CF: Print analysis - Advert

Advert deconstruction

This is a poster-style advertisement for the greatest hits album from the iconic American alternative rock band, the foo fighters.

Genre

How is the genre of the track/artist evident?

The genre of this artist is alternative rock. This advertisement is quite subtle in conveying this genre, but does have implications as to the fact that the genre of this artist is alternative rock. Rock is known for having a more aggressive sound than that of many other genres such as pop or R&B. This poster conveys this aggression through the use of colours. The colour red is known for being belligerent, as it is iconically the colour of blood, which is strongly associated with aggressive behaviour and violence. Secondly, another reference to the aggressive persona of this advertisement is the background which is clearly meant to resemble metal from possibly a trailer which performers often have to prepare for their live performances in. The actual look of the metal here appears to be rather rough and beaten, which further ties in with the bellicose look of the poster.

Language

What visual techniques are used and how is meaning generated through these techniques?

The rule of thirds is obsolete in this advertisement, as the content of the poster itself is not a photograph, which is the median of media text where the rule of thirds applies (as well as film/video). The use of texture is evident in this video as I have previously mentioned, such as the rough texture and composition of the metal looking material in the majority of the poster. This creates more depth to the image, which gives it a more 3D and life like feel, which may implore the consumer of the poster to visualise one of their performances or such, which in turn, is a clear method of promoting the artist. Mise-en-scene is evident in this advertisement through the use of the artists logo which is the most dominant item in the poster, this is clearly to gain the consumer’s attention to the artist, which again, is another method of promoting and advertising the artist, as it helps build a brand, by making the logo very recognisable. The overall tone of this advert creates a very dark and moody persona, this is to achieve emphasis on, and put the consumer’s attention to the logo in the middle of the poster, which as I have previously mentioned, is to help establish a brand for the artist. The fact that the logo of the artist is very central to the page, which result in prevalence in terms of what the consumers look at when they view this poster.

What linguistic devices have been used?

There is very little use of linguistic devices such as emotive language or quotations in this advert, as it is clear the designer of this poster is try to keep the amount of written information on this advert, to a minimum. The information included is the name of the artist, the name of the album that the poster is advertising, the release date, the formats of which the album is available on and some of the best known tracks from the album. This is probably because the designer is trying not to draw the consumers attention to aspects of the poster, other than the logo in the centre.

Is there use of intertextuality / references to popular culture?

There is one minor use of intertextuality in this advert as I previously mentioned. The use of the background has a slight resemblance to the use of the iconic trailer, which has become known for artists/actors and other performers to have to prepare in before performing. This is clearly highlighting the fact that the artists that this poster advertises are already established, and are very famous within their genre. This is a form of pastiche, as the designer is clearly honouring the iconic image of a performer’s trailer, rather than using it for comical purposes. As this advert is from a quite recent album release from the foo fighters, the use of intertextuality is an expression of post-modernism.

Representation

How are the band/artist represented?
The Foo Fighters have become very famous for their iconic lively shows, and this is what they have become iconic for within the genre of rock music. This energy and livliness is conveyed in the poster through the repetitive use of symbols which resemble lightning bolts, and these are clearly associated with energy. These bolts are used throughout the poster, and are seen, a total of five times. The use of repetition of this technique is simply to cement and reinforce this idea of enery relating to the energetic ethos of this band.

Institution and audience

How might this print text be consumed?

This poster has clearly be designed for general use of be displayed out amongst the general public. However, a post like this, for an artist whose following may be slightly more cult-like, means that the poster would have a greater effect in promoting the artist and the album/tracks if it was displayed at places where people who favour this music or follow this band will be, such as music festival, live performances, or high street music shops. This advert may also be used on the internet, but in the same way as the poster will be distributed, when online, this advert will have a greater effect on the artist’s website, music festival’s/concert’s websites, or other online site that are associated with this genre of music.