af lar sorensen
TRANSCRIPT
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Amultimodalapproachforadvertisingfor
professionalsinthefilm,televisionand
photographybusiness.
AfLarsSrensen
Supervisor:CarmenDanielaMaier
DepartmentofLanguageandBusinessCommunication
AarhusSchoolofBusiness
AarhusUniversity
Submission:1stofMay2011
Totalnumberofcharacters:41,127
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SummaryBAThesisinMarketingandManagementCommunicationamultimodalapproachfor
advertisingforprofessionalsinthefilm,televisionandphotographybusiness.
Thissummarysetsouttowithacuriosityofhowadvertisingforasmallprofessionalaudience
andtheaimtoconductamultimodalanalysisofthreeprintadvertisementsfromTheAmerican
Cinematographerwiththefollowingquestionsinmind:
Whatarethevisualcommunicativestrategiesusedbyfilmandphotographymanufacturers
intheirprintadvertisementspublishedinthemagazineTheAmericanCinematographerand
howarethemodesandstrategiesemployedinordertopersuadeaprofessionalaudience.
Allthreesendersoftexthavethenarrowaudienceofprofessionalsina(relativelyseen)small
business.Asadvertisers,thecompaniesmultimodalchoicesareanalysedfromamultimodal
socialsemioticspoint.ThisapproachfollowsKressandvanLeeuwensadaptionandextension
ofHallidaysthreemetafunctions.Tofurthertheunderstandingofthemultimodalchoices,the
advertisementswillalsobeanalysedfromapersuasivepointofviewwiththeoriesofMessaris,
HalmariandVirtanenandputintocontextwithvanLeeuwensinformationlinking.
Basedonthefindingsitisconcludedthatthethreeadvertisementsalluseddifferent
approachestothepromotionalgenreofadvertising.Thefieldwithinwhichtheyagreedthe
mostuponwasonthetextualmetafunctionswerealladvertisementsusedapolarised
composition,whichenablesfortransitionalmeaningmakingwithinthecomposition.Also,it
seemsthatproductandbrandendorsementisseenasapersuasivemean.
Thethesisalsoconcludesthatiftheproblemstatementweretobetakenupagain,amore
elaborateanalysiswithseveralextraadvertisementswouldbenecessary.
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Summary...............................................................................................................................2
1. Introduction....................................................................................................................4
1.1 MotivationandProblemStatement.......................................................................................4
1.2 Focus......................................................................................................................................4
1.2.1 Delimitationandreasonsofchoiceforresearchobjects.......................................................41.2.2 DelimitationsofMethod........................................................................................................5
1.3 StructureofBAThesis............................................................................................................5
2. Backgroundanddata......................................................................................................7
2.1 TheAmericanCinematographer.............................................................................................7
2.1. Printads...............................................................................................................................7
2.1.1 Panasonic...............................................................................................................................7
2.1.2 ChimeraLighting....................................................................................................................8
2.1.3 Kodak.....................................................................................................................................9
3. Theory..........................................................................................................................10
3.1 DiscourseanalysisandMultimodality..................................................................................10
3.1.1 Fromsocialsemioticstomultimodalsemiotics...................................................................10
3.1.2 M.A.K.Hallidayandsocialsemiotics..................................................................................10
3.1.3 Kress,vanLeeuwenandmultimodality...............................................................................12
3.1.4 VanLeeuwenandinformationlinking.................................................................................12
3.2 Persuasioninmultimodaltexts............................................................................................13
3.2.1 Messaris,HalmariandVirtanen...........................................................................................13
4. Methodology................................................................................................................15
4.1 Frameworksthatwillbeused..............................................................................................15
4.1.2Multimodalityandpersuation..............................................................................................15
4.1.2 Strengthandweaknessesoftheoreticalframeworks..........................................................15
5. Analysis........................................................................................................................17
5.1 Panasonic.............................................................................................................................17
5.1.1 Multimodality......................................................................................................................17
5.1.2 Linkingandpersuasion........................................................................................................18
5.2 ChimeraLighting..................................................................................................................18
5.2.1 Multimodality......................................................................................................................18
5.2.2 Linkingandpersuasion........................................................................................................205.3 Kodak...................................................................................................................................20
5.3.1 Multimodality......................................................................................................................20
5.3.3 Linkingandpersuasion........................................................................................................21
6. Conclusions...................................................................................................................22
Bibliography........................................................................................................................23
Appendices..........................................................................................................................25
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Amultimodalapproachtoadvertisingfor
professionalsinthefilm,televisionandphotographyindustry
1. Introduction
EverydaywearebombardedwithglobaladvertisementstryingtosellusCoca-Cola,acaror
perhapstoothpaste.Whethertheymaybetelevisioncommercials,Internetads,postersor
billboards,theyareeverywhere.Why?Becauseconsumersareeverywhereandifaproduct
canbesoldeverywhere,thenwhynotadvertiseforiteverywhere.Butwhathappenswhen
youneedtoadvertiseforamorenarrowaudiencewhoarenoteverywhereandarenot
consumers,butprosumersandprofessionals?Howdothosecompaniesconveytheirmessage
andreachtheiraudience.Inordertofindout,thisthesiswillexaminethefieldofadvertising
aimedtowardsprofessionalswithinthefilm,televisionandphotographybusiness.
1.1 MotivationandProblemStatementConsideringthenarrowaudienceofprofessionalswithinthefilm,televisionandphotography
businessandthespecialneedsandknowledgetheyhave,comparedtoregularconsumers;
whatarethevisualcommunicativestrategiesusedbyfilmandphotographymanufacturers
intheirprintadvertisementspublishedinthemagazineTheAmericanCinematographerand
howarethemodesandstrategiesemployedinordertopersuadeaprofessionalaudience.
1.2 Focus
1.2.1 Delimitationandreasonsofchoiceforresearchobjects.
Whenlookingforaprofessionaltargetaudience,thefilm,televisionandphotographybusiness
seemedveryinterestingastheypossesadvancedknowledgeandhavecleartechnicaldemands
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totheequipmentthattheyareusing.Furthermore,comparedtoconsumersofCoca-Cola,they
areprettyrare.Thismeansthatinordertomakeaprofitablebusinessmanyequipment
manufacturersneedtoadvertiseglobally.Aswillbeelaboratedonlater,TheAmerican
Cinematographer(TAC)isanexcellentgatheringpointforthisglobalaudience.Itisatrademagazineanditsadvertisersknowtheiraudiences,asthereadersarealmostallprofessionals
fromwithinthefilm,televisionandphotographybusiness.Ihavechosenthreeadvertsbrought
inTACfromwell-establishedcompanies.Mychoiceoftheseprintadvertisementsisbasedon
theircomplexityandhowtheyseemtosupplementeachother.
1.2.2 DelimitationsofMethod
Thisthesisisnotmeantasanevaluationofwhetherornotthecompaniesadvertisingina
magazineforprofessionalsaresuccessfulincommunicatingtheirproductsandservices
persuasivelyornot,butmoreasananalysisandidentificationofthemultimodaland
persuasivetoolstheyapply.
ThetermProductendorsementwillbementionedinthisthesis.Howeverduetolimitsofthe
thesisandthefactthattheaimofthisthesisistomainlyanalysethemultimodaland
persuasivetools,Iwillbrieflymentionthephenomenon,howeverIwillnotgointodepthin
neithertheorynoranalysiswithinthissubject.
1.3 StructureofBAThesis
Thisthesisisdividedintofourparts.Asanycommunicativeact,theadvertisementsby
Panasonic,KodakandChimeraLightingtakeplaceinspecificcommunicativeanddiscursive
contexts,whichiswhythefirstchapteraimstogiveanintroductiontothetrademagazineand
itsadvertisers.Following,achapteronthetheoreticalframeworkwillaimtodefinethe
foundationofknowledgeandtoolstobeusedintheanalysisoftheprintadvertisements.The
chapterpresentstheories,whichhaveinfluencedthefieldsofsocialsemiotics,multimodality
andpersuasion.Derivedfromthat,achapteronmethodologyexplainsthosemethods,which
willhelpanswerthisthesisproblemstatement.Forthisreason,themethodsareclearly
selectedandlinkedtotheresearchquestions.Theanalyticalchapterisstructuredaroundthe
threemetafunctionsofHallidayaswellasKressandvanLeeuwen,dividedinlinguisticsbefore
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linkingthemtogetherwithvanLeeuwensinformationlinkingaswellaspersuasivetheories
applied.Finally,theconclusivechapteraimstosummariseandputthefindingsinto
perspective.
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2. Backgroundanddata
Whereveradiscoursetakesplace,itisvitaltotakethecontextintoconsiderationasacritical
elementwheninterpretingandanalysingthemessagesconveyed(Halliday:1994)andtherefor
thenextsectionswillservetogiveaninsightwithintheareaofprofessionalfilm,videoand
photography.Asmentioned,thedataconsistsofthreeadvertisementsallbroughtinThe
AmericanCinematographer.
2.1 TheAmericanCinematographer
TheAmericanCinematographerispublishedbyTheAmericanSocietyofCinematographers
andis,incontrarytoitsname,aninternationalpublicationwithatargetgrouprepresentedby
thegroupofprofessionalsinchargewithimagesforthefilmandtelevisionindustryallover
theworld.Themagazineusuallycontainsarticlesabouthowfamousfilmshavebeenshotand
interviewswithprestigiousdirectorsofphotographyandcameraoperators.Furthermore,it
containsadvertisementsforhappenings,exposandconferenceswithinthefieldoffilmand
televisionaswellasadvertisementsforproductslikefilm,cameras,lenses,sourcesoflighting
andgripandriggingequipment1.
2.1. Printads
2.1.1 Panasonic
TodayPanasonic,oneofthelargestelectronicproductmanufacturer,isaglobalbrandwith
expertisewithinmanyareaswhereelectronicshelppeopleintheireverydaylives.Howeverto
comethisfar,Panasonichasbeenthroughseveralbrands,namesandlogosindifferent
subsidiaries.Onethingthathasneverchangedisitsquestforinnovation.Startingoutinthe
yearof19182withanattachmentplugforconnectingelectricalcordstoalightbulbplugs,the
companythatlatercametobeknownasPanasonic,hasmadeeverythingfrommotors,
cathoderaytubetelevisions,medicalappliances,calculators,camcorderstoplasmascreensfor
1Gripandriggingequipmentistheheavydutyequipmentusedtohold,transportogsupport2http://panasonic.net/history/corporate/products/index.html
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consumers,businessandprofessionalsaswellasthemedicalindustryandotherindustry
solutions.Whattheseproductshaveincommonisthatalmostallofthemwerefirstinitsfield
withagiventechnology.In20083Panasonicchangedfromhavingmultiplebrandsand
subdivisionsinseveralcountriestounitingunderonebrand,PanasonicCorporation,andstating,notavisionandmissionstatement,butaBrandpromise,whichitmakesto
customersandliveby:
Panasonicgeneratesideasforlifetodayandtomorrow.
Throughinnovativethinking,wearecommittedtoenrichingpeopleslivesaroundtheworld
Withintheprofessionalareaofvideoequipment,Panasonicmainlyproduceshigh-endvideo
cameras,monitorsandrecordingsystemsforBroadcastersandprofessionalvideographers.
TheadvertisementwaspublishedintheFebruary2010editionofTheAmerican
CinematographerandispromotingthePanasonicHPX200,whichisaHDbroadcastcamera
madeforbroadcastersaswellasprofessionalvideographers.
2.1.2 ChimeraLighting
TheUSbasedcompanyChimeramightnotbeknowbymanyregularconsumers,however
withinfilm,videoandstillphotography,ithasbeenanametorememberforthepast30years.
Asaproduceroflightingequipment,theymakelightbanks,softboxes,lightmodifiersand
lightinggripwithportabilityanddurabilityinmind.Toensurethatallchimeraproductsliveup
tothestandards,thecompanyhaveanextensiveproductionandqualitycontrolwithonething
inmind:Yourpeaceofmind4whichservesasapromisetotheusers;withthisgearyoucan
focusbeingcreative.
TheadvertisementwaspublishedintheOctober2010issueofTheAmericanCinematographer
andispromotingChimeraLightingsolutionsbyendorsementofDrewGardner,aprofessional
UKbasedphotographer,whomanyprofessionalsaswellashobbyphotographerslookupto.
3http://panasonic.net/brand/4http://www.chimeralighting.com/about-chimera
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HisDVDs5areamongthemostsoughtforamonghobbyphotographers.Healsoteaches
advancedphotographylightingthroughouttheworld.Thefeaturedimageisfromtheproject
QueenElizabeth,whichwasaseriesofhistoricalre-enactmentsofthelifeofthequeen6.
2.1.3 Kodak
InventedbyGeorgeEastman,theopticalfilmusedinfilmandphotographyhasalonghistory.
Inthelate19thcenturytothebeginningofthe20
hcentury,Eastmandevelopedagelatinedry
plate,thatwasmuchmoreconvenientthanwetandglassplates,whichupuntilthenhadbeen
theonlyalternative.Eastmanmadefurtherdevelopmentsandcameupwithwhatwenow
knowasfilm.Hefoundawaytomass-producetheproductandfoundedthecompanyKodak,
whichweretoleadthefilmandphotographybusinessforacentury7.
Inthelate1990sdigitalcameraswerebecomingmorecommonandthesaleofanaloguefilm
hassincedeclinedrapidly.Theprofessionalphotographyandcinematographybusinesshave
alwaysbeenheavyusersoftheanaloguefilmandgoodcustomerstoKodak.Henceitwasabig
blow,whencinematographyleaderGeorgeLucasformallyannouncedthattheupcomingStar
Wars:EpisodeIIwastobeshotentirelyindigital8,leavingtheanaloguefilmbehind.Today
therearestillmoviesshotonfilm,howeverduetothetechnicaladvancementofdigital
technology,ithasbecomeeasierandcheapertogetanicefilmiclookbyusingdigitalcameras
thanbyanaloguefilm.InthislightitistheaimofKodaktoindulgetheuseoffilm.
ThefinaladvertisementwasalsopublishedinTheAmericanCinematographerasispromoting
thecreativeadvantagesofusinganaloguefilminsteadofdigitalequipmentbyendorsementof
cinematographerLanceAcord.MostnotablecreationsareworkssuchasLostinTranslation,
BeingJohnMalkovichandWheretheWildThingsare.
5http://www.drew.it/store/products.asp?cat=3688&inp=3690&cid=26http://photography-thedarkart.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html7http://www.kodak.com:80/global/en/corp/historyOfKodak/chronology.jhtml?pq-
path=2217/2687/26958http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/production/news20000409.html
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3. Theory
Thefollowingsectionwillpresentanoverviewofthetheoreticalframeworksandthetheorists
whoseworkhaveinfluencedandcontributedtostudiesandpracticesmainlywithinthefieldof
multimodalityandsocialsemioticsaswellaspersuasion.Firstly,inordertoanswerthisthesis
problemstatement,itiscriticaltohaveabasicunderstandingofmultimodalityanditsorigins
fromwithinsocialsemiotics.Thereforethissectionismeantasanoverviewtofurtherthe
understandingofmultimodality,itsoriginanditsimportanceincomposingmeaning-making
processeswithinvisualworks.Secondly,incoherencetotheproblemstatementofthisthesis,
finallyIwillintroducethetheoreticalframeworkofpersuasion.
3.1 DiscourseanalysisandMultimodality
3.1.1 Fromsocialsemioticstomultimodalsemiotics
Thischapterwillintroducethemorphogenesisfromtraditionalsemioticstomultimodality.In
thisthesis,theanalysisrestsonamultimodalapproachandhowMultimodalitydescribes
approachesthatunderstandcommunicationandrepresentationtobemorethanabout
language,andwhichattendtothefullrangeofcommunicationalformspeopleuse-image,
gesture,gaze,posture,andsoon-andtherelationshipsbetweenthem(Jewitt,2009:14).As
elaboratedlater,multimodalityhasnotalwaysbeenrecognisedasavalidorevenpossible
methodforanalysis.Variousattemptstomultimodalityanditsmorphogenesisfromthestudy
ofexplainingmeaning-makingprocessesoflanguageinrelationtoculturallyandsocially
specificpracticeswillbeilluminatedinthefollowingsection.AccordingtoKressandvan
Leeuwen,2001)Hallidaystheoriesofsocialsemiotics[]providedtheinitialstartingpoint
forsocialsemioticmultimodalanalysis.
3.1.2 M.A.K.Hallidayandsocialsemiotics
Asjustmentioned,MichaelHallidayandhistheoriesofsocialsemiotictheoryof
communicationwasthespringboardofmultimodality.Hispointofdepartureisthatlanguage
isaproductofthesocialprocess(Halliday,1996:89).
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InlanguageasSocialSemiotic(Halliday1996)Hallidayarguesforachangeinthewayof
thinkingaboutthestudyoflanguagefromfocusingonthesentenceto,instead,focusontext.
Hallidaydefineslanguageasnotconsistingofsentences,butitconsistsoftext,ordiscourse
(Halliday1996:89).
Hallidayeventuallydeveloped,fromasocialsemioticsapproach,thesystemicfunctional
linguistics(SFL)onwhichheelaborates:Itisfunctionalinthesensethatitisdesignedto
accountforhowthelanguageisused(Halliday:1994:13)Also,Alanguageisinterpretedasa
systemofmeanings,accompaniedbyformsthroughwhichthemeaningscanberealized
(Halliday1994:14).SFLfocusesontheanalysisofhowsemioticrecoursesareusedinasocial
contexttorealizeandcommunicatemeaning.HerebyHallidayspecifiedatheorywhich
suggestedthatlanguageisrealizedthroughthreebroadmetafunctions,whichhedescribedas
...manifestationsinthelinguisticsystemofthetwoverygeneralpurposeswhichunderlieall
usesoflanguage:(I)tounderstandtheenvironment(ideational),and(II)toactontheothersin
it(interpersonal).Combinedwiththeseisathirdmetafunctionalcomponent,thetextual,
whichbreathesrelevanceintotheothertwo.(Halliday1994:14).Hence,usingthis
framework,meaningcanbederivedfromeachofthethreemetafunctionsmakingupaspecific
textasapartofacontext.Stillar(1998)providesamoreeasilyaccessibleinterpretationofthisframework.InAnalysingEverydayTextsStillarproposesaschematicframeworkforapplying
Hallidaysthoughtstowardstextanalysis.Heprovidesavocabularyforexploringthefunctional
structures(grammar),whichthesocialfunctionsoftextsbuildon(semantics)(Stillar1998:20).
Asmyempiricaldataconsistsofothermodesbesideslanguage,Iwillintroduceanapproach
thatdoesnotcentreonthisparticularmode,butextendssocialsemioticstoincludemorethan
onemode(Jewitt:1).Thiswayofmetafunctionalapproachestoanalysetheuseofsemiotic
resourceshassincebeentakeninandextendedbyseveralothertheoristsinothermodesthan
language.MostnotablyStckl:2004,Kress:2001andvanLeeuwen:2006andthis
metafunctionalapproachwillserveasthebasisofthetheoriesusedtoanswertheproblem
statementofthisthesis.
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3.1.3 Kress,vanLeeuwenandmultimodality
DerivedfromHallidayssystemicfunctionalgrammartheory,KressandvanLeeuwencreated
anothersocialsemioticsapproachtoembracethevisualmode.Intheirjointwork,Reading
ImagesTheGrammarofVisualDesignthetwotheoristshaveadaptedHallidaysmetafunctionalapproachandmethodofcreatingmeaningandtheyextendhisconceptsof
metafunctionalanalysisandapplyittothevisualmode.Theyexplainthat:Hallidaysmodel
withitsthreefunctionsisastartingpointforouraccountofimages[]becauseitworkswell
asasourceforthinkingaboutallmodesofrepresentation(KressandvanLeeuwen2006:20).
HartmutStckl(2004)arguesthatcommunicationhasessentiallyalwaysbeenmultimodal,but
that,amongotherthings,thedominanceoflinguisticsandthelackofadequatemodelshave
overshadowedanalysisofothermodes.Theinterestforthesystemicfunctionalapproach
appliedtotheanalysisofsemiotictextsbesideslanguageandsubsequentlytomultimodal
constructsdidnothappenuntilthelate1980s(Iedema2001:33).Thisinterestofother
semioticmodesismostnotableintheworksofTheoVanLeeuwen.Hehasinvarious
publicationshelpedemphasisetheimportanceoftakingdiscourseanalysisbeyondlinguistic
observations.IntheirjointworkKressandvanLeeuwenhavecreatedavisualsocialsemiotic
approachtoHallidaysthreemetafunctions.Wheretextualsocialsemioticshastheideational,
interpersonalandtextual,thevisualsocialsemioticsapproachhasRepresentation,which
describesparticipants(people,placesandthings)basedonsyntacticpatterns(Jewittand
Oyama2001).ToreplaceInterpersonalmetafunctions,thevisualsemioticapproachhavethe
Interactionalmetafunctionsdescribingtherelationshipbetweenthedepictedpartiesand
betweendepictedparticipantsandtheviewerbasedondistance,perspective,angleandgazes.
AndfinallythereistheCompositionalmetafunctionswhichdescribestructuresandlinks
lookeduponthroughplacement,salienceandframingofthevariouselements(Jewittand
Oyama2001).Intheirwork,KressandvanLeeuwenalsodrawonearliersemioticianslike
RolandBarthesinordertoprovideafulfillingapproach.Itsuccessfullyexplainshowthe
metafunctionscanhelptologicallybreakdownanimageormultimodaltextintheprocessof
understandingmeaningfromthevisualchoicesrepresented.
3.1.4 VanLeeuwenandinformationlinking
VanLeeuwenarguesthatthevalueofinformationrestsuponitsrelationtoitsenvironment
(VanLeeuwen2005:219).Thissectionwillthereforeusehisapproachtoexaminehowpieces
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ofinformationarelinkedtootherpiecesofinformation,beitvisual,verbalorboth.Van
Leeuwenemphasisesthatdifferentkindsofcommunicationrequiredifferentusesof
informationandthus,hehasdividedthesubjectintothreemaincategories:Verbal-,visual-,
andvisual-verbal-linking(vanLeeuwen2005:219).Inallthreecategories,piecesofinformationcanalleitherbeelaboratedorextendedtootherpiecesofinformationandinthe
caseofelaboration,itrepeatsorrestatesinformationforpurposesofclarification.Inthecase
ofextension,itaddsnewinformation,linkingittotheexistinginformationinaparticularway
(VanLeeuwen2005:222).DerivedfromclassicalsocialsemioticsapproachesbybothBarthes
andHalliday,thevisual-verballinkingisusefulforinterpretingtexttoimagerelationships.This
enablesthediscussingofmodes,aswellashowmodesareconnected.Thisconnectionof
severalmodesservesthemultimodalapproachintheattemptofansweringthethesisproblem
statement.
Insummarythissectionhasservedtoprovideanoverviewofsocialsemioticsaswellas
multimodality.Thiswillfurthertheunderstandingofhowandwhyvariousmodestakepartin
themeaning-makingprocessesofmultimodaltextsandhowthetheorieshaveevolvedaswell
aswhatconstructsareessentialtolookforandidentifyinordertoreachmeaningand
recognizethepersuasiveactswithintheseconstructs.Tofurtherelaborateonhowpersuasionfunctions,thisnextsectionwillgointodepthofpersuasiveelementsbyusingtheoriesof
Messaris,HalmariandVirtanen.
3.2 Persuasioninmultimodaltexts
3.2.1 Messaris,HalmariandVirtanen
WhilePanasonic,ChimeraLightingandKodakareallmultimodaltextstheyalso,asmentioned,
belongtothepromotionalgenreofadvertising.Therefore,andtohelpanswertheproblem
statement,thissectionwillpresenttheoreticalframeworksusefultocharacterisationand
identificationofpersuasionwithinmultimodaltexts.
Theverynatureofpersuasionrequiresthatitsformsneedtobekeptimplicit.Veryfewpeople
liketobepersuadedagainsttheirownwillandthus,thebestkindofpersuasionisoften
implicitpersuasion(HalmariandVirtanen2004:229).Accordingtothempersuasionisseenas
alanguagewhicheithertriestoalterorstrengthenanopinionofacertaintargetaudience
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(HalmariandVirtanen2004:229).Therefor,knowingtheaudienceisveryimportantwhen
communicatingpersuasion.ConsequentlyHalmariandVirtanenstressthatthedynamicsof
persuasionisdictatedbythewaytheaudiencereacts.Hence,intheend,itistheaudience
whodefinewhichkindofpersuasionwillsucceedandthus,whatformthepersuasivetextshouldtake(HalmariandVirtanen2004:7).Anothertheoristwhohasstudiedpersuasionis,
Messaris(1997).Hestudiedthevisualmodeofpersuasion,wherehehasdiscoveredthat
imageshavethepowertopersuadeinthreeways:Through(I)iconicitybyreferringtoimages
asicons,(II)throughindexicality,referringtoimagesasdocumentationorvisualtruthand
lastly(III)indeterminacy,referringtoimagesinabilitytovisualiserelationshipsbetweenthings
(Messaris1997:7)
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4. Methodology
InthefollowingsectionIwillspecifywhichofthetheoriespresentedabovewillbeappliedin
theanalysisintheeffortofansweringtheproblemstatementofhowdocompaniesadvertise
foraprofessionalaudiencewithinthefilmandphotographybusinessandwhatmultimodal
andpersuasivemethodstotheyuseindoingso?
4.1 Frameworksthatwillbeused
4.1.2Multimodalityandpersuation
InthepreviouschapterKressandvanLeeuwenwerepresentedasthemaintheoristswhohave
providedtheanalyticaltoolforanalysingmultimodaltextssuchasadvertisements.Therefore,
itseemsonlynaturaltotakeametafunctionalapproachtobuildthefoundationofthisthesis
analysis,asthematerialtobeanalysedarethreeprintadvertisements.
Thisthesisproblemstatementisaddressedwithfocusontheusageofthetwomodesofimage
andlanguage.Theywillbeanalysedusingaframeworkthatwillserveasthefoundationofthe
approachtothepromotionalgenreofadvertisingforprofessionals.
ByapplyingtheschematicsmadebyCarmenD.Maier
9
,KressandvanLeeuwensthreemetafunctionsofvisualdesigngrammarwillserveasaframeworkforanalysingtheimagesand
willhelpdeliverthemultimodalanalysisbydissectingandinvestigatingthemostsalientpieces
ofimagery.By
TosupportthesetheoriesIwilldrawonvanLeeuwens(2005)conceptofinformationlinking.
Thiswillhelptounderstandcomplexmultimodaltextswhereseveralmodescansometimes
fightforsalienceandattention.Asdelimitation,Iwillonlyanalysetheimplicitmaterialandthe
mostimportantexplicitelements.
4.1.2 Strengthandweaknessesoftheoreticalframeworks
IfullyrecognisethatbothKressandvanLeeuwensapproachtomultimodalsocialsemioticsas
wellasHalmariandVirtanenstheoryofpersuasionhavelimitations.Itisimportantto
9Includedintheappendices.
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rememberthatanyanalysisbasedonKressandvanLeeuwensapproachtomultimodaltextsis
asubjectiveinterpretation.Thismeansthateventhoughcertainmeaningsaresought
conveyedinthemultimodaltexts,thereisariskthatanothermeaningisgainedbythe
audience.However,asmentionedearlier,itisimportanttonote,thatthethesisproblemstatementisconcernedabouttheusageofsemioticresourcesandmultimodalchoices
employedinordertopersuadetheaudience.
Regardingpersuation,KressandvanLeeuwenarguethatpersuasiondoesnothappenata
multimodallevelastextsareinaconstantchangeanddialoguewithitstargetaudience.As
discourseandsocialsemioticchangestheaudiencewillreadthetextsdifferentlythanatthe
timewherethetextanditspersuasivechoicesweremade.Inthisperspective,itmeansthat
HalmariandVirtanenstheorywillprovideuswithacontemporaryviewpointandmethodfor
analysingpersuasion,whichwillbesufficientforus.
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5. Analysis
AnalysisIwillonlyanalysewhatismostimportantinansweringthethesisproblemstatement,
andthereforetherewillbeelementsdepicted,whichwillnotbeaccountedforinthefollowing
analysis.
5.1 Panasonic
5.1.1 Multimodality
Ideationalmetafunction
Thistextismostlyofnarrativeprocesses.Wehavethreeparticipants,thegirl,thehorseand
thecamera.Betweenthegirlandthehorse,wehaveabitransactionalrelationastheherarms
representavectorholdingthestick,whichagaincomesfromtheheadoftheplayhorse.From
theplayhorsewehaveatransactionaleyelinevectorfromthehorseseyes(reactor)tothe
camera(phenomenon).Also,thecloudsseemtodrawavectortothecamera.
Interpersonalmetafunction
Theimageisanimageofsubjectivity,astheviewerisonlyabletoseefromamediated
viewpoint.Thesubjectwithintheimage(thegirl)isseenfromanobliqueangle,which
connotesdetachmentandsymbolisesthatwhattheviewerseesisnotapartofourworld,
whichcohereswiththedreamlikelookoftheimage.Asthereisanabsenceofgazeatthe
viewer,theimageisanofferimage,connotingthattheviewershould/couldwantbeinthe
dreamlikelandscape.
Textualmetafunction
Herewehaveapolarisedimage,asthereisnoonesalientelementinthecentre.IntheIdeal
areaoftheadvertisementwehavethetextinafieldofitsown(linkingtothefieldinthe
imageandthegiventext),andinthegivenarea,wehavethetextdescribinghowPanasonic
withthisnewcamera,willmakethedreamsoffilmmakerswithhightechnicaldemandscome
true.Linkedwiththetextintherealareainafieldofitsown,thetextscoherewiththe
brandpromisemadebyPanasonicasmentionedearlier:Throughinnovativethinking.
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Intheleftwehavethegiven,whichinthiscaseisthatofdreams,heredepictedbyagirl
runningaboutinafieldhavingfunwithnoworriesatall.Andontherightside,wehavethe
new,inthiscasethebrandnewcamerafromPanasonic,connotingthatifitwasntyourdream
before,itisyourdreamnow.
Withregardstosalience,twoelementsstrikeout.Firstlythegirlstrikesoutwithherreddress,
butalsothecamerawithitscontrasttothewhitetonesanditssharpnessdrawsattention.
Theimageofthefieldandgirlarealsodisconnectedfromtherestofthemultimodaltext,asit
asframedbyemptyspace.Thisfurtherextendsthenotationthatthefieldisadreamandnot
fromourworld.
5.1.2 Linkingandpersuasion
Thedifferentelementsinthistextarelinkedinseveralways.Thewordfieldisconnectedto
theimageofthefield(dream),whichisconnectedtotheworddream,inthebodytextinthe
realarea,whereallthetechnicaldetailsoftheprofessionalproductarelistedforthe
demandingprofessionalaudiencetosee.
Toconclude,inordertopersuadetheviewers,Panasonicmakesuseofmultimodalmeaning-
makingconstructsconnotingthatthisisthenewdreamcameraoftheviewer.Alsodepictinga
dreamlandscapelikethiscannothelptheviewersgetassociationstotheepicfilmsofTheLord
oftheRing.Byusinglinguisticandvisuallinking,andimplicitlytellingtheviewerthatthisisin
factthedreamcamerawiththetechnicalspecificationstomatchaprofessionalvideographer.
5.2 ChimeraLighting
5.2.1 Multimodality
Ideationalmetafunction
Herewehavealotofbothconceptualandnarrativeprocesses.
MostimportantlyistheparticipantofQueenElisabethI.Withhercollarandhair,sheasthe
superordinateparticipantisconnectedtomorethantwoparticipantsthroughatreelike
structurethroughoutthetableandroom.Thesesubordinatesarecarriersandsymbolic
attributes,whoservetoposefortheviewer.
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Withinthenarratives,wehavealotofnon-transactionalprocesses,asthereseemtobe
eyelinevectorsfromallofthedepictedparticipants,butneveraninstance,whereto
participantslookintoeachotherseyes,whichmakesitaroomfullofreactors.Totheviewers
thiscanconnotechaos;hencethethoughtthatthispictureswasreallyhardtotake,astherearesomanyfactorstoaccountforwithsomanyparticipantsandnarratives.
Interpersonalmetafunction
Thisisanofferpictureasnoneoftheparticipantsgazeattheviewer,whichmeansthatthe
representedparticipantsaredepictedasobjectofcontemplation.
Again,thisisapictureofsubjectivity,astheviewercanseewhatthereistoseeonlyfroma
particularandimposedpointofview.E.I.havenopossibilitytoseewhatisontheothersideof
thetable.Thesocialdistanceto(mostof)theparticipantscircafromthewaistup(medium
shot),whichconnotesasocialinterpersonalrelationshipwiththeviewer.
Textualmetafunction
Themultimodaltextispolarized,thuswefindanideal/realrelationship.Thetoppartisthe
givenandconsistsoftheverywellconstructedscenewithitsdramaticlightingandadvanced
setupofparticipantsandprops.Inthelower(real)part,themostsalientelementisthe
thumbnailimageduetoitscoloursandtherestbeingendarkgreyandwhite.Thisisabehind
thescenesphotographofDrewGardner.Also,thetextBigideasneedbiglightingsolutions
cohereswiththeconstructedimageontop,connotingthatsuchdetailedandperfectly
masteredsetupsandmatchingresultsrequiregoodequipment.Alsoconnotingthatifthe
viewerhasabigideaofashoot(liketheimageofthequeenandherentourage,Chimera
Lightingistheanswer.Thisiselaboratedwithtextualelementtotherightandcontinuingto
emphasisethatchimeraisusedbyphotographersandotherlightingspecialists,connotingthat
iftheviewerhasagoodideaandwanttogetresulstasthespecialists,Chimeraistheonly
solution.
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5.2.2 Linkingandpersuasion
Themultimodaltextconsistsofdifferentelementsthatarelinkedtogetherinseveralmodes.
Thegluebetweentheelementsisdefinitelythecoherencebetweenbigideasandgreat
productswithChimeraLightingasthemiddlemanandfacilitator,givingtheviewertheimpressionthatwithChimeralightingequipment,theycanturntheirownideasintogreat
works.
ToconcludeChimerapromotestheirlightingequipmentbymeansofpersuasionusing
endorsementoffamousphotographerDrewGardner.Thisisdonebyemployingmultimodal
persuasivemeansbylinkingthemodesoftextandimage.
5.3 Kodak
5.3.1 Multimodality
IdeationalMetafunction
HerewehaveanarrativeinthefactthatwehaveatransactionalvectorformedbyLance
Acordsbodytotherolloffilminthelowerleftcorner.ThisshowsthatLanceAcordistheactor
andtherolloffilmisthegoal,connotingtotheviewerthat:Thisiswhatyouwant.
Interpersonalmetafunction
Itisapictureofsubjectivityastheviewercanseewhatthereistoseeonlyfromaparticular
andimposedpointofview.Itisanarrowsubjectandyouseealmostnothingbutthesubject.
Theimageconnotesinvolvementastheviewerseestheimageandthesubjectoftheimagein
afrontalangle,whichtellstheviewersthatwhattheyseeisapartoftheirworld.Thevertical
angleismostlyineyelevel,whichmeansthatthereisarelationofequalitybetweenthe
Viewerandthesubject.Thoughtheangleismostlyeyelevel,aslightlowanglecanalsobe
arguedfor.Thismakesthesubjectlookimposingandawesomeintheeyesoftheviewer,
indicatingthepersonandviewerinasenseareequal,butthatthepersonisinawayslightly
superiortotheviewer.Withthishalfequal,halfsuperiorlook,thepersondepictedisgazingat
theviewer,addressingtheviewerdirectly,andmakingitanimageofdemand.Connotingthat
thepersondepicteddemandssomethingfromtheviewer.
Textualmetafunction
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Thecompositionispolarisedasthereisnosalientelementintheexactcentreoftheimage.,
whichleasustotheconceptofideal/realandgiven/new.Interestinglythereisnonew,justthe
givenelementoftext:Thatthemedium,whichanartistuses,isasimportantastheartitself
connotingthatgivenandoldmedium(film)isusedbyartistsbychoiceandthatisequallyimportantaswhenanartistchoseswhethertopaintonsilkore.g.paper,denotingfilmasthe
onlychoiceforrealartists.
Intheidealareawehavethepersonsfaceaswellasatextwithhisnameandcredentials.In
therealpartoftheimage,wehaveatextorquite,presumablebyLanceAcord,sayingthathe
doesnotconsidershootingdigital,unlessitissupposedtolooklikedigital,connotingthat
digitaldespitewhatpeoplearesaying,willneverreallylooklikefilm.Alsointherealpart,he
continuestoelaborateonthecreativeadvantagesoffilmandemphasisthatveryspeciallook
filmcangive.
5.3.3 Linkingandpersuasion
ThemultimodaltextbyKodakmainlyusesimplicittext,whichareallquotesbyLanceAcord.To
furtherthethoughtthatthesearehiswords,whicharewritteninascripttypeface,whichis
veryinformalandconsequentlypersonal(Wysocki2004:127)
Explicitlywehavetwotexts.Theseareshowninasansseriftypeface10.Thefirstisthereto
presentthedepictedpersonasLanceAcord.Cinematographer,director,philosopherand
visionary.Thisgiveshimcreditabilityasitisestablishedthatheisinthebusinessandthatheis
avisionaryonethatlooksforward.Rejectingthatfilmisantiquated.
Toconclude,inordertopersuadetheaudienceKodakmakesuseendorsementbyLance
Acord,arenownedprofessionalfilmmaker.Thisisdonebyapplyingmultimodalpersuasive
meansbyintroducingLanceAcordasamanwhoyouarealmostonlevelwith,andthenagain
youarenot.Connotingthattheviewerhassomethingtoaimfor,seeingLanceAcordasarole
model.Heistherenownedfilmmakerandvisionarywhousesfilm,becauseitistheonlyway
togettherealfreedomofcreativitywiththerightlook.
10Whichdonotlookhanddrawnincontrasttotherestofthetext.
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6. Conclusions
Thepurposeofthisbachelorthesishasbeentoconductamultimodalanalysisofthreeprint
advertisementsfromTheAmericanCinematographerwiththefollowingquestionsinmind:
Whatarethevisualcommunicativestrategiesusedbyfilmandphotographymanufacturers
intheirprintadvertisementspublishedinthemagazineTheAmericanCinematographerand
howarethemodesandstrategiesemployedinordertopersuadeaprofessionalaudience.
Themultimodalchoicesmadeinthethreeadvertisementswereaccountedforandanalysed
basedonKressandvanLeeuwens(2006)Visualdesigngrammarandtheirthree
metafunctions,schematisedbyCarmenD.MaierasIdeational,interpersonalandtextual
metafunctions.
Thefocusoftheanalysiswasonhowthecompaniesreachedtheprofessionalaudience,and
takingamultimodalapproachrevealedthatintheinterpersonalmetafunctions,twoofthe
threecompanieshadchosenimages,whichofferedinformationtotheviewers,whilethe
thirdwasdemandingaction.Allofthethreecompanieshadchosenimagesofsubjectivity
meaningthattheviewerisbeingimposedwhatheorshewillsee.Inthetextualmetafunction
allcompaniesemployedpolarisedmultimodaltexts.Furthermore,itwasrecognisedthattrade
specificlingowereusedthroughouttheadvertisements.Asabitofsurprisetheuseof
endorsementwasalsoheavilyused,whichconnotesthatmanyintheprofessionalworldof
filmandtelevisionhaverolemodelstowhichtheylookup.
InmyopiniontheKodakadvertisementwasthebest,mostcomplexandwellthoughtof.
Especiallyseenfromalinguisticpointofview,thetextsandoverallaimoftheadvertisement
workedwellandtheelementswereincohesionbymeansinformationlinking.
Whilethisthesissatouttoconductamultimodalanalysisofthreeadvertisements,Iwill
concludethatifsuchananalysiswastobedoneagain,thedataforanalysisshouldbemore
extensive.Although,thethreeadvertisementshadbeenchosenspecificallyfortheir
complexityamongmanymonthsofeditionsofTheAmericanCinematographer,thebasisfor
comparisonwasnotadequate,bothduetotoolittleatheoreticalframework,butalsothefact
thattheadvertisementssimplyprovedtoodifferentforfurthercomparison.
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Bibliography
Monographies
Halliday,MichaelA.K.(1978):Languageassocialsemiotic:Thesocialinterpretationof
languageandmeaning.Maryland:UniversityParkPress
Halliday,MichaelA.K.(1996):LiteracyandLinguistics:afunctionalperspective.In:Hasan,R.;
Williams,G:LiteracyinSociety,AddisonWesleyLongmanLimited.
Halliday,M.A.K.(1994).AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar.(2ndedition.)London:
Arnold.
Kress,G.&vanLeeuwen,T.(2001).MultimodalDiscourse:Themodesandmediaof
contemporarycommunication.London:Arnold.
Kress,G.&vanLeeuwen,T.(2006).ReadingImages:TheGrammarofVisualDesign.(2nd
edition.)Oxon:Routledge.
Messaris,P.(1997).VisualPersuasion:TheRolesofImagesinAdvertisement.ThousandOaks,California:SagePublications.
VanLeeuwen,T.(2005).IntroducingSocialSemiotics.Oxon:Routledge.
Anthologies
Halmari,H.&Virtanen,T.(eds.)(2005).PersuasionAcrossGenres:Alinguisticapproach.
Amsterdam:JohnBenjamins.
Fairclough,Norman(2003):AnalysingDiscourse:Textualanalysisforsocialresearch,London:
Routledge,1stedition
Articlesinanthologies
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VanLeeuwen,T.(2004).TenReasonsWhyLinguististsShouldPayAttentiontoVisual
Communication.In:LeVine,P.&Scollon,R.(eds.),DiscourseandTechnology:Multimodal
DiscourseAnalysis.(pp.7-19).Washington,D.C:GeorgetownUniversityPress.
Stckl,H.(2004).Inbetweenmodes:Languageandimageinprintedmedia.In:Ventola,E.,C.
Cassily&Kaltenbacher,M.(eds),PerspectivesonMultimodality.(pp.9-31).JohnBenjamins
Jewitt,Carey;Oyama,Rumiko(2001):Chapter7:Visualmeaning:asocialsemioticapproach.
In:vanLeeuwen,Theo&Jewitt,Carey:Handbookofvisualanalysis,pp.134-156
Stillar,GlennF.(1998):TheResourcesofDiscourseAnalysis.In:AnalyzingEverydayTexts.
SAGE,pp.1457
Other
Kash,H.(ed.)(2005):Supplementarytextsfortextualsemiotics.Ass.Prof.AarhusSchoolof
Business.
Websites:
Panasonic:
http://www.panasonic.com/
http://www.panasonic.net/
Kodak:
http://www.kodak.com/
ChimeraLighting:
http://www.chimeralighting.com/
Tiffen:
http://www.tiffen.com/
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AmericanCinematographer
Http://www.theasc.com/
Appendices
Advertisements:
1.Panasonic
2.Kodak
3.ChimeraLighting
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in a fi eld of its own
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Spring 2007 Visual Discourse Analysis
THE TEXTUAL METAFUNCTIONComposition
INFORMATION
VALUE
Centred
(an element
the Centre - is
placed in the
centre of the
composition)
Circular The non-central elements in a centred
composition are placed both above and
below and to the sides of the Centre, and
further elements may be placed in
between these polarized positions
Triptych The non-central elements in a centred
composition are placed either to the rightand left or above and below the Centre.
Margin The non-central elements in a centred
composition are identical or near-identical,
so creating symmetry in the composition.
Mediator The Centre of a polarized centred
composition forms a bridge between Give
and New or/and Ideal and Real, so
reconciling polarized elements.
Polarized
(there is noelement in the
centre of the
composition)
Given The left element in a polarized
composition, or the left polarized element
in a centred compositionNew The right element in a polarized
composition, or the right polarized element
in a centred composition
Ideal The top element in a polarized
composition, or the top polarized element
in a centred composition
Real The bottom element in a polarized
composition, or the bottom polarized
element in a centred composition
SALIENCE The degree to which an element draws attention to itself (color, tonal
values, sharpness, definition, or other features)
FRAMING Disconnection The degree to which an element is visually separated
from other elements through framelines, pictorialframing devices, empty space between elements,
discontinuities of colour and shape, and other features.
Connection The degree to which an element is visuallyjoined to
another elements, through the absence of framing
devices, through vectors and through continuities or
similarities of colour, visual shape, etc.
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1
Spring 2007 Discourse Analysis
Carmen Maier
NARRATIVE AND CONCEPTUAL PROCESSES
THE IDEATIONAL METAFUNCTION
TYPES OF STRUCTURES/PROCESSES PARTICIPANTS
NARRATIVE
Serve to present
unfolding
actions &
events,
processes of
change,
transitoryspatial
arrangements
a. Action Transactional Unitransactional
a vector, formed by a
depicted element,
connects two
participants
Actor & Goal
Bitransactional
a vector, formed by a
depicted element,
connects two
Interactors
Interactors
Non-transactional
a vector, formed by a depicted element,
emanates from a participant, the Actor,
but does not point at any other participant
Actor
b. Reaction Transactional
an eyeline vector connects two
participants
Reacter
&
Phenomenon
Non-transactional
an eyeline vector emanates from a
participant, the Reactor, but does not
point at another participant
Reacter
Circumstances(Setting, Means
&Accompaniment)
Secondaryparticipants
which could be left out
without affecting the
basic proposition
realized by the narrative
pattern, even though
their deletion would of
course entail a loss of
information
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2
THE IDEATIONAL METAFUNCTION
TYPES OF STRUCTURES/PROCESSES PARTICIPANTS
CONCEPTUAL
Representparticipants in
terms of their
class, structure
or meaning,
namely in terms
of their
generalized and
more or less
stable and
timeless essence.
a.
Classificational
Relate participants
to each other in
terms of a kind
of relation, a
taxonomy
Covert taxonomy
The Superordinate is either only indicated
in the accompanying text, or inferred
from such similarities as the viewer may
perceive to exist between the
Subordinates
Superordinates
&
Subordinates
Overt
taxonomy
Single-levelledA participant
(Superordinate) is
connected to two or
more other
participants
(Subordinates)
through a tree
structure with two
levels only
Multi-levelledA participant
(Superordinate) is
connected to two or
more other
participants
(Subordinates)
through a treestructure with more
than two levels
b. Analytical
Relate participants in terms of part-whole structure
Carrier(the whole)Possesive
Attributes(the parts)
c. Symbolic
Are about what a
participant is ormeans
AttributiveRepresent meaning and identity as
conferred to one participant, the Carrier.
There are two participants: the participantwhose meaning or identity is established
in the relation, the Carrier, and the
participant which represents the meaning
or identity itself, the Symbolic Attribute.
Human participants usually pose for the
viewer.
Carrier
&
Symbolic
Attributes (madesalient through
representation,
pointed at, look out of
place in the whole, or
conventionally
associated with
symbolic values)
SuggestiveRepresent meaning and identity as
coming from within, as deriving from
qualities of the Carrier themselves.
CarrierA generalized
essence,
not a specific moment
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Spring 2007 Visual Discourse Analysis
Carmen Maier
THE INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONRelations between represented participants (human or not) and the viewer
CONTACT
Gaze
Demand pictures Gaze at the viewer(address the viewer directly, realizing a visualyou)
Offer pictures Absence of gaze at the viewer
(represented participants are depicted as objects ofcontemplation)
SOCIAL
DISTANCESize of frame
Intimate/personal Close shot (head and shoulders)
Social Medium shot (waist)
Impersonal Long shot (full figure)
ATTITUDE
Perspective
Subjectivity
(the viewer can see what
there is to see only from aparticular & imposed point
of view)
Involvement Frontal angle(what you see is part of
our world)
Detachment Oblique angle(what you see is notpart
of our world)
Viewer power High angle(makes the subject look
small and insignificant)
Equality Eye level angle
Representation
power
Low angle(makes the subject look
imposing and awesome)
Objectivity
(the image revealseverything there is to know
violating sometimes thelaws of naturalistic
description or the laws of
nature.
Action
orientation
Frontal angle
(this is how it works, this ishow you use it,
this is how you do it)
Knowledge
orientationTop down angle(it contemplates the world from
a god-like perspective, puts it atyour feet, rather than within
reach of your hands)
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MODALITY MARKERS
Colour saturation A scale running fromfull colour saturation to the absence of colour,that is to black and white
Colour differentiation A scale running from a maximally diversified range of colours tomonochrome
Colour modulation A scale running from fully modulated colour, with, for example, the
use of many different shades of red, to plain, unmodulated colour
Contextualization A scale running from the absence of background to the most fullyarticulated and detailed background
Representation A scale running from maximum abstraction to maximumrepresentation ofpictorial detail
Depth A scale running from the absence of depth to maximally deepperspective
Illumination A scale running from the fullest representation of the play of lightand shade to its absence
Brightness A scale running from a maximum number ofdifferent degrees ofbrightness to just two degrees:black and white, or dark grey and
lighter grey, or two brightness of the same color