Running head: VISUAL MEDIA EXPLORATION THROUGH FOOD
Visual Media Exploration through Food Advertisements:
Taking a Bite Out of a Peanut Butter and Culture-Jam Sandwich
Ginger K. Henson
University of South Carolina
Fall 2013
VISUAL MEDIA EXPLORATION THROUGH FOOD
Introduction
As art educators we can find all kinds of creative opportunities to critically engage our students and more meaningful ways to help them explore the ever changing world around them. It is necessary that we create pedagogy that connects our students to the visual media that they are currently consuming and help them deconstruct it in ways that will serve them for years to come. There is no denying our entrance into a time where advertising and marketing is everywhere and the need for students to understand the power that these messages have over their purchasing choices, politics and stereotypes. As educators we do not want to take the enjoyment that they receive from popular visual culture but we want to help them to be more pro-active in their participation with visual media. Art educators can be guides to facilitate students to come up with their own critical questions about images that they are bombarded by every day and look at what messages are being portrayed.
I believe that a great topic within the world of visual media and advertising is food. Most people enjoy food; we can’t live without it; some families have an abundance of it and others find it scarce. All people know about food and experience in different capacities. Marketers know about the necessity of food and use their advertisements to manipulate consumers to buy their product. Many ads are aimed at parents and their desire to give their kids the healthiest food possible but the majority of food ads are aimed at children. “Experts estimate that two to fourteen year olds have sway over $500 billion a year in house hold purchasing” (Calvert 2008, pg. 207). This could be the reason why advertisers and marketers prey so heavily on children. With this knowledge it is our duty as art educators to help students take a closer look at advertising and give them art activities that engage them in ways that make them active participators in the media they consume rather than passive consumers. “Before they reach the age of eight, children believe that the purpose of commercials is to help them in their purchasing decisions; they are unaware that commercials are designed to persuade them to buy specific products” (Calvert 2008, pg. 214). By exploring food advertisements we can not only help young students to see that ads are not meant to help them but persuade them in ways they may not have known.
Culture Jamming and Subvertising
It is our duty to ensure that students find more critical ways to participate with media. An excellent way to approach this is through culture jamming and subvertising practices. The Urban Dictionary describes culture jamming as “the act of using existing media such as billboards, bus-ads, posters and other ads to comment on the very media themselves or on society in general, using the original medium’s communication methods.” It has roots in movements such as the anti- Marxist situationist international and the German spass guerilla. Forms of culture jamming are adbusting, subvertising, performance art, graffiti art and cybersquatting. These are all interesting and exciting ways to get students to begin deconstructing ads and taking a more pro-active approach to their media consumption, often culture jamming “draws attention to the unethical labor and marketing practices of the seller and, in the case of products like cigarettes and liquor, to highlight the true health risks to the consumer” (Darts 2004, pg.321). Culture jamming can be an exciting way to ignite participation from students because they will see it as a rebellious and fun way to create art while deconstructing ads in meaningful ways.
Contemporary artists such as Banksy, Ron English and Shepherd Fairey lead the way in the culture jam movement and are exemplar artists for students to explore when looking at advertisements and the truths that lie just beneath the surface. Banksy is an international phenomenon with his graffiti art that spans the globe and issues messages of peace and anti-consumerism. Ron English is an excellent example of an artist who uses subvertising to get his messages across, using McDonald’s ads to expose
truths that a passive viewer would never see or changing cereal boxes to get the consumer to question what really is inside the box. Finally Shepherd Fairey with his OBEY billboard campaign to get consumers to question their passive behavior when it comes to consumerism and the social order. Each of these artists are not only political activists but wonderful examples of the culture jam movement and its power it has to change the world. Darts (2004) says:
“By encouraging students to interpret, evaluate, and ‘rewrite’ the shared symbols and meanings of their everyday visual experiences, visual arts educators can begin to move young people beyond modes of passive spectatorship and towards more active and expressive forms of communication with and in the world around them”(Darts 2004,pg.325).
As educators it should not just be our goal to engage critical thinking but to help raise humans who are active participants in the world they live in, who are civic minded and feel it is their duty to make change in their world whether through art or other avenues. This can be accomplished through pedagogy that engages visual culture through the lenses of culture jamming and subvertising.
Conclusion
Food is an excellent topic within advertising when engaging young minds of the elementary level. Most children will be familiar with the food ads that they are blasted with every day on television and the internet. Food ads are a little easier to deconstruct at the elementary level; looking at the target audience, deconstructing meaning and finding underlying truths. “It was observed that cereal packaging contains a wide variety of features likely to enhance impulsivity of children to choose a particular product at the point-of –sale (e.g. children’s characters, appears ready to eat, games and other fun activities)” (Page, Montgomery, Ponder, Richard 2008, pg.272).
Students today have been exposed and been participating in visual media since the age of two years old but they are not fully able to grasp the ramifications of advertising until after the age of eight. “All these marketing strategies, says Calvert, make children younger than eight especially vulnerable because they lack the cognitive skills to understand the persuasive intent of television and online advertisements” (Calvert 2008, page 205). Students need to be given the opportunity to understand that which they are exposed to every day. The art classroom is the perfect place to begin opening their minds and engage in critical thought. “Marketing practices such as repetition, branded environments, and free prizes are effective in attracting children’s attention, making products stay in their memory, and influencing their purchasing choices” (Calvert 2008, pg.224). By activating young minds via culture jamming and subvertising at a young age we can get them to look at advertisements with curious minds and allow them to parody that which they find out of place or wrong with the media they consume. Rather than being an educator who preaches one’s own beliefs on the subject, the teacher can become the facilitator of students and their own unique ways of engaging and digesting media. “Media literacy has potential in helping children and parents better understand the persuasive influences of product packaging used by food companies” (Page, Montgomery, Ponder, Richard 2008, pg.281).
YouTube is an excellent resource for art educators to find examples of culture jamming through parody that will be meaningful to their students. Children participate with media more freely and on their own these days. We the educators are most likely further behind then our student populations when it comes to creating our own personal videos, websites, etc. By introducing students to their peers creating parody via YouTube can help them to begin thinking differently about the media they consume and the
media they make. “Imitation needs to be viewed as both involvement in pleasures as well as the deconstruction of its meaning to assist students in “teasing out” the pleasures and reflecting on what they learned from the experience” (Buckingham 1998; Buckingham & Sefton-Green, 1994). It is amazing to see the level of knowledge young children have in regards to marketing and advertising which can be seen in online, home media making videos. “By participating in subvertising and culture jamming, students understand the power and influence of media and the ways in which corporations play a key role in shaping our society”(Chung & Kirby 2009). Creating engaging ways to look at media will help students become more savvy consumers and also help them to look at our world through a more critical eye in the future. By creating curriculum that delves into the world of advertising that is aimed at youth, we advocate for the future of our students. Taking hands off approach would not benefit the lives of our students but be a disservice. “It is essential when choosing popular culture texts to use in the classroom, the choices are based on the students’ own experiences and identities so that learning does not become another curricular experience” (Buckingham, 1993b; C.Luke, 1994).
Resources:
Alvermann, D.E., Moon, J.S., & Hagood, M.C. (1999). Popular Culture in the classroom: Teaching and researching critical media literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. (pp.22-40)
Darts, D. (2004). Visual Culture Jam: Art, Pedagogy, and Creative Resistance. Studies in Art Education 45(4), 313-327
Calvert, Sandra L. (2008). Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing, Future of Children, v18 n1 p205-234
Chung, S.K., & Kirby, M. (2009). Logos, Culture Jamming, and Activism. Art Education, 62(1), 34-39
Evans, W. Douglas ( 2008). Social Marketing Campaigns and Children’s Media Use ,Future of Children, v18 n1 p181-203
Levin, Diane (2010). Remote Control Childhood: Combating the Hazards of Media Culture in Schools, New Horizons in Education, v58 n3 p14-25
Page, R.; Montgomery, K.; Ponder, A.; Richard, A. (2008). Targeting Children in the Cereal Aisle: Promotional Techniques and Content Features on Ready-to-Eat Cereal Product Packaging, American Journal of Health Education, v39 n5 p272-282
Curriculum Unit Theme: Food Advertising: Let’s Enjoy a Bite Out of a Peanut Butter and Culture-Jam Sandwich.
Teacher: Ms. Ginger Henson
Grade Level: 4th Grade
State Visual Art Goals:
VA4-1.2 Describe how different materials, techniques, and processes evoke different responses in making and in viewing artworks.
VA4-1.3 Select and use the most effective media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.
VA4-1.4 Select the techniques and processes to best fit the ideas, experiences, and stories they seek to communicate.
VA4-2.1 Recognize and explain the differences among visual characteristics of structures including the elements of art and principles of design as well as other visual and tactile qualities.
VA4-3.2 Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning, selecting content from a variety of categories to best suit their needs.
VA4-3.3 Recognize and discuss choices artists make in the content of their work to communicate their ideas and meaning, and that as artists, students’ ideas are communicated by their own selection of content, subject matter, and symbols that convey their ideas and meaning that meet their intentions to communicate with others.
VA4-3.4 Evaluate how choices of subject matter, symbols, and ideas function to communicate meaning in their artwork and in the work of others.
VA4-4.3 Discuss and write about how history, culture, technology, and the visual arts can influence each other in making and studying artworks.
VA4-4.4 Begin to look for clues in artworks to match their origin, time of production, and tools or technologies used in their making
VA4-5.4 Discuss and write about the qualities of an artwork with their classmates and recognize that there are different responses and opinions about specific artworks.
VA4-5.5 Make distinctions between their personal preferences, objective analysis, and judgments of artworks in response to artworks created by professional and student artists.
VA4-6.2 Discuss the similarities and differences in the skills and abilities required for success in the visual arts and other arts disciplines.
State Media Arts Goals:
MA4-1.2 Use a variety of media technologies, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas.
MA4-1.4 Utilize information literacy skills to make informed decisions about his or her use of digital tools and resources.
MA4-1.5 Develop self-led and peer-led instruction and assessment skills in the creation of media artwork.
MA4-2.3 Describe processes used in the creation of media artwork and identify the products that are the result of those processes.
MA4-3.1 Describe the purpose and identify the intended audience for a variety of media texts.
MA4-3.2 Draw inferences and construct meaning by identifying overt and implied messages in media texts.
MA4-3.3 Express opinions about ideas, issues, and/or experiences presented in media texts.
MA4-3.4 Explain why different audiences might respond differently to specific media texts.
MA4-3.5 Identify creative techniques used in a variety of media texts (for example, television, film, radio, Internet).
MA4-5.2 View and discuss media artwork that portrays the people and cultures of the United States.
State Language Arts Goals (if any):
ELA4-5.2 Create narratives containing details and a sequence of events that develop a plot.
ELA4-5.4 Create written pieces (for example, skits and plays) to entertain others.
ELA4-6.2 Use print sources (for example, books, magazines, charts, graphs, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases,
thesauri, newspapers, and almanacs) and nonprint sources to access information.
ELA4-6.8 Select appropriate graphics, in print or electronic form, to support written works and oral and visual presentations.
General goals for the curriculum (describe in 2-5 sentences):
The students will learn how to look at food advertisements more critically; who the ads target audience is; effective/ineffective techniques (sound, sight; emotions evoked); what messages are being sent, are they mixed messages; and what is the advertiser’s intent. Through deconstruction of images students will take a more critical look at how advertisements use political agendas including racial and gender biases. The students will also explore parody and how it is used to make fun of and/or expose advertisements for their untruthfulness. Finally the students will gain skills in production; creating scripts for their own television food advertisement parodies; assemble their own culture jam print ad and make a promotional product t-shirt with a catchy subverted logo to brand their individual print ads.
Lesson
Title
Visual Exemplars
Motivation / Dialogue
Media / Process
Concepts and/or Design Principles
Closure/Assessment
Lesson 1:
Introduction to Advertising Unit
1 class period
45 minutes
McDonalds Happy Meal Toy Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el-4Q_cMAOY
Kellogg’s Cereal Ad Appeals to health conscious parents, cereal celebrity for kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTkfZMsCyHY
**Hand-out
-Who are advertisers and marketers? What is their job?
-Who is the targeted audience in each of these ads? How do we know this? Is this a diverse audience? Why or why not?
-What are techniques that make this ad effective? (Lighting, color, composition, rhythm, repetition, focal point, dominance, subordination, etc.)
-What is this commercial selling?
-What senses do these ads appeal to? Sight, sound, taste smell, emotion.
– What about this ad makes you want to buy the product? Or not buy the product?
-What about this ad makes you want to eat this product?
-Has anyone eaten this product? Did it fulfill all of your expectations? What were your expectations? What was the reality?
Are these products healthy for you? Why or why not? Does the advertiser care about marketing this message?
1. In peer groups of 4-5. The students will brainstorm different popular culture advertisements that they are exposed to in their daily lives and choose one they all are interested in.
2. The student groups will **answer questions about their chosen ad in a questionnaire handed out by the teacher.
3. The students will create a visual script of their ad by drawing frames with the main things that stick out to them from their chosen ad.
-The students will gain critical insight into the meaning and making of advertisements.
-The students will gain media literacy of advertisements.
-Advertisers & marketers, target audience, appeal to senses & emotion
-Students will explore elements and principles of design within the realm of T.V Advertisements and Print Ads
-Filming Techniques (lighting, color, composition, rhythm, repetition, focal point, dominance, subordination, Still camera, panning shot, etc.)
Completed handout and drawings will show whether students have grasped an understanding of advertising concepts and design principles.
Lesson 2:
PARODY T.V AD
Intro & Scripts
1 class period
45 minutes
McDonalds Parody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyEK7nJK0cs
Smartees Puffs Cereal Ad Parody- Absolutely Hilarious- Should have gone viral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uslolPqUip4
**Hand-out
-What is parody?
-What kinds of messages are being given in these commercials?
-Is the audience the same as last week?
-Why are people making these videos that poke fun? What do you think their reasons are?
-Last week we discussed the way products are portrayed and how it is not always the reality. We also discussed underlying truths that are not always given in ads. Do you think these video makers have that in mind when they made their video?
-What makes these video parodies funny?
-What elements are effective, what are not?
-What have you learned from these parody ads? Any truths or realities about products? That regular advertisers do not include? Why would regular advertisers not want to include these messages?
1. Students in their groups will create a script for their food related parody advertisement.
2. Students will include dialogue, music, props and type of set that will be needed to create their parody commercial. (A handout will be given as an example of what a script looks like.)
3. Students will assign jobs to each person in the group. (Actor, director, set-crew, lighting, make-up, etc.) For their production.
4. Students will include in their scripts what product they are going to parody, who their target audience is and how their script is a parody on a regular pop culture food product.
5. Students can use an actual popular product or create their own like the
YouTube examples shown.
-Students will gain skills in production by being the creator of their own commercials.
-Students will explore concepts of production and consumption through advertisement making.
-Students will look critically at the underlying agendas of advertisers through parody video consumption.
-Students will explore untold truths of the advertising world through consuming parody ads and producing their own parody.
-Students will learn to create scripts in order to portray clear messages through their parody ads.
-Students will gain skills in design through set-creation and use of props.
-ELA skills will be used for writing scripts.
Student scripts will be a measure of understanding.
Teacher will read over scripts and see whether students have grasped key concepts of advertisement creation and parody.
Lesson 3:
PARODY T.V AD
Production
2 class periods
45 minutes each
Smartees Puffs Cereal Ad re-cap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uslolPqUip4
**Hand-out
Critical questions during production:
-Does my advertisement have a clear statement of the product which is being sold or made fun of?
-Is my advertisement effective? Do we get our points across clearly to the audience? Is the product placement obvious and make sense with the dialogue? Does our ad have a clear beginning and ending?
-Have we thought critically about the amusing aspects of actual commercials and the underlying truths that are not always stated? Can this be seen in our ad?
-Less is best. Does our ad have too much going on that makes it ineffective
1. The teacher will introduce use of flip cameras and IPhone videos for creation of parody commercials.
2. The students will create their sets and design any props that are needed for their commercial.
3. Students will begin video production. Filming. (Parody ads are to be no longer than 3 minutes in length).
-Students will gain skills in production by being the creator of their own commercials.
-Students will explore concepts of production and consumption through advertisement making.
-Students will look critically at the underlying agendas of advertisers through parody video production.
-Students will explore and expose untold truths of the advertising world through producing their own parody.
-Students will learn to direct, film, edit and produce their own commercial.
**the teacher will handout a critical questions survey for students to use while making their commercial to assess it upon completion.
Lesson 4:
PARODY T.V AD
Production Editing
2 class periods
45 minutes each
McDonalds Parody ad re-cap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyEK7nJK0cs
-Does anything need to be cut-out of our commercial to make it more effective?
-Do we need to add music or sound effects to get our point across more clearly?
-Do filters help make our commercial more visually interesting for the viewer?
-Can I use light filters to create more emphasis on the product that is the star of the commercial?
1. Teacher will introduce uploading movies to Windows Movie Maker.
2. Teacher will demonstrate editing their commercials for a final product.
3. Students will edit and finish parody commercials.
4. Students will present their commercials to the class and do any revisions that are needed.
5. Students will fill out their final assessment rubric and submit to the teacher.
-Students will gain skills in production by being the creator of their own commercials.
-Students will explore concepts of production and consumption through advertisement making.
-Students will look critically at the underlying agendas of advertisers through parody video production.
-Students will explore untold truths of the advertising world through producing their own parody.
-Students will discuss and critique art with their peers.
Self- Assessment Rubric
**Attached
Lesson 5:
Print AD
Culture-Jamming
2 class periods
45 minutes each
Artists-
Ron English Cereal Boxes
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/artist-ron-english-parodies-cereal-diabetes-causing-killers/story?id=14812137
Banksy- His visit to NY, Ronald McDonald Installation.
Shepherd Fairey-Obey
Google images/ Keywords-
Frosted Mini Wheat Print ads, culture jam cereal
McDonalds Print Ads, Culture Jam McDonalds
Culture Jam Print Ads
McDonalds-
Weight, I’m gaining it
http://convergentdivergent.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/548584_508789855815669_1417389212_n.jpg
Video
Great overview on culture-jamming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ep-hGYOQwo
-Who is the targeted audience in each of these ads? How do we know this?
-What are techniques used to create a subvertisements? Why are these artists culture jamming these mainstream ads?
-What does culture jamming tell you about the products that we buy?
-Do you think these subvertisements are effective in getting their messages across?
-What false messages are given in advertisements that could be used for culture jamming.
-How is culture jamming similar to parody? Is it the same thing?
1. The teacher will show a teachers example of how to culture jam or subvert an advertisement through collage & graffiti.
2. The students will create an ad subverting a popular food product of their choice.
3. Students will use Shepherd Fairey’s techniques of bold color and graphics to create a subverted ad. Along with collage techniques.
4. The students will begin by perusing magazine ads and creating a sketch of their ad.
5. The students will choose three colors-an analogous color scheme to paint their ad and use different shades of the color along with magazine clippings if they choose to add an element of collage.
-The students will explore subvertising by looking at print ads and their meaning more critically.
-Students will gain further insight to the mixed messages and untruths of advertising through creating their own culture jammed ads.
-Students will gain skills in the elements and principles of design through creating a strong visual composition with complimentary colors, shades and bold text choices.
Self-Assessment Rubric
**Attached
Lesson 6:
Culture Jam Branding
&
Product Promotion
2 class periods
45 minutes each
Excellent resource on branding, promotion and logo change mishaps.
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33356/Brand-Logos-The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Ugly.aspx
Culture Jam on brand logos
Google Images-Keywords: culture jam brands
Artist:
Banksy Graffiti art
Video:
How to make a graffiti stencil like Banksy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnLXRJ-R_hk
**Hand-out
-Why is it important for companies to establish a brand?
-How does branding affect the consumer?
-Do you think by marketing products in multiple ways helps products to sell more? Why?
-What is brand loyalty? How does a company gain a customer’s loyalty? Do all brands deserve this loyalty? Why or why not?
-How come people pay money to promote a brand logo? Do you think it is fair for consumers to pay a company for a product that helps advertise their product? Essentially free advertising plus making money off of it.
-Why do we identify with brands and want to purchase these products?
1. The students will design a logo brand that they could use for cross promotional product branding.
2. The students will research brands for their subverted brand logo.
3. The students will create a simple stencil that will then be used to spray paint or roll paint over to transfer the design on to a t-shirt.
-Cross promotional techniques.
-Branding, logo and brand recognition.
-Why brands stick with us; repetition, branding environments, and prizes.
-Marketing campaign
-Advertising and Design elements.
Students must write one paragraph about why they chose the brand they chose to subvert and how their design effectively portrays the meaning they wish to express. The student must express design principles that they used and whether they felt they executed this successfully or not.
Hand-outs & Assessment
Included in Curriculum & Lesson Plans
Lesson 1- Introduction to Advertising Unit- Hand-out
-Who are advertisers and marketers? What is their job?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What are techniques that make this ad effective? (Lighting, color, composition, rhythm, repetition, focal point, dominance, subordination, etc.)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What is this commercial selling?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What senses do these ads appeal to? Sight, sound, taste smell, emotion.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
– What about this ad makes you want to buy the product? Or not buy the product?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What about this ad makes you want to eat this product?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Has anyone eaten this product? Did it fulfill all of your expectations? What were your expectations? What was the reality?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are these products healthy for you? Why or why not? Does the advertiser care about marketing this message?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 2- PARODY T.V AD Intro & Scripts- Hand-out
-What is parody?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What kinds of messages are being given in these commercials?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Is the audience the same as last week? Explain__________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Why are people making these videos that poke fun? What do you think their reasons are?________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Last week we discussed the way products are portrayed and how it is not always the reality. We also discussed underlying truths that are not always given in ads. Do you think these video makers have that in mind when they made their video?_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What makes these video parodies funny? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What elements are effective, what are not?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What have you learned from these parody ads? Any truths or realities about products? That regular advertisers do not include? Why would regular advertisers not want to include these messages?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 3: PARODY T.V AD-Production- Hand-out
Critical questions during production:
-Does my advertisement have a clear statement of the product which is being sold or made fun of?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Is my advertisement effective? Do we get our points across clearly to the audience? Is the product placement obvious and make sense with the dialogue? Does our ad have a clear beginning and ending?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Have we thought critically about the amusing aspects of actual commercials and the underlying truths that are not always stated? Can this be seen in our ad?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Less is best. Does our ad have too much going on that makes it ineffective
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 6: Culture Jam Branding & Product Promotion- Hand-out
-Why is it important for companies to establish a brand?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-How does branding affect the consumer?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Do you think by marketing products in multiple ways helps products to sell more? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-What is brand loyalty? How does a company gain a customer’s loyalty? Do all brands deserve this loyalty? Why or why not?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-How come people pay money to promote a brand logo? Do you think it is fair for consumers to pay a company for a product that helps advertise their product? Essentially free advertising plus making money off of it.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-Why do we identify with brands and want to purchase these products?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 2: Script Example Hand-out
Lead by Example
Scene 1:
Film Begins with Television Show Poster of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Man” Starring Michelangelo as Mutant Ninja Man.
Hollywood “take 10” Scene Marker flashes on screen
Black Screen Says: “Action”
Show clip of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Man” : Star of show Michelangelo rides in on his motorcycle, then proceeds into the jungle to fight the enemy. He gets off his motorcycle and heads towards a man with a gun. There is shooting. M gets close up on the enemy and brutally shoots him to death.
(Sound for this clip should be motorcycle, jungle noises, guns firing, man dying in pain)
Green Screen Says: “The End”
Scene 2:
Background Music (“if you can’t say love” by Visionaries plays in the background)
Black Screen Says: After a long day at the television studios. Michelangelo goes home & becomes deeply distressed and devastated by the violence he sees going on in the world around him.
Show clip of M arriving home, picking up his remote for the TV, turning on the TV, turning on the lamp, put down remote and head to the couch to watch television.
News clips of the Batman Shooting and Sandy Hook elementary come on the TV. (Some shots close up to show the pain and suffering on the people’s faces and bodies full of emotion.) He shows great grief through his actions. Up and down from the couch, fetal position, hands to his heart, arms up in outrage, on his knees in grief.
Scene 3:
Black Screen Says: Michelangelo starts to wonder about his career and what kind of message his show is sending to young people.
M stands before a red backdrop that slowly fills in a thinking bubble which says “Am I a part of the problem?” He changes his pose throughout to show his remorse. Head turns down, Hands to his heart.
Show pictures of kids with guns. Repeat them so they stay on the screen to drive point home.
Scene 4:
Black Screen Says: Michelangelo leaves TV violence behind and decides to find himself.
(Change of clothing for Michelangelo, now attired in a white toga)
Michelangelo does yoga and meditation: Scene with him doing yoga poses & Meditation in a very spiritual place with pond, Buddha etc.
Michelangelo enjoys art; he visits The Pieta (Virgin Mary with her dead son – by The Michelangelo a symbol of the ultimate loss as a result of violence).
M advocates against violence. He works with No Stereotypes an Anti-Violence Campaign
Black Screen says: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”― Gandhi
Self-Assessment Rubric- Lessons 4 4th Grade Art
Project: Parody Commercial
Artwork- Student will submit a completed parody commercial for class viewing that demonstrates proper use of flip-camera/i-phone video production and editing with Windows Movie Viewer.(10 Points)
Composition: Student must create a video that is a successful parody representation of their chosen food product commercial. Must show understanding of Elements of Design such as balance, emphasis, unity, contrast and Elements of Art such as line, shape, color, texture, value, space and lighting. (20 Points)
Concept/Content: Student will show grasp of meaning in their artwork. Their art will demonstrate parody of commercials in a reflective manner, whether abstract or representational. (20 Points)
Craftsmanship: Student will show understanding camera & editing techniques. Commercial is well thought through and complete. Props and set are well crafted and show great effort in construction. (10 Points)
Originality: Student ideas are independent, unique, and innovative. Artwork shows critical thinking. Parody commercial reflects originality through obvious thought and research.
(10 Points)
Artist’s Statement: A short paragraph will be submitted with describing your parody commercial. Why you chose your subject matter? Was it effective? Was their a positive reaction from your viewing audience? Describe your process from start to finish (research, sketches, ideas).
(20 Points)
Evidence of research and exploration: Student will show the thought and study they put into their work via sketches, journaled ideas and note taking on research conducted on-line or library.
(10 Points)
Self-Assessment Rubric- Lessons 5 4th Grade Art
Project: Print Ad Collage
Artwork- Student will submit a completed collage that demonstrates proper use of gluing techniques, magazine cut-out, and assemblage of artwork components.
(10 Points)
Composition: Student must create a collage that is a successful representation of a product that has been culture jammed. Must show understanding of Elements of Design such as balance, emphasis, unity, contrast and Elements of Art such as line, shape, color, texture, value, space. (20 Points)
Concept/Content: Student will show grasp of meaning in their artwork. Their art will demonstrate understanding of culture jam/subvertisement in a reflective manner, whether abstract or representational.
(20 Points)
Craftsmanship: Student will show understanding collage & painting techniques. Collage & painting is well thought through, neat, clean and complete. Attached magazine clippings, printouts, fabric, texture etc., are applied with care. Art shows proper use of scissors and glue.
(10 Points)
Originality: Student ideas are independent, unique, and innovative. Artwork shows critical thinking. Collage addresses underlying meaning and exposure of products flaws via subversion.
(10 Points)
Artist’s Statement: A short paragraph will be submitted with describing your collage composition. Why you chose your subject matter? How it relates to the lesson and how you decided to execute your message through collage. Describe your process from start to finish (research, sketches, ideas).
(20 Points)
Evidence of research and exploration: Student will show the thought and study they put into their work via sketches, journaled ideas and note taking on research conducted on-line or library.
(10 Points)
Lesson: #2
Title: Parody Television Ads and Script Writing
Grade: 4th Grade
Teacher: Ms. Ginger Henson
Length: 1 Class Period 45 minutes
State visual art goals:
VA4-1.2 Describe how different materials, techniques, and processes evoke different responses in making and in viewing artworks.
VA4-1.3 Select and use the most effective media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.
VA4-1.4 Select the techniques and processes to best fit the ideas, experiences, and stories they seek to communicate.
VA4-3.2 Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning, selecting content from a variety of categories to best suit their needs.
State media arts goals:
MA4-1.4 Utilize information literacy skills to make informed decisions about his or her use of digital tools and resources.
MA4-1.5 Develop self-led and peer-led instruction and assessment skills in the creation of media artwork.
MA4-2.3 Describe processes used in the creation of media artwork and identify the products that are the result of those processes.
MA4-3.1 Describe the purpose and identify the intended audience for a variety of media texts.
MA4-3.2 Draw inferences and construct meaning by identifying overt and implied messages in media texts.
MA4-3.3 Express opinions about ideas, issues, and/or experiences presented in media texts.
MA4-3.4 Explain why different audiences might respond differently to specific media texts.
MA4-3.5 Identify creative techniques used in a variety of media texts (for example, television, film, radio, Internet).
MA4-5.2 View and discuss media artwork that portrays the people and cultures of the United States.
State language arts goals:
ELA4-5.2 Create narratives containing details and a sequence of events that develop a plot.
ELA4-5.4 Create written pieces (for example, skits and plays) to entertain others.
ELA4-6.2 Use print sources (for example, books, magazines, charts, graphs, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, thesauri, newspapers, and almanacs) and nonprint sources to access information.
ELA4-6.8 Select appropriate graphics, in print or electronic form, to support written works and oral and visual presentations.
Objectives:
In this lesson students will be introduced to parody ad examples from YouTube and gain deeper insights to what it means to deconstruct or subvertise the hidden messages of visual media. Students will look critically at parody ads and the reasons that producers of these ads choose to make fun of or bring certain topics to light via parody. The students will also look critically the production process and the key elements it takes in order to create a successful video. Students will then create their own video scripts in peer groups of 4-5; constructing dialogue, music, scenery, props, and lighting. The students will choose an already existing commercial advertisement to make their own parody ad from. Students will gain skills in critiquing and deconstructing visual media in order to accomplish the first step in producing their own parody videos; creating a detailed script.
Concepts and vocabulary:
Parody- The act of imitating for play or ridicule
Deconstruct- To take apart or examine
Critique- Detailed analysis or evaluation of something
Production- The process of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials.
Script- The written texts of a movie play or broadcast
Subvertising- is the process of spoofing or parodying corporate and political advertisements.
Props- Articles and objects used on the set of a movie or play
Movie Set- Full scale scenery meant to be filmed as a backdrop during a commercial, movie or play.
Film Crew- A group of people who come together in the creation of a film, play or commercial production.
Cast- A group of actors that play parts in an actual production. Dialogue- A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.
Background music- Music intended to create a certain mood in a commercial, movie or play. It is often much quieter than the dialogue. Sound Effects- a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, movie, or other broadcast production. Lighting- is the use of various light sources, both artificial and natural, to achieve some aesthetic or practical effect while illuminating a scene; often used to create a mood.
Hidden Messages- A hidden message is information that is not immediately noticeable, and that must be discovered or uncovered and interpreted before it can be known.
Target Audience- A specific group of people that a product and/or campaign is aimed at.
Teacher materials:
Student Hand-out Questionnaire
Student Hand-out Script Example
YouTube Video Examples:
McDonalds Parody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyEK7nJK0cs
Smartees Puffs Cereal Ad Parody- Absolutely Hilarious- Should have gone viral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uslolPqUip4
Student materials:
Pens
Paper
Internet
Open Minds
Sense of Humor
Procedures:
1. The teacher will introduce parody commercials via 2 different YouTube youth creations.
2. The teacher and students will discuss in depth parody and its purposes with teacher hand-out.
3. The teacher will discuss scripts and give a script example hand-out.
4. The students in their groups will create a script for their food related parody advertisement.
5. The students will include dialogue, music, props and type of set that will be needed to create their parody commercial. (A handout will be given as an example of what a script looks like.)
6. The students will be asked to assign assign jobs to each person in the group, (Actor, director, set-crew, lighting, make-up, etc.) for their production.
7. The students will be asked to include in their scripts what product they are going to parody, who their target audience is and how their script is a parody on a regular pop culture food product.
8. Students will be asked to use an actual popular product or create their own like the
YouTube examples shown in class.
Assessment/Closure:
The teacher will collect the scripts to read over and look for any revisions that may be needed before the next lesson, which will be in production. The teacher will assess whether students are on target via their scripts and their grasp of parody. Students will be asked to bring in any props they may have at home that are included in their scripts. The teacher will tell students they will begin production next week along with set design and any prop making that needs to be done.
