In his article, “On Reading a Video Text”, Robert Scholes advises, “we would do well to pause and consider the necessity of ideological criticism,” before accepting the ‘Video / Visual Text.’ Scholes writes, “The moments of surrender proposed to us by video texts come in many forms, but all involve a complex dynamic of power and pleasure.” Visual effects like slow motion, close-ups and visual enhancements place us in a powerful position where we could never stand- extraordinarily up-close, and personal. When the video text captures our ideological beliefs, this brings us pleasure because we feel like we belong. Apparently, this function- cultural reinforcement operates in the ethical-political realm. It is an important element for video / visual texts and, an important dimension of all the mass media. Hence implying, we the audience can only relate to the video or visual text if we can draw from our own experience or beliefs. Consequently, their video or visual text will sell if the audience ‘gets’ it.
Scholes analyzes one commercial for example, the 1982 Budweiser commercial and demonstrates how this advertisement engages with the audience. It is about an African American man working hard, trying to make it in the major leagues of baseball as an umpire and finally gets his ‘big break.’ He calls his wife on the payphone and says he got the ‘call.’ The following day on a game play, one of the coaches yells at him for calling the runner out. As Scholes points out, “Here, the close-up and slow motion come into play, to let us see both how close the call is and that the umpire has indeed made the right call.” The yelling didn’t faze the ump at all; he was calm and collected while walking away from the angry coach. A classic gesture that we all know and believe that works best in heated arguments. Next scene- the ump is having dinner with his wife while the coach is sitting at the bar. The coach sends Budweiser beer to the ump’s table (a gesture we understand as to make truce) and both make a toast from afar. Basically implying everything is okay, an ending we all perhaps hope for – happiness and success. Scholes states that the narrative may perhaps be a successful sell to the audience because we can relate to ump’s story but the success of selling the beer depends on the consumer. However, the promotion works because the commercial has established a connection between the product and the nation: a beer for the national pastime.
To exercise my ability to analyze a video / visual text, I have chosen the Neutrogena’s Anti-Wrinkle Cream commercial. In the commercial, an American blonde woman looking fresh and wrinkle free endorses the use of the product. She looks good and undoubtedly beautiful. The promotion of the product projects us to believe that we are beautiful when we are wrinkle-free. In the end of the commercial, the woman asks, “Would you use it? I would!” Basically this advertisement urges viewers to buy the product and be wrinkle free like her, thus looking young and beautiful. We can certainly relate to the video because our culture today has been negatively influenced by the media as to what beautiful is and what growing old should be about. The media advocates on these various cosmetic products like such that will help make us look younger and mask the signs of aging. For some, rather than embracing aging gracefully, we resort to these products to feel like we belong with this cult of beauty. I say, people must emerge with a positive outlook and understand that growing old is part of life and the media’s current showcase on beauty is simply superficial. Aging is naturally beautiful and ought to come with acceptance as it unfolds so much meaning and pleasure in one’s life. Our wrinkles are not flaws but expressions that we have lived our lives to the fullest. However, the question is whether this commercial sells? In my opinion, perhaps it does sell since the media has established a strong projection of physical beauty. Women / ladies can relate. At a young age, ladies are already drawn to this trend of vanity. Little girls already have tough times; they want to be the prettiest princess like they see on cartoon shows or movies like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Girls grow up repeating the famous line in their heads from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Again, maybe this commercial does sell for some people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4oNoKbnF-4
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