Ancillary Task Deconstructions 1

Newspaper Advertisements

 

1. Honey I bought the house

This is a newspaper advertisement for a documentary series “Honey I bought the house” set to air on “Watch”. The golden yellow background in contrast with the purple jumper worn by the model in this large image focused advertisement stands out on the black and white house style of newspapers in general. The shocked, wide eyed expression worn by the model gives an initial hint to the possible shocking nature of the documentary.

 The minimal white text featured in this advertisement reinforces the focus on the main image of the model. The emboldened font used for the title of the documentary ensures that this is the next most likely aspect of the advertisement to draw the attention of the reader. The title can be considered a part of the essential information of the advertisement as well as the channel it is to be shown on and the time, both of which are featured on the bottom of the advertisement standing out in contrast with the purple of the jumper. The strap line featured above the bold title reads “Would you trust your partner with the biggest decision of your life?” this serves to give the audience an insight into the subject of the documentary series, with the use of a rhetorical question this leaves the audience wanting to know the answer or asking themselves the question. The final line of text below the title, “An original series from UKTV” may elude to the style of the documentary series to those who are familiar with UKTV programming.

2. China's Stolen Children

 

This newspaper advertisement is for a “Dispatches Special: China’s Stolen Children” documentary on Channel 4. Much like the previous “Honey I bought the house” advertisement, this ad again is focused largely on one main image with less text than “Honey I bought the house”.  The large almost panoramic image of the Great Wall of China with images of missing children posted across it sets the scene for the documentary and coveys the subject of the documentary very well. This means the lack of text isn’t a negative with this image having a less vague subject matter than the previous advertisement’s shocked model therefore needing less text.

In terms of text this advertisement only features the essential information such as the name of the documentary and the time and date it will be aired. The channel 4 logo is also featured on the right hand side of the advertisement adding to the visual focus on the feature. The reason for the difference in the amount of text included and lack of straplines in comparison to “Honey I bought the house” may be down to the serious nature of the documentary rather than it being a reality or entertainment series. The striking image of China’s most recognisable landmark shrouded in darkness with the posters of missing children is enough to achieve the desired effect of shock or intrigue.

3.Life after armageddon and other

 

The final documentary newspaper advertisement is for 5 different documentaries shown on Channel 5 with a focus on the largest featured image for the documentary “Life after Armageddon”. This advertisement is unique in comparison to the previous two advertisements due to the inclusion of 5 images advertising 5 documentaries, the 5 panel image style may have been used to reference channel 5. These featured images also differ from the previous two advertisements as they are all stills taken from the documentaries rather than staged photoshoots. Uniquely a colour scheme is also included in this advertisement of right and white reflecting the channel 5 logo that is also included in the centre as well as the essential information for the featured documentary “Life after Armageddon.” Essential information for each documentary is also included under each still photo.

 Like the “Honey I bought the house” advertisement this ad also includes a strapline “Get your 5 a day!” This generalised strapline gives no insight into the themes of the 5 documentaries and leaves the still photos to convey these themes. The strapline also continues with references to channel 5 continuing the theme of 5’s. Reiterating this 5 theme makes it very clear to the audience of the channel these documentaries will be featured on but with the 5 images this advertisement falls down in terms of specific information about each documentary.

In conclusion it is clear that a strong image is paramount in creating a successful documentary newspaper advertisement. The image needs to be striking with a clear message as this is where the final advertisement fell down. Minimal text with essential information and a clear strapline that outlines the theme of the documentary is also important as it keeps the focus on the image as well as informing the audience of what they need to know about the documentary. I am going to incorporate what I have learnt from deconstructing these three advertisements into my ancillary task to ensure it is as professionally presented as possible.