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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Assignment 01: Semiotic Analysis Part 2 (Local)



Basically this advertisement is to tell information about smoking habit. This advertisement is about two men and a women who was a smoker. They are hardcore smoker that they had suffered with terrible diseases. Two men had to cut their leg because of cancer. The women was suffered mouth cancer that she cannot talk even to his son. This advertisement is intended to the audience who are smokers and also to the non smokers to showed that smoke is a bad habit. This advertisement want to showed message that smoke can make our body damaged. The people who are in the advertisement are really suffered of their disease but only now they realized that they had important responsibility and family. By this action, smokers maybe can stop to smoke and for the non smokers, they are scare or have the point that smoke is a bad habit and dangerous to people. They also can tell other people who are start to smoke or smoke to stop smoking and have a good living life. People who watched this advertisement also will automatically realize that they have family and special people beside them. The cultural assumptions for the smokers who read the text can be something a bluffing or jokes because there are hardcore smokers who are living good health but for non smokers, they are scare to start smoke because they saw what will happen if they start to smoke. Smoke is a bad habit that you should not to start and it is your responsibility to stop it.

The important of the background information in this video is showing the feeling of someone who care about the smoker life, the things that happen in the world that people don’t see unless it happen at their surroundings, these background information give the feeling and awareness of what will happen to them if they continue doing smoking and what will happen to the people who love them, their feelings and thought, the background information bring out the true colors of the message in the text of being shown, it give more conveyable feeling and understandable massage why they need to listen to the warn or message they wanted to convey to the people or smokers, so they can rethink their action of what they doing and make it more interesting to see rather than just a plain wording.


The reality of the text construct is saying that by smoking, people can get lung cancer, mouth cancer and gangrene. It the fact of what happen to the people who smoking, the causes and effect, it also bring harm to others, either directly or indirectly, example like people surrounding and how the people sees the smoker. What will happen to them, the text construct is desperately asking for people to stop smoking and thinking of other people who thinking of them, as like smoker are continuing destroying themselves and other people feeling by stating the causes and effect and the rejecting words like “Tak Nak Merokok!” and “Quit Now” at the end of the video and making it big enough to clearly stated what is their message focusing at.

How far does the text reflect or depart from dominant cultural values?
From my point of view about the video, what exactly meaning on this video is community. It includes all races that were Malay, Indian and Chinese. From that message, the video shown on how each races alert regarding what happen on them. The message realizes these three races on how the effect going when they stuck in disease that called ‘smoking’. From what they got by smoking, they realize and regret. They depart from dominant cultural values because all they fault. Smoking is like trend for all these three races, they usually did not aware what big effect on the smoking.


The alternate readings in the video are the full meaning on how it going to delivered to the audience. At first, the video does not spoil what the video going to tells about. It was using the metaphor likes what happen on the patient and why they stressing about. Each patient has their pair, the patient feel regretful on their worst condition and thinking like guilty on their love people. Others, I can saw that meaning by watching the patient with no leg and the Chinese girl with broken mouths. The last one is the nurse watching their son take the smoke cigarette case and his mom tell to him ‘don’t break my heart’. His son feels weird and throws out the cigarette case in the rubbish.

First of all this text had influenced many peoples and yes this text been read extensively outside the intended audience. This text is originally to tell the smokers to stop from smoking because it had causes and bad effects to their life. As an example, heavy smokers can have a lung cancer or bronchitis or even worse mouth cancer. So in my opinion for the unintended audience which means the people who are been exposed to the smoke that been released by the smokers around them. The smoke actually can harm their life also so they also take the text or the message been delivered by the poster seriously to protect their life and their beloved ones. Besides that the reading may be different for the smokers who are never been sick or experience all the diseases been mention above. All of them would deny the truth that smokings are dangerous because it not affect their life. Moreover, from my opinion the text that has influenced this text is “no smoking” because from the text no smoking the people actually does not see the effect of smoking to their life. So with this text it tells you the effect from smoking which is bad to their life. Furthermore, this text have been an influenced to the likes of text that been used by other people to know smoking are bad and extremely dangerous to our life.

The meaning of this text will change over time because every person in this earth have their own way of thinking. Some think it in a good way, and some may think it in a bad way. For smokers nowadays, they seem to void this commercial about the bad outcome of smoking. They still not afraid of the disease that they might get when they smokes.
This is because it has not happen to them yet. But if they was infected by the disease, they will think it in a different way. They will start to feel scare and regret.

The influence of this text on reality or humanity is that people are shown about what kind of disease they might get if they smoke cigarette. When people know about all this, they can start to think about the danger and start to slowly quit smoking.
Maybe it was hard for them to quit smoking, but when they see more signs and symbols like this commercial, they might have the will to quit smoking as soon as possible before it was too late.

When I relate this text to my own values, I am quite satisfied with the communication they use to send the context or messages to the receiver which was the smokers.
In this scene, we can see that a box of cigarettes has been thrown away in the dustbin. Which shows that all the smokers need to do the same so that they don’t break their love ones heart. The fonts are not very scary to warn the smokers about all the disease they might get when they started smoking.

Assignment 01: Semiotic Analysis Part 1 (International)


For this semiotic studies assignment 1 we have to choose an image to analyze, to comment and to understand what embedded behind the image and what message the image would like to deliver.  For this assignment our group choose an image portraying the Nike motto "Just Do It" which is by its own word portrayed a lot of different meaning based on what you are thinking. The image show a boy with his dog simply peeing at the wall besides the logo which make sense to us that the boy influenced by the logo simply do what he want where he want. Relating to this concept, the readings of Arnheim, Barthes and McCloud and their discussion on semiotic, Arnheim says " the terms sign, symbol and picture do not stand for kinds of images, but rather, describe the function fulfilled by the images.

            Based on the picture given, the audience that intended to the text is the audience that used Nike as their main product or on the other hand, people who hated Nike. Perhaps we can said or assumed that the users is a sportsman. We can see the Nike's symbol and the text that is ' Just Do It'. The text means that just do whatever you believe or just make something until it finished but in the term of Nike, the text mean just wear the Nike products. The symbol of the Nike also is like a true sign, so it is correspond with it text. The text intend message for people to do something without think what people want to say or critics. From the semiotics sign principle, symbol is 'All words, sentences, books and other conventional signs are symbols'. It means that Nike's icons give users feels some feeling that tell them they wear the right products. The icons and the text give many impression for people, this is show how semiotics works.

            Codes are maps of meaning, systems of ideas that people use to interpret their own and others' behavior. For example, might be a particular ideas about how the kid doing in the picture. It is about doing that. The dog seeing him doing that and the title “Just Do It” is meant for the advertisement on what impossible thing we do, we just do it. For sure it delivered message to audience. The advertisement means to make people do it even have proper condition or bad condition. The important background information to read this text is the text “Just Do It” combined with the kid what he doing without feel ashamed about his doing. When the audience looks at the advertisement, audience will expect the advertisement is bad but when looking the text maybe it will be acceptable.

            The function of the text to show that the reality the positive thinking by stating that nobody can stop you by the word “JUST DO IT”, the word can be hold in various meaning depending on how the people interpret it, in this case, “JUST DO IT” hold the very deep meaning of self-confident on their be doing, it feel like it stating that all is right but it can be not, the text is to show positive thinking not to judge what right and what wrong. The text reflect more than departing from the dominant cultural values, it directly shows that what are the meaning behind the text displayed by giving a statement what is are being advertised.

            An alternate reading is any reading that differs from the mainly or commonly accepted interpretation. The alternate reading of this picture is when people think of this picture out of the box. It is means that people have kind of thoughts about this picture. As an example, a student in a school have a differ thought of something in their syllabus which can make people see something from a different side of perspective. It also gives them some ideas which can expand their mind and always make the student to think outside of the box.
As for the picture we choose, it can be differ and can be read extensively outside from the intended audience. For us this picture send a big meaning that we actually can do anything by ourselves and achieves something but for who those does not think out of the box, for they send them a message that people can pee anywhere and anytime they want.

            Based on this advertisement, by Nike , with the tag-line “Just Do It”  and also the with a swoosh symbols can be interpreted many meaning. Every signs have donatives and connotative meanings and are used as codes. The donatives for this tag-line “Just Do It” can be do not think, do not talk about it, do not regret it, just win it and many else. The victorious is the right mean for connotative. It is because by “just do it” can have a chance of winning than losing. This text usually heard by athletes because their career is sport so to living on the game must win. So  by winning it they will get bonus. That make this text so influenced.   This text can be so meaningful. It is because just by a little word can change over something. For example, football games. Team A is losing, their mentality is so down but if their coach say ‘just do it’ maybe the games can turn over. This quote can inspired the player. For this picture, that boy can pee everywhere he want. Only thing left just do it and think later.

            The influence of this text on reality or humanity can be positive or negative. It becomes positive when people look at it as something good. Which means every person in this world have their own freedom to do what they want and anywhere they want.  As in the picture, it may show that the logo “Just Do It” is saying that you can do it without any hesitation. While the “right” symbol are saying that you are doing the right thing which was peeing anywhere you want. But, it become negative when younger people like kids who are still learning the right way of being a sane human see this text. They might misunderstand the concept and they may think that they can also pee anywhere they like which are very rude. This text related to my own values in its own ways. I can see the connotative and denotative in the text “Just Do It” and the symbol “right (correct)”. The signs are related to the kid who are peeing next to the sign because the sign says that boy can just do it. So the boy just pee right there, thinking that his action was right. If we look it using values, the action of the boy is not good for public because it has its own negative and positive meanings

            The tagline "Just Do It" although simple but it stand for much larger meaning which is don't think, don't ask, don't talk about it, don't regret it, just do it. Nike who are always portrayed athlete or celebrity for their advertisement or their icon try to embedded a message through their advertisement and campaign. An athlete are always seen as having supreme power and mentality at the top of their game. They seem to have the desire to be free, independent and trying to overcome all obstacles coming and one can see this as motivation for them to be an athlete or to become a greater athletes.
Nike had been doing a good job in playing with their signs that show us that signs are really important to us in daily life. The embedded message hid behind their signs is becoming a motto or the way of life for the new generation thus inspire them to be good, to be better.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Verbal & Non-Verbal Message In Advertisements



Verbal & Non-Verbal Message In Advertisements


We always see an advertisement everywhere in our daily life. It has a big role today to our life because it is something that always be a mind opener to the people who saw the advertisement. What is really mean for the advertisement are public notices designed to inform or motivate people. To deliver the message from an advertisement directly to the hearts of the people in the world firstly it must be an eye catcher like the image been used in the advertisement are interesting or something that was extraordinary to us. Furthermore, the message must be clear to people so they easy to understand the meaning that the advertiser want them to know. Besides that, an advertisement is always been performed in two ways which is first the verbal message which consider a direct confrontation to the people and no hidden messages behind it and it is straight forward.The other one is non verbal message which is for the audience to remember, love and physiologically makes contact with the audience which make it more interesting.



This is an example of an advertisement:





The image above is an PEPSI advertisement which is a drinks that bring refreshment to all people around the world nowadays..

About the advertisement above:

  • Pepsi is the communicator
  • This advertisement use a non verbal messages
  • Hidden messages behind this advertisement is people cannot resist this Pepsi
  • It also shows that people are chasing the Pepsi which means this drinks are wanted from all sides in this world
  • The main aim for this advertisement is that Pepsi are being loves all round the world and is the most carbonated drinks that wanted by the audience.

Film Appreciation - Assumptions and Contributions of Semiotics






We have chosen the scenes from the film X-Men First Class directed by Matthew Vaughn this film is the "prequel" to any movies and stories X-Men has before.

1- What is the story about :-
The story is about the starting of X-Men a.k.a Xavier Men, a group of superheroes that have mutated genes that have been recruited by professor Charles Xavier. This is the beginning of X-Men saga/story told from years by their comics or movie.

2- What do you think will happen next :-
Eric (Magneto) after seeing their new suits for fighting told to Xavier that Hank has been busy creating this suit for them and Xavier ask all of them to suit up for battle.

3- Who are these characters
From left is Eric (Magneto), Banshee, Xavier, Moira, Mystique and Havok. They are the original X-Men and Moira is a CIA agent in-charge of X-Men.

4- What are they doing?
They are preparing for a battle.

5- What sort of people are they?
They are X-Men, a human with mutated gene that have extra-ordinary abilities.

6- What can you tell about the relationships between the characters in the scene?
A group of superhero led by the man in the middle which is Charles Xavier. They have a good bond between them.

7-Where is it set?
In Charles Xavier mansion.

8-Why has the film/program maker chosen this particular background or location?
To let us see the influence of Xavier which is a wealthy man to group all of the mutated human in his house to trained and prepare them for battle.

9-What does it mean for the story?
Hank laboratory that show us Hank is a hardworking man helping Xavier with his group of superhuman.
 
10-How does it relate to the story?
The location told us that the Xavier's mansion is used for the X-Men activity which is to trained and prepared them for battle. this location  is the most relevant place as Shaw the bad man didn't know the location of this place.

11- Look at the props - how are they relevant to the story?
They are wearing their casual attire but they are preparing for the final battle with Shaw. See Mystique, she has accepted her fate of becoming mutant so she just use her original form in every activity from there on.

12- Are any props of particular significance?
Yes

13- List all the features used by students to find out this information - such as sound, acting, props, camera work, colour, location music etc.

*acting - Eric acting like usual sometime serious sometimes sarcastic, in this scene Xavier as usual being serious when he have jobs to done in this case which is the battle with Shaw and to save the world from world war 3.

*camerawork - Medium close up is used in this scene where they are staring the camera which is in this case the suit that have been put in Hank's box.

*color - the color is a light like a normal scene. They wear their casual attire before they found out that Hanks has create the suit for X-Men where he asked them to bring to hangar and suit up.

*props - not much prop in this scene. Just a casual attire and a box where the suits contain.

Reading Film: TITANIC




In this epic love story, director James Cameron balance the movie with a good flow of introducing the background of characters,good story telling of the plot and very good script,graphics and cinematography.But for this post I want to focus on the characters background which is I think is interesting and the lecturer want us to elaborate on it.So I want to talk about the main characters of this movie which is Jack Dawson played by Leonardo di Caprio and Rose Dewitt Bukater played by Kate Winslet..



So firstly I will talk about Jack Dawson which played by Leonardo di Caprio.The director introduce this character in a scene which he playing card in a bar in order to win a ticket to aboard the Titanic ship with his friends.In this scene it shows that Jack Dawson are from a poor colony but such a determine guys who want to help his friend to aboard the ship.Futhermore, he is an easy going guy that not afraid of losing because when his playing the cards with the Irish men who bet on their ticket and his friend Fabrizio which bet on his all belongings.Jack was so confident that he will win and will help his friend to aboard the Titanic ship. Besides that, he also loves to travel around the world and one place he have been travel are Paris.He is an artist who love to travel which is been show when he show his drawing of a prostitute with only one leg that live in Paris. He is different from other people who stealing or being a thief in order to support his life.He is independent because he works so hard in order to achieve something that he wants.




Next is Rose DeWitt Bukater which played by Kate Winslet. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1895 and is 17 years old during her first class passage on the RMS Titanic. Rose boards with her fiancé, Caledon Hockley, and her mother, Ruth. Although Rose does not love Cal, she is being forced into an arranged marriage to him by her mother. Since her father's death, according to Ruth, she and her daughter were left with nothing, except a "legacy of bad debts hidden by a good name", so she expects Rose to marry into money (Cal) in order to maintain the family's high social status and luxurious way of life. This is what only shows the outside of her identity but in her heart she is tired of his mother nagging and their lifestyles which was a fake.

Tired of the repetitive lifestyle she leads as a first class lady, of people treating her as if she is a helpless child, Rose tries to commit suicide by thowing herself overboard. However, she is convinced to save herself by a young artist from third class named Jack Dawson. On the way up, Rose's foot slips from the railing and she begins to scream for help. Even with Jack's assistance, Rose's screams are heard by three of the ship's crew members, who rush to her aid. Instead, they find her and Jack sprawled out in a compromising position on the deck. After being berated by Cal, Jack is slapped in handcuffs and nearly taken to the master-at-arms' office until Rose convinces her husband-to-be that Jack saved her life. After offering him $20, to which Rose considers an insult, Cal invites Jack to dine with him and the rest of his acquaintances in the First Class Dining Room.Since this she start to realise the meaning of life because of what Jack teach her about his ways to have fun and Rose then realize she was in love with the Third Class guy Jack Dawson and since then she want to live in her own ways.


As a conclusion, a very good movie always have a beautiful and being arranged nicely plot by plot. The most important thing is that in a movie it is supposed to have good balanced in the storyline,script and the graphics. The characters also play an important role by sync with each other to make better understanding between them and then show to the people how close their are and how talented their are playing their role in this movie.

Connotations and Myth




Semiotic systems were been implanted in our mind since we were little kids. It does play important role in human behaviour. We act based on different signs in our daily life. Had we ever been exposed to other different signs, we might act differently and if the signs has different meaning to it than what we usually thought, we have a difficult time to adapt and to interpret it differently. So if by waving hand means goodbye in our country and it means differently in other countries, we might and might not offend someone. 

The simplest example that we can give is the toilet signs in our daily life. In our daily life we always and usually knows that the image on the left is a figure of a woman standing  so it simply give the meaning " this toilet is for WOMAN ONLY". So does the figure on the  right  which show us the figure of a man standing which is simply give the meaning of "this toilet is for MAN ONLY". If this mean differently in our life from the beginning, we might act and thought differently about this image located in public toilet everywhere across the globe.





This sign are what we usually thought would be. Had we use this kind for different purposed, it might give confusion to everyone. By giving and getting used to this symbol of figures, we don't have to write woman or man on every toilet that we have. So if these sign that we used are different from what we have used to, we might have a lot of confusion. In Arab, when man meet another man, kissing on the cheeks and hugging are normal as this show how close they are. BUT, if this were done in USA or heck even Malaysia, they will think that both of them are GAY man.

 
Connotation is the second meaning of a word/sign. It is easier to understand certain signs because of connotations. Myth from what we understand from lecture notes is combination of paradigms and syntagms associates with an off-told stories. It led and also associate with "stereotypes" which mean media usually make us believed what they told us. If every day they told us that queer guy is a gay man than we  believed to that stereotype. They will create the "myth" and spread it.





One myth that I regularly sees on tv is an image of a tough boy, an image of toughness, power are shown when they add a man with a big bike to their advertisement or video. This myth show us that everyman with big bike is a cool, tough and powerful man. Myth help us to imagine something better.