Visual Media Essay

Visual Media Essay

DueDec 17 by 11:59pmPoints40Submittinga text entry box, a website url, or a file uploadAvailableOct 27 at 12am – Dec 17 at 11:59pm about 2 monthsSubmit Assignment

English 103

Paper: Analyzing Visual Media

Choose an advertisement, a painting, or a professional photograph to analyze. Decide what the ad exec,artist, or photographer was trying to “argue” with the image.

Paper should be 4-5 pages. Please address all of the following in the essay. Do not answer thequestions in question format, rather, write up your findings as a formal essay.

1. What’s the idea being put forth?What’s the political agenda or argument being expressed by theimage?

2. Where did you find the ad? Who is the intended audience?How is the intended audience meant tofeel? Newport cigarettes have 75% African-American female customers; therefore it makes sensethat they advertise in Ebonyand feature African-American female models who are the center of maleattention.

3. What is the picture’s context? History? The picture didn’t just turn up in a vacuum. Ralph Laurenadvertisements after 9/11 were literally draped in American flags. What kind of context orcontemporary moment is your ad/picture a product of?

4. What are the visual detailsof the picture? Emphasis on DETAIL. EVERY LITTLE THING—framing,color choice, background, mood, atmosphere, tone, shape, connotations, emphasis. This is yourpaper’s evidence. Be specific and thorough. This will take up a lot of your paper. Start with a brieforientation to the image as if your reader can’t see it.

5. TEXT, font, etc. Analyze any written words (if there are any) and the kind of font used. How do thewritten words reinforce the picture’s argument?

6. If you are writing about an ad, think about or research the company’s demographic/ targetconsumers. If it’s a painting, research the artist or photographer. This could be a great excuse tospend a few hours at the Getty or LACMA.

7. Submit an attachment of your ad/painting to me along with your paperer insert the image into thetext box with your essay.