KOTV AND TIDE

• This is a guide to the film poster for 'Kiss of the Vampire' which is a set text for A-Level Media Studies Component One
• If Chester the vampire comes up in the A-Level Media Studies exam, it will only be in Component One in the representation question
• Film posters in general could appear as an unseen text in the media language question
• If asked a representation question about this poster, it will be in comparison to an unseen text
• The question about representation of this text is likely to be about gender
• Female character on the left


  • Being carried and supported by a male character
  • Seems unconscious or potentially dead
  • Vulnerable 'damsel in distress' representation
  • Neck and skin exposed, sexualized
• Other female character


  • Dress is form-fitting, particularly around bust
  • Looks sexy, wearing high heels
  • Objectified representation
• Representations of women in this poster


  Reflect the social context of the 1960s when women were becoming increasingly objectified in media
• Representation of women as weak and vulnerable


  Conventional for the time period leading up to the 1960s
• Second wave feminism in the 1960s

  Women were starting to demand more equal rights and power
• Film poster still represents women in traditional, sexualized ways


  Potentially due to the film being made for a mostly male horror audience
• Male character holding female character

  • Vampire fangs suggest he may be a villain
  • Wearing dark clothes and cape adds to symbolic 'dangerous' code
• Male character's arm back, protective pose


  Makes him seem slightly victimized as well
• Male character on bottom right


  • In a submissive, unconscious pose, potentially about to be attacked
• Representations of men


  Reflect changing social norms around gender roles in the 1960s
• Female character in center


  • Aggressive pose, vampire fangs, appears to be a villain or violent killer
• Equal number of male and female characters on the poster, suggesting some gender equality
• Only one female name credited in the credits block, suggesting male dominance in the film industry at the time
• Tight


  A print advert set text at A-level for the Media Studies exam
• Tide could appear in a question in component one for one of two sections: representation or audiences
• This video will focus on audiences for the Tight advert
• Target audience of Tide


  • Female, predominantly 18-40 years old
• In the 1950s, the target audience would have been white women who were housewives and had their own families
• The advert is likely targeted at predominantly American audiences, but would also have appeal to women in other post-war Allied countries like Britain
• How Tight appeals to the target audience


  • Use of beautiful, aspirational female characters
  • Use of direct address and language like "women" and "you"
  • Intertextual reference to Rosie the Riveter wartime poster
  • Reflecting 1950s fashion and hairstyles
  • Inclusion of household items like washing machine to appeal to consumerism
  • Endorsement from Good Housekeeping magazine
• Some audiences may have reacted in a more negotiated or oppositional way


  Feminists and modern audiences may see the advert as sexist and old-fashioned
• Gerbner's cultivation theory


  Repeated messages in the advert could cultivate the idea that Tide is the best product over time
• Uses and gratifications theory


  Audiences may have used the advert for entertainment, information about products, or as escapism/aspiration
• Tide

  A print advert set text for the Media Studies A-level exam
• Tight


  • It could appear in a question in component one for one of two sections: representation or audiences
• Representation


  How the print advert represents people, groups, events, and issues
• The main things that could be represented in Tide are: representation of women, representation of gender, representation of housework/cleaning, representation of the tide brand
• Representation questions in the A-level Media Studies exam component one will always be a comparison question where you compare the representations in Tight to an unseen product provided in the exam
• Representation in Tight


  • The woman has her hair up in curls with a headscarf, wearing a pretty blouse and apron, with a perfect face of makeup - this represents her in an idealized, aspirational way typical of advertising
• Representation in Tide

  • The woman's dress code reflects 1950s fashion, with hairstyles like Betty Grable and Veronica Lake, which was practical for doing housework
• Representation in Tide

  • The woman is smiling and hugging the box of Tide, representing women as loving cleaning, housework and laundry
• Representation in Tight


  • The symbolic codes of the hearts above her face, along with her facial expression and body language, signify that women enjoy doing housework and laundry
• This representation reflects the historical context of the 1950s, when women were often expected to stay at home as mothers and wives, with few working outside the home
• The large slogan "Tide's got what women want" suggests that housework and domestic chores are what women want to be involved in
• Representation in Tight


  • The woman is framed in a large, dominant position, representing women as powerful, which was likely to engage the target audience of women