Monthly Archives: November 2016

Potential Examples

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People asked for examples of a project site from  other classes.  Unfortunately I’ve never given this exact assignment before.  Still I have assigned several final group final projects that involved making a blog.  So here’s three examples from two different assignments.  There are others I would show but  unfortunately when folks make the project on tumblr or squarespace sometimes  they expire, and I know longer have access to them.   I hope these examples help.

 

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Assignment 1#

In the Children’s Literature class, students had to come up with an alternative fantastical world that allowed them to explore some particular binary relation in our society from a different perspective.  The assignment takes its cue from Alice in Wonderland and the idea go going through a looking glass or into hole to an inside up and outside down world.  Like your assignment I did not dictate the topic or the layout.  I did however give a long list of guidelines and things that needed to be included (more than you have for your class).   Some of the things each project had to include:  a timeline that explored the evolution of their binary issue in our “real” world (and possibly also their alternative world); historical documents for their alternative worlds (these are documents they made either by reframing documents from our actual world or creating mock documents); references to Alice in Wonderland;  and creative documents.    Here is an example of a group  that had a stellar idea and did a great job with the creative part and coming up with documents.  The actual presentation of their site isn’t bad, but you’ll see they labeled their pages more so  by the assignment requirements rather than what made the site itself work best.   (eg. They call the timeline page “timeline,” but they could have integrated it into the site by calling  the timeline page something like:  “The Great Lost Book”; they could have framed it as a history of the other side of the wall that somehow made it to the protagonist’s side. )

Class and Society:  https://classaiw.wordpress.com/

 

Assignment #2

For this assignment in my Young Adult literature class, groups had to put together an online magazine that addressed some aspect of our discussion about the relationship between adolescence and monstrosity.  They had to include revisions of two people’s papers, visuals, two creative projects, related primary text + analysis, and work cited.  Here are two examples:  One is very straight  forward; like the example above it organizes itself more by way of the project guideline which isn’t horrible necessarily, but also isn’t necessarily what makes the strongest and cogent site.   The second example while it might seem a little quirky actually tries to organize itself according to its own principles.

First example:

Introduction

 

Second example:

Innocence:  https://whatisinnocence.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated Final Project Requirements + Asssessment

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Below is a description of the final group project requirements.  As discussed in class, I modified some of the assignments in an effort to both 1) allow room  for  us to reflect on the post election climate 2) to reflect the change in the syllabus re the second paper and 3) to stream line project requirements.  These changes have also been made on the “assignments” page.

PROJECT [30 %]

The final project will bring together the three primary learning objective areas:  analysis, argument, and research.   Still an underlying critical thinking/life objectives for this course has been for students to think about the way language structures our idea of freedom, people, and democracy.   I want students to understand writing as a dynamic part of world making as being both a matter of communicating (articulating and listening), but also as a way of thinking, exploring, and experimenting.   The final project will be a group project that ask students to bring their work into an online and public format.  Given the intense climate of this election season and the post election results, I am asking that each group make an argument about some issue they view as important in this post election/transition season.  Groups may use their initial group themes to make that argument or they may decide to alter their focus some what or greatly.  What’s important is that the final project and its components work as one coherent site, with a coherent aim, and an articulate argument.

Drawing from our three primary learning objectives as a writing course (analysis, argument, research), each final project must includes:

  1. a full annotated bibliography with introduction.  This annotated bibliography will constitute the bulk of the research your group has done in regards to the argument you’re making.   While I will not dictate how group’s divide the labor, there should be five accurate and correctly formatted bibliographic entries with annotations PER PERSON in  your group (i.e. 20 entries for a group of four and 15 for a group of three).   It is possible that a group might use the annotations individuals used for their social media election guide annotated bibliography.  Just remember that your annotations here will be more thorough, that the sources should all work together to support your project’s argument, and that you need to have 2-3 paragraph introduction to the annotated bibliography.
  2. a visual analysis of a campaign ad (note: you may request approval to do an analysis on some other relevant visual media).  Again if one of your group members’  visual analysis post fits well with your project then you might decide to work with that post.  Please note that it will not be enough to cut and paste the visual analysis without any revision or edits.  You should make sure that the analysis clearly introduces the ad, what it’s about, when/where it circulated, its main objectives and main strategies.   Then you should identify three or four specific aspects of the ad to analyze. You should discuss how these elements work individually and together.  You should discuss how they work to/for the main objectives and strategies, but you should also discuss what in excess of the main objectives and strategies they communicate.  You should point out assumptions they make about the viewer, the viewer’s values, and/or the concept or figures presented in the ad (what a leader is?  what freedom is; what a working class victory is? etc.)  I will grade this analysis with more rigor than I assessed the post.  You should make sure the analysis is well organized and thorough and that the grammar is accurate and the language coherent and clear.
  3. a group authored “about” section in which you one describe the design and aims of the site.   This “about” section should be the equivalent of 3-5 pages  in a Word document (if it were double spaced with 1 inch margins 12 point Times New Romans font).  In this “about” I am looking for the following:
    1. a clear and logically sound argument about some issue your group finds important for us to think about in this post election/transition moment.
    2. a clear and logically sound articulation of why the issue is important and why your group is taking the particular stance that they are taking
    3. a discussion of one or two relevant examples that help the reader to see/consider your argument and how you’re putting it together.  Note: It’s not a traditional paper because you don’t have to  make all of your  case in this prose.  The whole site will make your  point. The annotated bibliography and its introduction will be a rather explicit place to support your argument with research, but you will also be able to make your argument with your analysis, with the type of media you collect, and how you present that media (i.e. how you juxtapose images or the captions you ad to links to news articles)
    4. a clear articulation of the aims of the web/blog site.  What do you want visitors/readers to do or think when they interact with your site.
    5. a brief discussion of how the visual and navigation layout of the site work to support your argument and the aims you have for those visiting your site.
  4. 6-8 relevant pieces of media (at least two pieces of media per person in your group, not including campaign a the visual analysis).  Note for the project it’s only required that you include the media and that it is accurately titled and cited with working links.  However note that offering captions or annotations or drawing arrows or juxtaposing an  image with another image that zooms in  one part of the original might help you to make your point more clearly and for the site to work more cogently as its own thing.  The decision about how to frame, present, and/or analyze these pieces of relevant media is up to your group.
  5. a piece of relevant creative work.  “Creative” is a very open category.  It just has to be a creative work authored by at least one person  in your group.   It can be a poem, a visual, a song, a collage, a mock advertisement, etc.

Assessment:

There will be only one grade for the project, but people may receive different grades based on their individual contribution to the project.   Individual grades will be calculated as follows:

  • 40% Group Project Grade (will be the same for everyone in the group).
    • 50% completeness (satisfies above requirements)
    • 30% mechanics (clear and accurately cited, thoroughly reviewed for language/grammar).
    • 20% overall quality (works on its own and not just as a project in this class).
  • 30% Individual Project Evaluation Grade
    • 50% self-evaluation
    • 50% group evaluation form
  • 30% Individual Project Participation
    • 25% timely and thorough completion of all pre-project assignments and check-ins
    • 25% active, reliable, and relevant contribution to all in-class discussion
    • 25% reasonable and respectful out-of-class communication with group*
    • 25% thoughtful and substantive revision/translation of any individually authored piece of academic or creative work you contribute to the project

Annotated Bibliography (Final Project):

As part of your final project, your group will create an annotated bibliography.  Annotated bibliographies are a list of quality sources around a particular research theme/question.  The list includes full and accurate bibliographic entries + a brief description (annotation) about each text and its relevance.

For your project, your bibliography will be organized around your group’s research topic/questions.  You will follow MLA guidelines for formatting the bibliography entries, and your annotations will be 3-5 sentence paragraph (for each text).  Your annotation will describe: what kind of text this source is; what its main goal is; who its audience is; and how it might be particularly useful to the topic and question your group is focusing on. [note: If you review the UNC handout on Annotated Bibliographies, you should think of your annotations  as “combination” annotations with a strong emphasis on the “summary” and “informative” aspect of the annotation.]

In your final project, your group annotated bibliography will have at least 20 solid entries, and it will include a 2-4 paragraph  introduction describing how these texts work together.    While the annotated bibliography is not a research paper, it is a kind of writing that has a purpose and even an angle.  Your introduction will make a case for how your 20 sources work together.  Some questions you might address are:  what kind of research questions do these sources help answer?  What kind of arguments might they help construct?   What kind of debates do they make clear or challenge?   You should have a kind of thesis statement.  You are not writing the research paper, but you should have a proposed thesis statement and research questions in this introduction, and you should tell us generally speaking how the 20 sources will help support that paper.  The individual annotation paragraphs will speak more specifically as to how that particular source might potentially support the paper.

For more on annotated bibliographies, consult the handouts posted on the tool box page.

Campaign Ad Analysis Post

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Narration is used only twice in the ad. The first use is the first 14 seconds of the ad and the last instance is the remaining 16 seconds. The voice is quiet and calm to give you the feeling that you are right there with President Nixon and are truly getting an inside perspective into his life.
There are three songs used in the ad. The first song is the Happy Birthday. The next song is the traditional wedding son. The final song is played while Nixon dances with his daughter and then his wife at the wedding reception. The Happy Birthday song is played on the piano by Nixon while the crowd sings happy birthday to Duke Ellington. It is a song that is instantly recognizable by the majority of people who would see the ad. The traditional wedding song is equally ubiquitous. Its placement is different as well. You actually hear the music of the wedding song 2 seconds before any scenes of the wedding appear in the ad. They prime with audience by playing the song in that manner. Every song is accompanied with smiling faces. This plays on the intimate perspective afforded by the ad.
This ad makes distinct use of color. Many of the shots chosen have light backgrounds that contrast with President Nixon wearing dark or black clothing. It emphasizes Nixon’s presence undeniably making him the focus of your attention in the ad. At 0:08, Nixon is wearing a dark suit and in the background is the white and red of the American flag and the tan/ light brown of the curtain. At 0:12, the white walls of the White House’s oval office highlight Nixon similarly to the shot before it. At 0:29, Nixon is wearing a black tuxedo and the background and lighting are bright, with gold and brown curtains and white walls. When Nixon begins to play the piano at 1:15, the frame closes in and you see the black silhouettes of the crowd creating a contrast of dark figures that makes Nixon’s face stand out even more. In the wedding shot as Nixon walks his daughter up the aisle, at 2:02, his clothing is black which pops in contrast to the white of his daughter’s wedding dress, the white carpet, the flowers and their stand as well. There is also the dress of the bridesmaid which may or may not actually be white which adds even more to Nixon standing out.
When we take a look at the positioning of Nixon throughout the ad, we see that he is almost always in the center of every shot. Beginning at 2:02 when President Nixon is walking his daughter down the aisle to get married, tradition tells us that it is “her day”. Looking at the positioning of the footage, Nixon takes up most of the center of the shot. Even when the shot turns to a behind the back shot, Nixon never leaves that crucial focal space. As the scene fades into the next shot, the first face that we see is Nixon once again. The shot is positioned as one of the bridesmaids and we are looking at almost shoulder level. Nixon seems taller and dominant due to the eye level of the shot.
The narrator sets up the ad by saying that you will get a rare glimpse of President Nixon which establishes him as the focal point. During playing of the Happy Birthday song for Duke Ellington, Duke is barely present except for brief moments during the beginning and end of the scene. Nixon’s clothing combined with the white background further establishes that by making him stand out.

Nixon the Man: http://209.81.85.164/commercials/1972

eng-analysis-rev-1

Campaign Ad- Ike for President

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One of the first presidential campaign ads to be aired on Television is ‘’Ike For President” in 1952. This was produced by Disney and paid for by Citizens. . The campaign ad uses symbolism, imagery, and rhythmic sound to communicate to its audience. The campaign ad seeks to portray the attachment, determination, commitment and enthusiasm of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s supporters. The slogan “I Like Ike” in addition to the animation shows an image of Eisenhower as one who is likable and popular. This is intended to appeal to conformity and persuade people to cast their votes for Eisenhower.

The campaign ad starts off with a repetition of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s nickname “Ike for president, Ike for president, Ike for president, Ike for president”. This repetition of Eisenhower’s nickname “Ike” runs through to the end. The repetition sought to focus attention on Eisenhower.

The next phase follows with a jingle written by Irving Berlin. Jingles were one of the early approaches to campaign ad, after nearly a decade when television was commercialized in the United States. The jingle is a repetition of words and sounds. The jingle combines with a repetition and cycle of images. The repetition attempts to make it catchy and unforgettable.

Leading the parade in excitement is Uncle Sam with a pin of Ike. The image of Uncle Sam is national personification of the United States. Uncle Sam represents the patriotic quality of the American people. The introduction of Uncle Sam here shows the magnitude of Eisenhower’s support.   After Uncle Sam is an elephant marching and beating a military drum. The elephant displays the image of Eisenhower draped over its back. The elephant , which is an imagery of the Republican party depicts the joyous support of the party behind Eisenhower, especially in publicity.

Following Uncle Sam is a group of Americans with different occupations, matching to Washington D.C. The group consists of a chef, a farmer, a painter, a nurse, a locomotive engineer, a police officer, and a cowboy among others. This shows the variety of people willing to vote for Eisenhower. It also shows how Eisenhower relates to variety of people in the economy. The diversity highlights the composition of jobs in the American economy. After this, a driver is seen on a tractor. This demonstrates Eisenhower’s exclusive interest in farming. The tractor is similar to the black hawk tractor, a brand of tractor that was given to President Eisenhower as a gift in 1955 to work on his private farm.

As everyone moves along to the right, a shadow of a man on a donkey is seen moving to the left. This happens simultaneously with the portion of the jingle that says, “Let Adlai go the other way”. Adlai Stevenson, the democratic nominee is portrayed to be going in the opposite direction away from the crowed. That’s a wrong way to get to Washington D.C. The ad also has a scene of three donkeys that are stagnant behind a fence. They don’t seem to happy or know the direction to go. This scene comes into view as the jingle gets to “We don’t want John or Dean or Harry”. These represent John Sparkman (Stevenson’s running mate), Dean Acheson (Truman’s Secretary of State) and the incumbent president Harry Truman.

There’s an indication that Ike finally got to Washington D.C by way of a flagged arrow. A sun with Ike embedded arises on the capitol, informing on the good prospects Eisenhower will bring.campaign ad- Ike For President

Campaign Ad Analysis

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Campaign Ad Analysis Option 2

  1. Hillary Clinton (2016): Daisy
  2. Johnson (1964): Peace Little Girl (Daisy)

I have picked out two different ads that relate to each other but have been used at different times. My primary campaign ad is Hillary Clinton’s ad “Daisy” and the other one is “Peace Little Girl”, used by Lyndon Johnson in the year 1964.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign ad (Daisy) focuses on the comments made by Donald Trump for using Nuclear weapons. The ad begins with a girl in an open garden, standing next to a daisy plant and holding daisy’s in hand. The girl appears to be plucking the petals of the daisy flower, showing children’s playful and innocent nature. The particular scene in this video is featured in a black and white color, showing that the video is historical. We then hear the voice while the girl is plucking the petals of the daisy flower, “This is me in 1964”.The video than transitions from a historical video into the present day. A woman named ‘Monique Corzilius Luiz’ is sitting and facing the camera. She goes on say, “The fear of nuclear war that we had as children. I never thought our children would ever have to deal with that again, and to see that coming forward in this election is really scary”. As her statement ends, the videos keeps showing her worried face and then transitions to Joe Scarborough who says, “Trump asked three times, three times that why can’t we use Nuclear weapons”.  Then Donald Trump is shown saying, “I want to be unpredictable”. While the video continues to show Donald Trump speaking aggressively. Joe Scarborough asks, “What safeguards are there to stop any president, who may not be stable, from launching a nuclear attack. The video then shows, Michael Hayden (Former Head of CIA and NSA) saying, “The commander in chief is the commander in chief”, transitioning the video back to Donald Trump, who says “Bomb the sh*t out of them”.  The video is highlighting to us that Donald Trump can and might use nuclear weapons. Highlighting with Michael Hayden’s statement that commander in chief has the power to do so. While at the end, Donald Trump saying, “Bomb the sh*t out of them” shows that Donald Trump actually wants to use nuclear weapons.

The campaign ad used by Johnson in the year 1964 shows the same girl used by Hillary Clinton in her campaign ad. Actually, Hillary Clinton has taken a clip from Johnson’s video and she has used it in her own campaign ad. Most importantly, the woman that was speaking in Hillary Clinton’s video that she is really scared is actually that little girl who featured in the campaign ad of Johnson in the year 1964. In Johnson’s ad, while the girl is plucking petals of the flower, she is counting them insignificantly. Suddenly, she hears a voice of counting and the camera focuses on her eye and zooms in. There is an actual voice of count down and a nuclear bombs goes of showing us from far away. The video highlighting to us a girl’s innocence and then the impact of a nuclear bomb. Johnson then says, “These are the stakes. To make a world where all of God’s children can live. Or to go into the dark. We must love each other or we must die.” Later on the video says that the stakes are too high, vote for Johnson on November 3.

While looking at both the campaign ads we can see that Hillary Clinton in her campaign ad uses the similar tactics used by Johnson in the year 1964. Johnson highlighted the threat Children would have if he is not elected president, indirectly referring to rival candidate. The difference between them is that Johnson doesn’t target anyone, whereas Hillary Clinton in her ad highlights the threat of Donald Trump using the nuclear weapons. The idea that Hillary Clinton has portrayed in her campaign ad is a sequence to the 1964 campaign ad by Johnson. Another factor that contributes to what I am saying is the fact that Monique says that the fear we had as children is back again in this election.  Hillary Clinton actually wants to show that it is Donald Trump who will use that weapon again and kill innocent children such as “Peace Little Girl” in the video. She then provides evidence of Donald saying that he wants to use such weapons. Highlighting again the threat the world would have if Donald Trump becomes president.

campaign Ad Analysis Post

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Primary ad: http://politicaladarchive.org/ad/PolAd_BernieSanders_4lv4e/

Secondary ad: http://politicaladarchive.org/ad/PolAd_BernieSanders_u6i2f/

Both advertisements were sponsored by the Bernies Sanders committee as he runs for the position of the Democratic presidential candidate in the early part of 2016.

The central message within both advertisements is clear and very similar. They both focus primarily on the same topics and issues. A difference is however noticed in the way this message is conveyed, in both it’s visual and it’s aural contexts. The advertisement I selected as my primary advertisement uses a first person approach to convey its central idea i.e Bernie Sander addresses the viewer directly as opposed to the secondary advertisement where a voice over speaks instead of Bernie Sanders, speaking directly to the viewer. One major part I felt stood out in these two advertisements was that by listening to both advertisements simultaneously and meticulously, I noticed that the secondary advertisement consistently sticks to the voice over approach till the very end, where Bernie Sanders “presumably” endorses the advertisement. I chose to use the word presumably because as I listened to both advertisements simultaneously, I noticed that the voice of Bernie Sanders in the primary advertisement was obviously not the same voice that was used at the ending of the secondary advertisement. Which was presumably being endorsed by Bernie Sanders himself?

The visual contexts of both advertisements are completely different. In that, the Primary advertisement stayed in color throughout, showing vibrant and at times very beautiful colors. In contrast, the secondary advertisement I chose uses a total of three different color schemes from beginning to end. This helped create a perception of a timeline of some sort. It starts out as black and white depicting old fashioned cars, buildings and clothes and then changes briefly to a kind of light reddish color, which I believe is meant to depict growth and then finally to clear and vibrant colors like those depicted in the primary advertisement. The color scheme in the primary advertisement served to create a certain sense of belonging of some sort, persuading people that they belonged to the United States (a warm welcoming feeling). The secondary advertisement, on the other hand, focuses on change, growth and a sense of what would happen if the people watching advertisement chose Bernie Sanders.

Both advertisements contain a form of texts or words which are displayed on the screen as the advertisements ran. But both use these text differently to convey their messages. The primary advertisement uses the textual element to summarize and introduce the main points of what Bernie Sanders talks about throughout the advertisement. The textual element in the primary advertisement is used frequently as compared to the textual element used in the secondary advertisement. The secondary advertisement uses the textual element only at the end of the advertisement when Bernie Sanders endorses the advertisement.     

Campaign Ad Analysis – Kelsey

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For my paper, I am going to be working on the closely related series option. I am going to use several ads from the presidential race between Lyndon B. Johnson and Barry Goldwater that were put out by President Johnson against Barry Goldwater. All of the ads I will be using have the same basic message, that Barry Goldwater was too dangerous and unpredictable to be in charge of the country.

My ad of focus is called “Peace Flower Girl (Daisy)” and shows a little girl counting the petals on a flower. Then, that counting up petals turns into a loud countdown leading into an atomic bomb explosion. The most interesting part of this ad, to me, is the juxtaposition of peace and violence, creating an idea of what the ideals of America are, and what the actuality of America could be under Barry Goldwater.

An ad I would like to compare is called “Ice Cream.” In this ad, the only visual is a little girl eating an ice cream cone for the entirety of the minute-long ad. However, an adult voice is speaking to the girl and telling her about poisonous chemicals from the atomic bomb and how they used to have an effect on children. Luckily, “the people got together and signed a treaty,” and the chemicals went away. The voice then goes on to tell the little girl that Barry Goldwater wants to bring back atomic bomb warfare and the “radioactive poison.”

A third ad I am interested in is titled “Poverty.” While this one doesn’t necessarily go along with the bomb theme, it follows the theme of the effect of the presidential election on children. While the ad discusses the vileness of poverty and Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war” against it, many photographs of impoverished, destitute children are shown. The ad piles on more and more sad photographs, reminding you that Johnson, not Goldwater, is going to work to fix it.

I may or may not add on others to this assignment in the future, but for now, I think these three can work well together to reinforce the idea of personhood from the stance of children. Johnson definitely used the wellbeing of children as leverage for his political campaign, and I think it would be interesting to look further into that.

 

word document:

closelyrelatedseriesanalysis

Campaign Ad Analysis

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In Nixon’s 1972 campaign ad the purpose is to try and have the people see Nixon as a normal, relatable man, rather than just a president. This was the year for Nixon’s re-election, meaning the people were comfortable with him as president, but maybe wanted a closer look into who they were voting for.

The Vietnam war was still going during this time. The people of the United States were very afraid of the possibilities. Re-electing Nixon was more comfortable and safer for the people at that time. Nixon’s campaign ad is very different from the standard patriotic campaign ads that we are use to seeing.

The campaign is trying to relate us to Nixon in a way that he can be perceived as more than just a public figure. In fact in the very beginning, the narrator states: “Most of us see him only as a public figure, in this film we can glimpse a private man at work and in his relaxed moments. The man so few people know.” The campaign is trying to reach to those who think that he was only president and could not be a kind hearted man with real moments. The video is filled with real life, personal moments.

After the introduction of him being alone and at work, there is a more fun side of him exposed. During an event at the white house, president Nixon stood up in front of all the guests to let them know that there was also a birthday celebration. Nixon personally wished Duke Ellington a happy birthday by playing the piano in the wrong key, showing he isn’t perfect, and sang along with all the guests. This is an important clip, because it shows that he cares about his friends and guests. He also acknowledge things like birthdays and that he may not be the best piano player.

Although the video is showing a man that you can relate to, it doesn’t lose its main point, he is our president for a reason. The video, in between clips of touching moments, take the viewer behind the scenes of the white house where you can see Nixon being a firm, strong leader. For example, right after the wedding scene there is a scene where Nixon is shutting out something he doesn’t believe in with a strong firm voice saying “absolutely not.” The clip of him being a strong leader, is then followed by another personal clip.

The clip of president Nixon at his daughters wedding is the most powerful, in my opinion, because it shows that even with all the important things and responsibilities as president, he doesn’t forget the important moments. However, the choice of showing him walking her down the aisle, instead of sitting in the audience, still reminds the view that he is a strong leader. Similar feeling with the reception scene, where he is hugging and shaking hands with the guests, it shows that he cares, but still takes care of everyone.

The pattern then continues, after the wedding scene there’s a quick, further shot, of him on the phone discussing private presidential business. Now this can be perceived two ways: he was at his daughters wedding and still made time for work, or he was at his daughters wedding and knew when it was time to return to work. Either way, it shows that no matter how busy he may be, he is always on top of our country making sure that everything is in its place.

Campaign Ad used: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1972

Campaign Ad Analysis Post

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The 2016 election campaigns for both presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have had a wide range of coverage in the media. The NextGen California Action Committee has sponsored many ad’s specifically focusing on the candidate Donald Trump and his approach on issues like immigration, abortions, and climate change. Three of these ads were notable in their use of sensory and visual devices. The ads were all individually played in a 30 second time span. One, an immigration ad, consists of his comments about Mexicans and his plan to deport all immigrants, and the implement restrictive future immigration policies. The second, looks into Trump’s derogatory comments on women and his plans/beliefs on abortion. The third ad focuses on the issue of climate change and how Donald Trump believes it is a hoax by the Chinese. All of which use sensory and visual devices to better convey their message.

The first ad on immigration, starts off with a diverse group of people (men and women, young and old and racially diverse) gathered together in front of three large screens in a white room. On these screens you see short clips of Donald Trump making harsh comments about immigrants and Mexicans. The second ad consists of presenting different women one at a time to the viewer in order to demonstrate how Trump’s comments (through a voice over) are far from what women are or want from abortion policies. (An example of his comments throughout the video: “That fat ugly face of hers…”) The third video, which differs much from the rest, presents the issue of climate change and global warming, by displaying images of forest fires, and other effects of climate change they portray the serious impact it is having on the environment. Donald J. Trump’s thoughts on climate change seriously contradict the images being shown. (Example: “Climate change is a hoax…”, “It’ll get cooler, it’ll get warmer. It’s the weather…”) All three commercials have notable differences: sound and music, and similarities: Tom Steyer.

The first commercial on immigration uses a slow paced song and epilogue as a closing statement (the second video uses the same song & epilogue as well). Throughout the immigration 30 second video the music is being played underneath Trump’s harsh voice. The song consists mostly of a slow piano melody with a slight percussion towards the end. In the third commercial however, the sponsors use an upbeat song with drastic drops in base and a more demanding epilogue. The surround sound quality and rise in tempo are also used to emphasize how Trump’s comments are escalating over the time span. As opposed to the upbeat dramatic song used in the third ad, the slow pace piano used in the first two ads created a more emotional and melancholic state of mind on the viewers. The tempo is pessimistic and slow and only rises towards the end of the commercial when the solution, to vote, is addressed.

A great similarity between all three commercials is the use of Tom Steyer. Tom Steyer is a hedge fund manager in America, environmentalist, and philanthropist. Steyer founded and was co-senior managing partner at Farallon Capital, and founder of Beneficial State Bank (community development bank).  Tom Steyers, a billionaire, endorsed Hillary Clinton in this 2016 election and in 2014 he spent $50 million on backing up democrats. The significance of using Tom Steyer is great because he has funded many clean energy programs and appeals to other environmentalist/earth-friendly citizens. Tom Steyer formally endorsed Hillary Clinton, making people who liked him, consider Hillary Clinton more over Donald Trump.

The strategies used by the NextGen California Action Committee (use of sound and Tom Steyer) was indeed a successful one, because it gave the viewers a heightened sense of the many contradictions that Donald Trump has said throughout his election campaign and who to vote for. The music and use of Tom Steyer in the commercials, all help the main idea to show the degree to which Donald Trump’s statements are true and the person who you should be voting for Hillary Clinton.

 

Possible Thesis: Option #2

The strategies used throughout the Immigration Ad, highlight and detail many of the contradictions in Donald Trump’s campaign. By using a slower placed song and Tom Steyer, they reinforce that Donald Trump’s approach on immigration is wrong, and goes against the ideals that America is free, a nation of immigrants and values of birthright citizenship.

 

Campaign Ads used:

Primary: Immigration:

http://politicaladarchive.org/ad/PolAd_DonaldTrump_6mxh6/

Other: Women and Abortions:

http://politicaladarchive.org/ad/PolAd_DonaldTrump_3h7o6/

Other: Climate change, energy, environment:

http://politicaladarchive.org/ad/PolAd_DonaldTrump_rrv8v

Extra Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tom-steyer-hillary-clinton-endorsement_us_575857a3e4b0ced23ca6abda

Campaign Ad Analysis

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trump-mcgovern-campaign-ad-analysis

Charles (CJ) Cunningham

Option #2: Comparative

Both Donald Trump and George McGovern tried to take advantage of a time in America where citizens’ trust in politicians was fading. In my primary ad, Trump uses what seems almost as a movie trailer taking you through the timeline of Hillary’s claimed corruption. During this time in American politics, a majority of the country no longer have faith in the ‘establishment’ politicians to look out for their best interests anymore, which has even incited anger. Trump uses his opponent as the perfect subject to channel this mistrust and anger of Americans. In the ad, a narrator speaks about the numerous ‘scandals’ of the Clintons while headlines like “Hillary cut deals for donors” pop up to spark an interest in what is on the screen as well as what is being sad. New phrases continually pop up in different areas of the screen in different size and format in order to maintain this interest on the screen. These visual words popping up on the screen appear almost as news headlines. During the entire ad, Hillary Clinton is clear and apparent behind these words on the screen. In doing this, viewers see these scandals and can immediately mentally connect them with Hillary. In comparison, McGovern makes claims of Nixon’s camp and their corruption but never explicitly says Nixon’s name or puts his face on the screen.

The narrator in Trump’s ad that is listing off these alleged corruptions scandals is a woman. By choosing a woman with a gentle voice instead of a man, viewers are given the appearance that this isn’t just Trump and his male buddies bashing Hillary Clinton (a female). Instead, it attempts to give the impression that this isn’t just another male putting a woman down, but that even women don’t trust Hillary and her past.

Just as corruption and scandals seem to have followed Hillary around everywhere during her recent time in office, corruption had begun to appear and surround Richard Nixon and his political team. McGovern just as Trump uses large visual words on the screen as a way for viewers to take in what they’re hearing. However, rather than have words pop up on the screen to serve as headlines, McGovern uses images of specific newspaper headlines. Using specific newspaper headlines highlights the fact that these aren’t simply claims, but that they are real corruption news stories. While Trump uses a female voice to narrate, McGovern uses a male voice. However, both use a narrator of the same gender as the person they are attacking for corruption. McGovern’s narrator uses a very monotone and calm voice just as Trump’s ad in order to stress that these corruption issues should be perceived as very serious problems. While both ads have narrators going over the scandals surrounding the opponent, Trump’s ad uses changing visuals on the screen with words appearing in different sizes and formats while also putting different images of Hillary in the background. In contrast, McGovern’s speech simply moves from newspaper headline to newspaper headline with very little to any more visual excitement. The actual diction used by each narrator easily could incite fear or mistrust. Trump’s ad uses diction like ‘criminals’, ‘dictators’, ‘lies and scandal’, which all have negative connotations. McGovern’s ad uses diction like ‘thievery’, ‘hidden funds’, ‘lying’, ‘falsification’, and ‘dishonesty’ which also have extremely negative connotations.

Primary Ad: Trump: ‘Corruption’

https://newrepublic.com/political-ad-database/donald-trump-corruption/MTEvMi8xNjpDb3JydXB0aW9u

Secondary: McGovern: ‘Newspapers’

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1972/newspapers