My Book Cover

As I love reading I thought that I would attempt to make my own book cover. The text (title of the book) anchors the image as the title relates to the image of the nonidentical leg tattoos (minor details make them nonidentical). The way which the text is presented also fits in with the title as it is 'uneven.'

The photograph of the feet turned in and the knees somewhat close together somewhat represent and give the feeling of being 'huddled together' and protective of oneself - this fits in with the characters intended unbalanced/unstable life - giving the viewer of the book cover and indication as to what the narrative is about. The tattoos are unique and also symbolise different perhaps denoting her characteristics.

The homely environment, i.e. bedding and carpet, allow the viewer to relate more to the novel - as it is highly likely that the target audience of the image and book cover are going to be from a homely environment the bedding and carpet allow the viewer to relate particularly with the setting.

The toe rings on either foot (on the same toe(s)) are also there as a symbol of the fact that the character does actually become balanced (although it is hard to see at first). The pink rose tattoos on either leg symbolise the grace and gentleness (almost frailness) of the character. They could perhaps also represent that this character is going to be admirable in some ways and that the viewer is going to sympathise with her in others - as roses are often sent to convey admiration and sympathy.

The dark coloured bedding also allows the legs and leg tattoos to stand out - pushing them into the foreground and making them the key image (to establish meaning from.)

Denotation and Connotation in a Still Life Painting (Pieter Claesz)

Vanitas is a type of symbolic work of art particularly associated with Northern European still life painting in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries. Paintings executed in the Vanitas style act as a reminder of the transience of life, the certainty of death, and the futility of pleasure. They also provided a moral justification for many paintings of attractive objects.

Common symbols within these still life paintings include skulls - which act as a reminder for the viewer of the certainty of death, rotten fruit which is used to symbolise ageing and decay, bubbles to represent the brevity of life and musical instruments, which symbolise the brevity and the passing of time in life. The musical instruments in particular can represent the pleasure of music and it's transience, a metaphor for the fact that life's pleasures are not permanent. Flowers, butterflies and fruit within these paintings are also often associated with this morbid theme - lemons are often used within Vanitas (or Vanitas style paintings) to symbolise the bitterness of life.

Society's awareness of death was not abandoned with the end of the Twelve Year Truce - in the 1620's society suffered from two outbreaks of the Plague, this may account for the content of Vanitas paintings, whose recurring motifs, particularly the skull, was a constant reminder of morality.

However, there remained a redeeming Christian reference, the chaplet of corn on a skull, a reminder of the Resurrection. Fuchs suggests that this density of morbid symbols would have appealed to the intelligentsia at Leiden University, centre for the study of Calvinism. (R.H.Fuchs, Dutch Painting, (London, 1994), 115.)

Symbolism was present in every form of 'Still Life' but never more significant than in Vanitas work where everything spoke of the inevitability of death. Examples of these symbols are in the paintings above, such as the violin which is symbolic of the vice of enjoyment and the fading of music, and the burning candle which screams out the message to the viewer that life will eventually end.

Traditional still life painting is still attractive - simple light, simple techniques, and a simple set of objects create a sort of dignified feeling. Still life paintings such as these are very rich in historical and cultural connotation.

Size, Scale and Distance (Drawings)

(Apologies in advance for my rough child-like drawings but they have just being used to illustrate the point I am making)

The size of the figures within an image can have a completely different effect on the narrative - in the image above there is a clear close chase between the two figures, where as in the drawing below there is a much more distant, unclear and less tense chase. The drawing above appears unrealistic in comparison to the drawing below - in relation to the size of the pathway the larger character should be a lot smaller to fit in with the size of the other objects and figure within the drawing. The character which is supposed to be in the background appears to be much larger than the character in the foreground and also appears much closer to the viewer. Where as in the image below the only difference is that the figure in the 'background' has been made smaller making the distance of the path look greater and the character a more realistic size.

New Moon Film Poster

Firstly, the title of the film is in a golden colour which makes it stand out from the rest of the poster, and the style of writing and font is simple. As the film is predominantly for a young teenage audience, the poster has to be reasonably simple and information should be preferably presented through imagery rather than text. The date of when the film is released has also been included underneath the film title - reminding the audience that this is an important date.

The thick mist along the bottom of the poster creates a supernatural and eerie feeling to the image. It also relates to the fact that the theme of the film is mysterious and unclear. The main light is on the characters' faces which draws your attention to their facial expressions, the background is also in a sepia tone which makes the main characters stand out and shows that they are the main focus of the film - in a film poster the key image is the most important feature as it's what draws the viewer in and gives a good indication as to the narrative of the film. The positioning of the characters within the key image show that Edward (the antagonist of the narrative) is being 'pushed out' - it gives the impression that the other male character (Jacob) is trying to protect the female character (Bella) from him as he has been positioned with his back towards Edward. The two males also have their fists clenched which emphasises the tension and anger between the two characters. The antagonist also has a tense look on his face and his face is turned towards the other male character which delivers the message to the audience that there is in fact, some tension between the two males.

The female character appears to be looking straight ahead at the viewer, this somewhat draws you into the poster as she is engaging with the audience on a more personal level than the other two characters which makes you concentrate on how she is being expressed as a character - her facial expression gives the impression that she is confused and her face looks very vacant. This portrays to the audience that perhaps she is the reason for the tension between the two male characters (perhaps a fight for her affections). Bella looking ahead could also be representative of the fact that she is impartial and isn't taking sides. However, after noticing that her hand is placed on Jacob's arm I got the impression that she feels safer and more secure around him - it also emphasises her vulnerability.

I have realised that body language is always an important element to consider when creating art or any form of media product in general as it is often the most important feature that carries hidden meaning and will sell itself to the viewer.

Colour is also an important factor in establishing meaning. In this case, Edward's dark clothing has connotations of him being evil and sinister in comparison to the other two characters who are wearing lighter shades of clothing. This could suggest to the viewer that he is the 'bad guy' or somehow going to be placed in the wrong within the narrative.

The trees in the background also add a sense of mystery and darkness to the image - especially as the trees become less clear as they are positioned further into the background - to me as a viewer this creates a sense of uncertainty because some of the background is covered by fog and mist. The moon in the top right hand corner fits in with the title of the film, it is also bright as it is emphasised by the saturated background and therefore stands out - perhaps expressing the fact that the moon may be highly relevant in the films narrative.

Avatar Trailer (Mise-en-scène & Camera Shots)

Avatar (2009) is such a visual film that has gained fantastic reviews for it's amazing special effects. The film is set on the mysterious moon Pandora in the year 2154 and the films narrative revolves around the story of marine Jake Sully and his interaction with the native inhabitants of Pandora, the Na'vi, through his avatar body.

At first minimal information is portrayed within the trailer - this seeks to build tension. The pace then begins to pick up as the action on scene becomes more dramatic, giving the trailer a sense of urgency. There is also an adequate amount of gentler shot pacing to emphasise the 'mysticalness' of the shot.

In terms of mise-en-scène, Avatar is predominantly CGI, therefore the trailer provides a preview of the amazing technology used within the creation of the film. From the portrayal of creatures and terrains within the video clip, it is made obvious to the audience that the films narrative is futuristic and set in 'another world.' In the opening shots complex computer and medical facilities are shown which emphasise the futuristic nature of the film. I think that mise-en scene is one of the most important elements of a trailer as what the viewers see within the short film effects their opinion on the entire movie.

There is a huge variety of camera shots within the trailer - ranging from extreme close ups to grand wide shorts. The first shot is of, presumably, the main characters eyes opening. This is really effective because it is almost symbolic of where the narrative begins. Then, by huge contrast the second shot is of a large spaceship/satellite - this is exciting and creates a certain degree of tension for the viewer, as well as establishing the genre of the film.

There are two genres of shots within the trailer - 'action' and 'mystical' ... there is a combination of imagery of military machinery and weapons combined with images of 'alien-like' creatures within their own mystical world.

Overall, the trailer successfully engages the audience with it's unusual/exciting imagery and amazing display of fantastic computer generated imagery. It also successfully makes the viewer want to watch the entire film - as it draws the viewer in by inferring war.

Verdadism - Soraida Martinez.

The word Verdadism was coined by Soraida Martinez to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. Her contemporary art style was created in 1992 and her work juxtaposes figurative abstract paintings with written social commentaries. This technique used is mixed media (with oil or acrylic on canvas paintings alongside written social statements). Much of the statements are based upon Soraida Martinez life experiences and observations. Her work addresses issues affecting American society from the late 20th century to present such as stereotyping, abortion, feminism, relationships, racism, and sexism. This is a very stimulating art style as there is so much meaning within the work which prompt tolerance and a deeper understanding of the human soul.

What Prejudice Looks Like (1993)

The figure in What Prejudice Looks Like embodies the unbalanced psyche of the prejudice human being. The arms which cross the neck of the figure show the strangling of the soul when it is prejudice. Initially the unusual appearance of the painting and the bright colours within it draw the viewer in. The separate blocks of colour make the audience engage with the image on a much higher level - although at first glance it is obvious that within the painting is a figure of a person, the viewer has to somewhat concentrate and put the shapes together to establish meaning within this picture. The text which anchors the painting also communicates on a more direct level the overall meaning and purpose of the painting.

The figure within the image clearly has unusual characteristics and is perhaps symbolic of the way in which prejudice people see people with a disfigurement. The unusual shapes and green sharp teeth somewhat signify the fact that prejudice is ugly, and to me as a viewer of the painting, the disproportionate shapes, sizes and coloured sections within the image which come together to create a figure with highly unusual features - which to a certain degree communicates to me that everyone is different and that different can be beautiful and colourful too.

Interracial Family: The Way Society Sees It (1992)

"This painting is about the second marriage of my mother to my stepfather, who died six years ago. My stepfather was a Puerto Rican of African ancestry, while my mother is a fair skin Puerto Rican of Spanish ancestry. As a teenager, I always liked to observe people and evaluate situations. I remember the looks they both got when they would walk into restaurants and other public places. But the worst part was when my stepfather was dying and I overheard a nurse joke to another nurse that she didn't know that my mother was his wife because "she's white and he's black." - (Soraida Martinez)

The two large figures within the painting portray different races, and the third smaller figure represents the union of these two different races. The child figure adds a great degree of meaning to the image as it represents the in balance and awkwardness with how society sees interracial relationships. This shows that size can be successfully used to not only establish an action narrative or for empowerment but to establish hidden meaning also. This painting creates the eerie feeling to the viewer which prejudiced people experience when they see two people of different races together. 

The figures are featured standing very close together, and also within the shapes you can see that they have their arms around one another. This creates some sort of 'stand' against colour prejudice - there is nothing wrong with interaction between those belonging to different races and I personally think that even at a first glance this is presented clearly within this painting.

As I live in a very mixed race city, I have decided that within my product it would be a good idea to include people from various races and backgrounds, perhaps making a discreet stand against social issues surrounding prejudice.

My Poster.

Above is my attempt at making a poster advertising a hair volumizer product. I decided to create a rough basic poster design just as an attempt at creating meaning using layout and signifiers. Firstly, I chose my product (hair volumizer) and tried to fit and relate the rest of the content of the poster to it.

I then found an image of Kate Moss with volumized hair. I decided upon using Kate Moss as a form of celebrity endorsement for my product (those who idolise her are more likely to puchase the product) - and also because she is well known within beauty and fashion industries. I cut around her hair and face and positioned her at the top of the poster - which somewhat empowers her. This will allow those who have interest in purchasing the product to relate it to the feeling of being empowered.

I then positioned the image of the product which I made in the bottom left hand corner behind a cartoon sun, allowing it to stand out - the product can now also be associated with warmth, summer and brightness. These are all often aesthetically pleasing for the typical audience. The sun is also positioned in a way so that it overlooks the boat, the boat can be associated with the luxury of the product and the waves surrounding the boat with the volumized hair, and also a possible effect of the product. Once again this gives a more summery feel and allows the product to be seen as a 'holiday product.'

The logo which is featured in the bottom right hand corner allows the poster to not only advertise the product but also the brand 'BOOM' (Which I made up.) The text within the poster anchors the images, and all of the text in general allows the poster to make much more sense to the viewer - it has made it much more obvious to the audience that the posters aim is to sell and advertise a product and brand.

The angle which I have positoned the text '...' and 'volume' are symbolic of the way that the product makes your hair increase in volume, i.e. both are positioned in an upwards direction. The use of the gold/yellow colours within the text are sybmolic of luxury and summer time, and the red for 'volume' can be associated with courage, confidence and perhaps 'danger/voltage' in the way that the hair volumizer styles your hair - as well as making it stand out. The bold text and capital letters also make the poster more eye-catching and forceful.