Important content for setting up an analysis of an advertisement for an exam, but also on how to repeat it for the Abitur. Detailed information on the description and analysis itself.
Englisch – Describing and analysing an advertisement
1. Introduction: presenting the document:
- What is the product advertised? Who is the promoter?
→ “This document is a full-page advertisement. It is an English/American advert by a bank/an
insurance company/a political party/...”
- When did this ad appear?
→ “It is an advert which appeared recently/in the sixties/in the eighties/...”
- Where did it appear?
→ “It (probably) appeared in a magazine/a newspaper/on a billboard/...”
- Who is the target?
→ “The ad mainly addresses teenagers/men/women/an elite/a special social group/...”
→ “The ad is aimed at mothers/parents/...”
→ “The ad is meant to reach …”
- What is it for?
→ “This advert is aimed at making people buy/informing/convincing/promoting/...”
2. Main part: describing and analysing the advertisement:
• 2.1 Describing the general layout:
illustration: - The nature of the illustration:
→ “It is presented in the form of a cartoon/a drawing/a photograph/...”
- The structure (characters, objects, setting, time):
→ “In the foreground/background/in the middle/on the left/on the right we can
see/guess/...”
- Camera angles:
- Close-up/long distance shot
- A downward view1)/upward view2)
- The subject is seen from above/from below
- The horizon is close/far away3)
• 1) if the subject is seen from a high-angle shot (downward), that makes it appear smaller,
unimportant, or even ridiculous
• 2) if the subject is seen from a low-angle shot (upward), that makes it appear taller and bigger, this
also can make it look impressive
• 3) A low horizon conveys a feeling of freedom; a high horizon makes the viewer feel
claustrophobic
- Major lines:
→ “There are many vertical/horizontal/diagonal lines4)”
→ “There is a sense of perspective given by …”
→ “There is a feeling of movement suggested by …”
• 4) an X composition generates a feeling of order and stability
• +) if the vertical lines are apparent, there is a movement towards the sky and a sense of spirituality
• +) if the horizontal lines are predominant there is a connotation of materialism
• +) a harmonious combination of vertical and horizontal lines results in an impression of
peacefulness and calm
• +) a picture containing no lines, no bearings may create an impression of anxiety or even anguish
- Space distribution:
- The way surface is distributed in the picture gives more or less importance to
a certain element
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