Tutorial 3: Analyzing an advertisement
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Tutorial 3 :Analyzing an advertisement
What to look at when analyzing an advertisement:
Subject
Facial expressions, body language,
relationships
Setting
Time and place
Composition and layout
centre, foreground or background: how
does the composition create meaning?
Colour, shading, black
and white
What is the effect of this?
Actions
Is something happening in the picture or is it static?
What can be seen and what is inferred?
Images and symbols
What do they represent/infer?
Salient or focal point
How is the viewer’s eye intended to move across the
visual? What is the significance of this?
Vectors
They often draw attention to the focal point of the
picture. Take note if they connect objects or people in
the picture to each other.
Angle
At what angle is the picture taken and what is the
significance?
Camera shot
Is the picture a close-up, long-shot or medium shot?
Perspective
Where are you in relation to the picture? Are you
looking directly at the image, down at or up at it?
What is the effect?
Theme or message What is being conveyed by the visual?
Put your thinking cap on!
Let's look at an advert.
What do you see?
Identify the
elements that
have been used to
compose this
image.
What is
happening in this
situation?
What do
each of
these
elements
suggest?
What prior
knowledge
are they
drawing on?
What angle/
perspective
is used?
What else can you
notice about the
colours used,
background etc. that
might help you
understand this
image?
Does this advert
offend you? What
does it suggest about
women?
Panadol for women advert