AQA A-Level Media Studies - Score (1967)

Context of representations

Vietnam war - allusions in the mise-en-scene, costumes, gun, the litter showing the while man as powerful etc.

Legalising homosexaulity (1962) and changing view around masculinity (e.g. longer hair) - could be seen as trying to ‘reclaim’ masculinity in a conservative way

2nd wave feminism - again trying to reinforce traditional gender values within the advert

Sean Connery - ‘the’ ideal of masculinity at the time. The model here looks similar to Connery (suave smile, womaniser and similar hair)

Gillian Dyer - Lines of Appeal

Compound advert - representations of people setting the beauty standard at the time

Uses Sean Connery’s style (e.g. the smile and hair) to engage audiences and make them think that Score’s hair cream can bring them to the same level as Connery

‘100 Million Years BC’ - film

Clear inspiration taken from the films outfits and binary representation of gender

Van Zoonen

Suggests femininity is represented as ‘passive’ in media - Score echoes this with the women being objectified to hold up the man by the litter

Barthes’ Myths

The watch the man wears is the signifier and the time shown on the watch is the signified

This makes a sign saying that he keeps track of time

Signification of this is that he is a busy man with an organised schedule - masculinity

Judith Butler - Gender Performativity

Man: short sleves (muscle reveal), gun propped against him casually (american culture, hunting and phallic imagery of his “big gun”) and the watch shows reliability

He is carried on a litter - showing his high status as a trad male

Women: objectified with minimal clothing, worshipping the man, seductive, power fantasy

GIlroy - Post-Colonialism

Mise-en-scene echoing Vietnam and America causing havoc

Presents it in a way as the ‘white man’ being the most powerful with the litter