Second, students should know that this time of year (late fall) is traditionally when films, hoping to get noticed by film voters, tend to be released.
\nSo “Fences,” with its two huge, well-known actors, is one of those films.<\/p>\n
The New York Times ad<\/strong><\/span> (click on the ad to open a larger version) We might ask: what did you notice first? \u00a0One thing that you\u00a0will notice is that it is huge: it covers two full vertical pages (each section is 12 inches wide X 22 inches tall). \u00a0The other thing you might notice is that the majority of the ad is in black-and-white, except that there is a hint of color in both the actor’s names (on the left) and in the slogan (In Theatres Christmas Day) on the right.<\/p>\n Why would a movie, coming out Christmas Day, be advertised now, in early November? \u00a0What is the movie studio hoping to do?<\/p>\n The left side of the ad lists only two actors’ names at the top and images of them, in character, at the bottom. Their first names are in very large font. Why do you think that is? \u00a0Notice the expressions on their faces and what they’re wearing. What might the smiles and the tilted heads mean? What is in the background on both sides? Is it a fence? The\u00a0right side of the ad provides the name of the film (in large font) as well as other film poster type credits. So this ad in fact resembles the official poster for the film and has the requisite listings of those responsible for making the movie. It also carries the film’s rating as well as the studio(s) responsible for releasing and\/or distributing the film and even a URL\u00a0where interested persons can go to learn more about the movie.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Variety ad<\/span> \u00a0<\/strong>(click on the ad to open a larger version) This two page color ad has a large headline running across the top of the page: For Your Consideration in All Categories. Most students will probably not understand this reference. \u00a0But understanding this phrase, and the categories listed below it, are central to understanding who (audience) this ad is trying to reach. \u00a0“For Your Consideration” is a phrase used in promotional\/marketing ads, during the Fall, to get Academy (Oscar) voters and other crafts members, to consider voting for this particular film. \u00a0The categories listed (acting, screenplay, production\u00a0design, editing, etc.) are those that Academy members, who are eligible, can consider when voting for this film. \u00a0Listed under each category are\u00a0the people\u00a0whose name(s) will appear in the ballot when members vote, so they know who they are honoring.<\/p>\n The image in the ad appears to a “publicity still” from a scene in the film. It shows five total characters, two of whom many of us may already recognize from their previous work or from The New York Times ad above. \u00a0The upper right hand corner displays the film’s title in large font with information below which says it is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Wilson. The bottom right hand corner has information relevant\u00a0to voting members: it directs them to a special website where they can find information about screening the film and other important information that might be helpful for voting purposes.<\/p>\n Considering the image: we might first look at and question the time period, as well as the setting. \u00a0Considering the action portrayed here: there may be some type of conflict as Denzel Washington (with his hands in his pocket) appears to be in some type of serious discussion with the character dressed as a football player. Viola Davis, wearing the apron, and standing some distance from these two, may also be expressing some concern–with her hands in front and a\u00a0concerned facial expression. Can we guess what the relationship might be between Washington\/Davis? \u00a0Two other characters (far left and far right) appear on the fringes of the ad and both appear to be listening, if not engaged. The man on the far right is holding what appears to be a martini glass, while the man on the left holds a hat. ART: Challenge students to use publicity stills from the film to re-create the\u00a0ad. \u00a0Some ads could be full page, others could be half page or 1\/4 of a page.<\/p>\n This analysis might be considered by any educator who wishes to engage students in close-reading, visual literacy, popular culture, advertising, and more.<\/p>\n Resources: Those who study and teach about advertising know that you must…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36410,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18698\/revisions\/36410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![\"1106161418\"](\"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/1106161418-300x260.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"fences-2\"](\"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/fences-2-300x201.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nExtension activities<\/strong>
\nMATH: \u00a0Have students research the cost of full page ads in both publications as well as the total number of readers each publication reaches.
\nIs the placement of this ad, at this cost, effective?<\/p>\n
\nLearn more about “For Your Consideration” ads here<\/a>.
\nFrank Baker’s Advertising Resources
\n<\/a>Go to\u00a0Frank’s Media Literacy Clearinghouse <\/a>website
\nContact Frank Baker: \u00a0fbaker1346@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"