Media Log #4: "Hero"

    
     I don't know where I'd be without without music.  I listen to music every opportunity I get, and it keeps me going.  I've heard this song when I was younger, but never really paid much attention to it.  I forgot about it about until the last year when I was revisiting songs from the pasts.  This song quickly grew on me and has become one of my favorites.  I know it's an old song, but the message inside of it is so powerful, beautiful, and universal that it can be applied to even today.  Whenever I'm sad or in a bad mood, I listen to this song because it's uplifting and inspirational. 
     Heroes.  It's something we all want to be; however, many of us don't believe we can be one since we've been brainwashed by the media into thinking that heroes are only people who save an evil person from destroying the world, such as people like Superman and Thor.  Well, Mariah Carey says that just about anyone can be a hero if they can face their fears and if they have the power to overcome the littlest of struggles.  
     The chorus, in particular, stood out to me the most.   

"And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you."

It shows what being a hero exactly means.  A hero won't give up easily.  A hero won't let fear control him.  A hero is brave and persistent.  A hero knows that strength lies within himself and knows that he is capable of more power than he thinks.  We all are capable of achieving these qualities of a hero, but since we live in a world full of lazy people and people who give up too easily, we never realize this.  It's way easier to just give up, but in doing so, we will never grow or prosper as people or become heroes.  We will never know just how strong and hero like if we don't try.

     I find the music also very beautiful.  It has a soothing, magical, and happy quality to it, and it serves as a good contrast to how powerful the lyrics and her voice are.  The music allows the lyrics to shine through and you can still heard the music trough the lyrics.  It's a perfect balance.  If the music was also a prominent, dramatic piece loudly played on any of the instruments, the song wouldn't turn out well and may even have turned into a disaster since the balance wouldn't be right.  

     Lately, as music is progressing and new ideas are being created, I've found it hard to find a song that is as beautiful and meaningful as this one.  Most of what we listen to today has no meaning or value and is just loud, pointless nonsense that makes singers rich. 

Media Log #3: Allstate's Good Life Commercial

     Over the past few years, Allstate has stuck to the effective mayhem commercials when the same guy goes around causing chaos to the people around him, but in this commercial Allstate took a different approach.  When I first saw this commercial, I knew it was for an insurance company, but I didn't think it was an Allstate commercial since I was so used to seeing the mayhem commercials.  This commercial brought out the message of how the world is a dangerous place, and yet we still continue to do the things we love, never worrying about the fear that can make our lives miserable.  Then follows the Allstate logo saying that they also want good in the world.
     It showcased many people taking different types of adventures, such as hiking through the woods, swimming in the oceans with sharks, and jumping off a cliff with a waterfall.  We like the feeling of adventure since we like the feeling of escape.  Escaping could bring many different feeling to people such as freedom, relaxation, or excitement, but these feelings are all pleasurable ones.  
     This beautifully crafted high concept ad was done in a way that makes it seem that we our the heroes of our own lives with a little help from Allstate.  After seeing how we, as humans, don't let fear stop us from adventure, we get a feeling of invincibility and power, making us feel like we can do anything.  It makes us feel inspired to start taking action now in order to truly live our lives, and all the dangers in life seem like nothing to us.  That is what Allstate promises to do by helping us to overcome troubling obstacles to make us feel safe, which is a reptilian need we need to satisfy.  We also start to get a sense of trust from Allstate since they state that they want good and happiness in the world like we do.   
     When I first saw this, I didn't notice the music since I was so focused on the message the commercial was trying to project, but when I watched it again, I found the music to be appropriate and effective.  The music is very soft and faint at first, but as the commercial progresses the music becomes more prominent and stronger until it stops right before the little girl says, "Good."  It's an uplifting, delicate, and happy piece that surprising becomes powerful once the beats being to be hit harder.  Our hearts start to beat faster, since we are overcome with emotions, and we start to feel anxious about what's coming next until the music stops to highlight what we want to hear. 
     The word "good" itself is an example of ambiguity.  When we first hear it, it goes along with what the little girl is narrating to finish her sentence of how we can't let fear stop us from making our lives good.  That's one meaning of the word, but the second refers to Allstate itself. What exactly is good?  Allstate itself.  The fact that the music stopped right there helps the word to get stuck in our minds, and it's a thought we have in our mind.  Then the Allstate logo shows up, and since that word is in our minds, we think that Allstate too is good since is wants to help us achieve this goal.  
     Overall, I thought this was an effective commercial because we forgot for a minute that the commercial is trying to sell us insurance, and instead, are given a beautiful and powerful message that many people connect to.  Fear didn't stop us before, so why should it stop us now? 
    

Media Log #2: Project Runway's Madison and Vine

    I've been a of Project Runway since practically the beginning and seen just about every season.  Over the last few years, I've begun to notice an excessive use of advertising on both the original Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars.  Just about everything is advertised on this show, from what hotel the contestants are living at to the Bonnie and Clyde miniseries, which is advertised in the first video above above.  Not only do the producers clearly state what they are advertising, by either making a person on the show say the company's name or by showing a video of the product, but there are also quick glances at other products and companies, such as QVC, Mary Kay, Brother, Alterna Haircare, and Mood.  But, since the season 6, the product the Project Runway has advertised the most is Marie Claire, due to the fact the one of the judges, Nina Garcia, works at Marie Claire.  Every season, there is a challenge where the designers get to create an editorial look that will be featured in an issue of Marie Claire if they win the challenge.  Also, the winner of the season usually gets a fashion spread in the magazine.  
    Not only that, but it seems like every year, Hedi Klum has something new to advertise, from a sports line to a baby clothing line as Babies R Us.  She always has the designers create a look for the collection and winner's look will be featured in the collection, similar to the perks of the Marie Claire challenges.  This is a win win situation for Hedi Klum.  Not only does she get free advertising, but she also gets a free, new look for her collection.  In that way, she is smart, but it's become a bit ridiculous after seeing it happen so many times.  

      Most of the challenges on this show are actually "inspired" by products, such as Duck brand duct tape and various cars.  These challenges usually make me laugh since they don't even try to hide the fact that something is being advertised.  They just bluntly state and try to give out as many details as they can about the product in the time allotted.  My favorite of these challenges came from season 12.  It was a Yoplait Yogurt inspired challenge which makes me laugh just thinking about it.  The designers were sent to Coney Island where they were supposed to give out free sample of Yoplait frozen yogurt and get words from the samplers describing how the yogurt tasted, which would be used as inspiration for their outfits.  The way the people responded almost sounded fake, at least to me, like it was scripted.  It totally reminded me of the other Yoplait commercials regally shown on TV.  I felt like I was watching a commercial while the show was still going on.  I mean whose goes into on of these advertising booths without knowing that they are being filmed, especially if they can see the cameras.  Of course they are going to say good things about the product.   

     This example of Madison and Vine has really gotten out of hand.  I couldn't take the show seriously for a while because the was so much advertising.  It was just continuous ad after ad after ad with not even an attempt to stop it.  What still puzzles me is why the producers would take such a big risk of just clearly stating that they were advertising something and not try to conceal it even a little. Don't they know that this way of Madison and Vine doesn't work and may even discourage viewers to buy the products since it make the show more boring?  Honestly, I'm not even sure why I'm still watching this show.  Maybe, it's because I like seeing the clothes they make.  But I do have to admit that lately Project Runway has gotten a little bit better at hiding their ads, and they don't advertise as many products as they use to.     

additional videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zikiRO1HqfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIv6f-haNo8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvBT35udmBI

Media Log #1: L'Oreal Paris' Liquid Powder

     
     Over the summer, I saw this commercial a countless number of times.  Every time I turned on the TV, this ad would alwys appear at least one time, if not more.  Featuring Hungarian model Babara Palvin, L'Oreal Paris manages to advertise their new product, Magic Nude Liquid Powder.  Babara Palvin is situated in a plain white room and is dressed in a white, flowy dress that is made to emulate the product.  That is especially showcased when she jumps up into the air in slow motion, which is showcases how the foundation is supposed to be weightless.  

       When I first saw this ad, I was a bit confused, yet also skeptical of the product because of its vagueness.  My first thought was what liquid powder was exactly.  Is it a liquid foundation with powder in it?  Then, they went on to explain that it was a liquid, water like foundation that when applied to the face "magically" turns into powder.  But what do they mean by magically?  Does the liquid evaporate into the air so that only the powder remains or does the powder suddenly appear out of nowhere?  And how does shaking play a part in the transformation?  I'm just filled with questions from this word. They obviously used the word magically because it has a positive connotation the evokes imagination and curiosity within the consumers so they will buy the product.  

     Also, it seems like companies, especially cosmetic companies, these days love using anything that has to do with France.  It's become overused and quite annoying.  In this video, Babara Palvin calmly says j'adore, which is French for I adore you.  Quite honestly, that phrase doesn't have anything to do with selling this product, yet it's used because anything French sounds rich and luxurious.  It's an example of reification.  By just adding a french word, you can practically make any product sound expensive, even if it's not.  

     Ambiguity is used within this commercial when the word transform begins to disappear as Babara Palvin releasing some of the liquid.  This is not only meant to show how the liquid actually makes a change to powder, but also to show how this product will transform your skin and make all the imperfections in it disappear.  In this case, both meanings have a positive effect on the viewer since both effects work in their favor.  They can get that same clear, refreshing feel as water with the liquid and the effective power of powder while still achieving a perfect complexion.  It's a good marketing decision by the company.

     When quickly looking at this commercial for the first time, a viewer would be drawn in due to the mystical and curiosity factor this product.  Considering that, it's a very effective commercial, especially if it is constantly replayed on TV.