21/07/2024
From the Archive: Critical Study: One
Introduction (get .pdf)
In these two essays I will first say what I see. For example, in a fictional advert, a child sits down to draw a picture of a house. It has some adult figures in the picture, classic potato people and a flat house with four windows. The implicit style was that of a child.
Then I’ll say what the meanings are for each feature discussed, how they are communicated and what devices are used. In this example the advert has connotations of home, family, love and the need of these, as we can assume from the very fact the child has drawn this that the adult figures most likely represent its parents, and the house is their home. Empathy – putting ourselves in the child’s shoes – allows us to “read” much more from the picture. Imagination allows us to fill in the blanks.
Finally I will talk about the intentions of the creator, be it artists, designers or directors. The advertiser in my example is trying to create a feeling of the child's need of family and home.
Stubbs the Zombie (Rebel without a pulse)
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This video game trailer starts off like an explicit stereotyped drive-in B-movie horror flick, with all the standard things, including the football college jock and his girl in a car, overlooking the town of “Punchbowl”, at the classic American “make out” spot (out of the way of civilization, surrounded by trees which we can infer afford privacy and freedom from authority figures). The music chosen is Ben Kweller’s rendition of “Lollipop” which along with the characters’ head-bobbing, signifies their innocence and the innocence of the 50s era in which this trailer is set.
“Stubbs the Zombie” gets up and joins in by dancing, giving connotations of a recent’ previous ‘life. The jock and the girl notice Stubbs behind them and the true nature of the game is revealed as the epitome of the word “violent”. As we see the girl get her brain eaten, the jock backs up and falls out of the car, dazing himself. As he rouses, there is an unsteady camera angle, fading in with a rippled effect. The music stops and we have a moment of peace. The music resumes with its next cheerful verse and we feel a bit more comfortable: we could infer this was a dream or similar. He goes to see if his girlfriend is O.K. As he looks over she suddenly (and startlingly) stands up, “zombified”, and she heads for him just as, “bang”, she’s shot. The police have arrived.
I feel the intent of this opening scene is to lull us (especially if were an American audience) into familiar, comfortable things. The sudden and extremely graphic violence strikes a contrast with this, adding to its shock value while at the same time introducing us to the assumed genre of the game. The boyfriend’s recovery from his daze is perhaps an attempt to poke fun at the horror genre a little, by using a tired ploy to lull the audience into a degree of security by giving the impression that all is well, in order to set them up for the next shock.
Stubbs is now driving the car and is backing it up in to the police car. He misses the policeman and then drives off, but first he takes out an organ which oozes green stuff and we instantly realise from its revolting appearance that this is a harbinger of something unpleasant. He throws it into the window of the police car, there’s a puff of green smoke which then explodes with fire, and the consequent demise of the policemen is implied, but not seen.
The intent of this scene is to introduce us to the central character, and its use of sick humour as a counterpoint to its previous attempts to shock us, is presumably an attempt to make us laugh with relief and identify with the zombie character.
We then are told “BE the zombie…” by a voice with forced passion, implying this would be desirable and slightly mystical or does this imply ‘be the rebel’ and disrespect authority? We are then shown some of the game play, which loses the flow of the trailer, although I think the intention of the director is for this to be a signifier for you to purchase the game. In a sense the inclusion of this is a splash of cold water in the face – it reminds us it is a game, (which at this point is quite welcome!) but in my opinion it lets the rest of the trailer down as apparently the game isn’t actually as stylish and slick as this trailer would have us believe.
The trailer then returns to show the jock quite evidently running for his life. Stubbs catches up and hits him with the car he’s still driving, and (explicitly) kills him.
The trailer wraps up with the tag-line “Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse”, signifying a link with the era and film genre of the 50s icon James Dean. I infer the intention is that we are now meant to empathise with the zombie character and wish to take his role in the game.
The film trailer “Syriana” from tired.bz/3y6sOkr
George Clooney in Rome (…
Introduction (get .pdf) In these two essays I will first say what I see. For example, in a fictional advert, a child sits down to...
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