Blog 5.

The first piece that I've chosen is the 6 Feet Under from digital kitchen.

i. There are several types of major signs that appear in this piece. The most predominant type of sign signifies death and the acts surrounding death. These signs are symbols. Example of these symbols are the raven (associated with the idea of imminent death), the views of the coffin and the cemetery. The box drawn under the tree at the end of the piece is a sign that represents the idea of someone being buried after they die. The piece also presents signs that provoke specific emotions. An example is the hands that break apart in the beginning. They symbolize the ending or split of a relationship. The conclusion that can be formed is that this relationship has been broken because a death has occurred.

ii. The paradigm used in the piece surrounded the concept of death. The piece appears to also use the paradigm of realism and appealing to emotions. This is all done through the work of the imagery in the piece.

iii. The denotative message in the piece tells a story of someone who has died. It goes from the person being alive, to in the morgue, in a coffin, and then finally buried at the cemetery.

iv. The connotative message of the piece is the contrast formed between life and death and the emotions it can provoke. This is demonstrated in the piece through the imagery of the separating hands and also the views of the photographs sitting on the table.

v. The most prevalent myth I noticed was the imagery of the raven. Although I do not know the origin of this myth, it is believed that ravens are a sign of death. I have heard before that seeing a raven means death is coming soon.

vi. The piece did not use any verbal language. It did however have printed language. The printed language included the actor's names as well as the title of the show it is for. The text was effective in that it fit in with the scene. For example, the text after the hands separate fell apart in fragments. It was if to say that death makes everything fall apart.

vii. The purpose of this piece is to be an introduction for the show 6 Feet Under. You can get the idea that the show is about death and perhaps one main person that has died and the events surrounding her death.

viii. The demographic for this piece would definitely be an older, more mature demographic. Perhaps these people have experienced some form of loss or death. The piece did successfully advertise to this demographic because it presents symbols that are all signs of death. Death is a complicated topic that children might have a hard time dealing with. The symbols themselves also took some interpretation (the flowers and the raven) that a younger audience might not associate with any meaning.

ix. The piece substantiated the brand in that it was a concise piece that portrayed a strong use of symbols that all pertained to the issue of death. Every detail, down to the music, presents the audience with a sense of foreboding. The images were all simple, yet effectively got complicated points across.

Hillmancurtis Girls Against Boys

i. The paradigm that was used in the conceptualization of this piece was the ideas of individuals being brought together as a band. All the guys the piece presented were separate but yet together.

ii. One of the symbols the piece presented was the contrast between the split screen that portrayed two guys talking (often at the same time) and the full screen that only showed one guy at one time. This visual symbol was used to emphasize the individuals among the group. It was also utilized to emphasis or point out specific points while each guy was talking.

iii. The denotative meaning of this piece was to interview a band, Boys Against Girls, about how and why they produce the type of music they do.

iv. The connotative meaning of the piece was to demonstrate how different individuals come together to cultivate one idea and more specifically, one sound.

v. I did not see any myths that were being portrayed in the piece. Perhaps a myth can be seen in the name of the band-boys Against Girls. It has always been a trivial myth that there is a war between the sexes.

vi. The piece appeared to use unofficial language in that it often had two people talking simultaneously. I found that it was not effective because you often lost what each person was saying. It was hard to keep the momentum of interest going. It was difficult to understand what they wanted you to know.

vii. The purpose of this piece was to interview Boys Against Girls and present the different individuals that make up the band.

viii. The targeted demographic of this piece would be people who are into music and the bands behind the music. It was effective in that it introduced each band member and briefly discussed how they came to find the sound for the band. It was ineffective in that it was hard to understand. It would be perhaps for a geographic made up of teenagers and older.

ix. I feel the piece did not represent the brand very well. It was a little confusing having two people speaking at the same time. It gives the brand a "messy' and "unordered" feel. Both of these are not attractive qualities you want (traditionally) for a brand.