Media Language Assessment Task: Bond poster This is a poster created in order to advertise James Bond 007: Spectre, a movie which was released in 2015. This was the last analogue advertisement published in order to market the film before its initial release in cinemas. During and after this poster was showcased to the public; television, radio and the internet would have also played audio and/or visual advertisements in order to market this film. This poster was developed by IMAX, an institution within the movie industry who would have published this poster onto other media forms. IMAX is a company that specifies in production videocameras; these cameras are not hobbyist toys, they are for absolute experts in film making. Famous directors such as Christopher Nolan commonly uses an IMAX camera to achieve a full experience within his films that causes his audience to feel like they are actually there. By presenting within this poster that it was produced on an IMAX camera infers that this movie industry has high hopes for this movie and that it will be successful (meaning the profits can cover the cost of the partnership with IMAX). The budget for this movie was $245 million to $250 million, it earned $880.7 million, presenting the fact that their predictions were correct about this movie being successful.
The approximate audience for this movie is 18+. This is because the silhouette of a gun and the fact the man (James Bond) is holding a gun in his hand signifies 'violence' and 'death', there fore it would not be suitable for the younger ages. The pictorial style of this poster is quite minimalist, this infers maturity and so its audience is mostly likely Adults. Movie posters which are aimed at the younger generation, typically are quite 'full' of photographic content, specifically backdrops- whereas this poster has only a white and plain background. However, to my surprise, this movie is a PG13, even though violent connotations are clearly shown within this poster. Despite its financial success, the movie was not rated as highly as expected. IMBD states that the mean rating for this movie is 6.8/10. The poster shows a man stood to the left of the frame, whilst slightly behind him there is a woman looking over her shoulder. The 'man' in question, is James Bond- performed by Daniel Craig and the lady or 'Bond girl' as she's known, is called Madeline Swan- played by Lea Seydoux. We know he is the protagonist because he is the subject within this poster that stands out the most and is furthest to the front. James Bond is wearing a black suit, connoting that he has a high-position within society; the idea that he's holding gun whilst being dressed in a smart manner infers of his job-role, he could possibly have the 'legality' to hold a gun. A mans suit is not cheap, inferring that this is a man who has money and is most likely '1st-class'. His posture is casual, one hand is in his pocket, this could symbolise 'casual confidence' or the 'unwillingness to reveal'- meaning he may be a man of many secrets. His other hand holds a gun, the gun is aimed downwards and he is clearly not in preparation to shoot. The way the lady is poised behind him may be a sign of dominance or the fact he is almost shielding her. We can accept that there is an association between the man and woman because of how closely they are stood together. Madeline Swan is wearing a light blue, silk gown. The colour 'light blue' symbolises 'trust', 'loyalty', 'wisdom', 'confidence' and intelligence'. Her aesthetics consist of a gown, 'vintage' make up and a hairstyle which reveals the right ear to show an earring. This is quite a glamorous look that can not be pulled of by everyone, this could connote her economic position and the fact she has the money to afford this style. Within the '007' typography is imagery from the 'Dia de los Muertos' sequence that forms the opening of the film. We get the impression that this is a frame from a scene because the blur within the text is 'stretched', showing movement. Within this section, we can see someone wearing a skull mask and top hat. The depth of field within this scene must have been shallow because the figure wearing the mask is sharp in comparison to the background. The rule of thirds has also been used as he is positioned to the right of the poster, so he is not in contact with 'James Bond' and 'Madeline Swan'. The skull upon the mask may symbolise 'death', this can lead to the connotation of him being a villainous character. The '007' logo is repeated again, this time in a much smaller font size and only in black. The fact it is black causes it to stand out in contrast against the white background. By repeating the logo, it reinforces the idea that '007' is the main brand or title of this film. Another reason why it may have been repeated is because the larger '007' logo in the background is partly hidden due to the people in front of it. The 'Spectre' logo is in a font that consists contrasting colours (black and white), this use of highlights and shadows within the lettering causes the text to appear as if its being shuffled or its moving from a distance.
Advertising and
marketing was portrayed in a much more simplistic manner way back in history.
Videos and photography has not been around forever, nor has the internet.
Within this blog post, I am going to be addressing some key and pivotal moments
within the history of Advertising and marketing in the U.K., and how people
would sell goods/services to the public.
During 1299, the first
form of ‘advertisement’ was carried out in England through ‘Town criers’. A
Town crier is a person who has been employed by a town council to make public
announcements in the streets. From this time on, Town criers were a crucial way
of spreading news to the public, whether this was announcements about the town
or to sell a product. Societies had very little literature skill, and there
only few could read and write, so town criers were a universal form of
notifying everyone. Criers would often dress in a traditional outfit in a red
and gold robe, white breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat. This made them
stand out to everyone, evidence of this clothing was discovered to also have
been worn during the 18th century also. They would carry a ‘hand
bell’ to make a loud noise and then shout the words "Oyez, Oyez,
Oyez!" before making their announcements. The word "Oyez" means
"hear ye," which is a call for silence and attention. Here is a video of a Traditional Town Crier announcing the bird of a royal baby: The first
known English ‘printed’ advertisement was a handbill written by William Caxton
(a English printer, writer and author) in 1477.
This was a handbill which he wrote to advertise his book called ‘The Pyes of
Salisbury Use’, which was based upon “Religious matters”. The advertisement was
supposed to be hung outside of Caxton’s shop in Westminster Abbey, but was
instead hung in a church nearby. It read the words: "If it plese any
man spirituel or temporel to bye ony pyes of two and thre commemoraios of
Salisburi use empryntid after the forme of this preset lettre whiche ben wel
and truly correct, late hym to come to Westmonester in to the almonry at the reed
pale and he shal have them good chepe. Supplicio stet cedula [please
do not remove this handbill]."In 1477,
printing was actually prohibited by the Government. If anyone wanted to print
an advertisement, it had to be approved and licensed by the government, hence
why Caxton’s advertisement was handwritten. This regulation was set until 1641.
In 1567, the first National Lottery in England was issued by a letter
from Queen Elizabeth I to Sir John
Spencer, where
the winner would win £5000. At this time England was
seeking to expand its export markets and begin to trade around the world. The
lottery was intended to raise money for the enormous costs of building ships
and developing ports in order to do this. Tickets cost ten shillings each
(around £150 in today’s money), which was far too much for the ‘ordinary’
citizen to afford. The £5000 was paid partly in ‘ready money’ and partly in
plate, tapestries and ‘good linen cloth’ and the winner had to wait 3 years to
find out about their winnings. To encourage as many people as possible to buy
tickets, all ticket holders were promised freedom from arrest for all crimes
other than murder, felonies, piracy or treason.
In 1622, the ‘Weekly Relations News’ was
founded. This was the U.K.’S first ever ‘regularly’ published newspaper, which
also included the first press advertisement also. This was the start of
mass-advertisement within Newspapers. Could
not find much information on this key moment. Since the release of the
‘Weekly Relations News’ in 1622, the demand for mass printing was growing even
more larger. Due to this the Government suspended its restrictions on printing,
therefore allowing home news to be published from 1641 onwards.
During the 17th
century tea was imported to the U.K., the first advertisement for the selling
of tea was said to have been printed on 23 September 1658. The London
republican newspaper published by Mercurius Politicus carried the first advert
for tea in the British Isles, announcing that a “China drink called by the
Chinese, Tcha, by other Nations Tay alias Tee” was available in a coffee house
in the city. From this moment onwards, the sales of tea rose dramatically, but
was only drank by first class citizens.
In 1660, the first printed wrapper in the
U.K. was created and designed for Buckworth’s Cough Lozenges. This meant that
other businesses could now advertise their products by making them easily
memorable for the public. The use of colours and a bold logo caused the
consumers to be attracted to buying this product, it also increased the cost of
the product which was a positive for the sellers but not for the buyer.
The first
ever illustrated ‘trade’ advertisement was said to be for a patented chocolate
maker. The advertisement appeared in the British paper ‘The Daily Courant’ on 17
March 1703.
By the 1730’s,
there were many examples of newspapers, however a new breed of English papers
was ‘The Daily Advertiser’ which
was regularly published until 1807. ’The Daily Advertiser’ offered advertising
space along with news of a political, commercial, social nature and reports on
the stock market. Also, during this time, the use of horse-drawn carriages was
the most popular use of travel, specifically for higher-classed people. The uses
of Stage-coach boosted too, as in 1731 Birmingham Coach (and other coach services) began to use
illustrated timetables. This meant citizens could easily check when the coaches
were available to be used. One early example of a coach advertisement is: “Daventry Flying stage-coach in one day with three
sets of able horses. Begins on Saturday 17thApril
from The Ram Inn in West-Smithfield, London to Mr James Pratt’s at The Black
Boy, Daventry; and returns to The Ram Inn in West-Smithfield on Mondays and
will continue all the Summer Season, at Fifteen Shillings each passenger. The
coach sets out at Two in the morning precisely. Performed, if God permit, by
Thomas Smith.”.
During the
years 1744 or 1775, it was believed
that ‘The General Advertiser’ was founded, this was the first ‘successful’ newspaper
which was entirely dependent on advertising products or services. The first
acknowledged advertising agency was by William Taylor in 1786. However, this agency did not offer a wide range of services,
so was not overly beneficial. A more advanced Advertising agency was sprouted by
James ‘Jem’ Whites in 1800 called ‘White Bull Homes’. This agency was
successful and was running until the 1980’s. Agencies like this allowed
companies to brand and market their products in different forms. Advertising agencies
would control where, when and how specific businesses advertised and would
typically participate in the design element.
In 1793,
scientist Johahn Jacob Schweppe began to advertise his mineral water product
within local markets. His mineral water with a hand-cranked pump,
and bottled it in corked stoneware bottles. However, Schweppe found it
difficult to keep the water fizzy because glass bottles weren't available at
this time and the water had a tendency to go flat within the stoneware.
Schweppes is a product that is still widely available today in the 21st
century.
1829- London
omnibuses carried advertisements outside from their introduction (Geo.
Shillibeer founded first regular bus service in London). The first
full-page ad appeared, in The Times (for Portraits & Memoirs of the Most
Illustrious Personages in British History)
A London Omnibus carrying a series of Adverts.
1833- Advertisement
Tax reduced to one shilling per advertisement 1834- W. H.
Fox Talbot made paper negative photograph (foundation of modern photographic
process) 1836- The
Newspaper Society founded to represent regional & London suburban press –
one particular aim was the complete abolition of Advertisement Tax 1840- Full-page
press ad for British Cornflour appeared on back page of the Courier and West
End Advertiser 1842- First
full-page illustrated ad, for British Cornflour, in Courier & West End Advertiser
1850- (approx.) First "sandwich board men" appeared
in London
1851-The
Great Exhibition stimulated trade & advertising 1853- Newspaper
Advertisement Tax abolished and "Vehicular placards"
(advertising carts) prohibited by the Hackney & Stage Carriage Act 1855- Crosse
& Blackwell advertised in Morning Chronicle as “Purveyors in Ordinary to
Her Majesty” 1858- The
Stereoscopic Magazine regularly published photographs, including three in
stereo. Padbury & Dickins produced stereographic photograph cards for
salesmen of church furniture, possibly UK’s first photographic advertising
material.. 1859- UK’s
first branded cigarette Sweet Threes, produced by Robert Peacock Gloag, London
1861- Colour photography demonstrated at Royal institution by
Sutton and Maxwell
1862- UK
Billposters' Association founded by Edward Sheldon
An example of a Billposter from 1862.
1866- One
hundred “advertising-related businesses” operating in London (Nevett, but see
also 1906)
1867 - First international advertising agency opened, Gordon &
Gotch, London
1867- Decorative
biscuit tins introduced by Huntley & Palmer 1869- Notable
English pictorial poster, by Godfrey Durand for launch of The GraphicSells Ltd (agency) founded by Henry Sell in Fleet Street 1871- Frederick
Walker's poster The Woman in White appeared in London (often cited as the first
UK poster to rely on visual rather than verbal effect) 1876- Government’s
“first wide-scale publicity campaign ... a million handbills ... to alert the
public to the virtues of government saving schemes, life insurance and
annuities” (COI) 1877- Boots
the Chemists took the largest advertising space in the Nottingham Daily
Express, itemising 128 branded goods and reported a doubling of profits within
a month
An early Boots store.
1882- Sells
Ltd published first edition of Dictionary of the World's Press under the title The
Philosophy of Advertising 1887- First
photographically illustrated advertisement in UK publication, for Harrison
Patent Knitting Machine Co in the 11 November issue of The Parrot 1888- Kodak roll-film
camera patented by Eastman, Kodak No 1 Box Camera launched Indecent Advertisements Act 1889- Thomas
Smith (advertising agency) offered “Ad-writing & Designing Department”1891- Advertising launched as a monthly
magazine by Thomas Smith agency, as an offshoot from their annual Successful
Advertising Comic Cuts, UK’s first comic, launched Photographs
began to be used in press ads (half-tone block) 1890s- Pears
Soap used Lillie Langtry for “celebrity endorsement”, combining it with a
reproduction of her portrait by Sir John Millais 1893- SCAPA founded
as Society "to check the abuses of Public Advertising, the spoliation of rural
scenery, and architecture."
1894- Exhibition of Poster Art at Royal Aquarium, Westminster
1895- "Electric
Advertising" appears (projection of luminous ads on buildings & the air)
1897- First
advertising film made by Edison Co, for Admiral Cigarettes, shown in US, UK
& France simultaneously 1898- Bile
Beans launched by Mr Charles Fulford with the slogan “Bile Beans for Biliousness” 1900- (1
March) Daily Mail becomes first UK newspaper to reach 1 million circulation 1901- (23
March) First ever front page headline - Daily Express on death of Queen Victoria 1905- First
strip lighting used for advertisements, Moore Electric Co, London 1906- Newspaper
Publishers Association (owners of national press), Press Advertisement
Managers Association and Newspaper Proprietors’ Association founded First
co-operative advertising campaign (California Orange Growers) – “horizontal”
co-operation between producers 1907- Total
UK advertising expenditure for the year 1907 was estimated at £22 million
(figures published in The Economics of Advertising by F. W. Taylor in 1907- Advertisements
Regulations Act controls hoardings etc - sky signs banned (solid letters fixed
to a frame and silhouetted against the sky) 1907- First
UK radio broadcast (concert for the Fleet at Chatham from HMS Andromeda) Click here to listen to this Broadcast via the BBC website 1912- Exhibition
entirely devoted to advertising organised by Advertising World at Horticultural
Hall, Westminster (several previous exhibitions had been of posters only), First
neon sign on building in UK, West End Cinema, London and Total
UK ads-pend estimated by the Times at £100m (£22m in 1912) 1914-18- World
War I - Advertising extensively used for the first time for public & national
purposes
An advertisement for The Woman's Land Army
1917- Association
of British Advertising Agencies (ABAA) formed, later to become Institute of
Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and Advertising
prohibited of products for “any condition associated with sexual indulgence” 1922- Wall’s
Ice Cream sold by men on tricycles, with the slogan “Stop me & buy one” 1924- “Talkies”
(films with soundtrack) introduced, UK
advertising industry set up National Vigilance Committee to police advertising
complaints (initially patent and other medicines were targeted) and The
Screen Advertising Association formed to foster and regulate cinema advertising 1929- First
Advertising talkie film, UK (Meet Mr York, Rowntree’s cartoon) and Colour
advertising film UK, It's an Ill Wind, for Tintex Dyes 1930- TV
used for advertising (closed circuit) in both GB & US: Hairdressing Fair of
Fashion, London Olympia, for Eugene Method & radio shops in Chicago for Libby's
canned goods 1934 - Advertising
Association launched its first “Campaign to the Consumer”, promoting the
advantages of advertising 1946- Boom
time of UK cinema industry with 635m admissions to 4,703 cinemas 1948- Polaroid
cameras introduced by Edwin Land and the First
regular UK TV news, BBC Television Newsreel, introduced by Richard Baker
The first Polaroid camera model, invented by Edwind Land
1954- Advertising
expenditure up to £157 million, 0.87% of GNP and The UK
Television Act set up ITA and laid down rules for future TV advertising
(Advertising Advisory Committee set up).
TV advertisements had to be “clearly distinguishable as such and recognisably
separate from the rest of the programme” and only “at the beginning or end of
the programme or in natural breaks therein”. Subliminal advertising was thus
prohibited, although not explicitly. 1955-
Commercial TV launched in UK, First
animated UK TV ad, Remington Razor (on opening night) and Advertisers
Weekly (the highest weekly selling trade journal) published guidelines on TV
advertising: “Product demonstrations must be believable”, “Use the kitchen for
believability”, “Wild claims look absurd on TV” among them 1956- £10.5m
spent on UK TV advertising in its first year. Advertising expenditure overall
up from £157 million (1954 figure) to £196 million, 0.93% of GNP 1958- Advertising
expenditure up to £249 million, now above 1% of GNP (1.08%) 1960- Advertising
was allowed on taxis (“ambient media”) 1965- Cigarette
advertising (but not ads for cigars and pipe-tobacco) banned on UK 1986- Advertising
expenditure up to £5,328, million 1.38% of GNP and Ban on
tobacco advertising in cinemas, six new health warnings, ban on ads showing
people smoking etc 1988- Advertising
expenditure up to £7,085 million, 1.5% of GNP and World
Wide Web launched 1989- Internet
invented by Tim Berners-Lee
Tim Burners-Lee with an early computer model.
1994- First
ad on the World Wide Web (for Wired magazine) 2001- UK
internet advertising reached £166 million, 1.0 per cent of total 2012- (13
February) The first television commercial only dogs can hear was screened on
ITV1 at 7:15pm. The commercial was for Bakers complete and was a canine spoof
of classic 1969 movie ‘The Italian Job’.