DUE TUESDAY, NOV. 20TH
Visit The Living Room Candidate site. Select and view one presidential campaign commercial. Read Media Control by cultural critic Noam Chomsky. After reading the article, use Chomsky's theory to analyze your commercial.Answer the following:
- What reality/worldview does the commercial represent?
- How is this representation used to engineer public opinion regarding the candidate?
- What cinematic techniques (audio, camera angles, lighting, etc.) does it use to "manufacture consent"?
- What rhetorical devices (appeal to emotion; appeal to authority; etc.) does it employ?
18 comments:
The commercial I chose was the Bush 2004 commercial "Safer, Stronger." It represents quite a few views in my opinion. First, this commercial was based on propaganda, illustrating the view of a spectator democracy. The public acts like a bewildered herd, with no idea of what is going. There are so many events going on: the Iraqi war, and 9/11 for example that we are dazed. Bush takes advantage of that, hitting the fact that we need guidance, and his leadership will make us stronger and safer. Second, the view of public relations fits in. We were all scared, with the economy going bad, 9/11, etc. This commercial is in essence saying, if you don't pick me, bad things will continue to happen to you.
This commercial used close ups as its preferred method of showing people. There is also the fact that the audio changes, with the topic, from distress to hope. Then there is the lighting, dark to emphasize the dark times and then brightens up for the future. There was also the fact that alot of screen text was used. In terms of the rhetorical devices, it appealed mainly to emotions, hitting one emotional arguement after another.
The presidential campaign commercial I choose to view was George W. Bush 2004 campaign commercial. The campaign commercial presented Bush as a stoic figure, leading the America through difficult times, such as the recession, stock market failure, and the defining point of his presidency 911.He is presented as a leader we can trust to lead us through this difficult time. Someone who is committed in facing the challenges set before him, a strong and confident leader, which I think Americans was looking for after 911.The use of mellow dramatic music, slow motion slides and close ups with a dark shadow casted around the boarders, were all used to convey him to the public as leader, that can get his country through the dark and trying times that the country faced. In the campaign, the use of the word challenge imposed over some George Bush shots. Showed he is ready to face any challenges his country faced. The candidate we should choose to make America stronger and safer.
Stevenson, I love the Gov. In that commercial a good looking woman, who is wearing a low enough cut dress at the top, makeup, and is singing about voting for the Gov, of Illinois. She is winking and making body movement that will take away anyones attention from listening to what she has to say. One will focus on her than the message she is trying to get across. The propergander would be all the BS, she is singing about that she wants in her Gove. The commercial does not represent any worldview, because she is only talking about what it is she wants in a Gov,/man if you are not carefull it sounds like she is talking about a regular man. Not much public opinion except, from the women protesting to take that commercial off the air. Well the commercial is from the 1952 back in black and white day. It has a smoky feel to it, it starts out with wide shots and zooms in a little to make it a medium shot making sure to capture her beauty and her neck line/chest. Her winking at the audience, and puting a little shoulder movement on it while she is singing would imply a sexy come Hither look.
(AD)
I analyzed the "Living Room Candidate" and found the campaign for Stevenson for Governor I Love the Governor campaign for 1952. He was the Governor of Illinois they used a beautiful woman with an appealing voice to engage viewers into the commercial. The makers of the commercial used text and sound to entice the viewers. Facial expressions and slow harmonies while panning in is also another technique that use to get viewers to vote for him as president. It also shows that the candidate is approachable and easy, the commercial highlighted his attributes as Governor and showed that the beautiful woman would also vote for him because he did so well for the state so he would succeed as a president. The campian did not work because he did not win the 1952 election.
Keston
The Commercial i chose was the Clinton V.S. Dole commercial in 1996.Firstly this commerical showed Clinton expressing how greatful he was to be chosen to take care of the americans as president. I think it was smart to start this way because as a viewer i felt important or appreciated. Clinton went on to give a world view report of the things that he was going to do as president and the things that should be done to make the U.S a better place. I think the representation was going along with the Clinton. I think this because while he was speaking, the video showed some of the things he was talking about and not against it. The cinematic techniques used was basically a VOT and in which i explained earlier. The rhetorical devices used was he appelead to emotions by mentioning things that we care about or will help persons in need.
The presidential campaign i chose was the one against Nixon inthe 1960 election against Kennedy. After watchin the commercial and seeing moment they captured of Nixon stumbling over his words and making jokes out of serious questions asked proves the opening statement in the article By Naomi Chomsky. Chomsky talks about the part of democracy where the public doesn't actually have a say so in their own affairs, althouhg they should because the commercial i just saw proves that it isn't every person hat they put in ffice or give a seat of power deserves it or takes it seeriously enough to make an effective change.
They picture was in black and white, white still pictures in motion or in sequence mixed with footage of Nixon saying " i don't know i can't remember". When they was putting the voie cuts in, when a question was being asked from the first time they show a zoomed out shot, so there was know proof of who was asking the question all you saw was the bad moments shown close-up when Nixon flopps. The propaganda being sold in this commercial is strong and probably influenced alot of votes at the time.
They used the existing president to destroy the campaign of Nixon whic proved nixon's incompetnce for the job which had a strong influence on voters .
cut out the last paragraph on the first one.
The commercial i watched was the Bush 2004 Ad while Sen. John Kerry was running against him. This comercial is the type of comercial that gets the whole nation behind President Bush, for he played the right card that painted a picture of a dignified and honorable persident that lead the nation through crisis. The 2001 attacks was a key issue he used in the Ad for it brings everybody to a point where all mind frame is set in one direction, and the mind frame was not only set but also led by President Bush himself. The ad is clearly letting the viewers know that he is the person that got the nation through tuff times and he is the person that will get them through any other problem that might come the nation's way.
The political commercial I watched was 1992 Clinton vs. Bush. The commercial represents the concept that every president comes up through the political ranks and is a honest person that intends to do well for the American people because that's who they care about, and think they can better the country. We all know that this isn't really the case though, prime example is our current president George W. Bush. Trying to appeal to the masses with this commercial seeming with the back story of being the typical all American white male coming from poverty in a small town in the mid-west, meeting President Kennedy while in high school as motivation, and putting himself through school with part-time jobs is manipulative. Empathizing to get the approval of the typical blue-collar and white-collar Americans making the connection in order for them to see that he was for them because he went through the same experiences. In the commercial they used a lot of pictures of him from a young age up until his current political campaigning, and in it he used a wide-shot then zoomed in for a close up of him to attain purity with the music they had in the background.The rhetorical devices used was he appelead to emotions by mentioning things that we care about or will help persons in need.
I chose a Video from Bill Clintons 1992 Campaign. In the Video Clinton talks about how the government is in trouble because the rich are getting more money while the poor and middle class either stayed the same or got worse. Bill says that we need a time for change because we also need a president and people in office who care. This is aimed at the middle class and people who are lower than the middle class, at the time we were coming out of the 80's where everyone was buying things and those who were rich were making tons of money leaving the workers behind. Bill Clinton called for reform and he asked you to join him by calling into the phone line and joining with his cause.
This Appeals to all americans beside the Rich because he calls for reform to get them to pay more taxes and get those who dont have as much money to pay less taxes.
The commercial that I chose was Nixon 1972. The worldview that was being presented in this commercial was an America that is doing well due to Nixon. The way that this comemrical is used to engineer good public opinion is by showing a calm relaxed Richard Nixon, this was done by Nixon playing and singing happy birthday to Duke Ellington, and by showing how he is trying to help the public by lowering propery tax for Americans. All this made him look like a person who is for the people and it made him seem like he was a regular person. The way that they did this was by capturing what he was saying at the perfect time. This commerical made the audience feel an emotional attachment to Nixon.
The commercial I picked was the Bush's 2004 "Safer, Stronger". In my opinion it portratys America as a wounded country. In the sense that he can help rebuild us. He can fix the stock market,jobs etc.
This ad engineers the publics opinion because he is showing all the wrongs and all the crisis that are going on, and how hes the right man for the job. The angles used were that of children and everyday people. Workers and such. The lighting goes from dark to light placing emphasis on points that he is trying to make. The feeling that is portrayed is that of only what we here in the news and news papers. We dont know the exact details of certain issues. The presidents ad was to show us this is the problem, he controls what we hear and how much of something we know. Meanwhile the truths lay buried somewhere.
The commercial I chose was Bill Clinton and Bob Doles presidential campaign of 1996. Although I was only 11 years old during this time I remembered seeing the commercial air. The world views that came about in the comercial were how Clinton wanted to move forward into the 21th century and building up America. The cinematic techniques that were used in commercial was the way soft light to make us the viewer feel sympathic.
I chose to write about Clinton, 1996, Surgeon. It depicts Mr. Clinton as a saviour of children's education, in the way that he is trying to keep tuition at a low rate and to provide tax cuts for tuition paying parents.
The commercial used the little children telling the audience what they wanted to become when they grew up to appeal to the voting adults, who understand that they would not have become who they are today if it weren't for the affordable rates of tuition.
The commercial used the technique of innocent sounding music along with the close up visuals of little children. This appeals to our compassionate side, knowing that the public has a soft side for the innocent, especially children.
This commercial is used to portray Mr. Clinton as a children loving person who truly cares for our nation's youth whereas Mr. Dole is shown saying "We're gonna eliminate the Department of Education."
The commercial I chose was the 1988, Tank Ride by the Bush Campaign. It's label as a backfire type of commercial. After reading the article by Noam Chomsky, I believed this commercial symbolizes the spectator democracy. My conecpt is that many people who saw Mr. Dukakis as thier choice was "getting out of line" (according to the article) by their choice which only meant one thing as the articles states ehich was to smah them over the head to and in this case with the use of propaganda. Mr. Dukakis as the commercial puts it was agaisnt any weapons or war, so what the genius campaign of Bush (i never thought i would say that about any Bush) did was to create a commercial with footage of Mr. Dukakis in a tank with a smile in his face, which with no spoken words this image would show his happiness of being in a tank and of course his approval to weapons. This commercial also had a close up of Mr. Dukakis face with text moving up along with a narrator stating his disagrements with weapons and war while in the background the viewer could see a total contradicting image which instantly label him as a liar, even more when there was a pause in the video and the narrator kind of asked America if you wanted someone like that as a leader. Personally, i thought this commercial was kind of dirty move but in politics it seems that everything is allowed which then makes this commercial GENIUS.
this is tawasi
The commercial I chose is the more recent campain comercial of hillary clinton when she tried to spoof the sapronos ending. i believe that she uses her husband in the commercial i beieve he repersents all the good feelings he envokes in people. in other words she's trying to live off of his fame because many people feel he was one of the best presidents of all time. in the commercial shes in a sense supossed to be tony saprano so i get from this shes saying that shes as good can be as good a president as her husband was because she's the boss.
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