Video Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNSJM7YLpNA

In the article, "On Reading a Video Text," by Robert Scholes, he discusses video texts with explaining the theory of ideological criticism. Scholes basically gives an explanation about how commercials are used to create the connection between a certain object and it having to do with America, for example, cultural reinforcement. This is the idea that our power and pleasures are associated in video text. He says, “the process through which video texts confirm viewers in their ideological positions and reassure them as to their membership in a collective cultural body.” Thus meaning, cultural reinforcement is an important area of all the mass media. While explaining, Scholes states E.D. Hirsch, who critics the bewailing ignorance of our culture. That it is important to realize that many Americans are not without culture; they simply have a different culture from Eliot Hirsch and William Bennett. Many Americans lack analyzing and criticizing the power of a text and not its power to sell items such as beer, but its power to sell America. And As Eliot (E.D.) Hirsch puts it; “its necessary to recover from the surrender to this text, and it is also necessary to have the tools of ideological criticism.” This recovery could possibly depend on critical analysis. Basically, Hirsch is saying that America as an audience cannot comprehend the power of a text like a national beer for the national pastime, for instance. And in making this comment, he argues that the analysis of videotexts should be taught in schools.
I chose a Nike video that shows how layers and layers of our past have been recreated into our present. By this, it shows Nike shoes literally pealing into newer and different shoes a few times. This corresponds to our comprehension of analyzing because we see shoes being remade but the broad meaning of the commercial is to sell the item. The add shows the narrative of newer basketball shoes getting better as the years pass for better support and all that good stuff. It grasps the attention of the audience because it is basically random and doesn’t serve much purpose but it’s interesting the way it is presented. It gives the knowledge that newer forms of their basketball shoes are better supported and I guess safer for use. I think it proves that ideology is a very important trait when it comes to analyzing this text because it shows that this theory as one may call it can be completely confusing if you don’t understand at first. But that is the nature of our society. Showing new better Nike shoes makes people want to purchase their product since they are reproduced.