Big Brother is watching you!

         

           John Fiske said in "Reading the Popular" the popular text produces meanings that can become relevant in everyday life. The example of this can be seen taking under consideration cover of the book written by George Orwell - "1984". The range of colors is very limited - the artist used only red, black, dull yellow and dark orange. The choice isn't random as colors refer to the narrative and produce very strong meaning.

          Even if people haven't read the "1984" they still probably came across the slogan placed in the top part of the cover. "Big Brother is watching YOU!" - nowadays is mainly known from the famous TVshow, so the cover and book produced element which got popularised and its meaning can be perceived differently in various social groups (if someone doesn't know the book they won't know that their favourite TV show wasn't the first one to invent the idea of Big Brother). There are also multiple poems and songs inspired by the book or the slogan - that shows us various meanings and elements produced by the culture.   

   

 The cover is a great example of mixing popular culture with high one. It's kept in the pop art vibes but it bears as well strong similarities to the capitalist propaganda posters, which were really popular during Stalinist regime. It links the meaning to historical background to which it may refer. It suggest us that the cover is actually a satiric comment about the political situation back “then”-specifying the time isn't needed as the man bears a strong similarity to Stalin. Just look at that moustache plus the choice of colors - coincidence? I think not! Additionally looking at the cover we can see that the man together with the red line behind him forms a cross - it may suggest an ending, death - probably death of our privacy as Big Brother is watching us!

       

                    Moreover the man looks like an evil robot so he isn't looking after us, but just watching every our move, spying. He doesn't have a pupil in his eyes which makes them look like tiny lights. He seems to be mad, but at the same time we can notice that he is smiling - does he enjoy watching us? If so... It makes the cover even creepier and adds more to the creation of the character – he is clearly a psychopath. Placing him in the middle of the picture implies that he is the  Brother watching us and enjoying doing it as well.

            It's time for the colors! Red – color of blood, war and danger - a background of the part with slogan implies that the  Brother watching us will bring  nothing good. Dark red line behind the man on the cover refers to anger and leadership –  if someone watches us every day he wants to take control over the population. Dark orange in the back of the man implies deceit and distrust –  how can you trust somebody that wants to take over population =  whole world. Black,  main color when it comes to the “man part” – refers to death, mystery and fear. That would explain why it's so hard to specifically say who is on the cover –  the Big Brother?  Someone who helps him? Or Stalin? There is no one,good answer to it, everyone can see it differently.  

          

         

"The Model" - analysis of the movie poster

We live in an age when popular culture surrounds us, it is right beside on every step we take. Being a big part of our everyday life we rarely do try to get to know it. We don't realise how metaphoric, beautiful and descriptive it can be. In this post I will analyse ways in which the photograph on the poster of lately released movie "The Model" suggest a narrative and I will discuss the produced meaning.

"The Model" is a drama movie directed by Mads Matthiesen. It tells a story about a young, Danish girl, Emma (Maria Palm), who recently emerged her modelling career and was struggling to enter the Parisian fashion scene. Together with the main character we discover dark streets of Paris, dangerous aspects of work as a model and we try to distinguish who is her friend and who is just using her. The movie shows what the modelling industry does to young, inexperienced girls, how it manipulates and changes people, but as well how beautiful and engrossing it is once you enter this unfamiliar, strange world.

The poster concentrates on Emma's face, main character in the film. It is kept in soft, dark colours, which seem to consume her. It can be easily assumed, only considering colours, that it won’t be a nice and easy romantic comedy, but a movie that demands its viewers to think, get into someone’s head and try to feel as the main character does. 
The title of the movie, placed on her chin, looks as if written with a lipstick. It referes to the plot which concentrates on the industry tightly connected to look, beauty and fashion, just as the lipstic does being part of everyday makeup.

 She looks straight in the viewers eyes, as if she could see us. It can be easily noticed that only half of her face is covered with really harsh, dramatic makeup, while on the other half you can barely see the eyeliner on her lid. It may suggest that the girl is confused when it comes to her identity, life choices and she still doesn’t know who she really is. On the other hand it is also an inference that she went through things that changed her, made her pretend to be someone who she is not. It certainly represents what the main character goes through – she is puzzled, lost, confused but yet excited and happy to be a part of a totally different, magical world.

While looking only at the part without hardly any makeup, Emma seems to be scared and tired. She looks as if she needed help, which in the movie she does need, but she had no one by her side to ask for it. The part of her face covered with makeup looks dangerous. Yellow eyeshadow on her lid, referring to the colours meaning, suggest that she is emotionally unstable, mentally analytical and self-critical, yet satisfied with her life choices, which doesn’t mean we can consider them as good ones.

What catches audience’s attention is a beautiful face of a girl which comes out of darkness. At first glance all you notice are her big, green eyes, symmetrical face, full lips. But the closer you come the more you see. Fear, disappointment as well as excitement in  her eyes, half open lips, as if she wanted to say something but never did. And the shadows, consuming her, dragging her along to a distant, unknown place – probably referring to her mental condition and feelings.

This marvellous portrait picture holds secrets of the main character in the movie “The Model”. It shows how what you see is not what it is. Creating illusion of a graceful, happy girl, but when you come closer you can easily notice how broken, scared and confused the girl from the picture is. The longer the audience look at the photograph the more can be seen.