Wednesday, 28 December 2011

MEST 4 Xmas Task #1




Beyonce Heat Perfume – is a 31 second perfume advert advertisement.

In this advertisement,many close up and medium shot are used. This is shown in the first second of the text where the audience views a close up shot of the perfume from a low angle shot with the use of a high key lighting to create emphasis on the perfume lid as it lifted into the air as though it was an angel, which attempts to connote to the audience that the perfume is angelic whereas the top lighting surrounding the product shows it power and importance.


As Beyonce strolls around in the advertisement, she is followed around by a sensitive red glow which colour co-ordinates with her red dress. As red denotes heat which is co-incidentally the name of the perfume, i beileve that by suppressing the red glow around beyonce's body with her every move connotes to the audience that by wearing this perfume you will instantly become hot and sexy as the male gaze (Gammon and Marshsment) is on beyonce as she is sexually objectified as a "sexy godess" as one veiwer described her on Youtube underneath the video of the advertisement. 



Furthermore, Beyonce's body movements combined with the camera's prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts creates a very sexually provocative atmosphere within the advert that could be seen as unsuitable to be shown to young children. This ideology has been reinforced by the advertising standards agency (ASA) as the advert was subsequently banned in November 2010 deemed to be "sexually provocative" and "unsuitable to be seen by young children".
The next shot emphasises the fetishization of the Beyonces legs which are filmed from a low angle. This provocative and alluring shot shows beyonce almost teasing the male gaze with her female charm as once she stops walking, she turns to the camers and says "catch the fever" with the fever being her, therefore as fevers are known to be hot at very high temperatures, Beyonce is sexualising the product. 
I believe the advert possess the following theories,
Hypodermic needle – The advert uses aspects of this theory as it is injecting messages into the minds of the viewers because it trying to draw attention to the power the producer has. As it is making it seems that having this perfume will make you instantly sexy and as hot as beyonce was both sexually and physically in the advert.
Marxism - to some it may show aspects of Marxism and how it could make it seem that by purchasing this perfume – you would have that status and style of living, this could be misleading to psychographics such as aspirers; as it may give false hope.
Beyonce Heat advert research

The daily mail has published an article in which it states that this advertisement "has been banned from daytime TV amid concerns over its sexual imagery." 

This is because the commercial, which begins with an image of the singer lying naked in a room, has been deemed ‘too sexually provocative’ to be seen by young children and will not be shown on British TV before 7.30pm.

The ASA watchdog accepted the advert was not obscene or offensive but was unhappy that it had been shown on daytime TV. It said: ‘Several complainants had told us their children had seen the ad broadcast during the middle of the day around family programmes.’


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/17/beyonce-heat-ad
The guardian have also published an article surrounding the controversy that has been brewing due to the ad. This is because The ad campaign, by perfume company Coty UK, featured Beyoncé wearing a short red dress and acting seductively, was described by theAdvertising Standards Authority as "sexually provocative" and "unsuitable to be seen by young children". The ad was set to the song Fever.


Coty said that the TV ad was "intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style" and that the ad was not "overtly graphic or explicitly sexual and at no point was Beyoncé naked". The company added that the commercial was "stylised and in keeping with other ads in the genre".

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