggle of the main character and his rise to the top, but it also showcases other characters throughout that develop their own plotlines along working in the circus. For example, the audience sees a subplot between two characters who are apart of the circus cast, Phillip Carlyle and Anne Wheezer as they fall in love. Many of the songs showcased in this film are upbeat and catchy ("The Greatest Showman", "This Is Me") and others are a tad slower but still bring emotion to the screen and further the plot ("A Million Dreams", "Never Enough"). The film is targeted at teens/young adults, but almost all ages can sit and enjoy this film.

The film "La La Land" (2016) debuted the characters of Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), as the film follows their relationship and the pursuit of both of their dreams. Mia, working at a coffee shop meets Sebastian one night where he playing piano at a restaurant, but they don't formally connect until months later at a mutual party. Mia ends up leaving her boyfriend to go on a date with Sebastian later that week and we are shown a montage of some of Mia and Sebastian's endeavors and we know get the sense they are in a relationship. As the film progresses, the characters have to face unfortunate decisions with their dreams and their relationship, where one ends up tearing the other apart. The technicalities of this film are impeccable. It, again, follows that certain theme wherein the end, the two main characters ended up achieving their dreams (Mia's to become an actress and Sebastian's to open a jazz club). Yet, the ending of this movie had a twist, and the two actually did not end up together. The film even shows a "what-if" sequence about what would have happened IF the couple ended up together; a real tear-jerker. Though not the picture-perfect ending audiences are used to, it is realistic. The use of color throughout this movie is used to contrast colors against each other to allow the eye to focus; in the poster to the left Mia's bright yellow dress and Sebesatians white shirt is shown prominently against the purple sky. There are catchy and fun songs throughout this movie ("Another Day Of Sun", "Someone In The Crowd", "A Lovely Night"), but there are also slower songs which tend to set the premise for the film, for their soliloquies are heard more frequently throughout the film (see "City of Stars" and "Mia and Sebastian's Theme"). This movie is a great example of a more modern musical whilst still encompassing the classic themes of musical film.