i love signs

So, I've really become more aware of advertisements, and I like looking at their meanings. I think this is so fun. :)



Here we have an ad for E!'s new show, Running in Heels. It's a reality show that depicts what "really" happens at Marie Claire magazine. I love this ad. The creativity is what makes it appealing to me. However, it has a connotative meaning that can mean different things to different people.

This show is all about style, so having a sharp, black stiletto be the main focus is an obvious choice. But what makes it original are the notches carved into the heel. By each notch it lists positions, starting at intern and moving up to editor-in-chief. Notches are used for keeping record, generally. But a common phrase associated with notches now-a-days is, "another notch in the bed post," which, if the ad is taken in that direction, makes it more edgy.

Stilettos are made to improve the look of the female form. They elongate legs and give a lift to body parts that look good lifted, so I half expect some of their intention for the notches is to remind people of the above mentioned phrase. However, the ad describes what each of the notches represents, and I think that is the company’s way of maintaining professionalism, but implying seduction. Basically saying, “Think what you want, but that isn’t what we meant.”

It's not all bad...

Sometimes media gets a bad rep because it's affecting our youth and shaping our culture; shows are too violent, teenagers are worshipping celebrities, etc. But it's not all bad.

Media educates, stirs discussion, and raises awareness.

One example is the book Under the Overpass. This book was a requirement for the freshmen, and it was thoroughly discussed in our College Experience class. There was also a chapel service where the author, Mike Yankoski, came to speak. Some background on the book: Mike and his buddy Sam lived on the streets for six months to understand what being homeless meant to its entirety. I read the book, and afterward my perception of homelessness was really changed. I had more compassion, for sure, and I wanted to do something to help.

A friend of mine is going to school up in Wisconsin. One night her and some friends were running around town, and afterwards she put up pictures of the night. They went rock climbing and out to eat, but before going back to the campus they walked around downtown. One of the pictures was of one of the guy's lying next to a homeless man who was rolled up in a sleeping bag on a stoop. The caption read something like, "random homeless man." And there were comments after it saying the homeless guy just pulled his sleeping bag up over his head and that it was so funny.

Before reading Mike Yankoski's book my first reaction would have been, "That so dangerous!" But my outlook completely changed, I really felt bad for the guy. He was just trying to lie down somewhere that he would be out of the way, and then a group of college kids come and make fun of him.



Media can be a good thing.

Life Gave Me Lemonade

I can honestly say enjoyed writing the Media Analysis paper. It was very cool to listen to song on a deeper level. The other day I was listening to some music on my computer and Chris Rice's "Lemonade" started playing, and it made me think. This would have been another good song to analyze, so that's what I'm going to do, just on a smaller scale.


So go ahead and ask her
For happy ever after
‘Cause nobody knows what’s coming
So why not take a chance on loving?
Come on and pour the glass and tempt me
Either half full or half empty, yeah
Cause if it all comes to down to flavor
The glass is tipping in my favor

[chorus]
Life gave me lemonade and I can’t imagine why
Born on a sunny day beneath the tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I’m a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade,
Thanks for the lemonade

This song is a completely happy-go-lucky song that never fails to raise my spirits. It moves at a cheerful pace, and you can't help but smile while listening to it. I'm pretty sure that the first verse is encouraging this guy to ask his girlfriend to marry him. I just love the fact that this song says, "life gave me lemonade." The normal expression is, "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade," but this guy has already been handed the finished product. He was blessed, but he doesn't know why. Later in the song he says, "..while God above stirs with a spoon." He acknowledges God, and knows it's him who is in control of handing out these blessings. But he's just going to keep living every day to the fullest and appreciate the time he's been given.

Oh, look.. I found a video with Chris Rice performing this song, and he just happened to talk a little about the song before he started singing. I was so right. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2-rKgGnx34

Twilight-- another semiotic domain

Twilight is a huge deal. There are a ton of girls of all ages that love everything about it. It's adventurous and romantic, however, I wouldn't know for sure because I've never read the books or seen the movie.

I wanted to take a look at semiotic domain that's outside of my own. Because Twilight is such a popular series, and I know at one time or another I'm going to get sucked into reading it, I thought it would be interesting to look into the dynamics of the novel. All I knew before hand was that there was a human girl in love with a vampire, and that was pretty much it.

I've talked to a girl my sister's age on up to a 50-something year-old lady I work with and they all absolutely love the series. It's the romance between Bella and Edward that brings them in, but then it is the drama between the good guys and the bad guys that keeps their interest. From everyone I've talked to, the books in the series are way better than the movie, although, that's how it always is, it seems. Stephanie Meyer, the author of the book, paints such a beautiful relationship between the human girl and the vampire that the biggest complaint for the film was that the main characters did not have enough chemistry. Meyer's writing fulfilled desires and fantasies of the readers, and that gave the series its appeal. It's a story that combines suspense, desire, love and friendship, which causes young adults and adults to be sucked into Edward's and Bella's world and beg for more.

Visual Semiotic Analysis of Prince Family Paper

The shots in The Office always vary, however most of the time it is filmed with a closed frame. Since this is in fact a documentary, there are many times where there is an interviewee seated in front of the office window, creating a lot of medium shots. Whenever there is a lot of activity in the office the camera zooms out to a wide shot so everything can be seen, but then there is usually something important going on in the background that the cameraman zooms in on. Generally it would be a close-up of Jim’s facial expression.

This show is supposed to be humorous, and even the filming reflects that. It’s supposed to be shot in a way that makes it appear real life. The camera will follow always the most important subject and show their every move, not leaving anything to our own interpretation. For example, in the episode Prince Family Paper, right at the end of the episode, Michael walks in with Dwight past a picture of Hilary Swank. He says, “Who’s that? She’s hot,” and walks off camera into his office. The camera zooms in on Jim and Pam. The whole office was debating on if Hilary Swank was hot or not, and they had been split right down the middle until Michael tipped the scale. Not following Michael into his office, but rather having a close-up of the triumphant faces of Jim and Pam made the end of the show funnier.

We still would have laughed at the fact Michael was the tie-breaker, but with the camera panning so we could see Pam rubbing it in the other’s faces was way more entertaining.

“Dare to touch one.”

A little while ago Verizon came out with the LG Dare, a phone with multiple capabilities and a pretty cool touch screen. The magazine ad for it pictured a deadly black snake coiled around the phone with a caption that read, “Dare to touch one.” The phone itself is not dangerous, and you don’t have to be fearless to operate one. However, its new features are so bold that it’s like you would have to be dared in order to get one. Most people won’t go up to a venomous snake and touch it unless they’re dared. And even then, they really shouldn’t. But that’s the idea.
Snakes, especially dark colored ones, carry some heavy denotative meanings. The overall consensus is that a poisonous snake means danger. Snakes can pose as a threat, but only when they feel threatened.

Some people are deathly afraid of snakes, whether poisonous or not. To them snakes are scary, evil, harmful creatures that should not be messed with. Others like snakes, and are intrigued by them. They find them interesting and want to have them as pets, so they will learn more about them. These are two different examples of different connotative meanings that can be assigned to snakes, as well as this Ad.

No matter how the snake impacts you, it impacts you. You will either be freaked out or completely intrigued by the look of this Ad. Either way, it will draw your attention, and that is exactly what Verizon was going for.