Deutschland 83 review homework.

Deutschland 83, a German and historical period TV show about a divided Germany in 1983, when a naive 24-year-old East German soldier Martin Rauch is pulled from his benign post as a border guard and given a new assignment: undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service in West Germany. The cast;  Jonas Nay, who plays the main character, Martin Rauch. Maria Schrader as Martin Rauch's aunt, Lenora Rauch. Ulrich Noethen, who is one of the key main characters in this drama also, plays Generalmajor Wolfgang Edel and Sonja Gerhardt, who plays Martin's fiance back home in the East. There are many movies and shows that are similar to this historical-war period drama, for example, German TV-series The Same Sky, which also focuses on similar elements just like Deutschland 83; the Berlin Wall, except that The Same Sky takes on a more of a romantic genre than Deutschland 83 does. The Same Sky is about how The fates of two families become intertwined when an East German `Romeo' agent on assignment seduces a woman on the other side of the Berlin Wall, however, for Deutschland 83, you could say that there are some elements of romance in the show, such as the main character, Martin's fiancee back in the East, Annett. In terms of the quality of this show, in my opinion, I love this show, but that's because I also have love for history and everything that's happened in the past. I find it all so interesting. I'd say Deutschland 83 is indeed for those who have a love or an interest in history, particularly in the 1980s East Berlin and West Germany and the focus of the Berlin Wall.

In terms of other factors, such as the story detail in this show, I think some events are accurate e.g the whole idea of the Berlin Wall that took place in 1961 and ended in 1991. However, perhaps this show romanticises some of its story detail, for example, they romanticise the West side of Germany, how it seemed more liberal than the East, and in reality, we don't really know if it's true, only the people who lived in either of those regions at the time could know the answer. But overall, the story detail is realistic in terms of how those events or characters could've actually existed. I think for someone to watch this show, they'd really have to pay attention to the episodes because it's the type of show you need to concentrate on to really get what is going on, and for me, that works, because again, I love history and I'm curious about the types of events that took place back then. Uses of film language, of course, the TV show is German, hence the title of it; Deutschland 83. I think it's significant that this tv show is in another language other than English because I feel like movies or shows that aren't American English or British English, don't seem to be as important, which I think should change. Further, in terms of other factors like uses of the camera, I think is great because the camera mostly focuses on the main characters and you really get to see a lot of close up shots of those characters, and that's to see their facial expressions whenever something is said or whenever something happens that requires that facial expression to be seen. The mis-en-scene in this movie is also quite accurate, it's set in the 80s, so you would expect people to wear 80s clothing and Deutschland 83 really does that; women with short updos and floral/vintage looking dresses/cardigans and men with almost the same hairstyle and suits. The sound and editing of Deutschland 83 is varied, especially the sound because it has different types of popular German soundtracks attached to specific scenes, the most noted song they used is 99 luftballons by Nena, which was played on more than one occasion, and I think that in a way, it makes you feel like you're in a German environment yourself, I also think it makes the whole TV show stronger because as it's a German speaking show, you'd also expect German soundtracks. Moreover, the editing is limited, you'd only see the element of editing in the introduction part of the episode.

In conclusion, I think the key strengths of Deutschland 83 would be the fact that it does take some accurate things into account, like how the Berlin Wall was indeed real. I also think that the soundtracks are suitable for the specific events that they use and just the overall idea of the soundtracks in the show being German. However, the negatives I'd say, would be the fact that some of the elements of this drama is biased, for example, how West Germany is more romanticised than East Berlin. But overall, I think this drama is really good and interesting, it's certainly for those with an interest and love for all types of history.

Music videos.

Types of music video:

• Performance - Lip synch, live performance, choreographed/free style dance, playing instrument
• Narrative- storyline theme/motifs; linear / non-linear e.g Taylor Swift's 'love story' music video
• Conceptual - abstract set of motifs that may have no obvious link to the lyric

Things to analyse -

• Camera: angles, shot size, camera movement, framing, usually close up angles to see the face, makeup and facial expressions.

• Editing: cutting rate/rhythm (to the rhythm/beat?) types of cut (matched, jump, cutaways(e.g singing about a text, the camera shows the text), transitions, effects (SPX)
• Mis-en-scene: costume, make-up, props, location, lighting
• Lip sync and authorage(signature basically) / star quality, which links to... their signature, distinction e.g Sia's wig.
• Representation: of the star, sexuality, gender, ethnicity/culture, subculture(emo, punk, etc) and genre, personality, celebrity and consumerism
• Audience: and how the video "positions" them; the male gaze 

Examples:

1.Jorja Smith's The One music video: camera: contains a lot of close ups, zoom ins, mid-shots of her
Editing:  cuts in and out of some scenes = cutaways and cross cutting between three strands e.g her room, bathroom and outside of the motel.
mis-en-scene: naturalistic, set in her motel room and outside the motel, wearing natural clothes and natural makeup, lighting is dull which reflects her feelings about her unsure relationship, retro 70s setting(?)
Representation: vulnerable, weak, sexuality is shown but not in terms of male gaze, 
Audience: 
performance: lip-sync

2.Beyonce - Formation - postmodernism.
Camera: mid-shots, long shots, zoom in,
Editing: cutaways,
Mis-en-scene: set in different locations, fancy costumes (historical clothes),
Representation:   male gaze because the female bodies are put on show, Beyonce wears revealing clothes, this contradicts with post-feminism, as you can wear whatever you want and have female power. 
Performance & Conceptual: dancing, lip-sync, abstract elements > slavery, female empowerment, everyone in the music video was black except for two police officers,

Music videos you need to know: Emelie Sande’s “Heaven” and Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch”

Focus on media language, context, representation, genre differences, postmodernism. Baudrillard, narratology, Levi-Strauss.

Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch”: idea of postmodernism.

Theory you need to know for music video: Goodwin:

1. relationship between lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, reinforce or contradict the lyrics.
2. Music videos create a mood: romance, nostalgia, nihilism(sad, depressed)
3. Thought beats: we see the sounds, relationship between the music and the visuals
4. Genre-related style and iconography present.
5. Multiple closeups of artist.

Third example:

Gotye - somebody that I used to know

Type: conceptual (lyrics don't really relate to the music video, abstract)
Camera: mid-shot, close up of face
Editing: timelapse (speed up), animation
Mis-en-scene: setting was very odd looking, post-modern looking background,


You have to know this example! Radiohead - Burn the witch.



type: Narrative  During the video, an inspector is greeted by a town mayor and invited to see a series of unsettling sights, culminating in the unveiling of a wicker man. The mayor urges the inspector to climb into the wicker man, whereupon he is locked inside as a human sacrifice and the wicker man is set on fire. As the flames gather, the townspeople turn their backs and wave goodbye to the camera. After the song ends, the inspector escapes among the trees.

Camera: 

Editing:

Mis-en-scene: figurine setting with figures/dolls,

Representation:


Context: Wicker Man 1973 - British mystery horror film, centres on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle, in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practise a form of Celtic paganism. Paul Giovanni composed the film score. This creates intertextuality.

The Trumptonshire Trilogy (1966 - 1969) Trumpton is a stop-motion children's television series from the producer Gordon Murray. First shown on the BBC from January to March 1967, it was the second series in the Trumptonshire trilogy, which comprised Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley. Trumptonshire was created using stop motion animation and actual 3D scaled down models.

- The band wanted to raise awareness about Europe's refugee crisis and the "blaming of different people, the blaming of Muslims and the negativity" - Kettu (British animator who worked on this music video.)

Emelie Sande's Heaven:

• going somewhere?
• personality change?
• trying to be a better person?
• religion
• themes from the video
• religious iconography - cross, writing on the window; there is only one God, angel wings - graffiti, 
• poverty - people in streets, mise-en-scene, clothing, dull lighting

Things to analyse

Camera: -hand held, sometimes out of focus, repeated close ups of artist, low angle repeated master shot of emeli sande with sky filling frame, low angle of sky/shooting into light, lack of direct address v breaking the 4th wall

Sound:

thought beats

cross cutting from social realist imagery to religious/transcendental imagery

jumpy but not jump cuts from different people, locations, time periods and moods

edited in synch with the beat, lyric

lyric is downbeat contrasts with upbeat rhythm

montage of different characters, locations and symbols of street life

Deutschland 83.

Deutschland 83

1. Language

Semiotics – Barthes

Signification

Sign (iconic, symbolic, indexical), denotation, connotation, myth, anchorage

What are the key signifiers that create meaning in the episode?

In the episode, Barthes Semiotics theory can be used to describe the way Lenora looks at the main protagonist, Martin and also the way Mrs Werner looks at Martin, which is similar to how his aunt looks at him. The male gaze from the two women could signify their attraction towards Martin.

2. Narrative – Todorov

Equilibrium

Disruption

Resolution

Identify the elements of narrative in the episode?
Historical, based on the Berlin wall that split East Germany and West Germany.

3. Genre – Neale

Spy espionage thriller genre – examples?

What are the key generic elements of this drama? Locations, costume, props, camera, plot, sound, editing etc.
Genre: Historical period tv show

Locations: East Berlin and West Germany.

Costumes: 1980s clothing

Props: Weapons,

Camera: Dim in the East, brightened up in the West 

Sound:

Editing: 

4. Levi-Strauss – Structuraliam

Underlying structures

Binary oppositions

What are the ideological significance of binary oppositions in this episode?

5. Character – Propp

Hero

Villain

Princess

Can you apply character types to this narrative?

Hero - Martin

Villain - The East could be considered an enemy because they've drugged Martin and sent him to the West to be a spy and report back to the East. But also, America could be an enemy as they think they'll win the war by using nuclear weapons/bombs on Russia

Princess - Annette (Martin's girlfriend in the East), Yvonne (possible love interest of Martin in the West)

6. Representation

Representation Theory – Stuart Hall

Are their stereotypes by the powerful of excluded groups?

Identity – Gauntlett

How do we construct our identity out of this episode?
The identity here would be the fact that in this drama, people have to choose sides. e.g Martin has to take an identity of someone who is an enemy and therefore has to spy on the West.

Feminist Theory – Van Zoonen

Does the narrative objectify women?

I personally do not think that the narrative objectifies women as much, but it's the other way round instead. Men are sexualised/objectified, such as Martin; the way his aunt looks at him and also the way Mrs Werner looks at him. However, it could be said that some women are potentially objectified, such as Linda Seiler, who Martin is told to seduce to get information from her.

7. Gender Performativity - Judith Butler

Towards the end of the first episode, we can see Martin and his aunt, Lenora, behind him. She is standing behind him and looking down on him, which makes her seem like she is dominant, which is stereotypically a male quality, whereas Martin, looks quite innocent and submissive. 

Historical context of Deutschland 83.

What was the political situation in 1983 regarding East and West in 1983?

 The Wall physically cut off (by land) West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989.

Create a historical timeline of the ‘cold war’ from 1945 to 1991. Try to identify 10 key events.

1945: The Allies agree in Potsdam to the fundamental conditions of the occupation of Germany. American nuclear bombs destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1947: The Truman Doctrine: The US offers assistance to countries threatened by communism -- especially Greece and Turkey. US Secretary of State George C. Marshall announces a massive aid program for the reconstruction of World War II-torn Europe that will become known as the Marshall Plan.

1948: The Communists take power in Czechoslovakia.

1948: The Soviet blockade of West Berlin begins on June 24. Cut off from the outside world, provisions are delivered to the isolated city by the Americans in the Berlin Air Bridge action. This is the first major Berlin crisis during the Cold War. On May 12, 1949, Stalin lifts the blockade.

1949: On April 4, the NATO Treaty is signed in Washington.

1949: On May 23, the Federal Republic of Germany is established. Not long later, on Oct. 7, the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) is founded.

1949: On August 29, the Soviets detonate their first atomic bomb.

1949: After winning the country's civil war, the Communist Party under Mao Zedong establish the People's Republic of China.

1950-1953: The Korean War: After North Korea attacks South Korea, UN troops led by the United States invade the country. China and the Soviet Union back North Korea. The cease-fire leaves the two countries with the pre-war status quo.

1952: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin offers to hold negotiations on the reunification of Germany on the condition that a united Germany remain neutral. With the support of the West German parliament, the Western allied powers reject the offer.

1953: On June 17, 1953, a workers' uprising in East Germany is crushed by Russian tanks.

1955: The Federal Republic of Germany joins NATO and forms the Bundeswehr, the first Germany army to exist after Hitler's fall.

1956: The Hungarian uprising takes place, starting on Oct. 20, but it is ultimately crushed by the Russians.

1956: From Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, the Suez crisis takes place. After Egypt attempts to nationalize the Suez Canal, Israel, France and Great Britain occupy the canal zone and bomb Egyptian air fields. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev threatens London and Paris with nuclear war.

1961: The construction of the Berlin Wall begins on August 13.

1962: The Cuba crisis: After the Soviets position nuclear war heads in Cuba, the United States threatens war. The world is on the verge of nuclear war for days.

1963: The US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union agree to suspend surface and underwater tests of nuclear weapons.

1965: The first US combat forces land in South Vietnam. More than 2 million people will perish during the Vietnam War -- mostly civilians. The US withdraws its troops in 1973. Two years later the communist north conquers the southern part of the country.

1968: Troops from the Warsaw Pact, an organization of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe, stamp out the Prague Spring uprising.

1969: Negotiations between the United Nations and the Soviet Union begin on the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons. The talks end with several treaties in 1979, but the arms race continues unabated.

1970: The so-called Ostpolitik, a policy of rapprochement with the Eastern bloc championed by German Chancellor Willy Brandt, begins. His policy of "change through conciliation" bears its first fruits: The Germans and Russians agree to a treaty that renounces the use of force.

1979: The NATO Double-Track Decision is approved, enabling the US to station 572 "Pershing II" nuclear war heads in Western Europe if the negotiations with the Soviets over the dismantling of SS-20 mid range missiles fail. The deployment begins in 1983.

1980: Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the US imposes sanctions on the Russians and boycotts the Moscow Olympic Games.

1983: US President Ronald Reagan announces the development of a world-wide "Star Wars" missile defense system with his Strategic Defense Initiative.

1985: Kremlin chief Mikhail Gorbachev begins to reorient Soviet foreign policy.

1987: Gorbachev and Reagan agree to eliminate all land-based intermediate-range missiles.

1989: The Berlin Wall falls on November 9.

top 10 events:
1961: The construction of the Berlin Wall begins on August 13.

1983: US President Ronald Reagan announces the development of a world-wide "Star Wars" missile defense system with his Strategic Defense Initiative.

Who was President Reagan?

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. 

Who was the East German leader?

Erich Honecker

Who was the West German leader?

Konrad Adenauer

What were the social, economic and cultural issues?

Postmodernism on Deutschland 83.

What is postmodernism; 

1. Loss of Faith that things will get better - careers, economic status, romance : Acknowledgement of capitalism - Greed is Good! We live in an increasingly consumerist society
2. Loss of Faith in new technology and industry : We have so many tens, hundreds of ‘Friends’ on Facebook - how many of them do we actually speak to in a week? Are we actually more alone now than before?
3. Loss of Faith in the opportunities that Globalisation offered previously gated countries/communities to become interconnected : BREXIT!

types of postmodernism:

Intertextuality - meaning is given to a text by it referencing, knowingly, other texts

Pastiche - A light-hearted, tongue in cheek imitation of another’s style. Different to parody as it is usually good natured and respectful



Apply Baudrillard’s theory of postmodernism to stranger things and Deutschland 83

Consider the following questions to help you write an answer.

1.What is the basic reality represented by each drama? E.g. from drama

2.Does the representation mask a basic reality? E.g. from drama

3.Does the representation mask the absence of a basic reality (plays at being an appearance) E.g. from drama

4.Does the representation bear no relation to any reality, it is purely a simulation and becomes a hyper-reality. E.g. from drama





Essay 800 words.

•Identify key signifiers in episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and explain how they help the audience understand the genre they are watching. 

Deutschland 83 = Bricolage introduction showing bombing, missiles, nuclear weapons, government,

Deutschland 83 =  Footage of President Reagan talking about the "evil empire" which suggest the genre is historical: 80s.

Stranger Things = Opens up in a starry sky, reference to E.T, already signifies its a sci-fi genre

Stranger Things = Lab

•What are the key generic elements of episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and how do these help the audience understand the genre they are watching? 


•Identify key elements of narrative and underlying structure in episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and, giving examples, explain how they shape meaning. 


•Identify key examples of intertextuality in episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and explain how they help the audience understand what is going on. 


•Do episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things reinforce or challenge dominant ideology? 

HW.

•Who is the audience for episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things? (Research)
•“What effect do episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things have on the audience?”
•HW 800 words approx

Explain Effects theory, cultivation theory and reception theory and give examples from both episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things in your response

Shelter Campaign analysis.

Mis-en-scene

•  Shelter campaign targets homeless people.
• Vulnerable housing, unstable housing
• Targeted at people who are at risk/facing the struggles of keeping a home, they try to stop them from becoming homeless.
• Message is to seek help for Shelter before they lose their homes, e.g people who are facing debt and cannot repay the amount, rogue landlords and people who are losing their jobs.
• Search bar at bottom (baseline) search advice.
• Close-up shots of these faces to see their facial expressions; sad, weak, vulnerable, worried
• Red sans-serif text could connote danger, desperation, urgency
• Direct address signifies the need of help from the audience.
• Target audience: middle age,  both male and female, white

The social / cultural / political contexts we will focus on are: 

• Shelter as a charity > > > >
• The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and its regulatory framework
• The government’s comprehensive spending review of 2010, in which spending on social housing was cut by 60%, with a catastrophic impact on homelessness. > > > > 

• Amplify = advertising agency who produced campaign for Shelter.
• Amplify works with Shelter so that they can persuade people to seek help early.
• It is realistic and relatable.

The ASA are the regulatory body for advertising in the UK.

• Set strict rules about advertising
• They have the power to “pull” any adverts that have been complained about by a member of the public or a company.
• They will investigate complaints and agree / disagree
• Advertisers have to adhere to ASA guidelines

How is media language used in the Shelter advert? Refer to the social, political and cultural contexts in your response [15 marks]

The overall layout and composition of this campaign is different compared to other adverts. For example, not many adverts have close-ups of peoples' faces and text over it. This advertisement subverts to the many conventional codes that many adverts normally use. The masthead is painted over the three peoples' faces, in red with different text each time. Using Barthes' Semiotics theory, the red sans-serif could connote danger and desperation, which is what these people are seen facing and as the Shelter campaign is all about preventing people from becoming homeless; it's aimed towards people who have vulnerable housing or unstable housing, or they're at the risk of losing their homes. The sans-serif typography could also signify that it's aimed at everyone, not just men, but also women and the fact that it is capitalised, signifies that they're perhaps screaming for help. Moreover, in the mis-en-scene, we can see three people; two women and a man, who all look weak and vulnerable, which signifies, again, that it's aimed at all genders and all ages. The use of direct address could connote how they're asking the audience to help them, or in this case, the campaign to stop them from becoming homeless. The narrative established here is that the people here are asking for help, hence the direct address and the red sans-serif typography, that portray danger and desperation; a need of help. 

In terms of messages and values being communicated, the clear message of Shelter campaign is that again, it's aimed at people who are about to become homeless, they're struggling to keep their homes, and the Shelter campaign is there to prevent those people from becoming homeless and sleeping rough on the streets. Furthermore, reflecting some of the social context, Shelter campaign is ruled by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and its regulatory framework and the ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. If people do not like a specific advertisement, then the ASA would have a look into it and if it breaks one of it's legislations e.g "avoid presenting an exaggerated impression of the scale or nature of the social problem to which the work of the charity is addressed, eg. by illustrating the message with non-typical extreme examples" then the ASA would have the right to take down the specific advertisement.

In conclusion, this advertisement is successful in portraying its cause properly without breaking the ASA regulations, such as the fact that it does not overexaggerate homelessness, it portrays it sensibly. In my opinion, there should be more advertisements like this so that the issue of homelessness could be addressed quicker, and also prevent people from becoming homeless; those who have vulnerable housing, unstable housing or they're at a risk of losing their homes. The mise-en-scene and the typography also signify its cause e.g the red and bold typography, the close up shots of the three people, whose facial expressions are seen as weak and vulnerable, that also show that the advert is powerful in delivering its cause. 

Homework - Gareth Bale Lucozade Advert Analysis.

Lucozade advert plan:

• "In a different league" Gareth Bale
• Gareth Bale, Real Madrid/ex Tottenham Hotspurs / Welsh
• Clean cut image
• "In a different league" - an expression which suggests superiority, lucozade is better than its competitors (slogan)
• Also the slogan literally suggests that Bale does not play in premiership but La Liga + hes a great player!!
• Barthes - Myth (mythical masculinity)
• Sexuality that's instantly recognisable
• reflects cultural ideals
• strong, confident, physical presence
• Lucozade: strong, trustworthy, sports performance.
• Branding: blue and yellow colour scheme, lucozade yes graphic on the bottom left.

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In this Lucozade advert, we can see a mid-shot of the famous footballer, Gareth Bale, who is seen to be making direct address with the target audience, he seems to look sweaty, which, with the use of Barthes Semiotics theory,  connotes that he is an intense and professional footballer player. Next, we see the cover line "In a different league" which signifies a sense of superiority and that Lucozade is better than its competitors, but also in the mis-en-scene, we can see the obvious blue and yellow color scheme, which again, could hold connotations of superiority, power and energy, which is what Lucozade is supposed to make the audience feel. We can also see a close-up of the Lucozade product, which is called "Lucozade Sport" which illustrates that the drink is mostly aimed at people who do sports, so that the drink could empower them, motivate them and give them energy. However, in terms of representation, Gareth Bale here, is being represented as someone who has mythical masculinity, and we can derive this from Barthes, as he believed that there were many mythical things on the internet for example, things that seem real on the internet but are not. Over here, he is presented as someone who is masculine and the audience is supposed to perhaps look at him and become this masculine, which, in my opinion, is a negative representation.

In terms of the messages and values being communicated, it is clear that "in a different league" signifies superiority and that Lucozade will give you power and motivation to continue being a sports person, like it did to Gareth Bale, as this can be supported by how sweaty and serious he looks in the cover. So if the audience chooses to buy this product, it is clear what they will get from it. Further, in terms of other elements like context, Gareth Bale is a well known and respected footballer who plays in La Liga. 

In conclusion, I believe that this cover is quite persuasive in terms of trying to get the audience to buy the product, because it clearly portrays what would happen if sports people consumed the product; they will feel more energetic and motivated.  

Old Spice magazine/poster analysis homework 07/01/19.

In this cover of 'Old Spice' the overall layout and composition is fairly simple; landscape with a cover star in the center and little amount of text, without a masthead. However, in the overall mis-en-scene, we can see the cover lines instead such as "Old Spice Bahamas comes from an antiperspirant mine in the Bahamas" and then "Old Spice" which using Barthes Semiotics theory, could signify that without the masthead, perhaps they wanted to get to the point and tell us what the product is about, however, how would the audience be able to identify the product properly without the actual masthead of the cover? Further, the typography in this cover is fairly small and san-serif, meaning it could connote masculinity and strength. In terms of what is inside the actual mis-en-scene, we can clearly see a dark male cover with a metaphor of a volcano replacing the top of his head, and this of course, could perhaps signify him as someone who is "hot" if they use the Old Spice product; they would be deemed more attractive if they use it. This idea can also be corroborated by the fact that around the cover pupil, he is surrounded by people who are enjoying themselves and having fun. It can almost be said that the cover of this product takes an appearance of Surrealism, making things look realistic but not at the same time. In terms of other things like the anchorage here, it would seem that one of the cover lines: "Old Spice Bahamas (...) This fact has not been fact-checked" would be the anchorage because without it, the audience wouldn't really be to identify the product and what it does or what it's supposed to be. The main narrative of this advertisement, I think, is to persuade the main demographic audience of males 19-25, to buy the product so that they could feel better about themselves and appear more attractive or "hot" as the volcano signifies.

Moreover, in terms of the messages and values the cover communicates is again, making the target audience feel better about themselves, raise self-esteem, so that they could smell fresh and attractive after using the Old Spice product, it's an "outdoor campaign using tiny figures as a visual metaphor for how great you will smell using Old Spice." which is exactly what the cover portrays. In addition to this idea of surrealism, this advertisement also portrays the idea of postmodernism; where anything can be art, that the 'reality' we live in, is defined by images, stereotypes and different representations of things, and this advertisement clearly portrays that. The idea of postmodernism displays a state of simulacrum; it plays on its audience by the fact that they know these types of advertisements are cheesy, yet they work. The element of postmodernism paints a type of mix and match aesthetic. 

In conclusion, I think that this cover is extremely interesting and something that is out there, different to any covers out there that are trying to advertise their products. This cover is especially unique because it has a surrealism art element to it, which is why it stands out from most covers. I think that the messages that it conveys are positive and persuasive; the cover itself is very persuasive as it seems that if the audience use the product, they will end up smelling fresh and appearing more attractive towards other people, as in the cover, we can see the people around the cover star enjoying themselves and being happy, and as the volcano connotes, the product makes you "hot" if you use the Old Spice product. Further, the idea of postmodernism plays a significant role here as again, it creates that sense of surrealism and how the reality that we live in, is defined by images and representations, aswell as that mix and match type of aesthetic.