The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have just announced some changes. They will be worth following and for the course, are relevant for INSTITUTIONS and REPRESENTATION.
The BBC reporting of the news is here:
And the full ASA report can be accessed here:
Plenty to read and think about… and it will appear in the coursework before Christmas! 😉
Would love to get any feedback from you if you have time. 🙂
Not sure which rules and regulations and codes of practice (mmm… that’s in bold type. Wonder if it’s an important term I should remember/use?) might apply to your poster(s)? No worries… You’re maybe looking in the wrong place for help.
The main legal constraint (another good phrase that, you should maybe use it at some point! Hint. Hint.) from an institutional point of view (Another great phrase – where does he get them all!) comes from the ASA. They are the regulatory body who rule on the suitability of an advert (which is, after all, what a poster is – an advert for a film).
When you are designing a poster, there is regulatory guidance available from the CAP (https://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules.aspx). The CAP are the Committee of Advertising Practice and they offer training and guidance on advertising… and they also draw up the rules/guidance that advertisers need to follow. They work hand-in-hand with the ASA.
Now, I had hoped that at least one of you would have stumbled on the CAP by now… and specifically, this page: https://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Help-Notes.aspx
But just in case you haven’t, and want the tl;dr version, you NEED to look at this guide in particular: https://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Help-Notes/Videogames-Guidance-on-ads-for-videogames-and-films.aspx#.WLSGTBicbrc
Just a wee reminder that you MUST have your Audience Research sheets ready for printing on Monday… If you can print a master at home (and a reminder that it should be NO MORE THAN TWO SIDES OF A4) that would be helpful! (Though not essential)
Just out of interest, I have found a couple of ASA rulings on film posters (more may likely follow). Perhaps unsurprisingly, given class discussion, both posters were featured on buses.
You should read through the decisions and consider how or why the posters were on the receiving end of complaint(s)… and whether you would agree with them. (And yes, this is all INSTITUTION stuff!)
So… the real fun starts here.
You are to choose an advert (Press/magazine/poster/TV) and identify five of the signs used in its creation… and also give some thoughts on what they signify. Bonus points for seeing if you can combine all the separate signs into an overview of the adverts overall message. I’m looking forward to seeing what you hand me on Monday 🙂
What’s that, you say? You’d like the slides from class to refer to? Oh, all right. Here they are…
Just a quick one… Gap have pulled an advert because of “passive racism”. I know, I didn’t know it was a thing either. Mind you, given that Gap don’t have to go too far to find their problems, this is probably an unwelcome (or possibly very welcome) diversion.
Anyway… here’s the link: Oopsie!
Sainsbury’s have released their Christmas ad… a three and a half minute epic starring a computer generated cat. Definitely gets my award for the funniest advert (so far!)…
Lidl’s School of Christmas:
The Littlewood’s Touch:
Aldi’s Sound of Music:
Curry’s Acting Grateful:
Markies!:
And last but by no means least… one from my childhood!
The preferred reading is the meaning intended by the creator/director/maker.
A differential decoding is an alternative reading not intended by the creator/director/maker.
In my excitement to go to be a pin cushion for the NHS, I left your project boxes on the table at the front of my room… I’ll not be able to get them till Monday so it will be Tuesday/Wednesday before you’ll get them back. As the yooth of today are want to say: Soz. My bad.
Take it as read that you should be good to go (I’ve been paying attention as I’ve discussed what you are up to), and be ready to start filming from Thursday next week.
PS: If you are struggling with the homework, check out this post, or use the blog comments to ask for help!
Here’s a wee early bonus for those that are subscribed to the blog. 😉 This is the homework I warned you about earlier this week.
TASK: Choose an advert and carry out an in-depth analysis focussing on the technical and cultural codes used to create it.
Your answer should take the form of an essay, but you are advised to use screen grabs to illustrate the points you wish to make.
Make sure you include a link to the advert you choose.
The handout, complete with added hints and tips, is available for download below. And feel free to ask me about it tomorrow. 🙂
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