3rd Blog: Media Text Analysis

How to Conduct a 'Close Analysis' of a Media 'Text
By Elizabeth Thoman

Any media message can be used for a close analysis but commercials are often good choices because they are short and tightly packed with powerful words and images, music and sounds. Find a commercial to analyze by recording, not the programs but just the commercials, during an hour or two of TV watching. Play the tape and look for a commercial that seems to have a lot of layers-- interesting visuals and sound track, memorable words or taglines, multiple messages that call out for exploration. Replay your selection several times as you go through the following steps:

 1. Visuals

 After the first viewing, write down everything you can remember about the visuals-- lighting, camera angles, how the pictures are edited together. Describe any people-- what do they look like? what are they doing? wearing? What scenes or images do you remember clearly? Focus only on what is actually on the screen, not your interpretation of what you saw on the screen. (See the following sample exercise, What Do You Notice? ) If necessary, play it again but with the sound off. Keep adding to your list of visuals.

 2. Sounds

 Replay again with the picture off. Listen to the sound track. Write down all the words that are spoken. Who says them? What kind of music is used? Does it change in the course of the commercial? How? Are there other sounds? What is their purpose? Who is being spoken to-- directly or indirectly? (That is, who is the audience addressed by the commercial?)

 3. Apply Key Questions

 With the third viewing, begin to apply the Five Key Questions and the Guiding Questions that lead to them. Identify the author(s) and how the specific "construction" techniques you identified in steps 1 and 2 influence what the commercial is "saying"-- values expressed and unexpressed; lifestyles endorsed or rejected; points of view proposed or assumed. Explore what's left out of the message and how different people might react differently to it. What is the message "selling"? Is it the same as the product being advertised? Continue to show the text over and over; it's like peeling back the layers of an onion.

 4. Review Your Insights

 Summarize how the text is constructed and how various elements of the construction trigger our own unique response-- which may be very different than how others interpret the text. Try this exercise with other kinds of messages-- a story from a newscast, a key scene from a movie, a print advertisement, a website. Are different questions important for different kinds of messages?

 

Let’s try to analyze this commercial advertisement of McDonald Fast Food Chain. 

1. Media Text

• ·       What kind of media text is this? 

Answer: The kind of media text will be presented as Image and a Video for television commercial of the McDonald fast food chain.

• ·         In what ways does this text tell a story? 

Answer: The Text is all about a good relationship of parents and children, just to give in returned of all sacrifices that we do of our parents for a simple appreciation, hugs and by saying a simple I love you… It’s all worth. Traditional Filipino family values such as family unity, mutual respect, trust, helpfulness, and affection are related to the text story.

• ·         What has the producer done to grab the viewer attention? 

Answer: The way of producer that grabs the attention of a viewer is simple to emphasize the moral and a good attitude towards of the cycle of life. The parents give the unconditional love to their children and whatever she done it always a feedback for the response of their children. 

• ·         Are your value represented? 

Answer: The value represented is the unconditional love of the parents and a good relationship with parents and children a simple bonding of a fast food chain in McDonald.

• ·         Whose point of view is shown?

Answer: The point is shown of a Filipino tradition that they no place like home to be with your love ones are happy and enjoyable feelings to spend the quality time in the McDonald fast food chain.

• ·         Are there any stereotypes?

Answer: There is no stereotype  of the McDonald commercial, that produce the quality of life and it develop a mental respect and to love one another. a categorize of good relationship between the eldest and the young ones and love to eat of McDonald products.  

2. Audience

• ·         Who is the target audience? How do you know?

Answer: The targets of audience are range of age 10 yrs. old and above, the types of people who will be able to avail the price of the McDonald products. Then, how will I know because the MacDonald food chains are respected customers and client of teenage year and above.

• ·         Why does it appeal to its target audience?

Answer: The appeal to the audience is simply a positive view towards of the McDonald fast food chain.

• ·         Does this appeal to you?

Answer: Yes, it will appeal and attach for me because I will always value my parents and specially the elder and the way I watch the TV commercial it give me a challenge to give them back of all sacrifices, love and caring to my wonderful parents.

• ·         How might you change this media text to make it more enjoyable?

Answer: I might it change the concept to make it more enjoyable to generalize the relationship with parents, neighbor, and friends especially to our grand parents, as a valuable through a traditional approach.

3. Production

• ·         Who produce this media text?

Answer: There are producers, director and scriptwriter behind the overall concept in this media text and the main character are parents and children to see the closeness and love to one another.

• ·         How was this text made?

Answer: The media text was produce in contextualize of the Filipino value and approach this will be the whole idea in producing this media adds for McDonald fast food chain.

• ·         What has the producer done to grab the viewer's attention?

Answer: The main concept by the producer to grab the viewer and audience’s attention are the simplest way of sympathy to look and to bring to mind that we always thankful for those times that we spend together with our family.

• ·         How is this media text sold to the public? Who profits?

Answer: In this media text are sold to the public represent to TV commercial, Billboard Adds, Magazine and Internet. Just to communicating to for a viewer’s to catch the attention and patronize the McDonald’s products, and the profits to all lover of McDonald. 

• ·         What rules or laws did the producer have to follow (e.g. copyright, running time, trademarks)?

Answer: The rule or laws those producers have to follows the protection of: the CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS AND WELFARE, PUBLIC COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES, POLITICAL PROPAGANDA, INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS, RELIGION and CULTURE AND TRADITION.

• ·         How could I create a similar media text?

Answer:  I could create a media text but not a similar to the original ones, because we respect the privacy of the author on the original context. We could do a new creation in simply to follow the rules and laws of a media text.