Englisch – Describing and analysing an advertisement
1. Introduction: presenting the document:
- What is the product advertised? Who is the promoter?
→ “This document is a full-page advertisement. It is an English/American advert by a bank/an
insurance company/a political party/...”
- When did this ad appear?
→ “It is an advert which appeared recently/in the sixties/in the eighties/...”
- Where did it appear?
→ “It (probably) appeared in a magazine/a newspaper/on a billboard/...”
- Who is the target?
→ “The ad mainly addresses teenagers/men/women/an elite/a special social group/...”
→ “The ad is aimed at mothers/parents/...”
→ “The ad is meant to reach …”
- What is it for?
→ “This advert is aimed at making people buy/informing/convincing/promoting/...”
2. Main part: describing and analysing the advertisement:
• 2.1 Describing the general layout:
illustration: - The nature of the illustration:
→ “It is presented in the form of a cartoon/a drawing/a photograph/...”
- The structure (characters, objects, setting, time):
→ “In the foreground/background/in the middle/on the left/on the right we can
see/guess/...”
- Camera angles:
- Close-up/long distance shot
- A downward view1)/upward view2)
- The subject is seen from above/from below
- The horizon is close/far away3)
• 1) if the subject is seen from a high-angle shot (downward), that makes it appear smaller,
unimportant, or even ridiculous
• 2) if the subject is seen from a low-angle shot (upward), that makes it appear taller and bigger, this
also can make it look impressive
• 3) A low horizon conveys a feeling of freedom; a high horizon makes the viewer feel
claustrophobic
- Major lines:
→ “There are many vertical/horizontal/diagonal lines4)”
→ “There is a sense of perspective given by …”
→ “There is a feeling of movement suggested by …”
• 4) an X composition generates a feeling of order and stability
• +) if the vertical lines are apparent, there is a movement towards the sky and a sense of spirituality
• +) if the horizontal lines are predominant there is a connotation of materialism
• +) a harmonious combination of vertical and horizontal lines results in an impression of
peacefulness and calm
• +) a picture containing no lines, no bearings may create an impression of anxiety or even anguish
- Space distribution:
- The way surface is distributed in the picture gives more or less importance to
a certain element
1. Introduction: presenting the document:
- What is the product advertised? Who is the promoter?
→ “This document is a full-page advertisement. It is an English/American advert by a bank/an
insurance company/a political party/...”
- When did this ad appear?
→ “It is an advert which appeared recently/in the sixties/in the eighties/...”
- Where did it appear?
→ “It (probably) appeared in a magazine/a newspaper/on a billboard/...”
- Who is the target?
→ “The ad mainly addresses teenagers/men/women/an elite/a special social group/...”
→ “The ad is aimed at mothers/parents/...”
→ “The ad is meant to reach …”
- What is it for?
→ “This advert is aimed at making people buy/informing/convincing/promoting/...”
2. Main part: describing and analysing the advertisement:
• 2.1 Describing the general layout:
illustration: - The nature of the illustration:
→ “It is presented in the form of a cartoon/a drawing/a photograph/...”
- The structure (characters, objects, setting, time):
→ “In the foreground/background/in the middle/on the left/on the right we can
see/guess/...”
- Camera angles:
- Close-up/long distance shot
- A downward view1)/upward view2)
- The subject is seen from above/from below
- The horizon is close/far away3)
• 1) if the subject is seen from a high-angle shot (downward), that makes it appear smaller,
unimportant, or even ridiculous
• 2) if the subject is seen from a low-angle shot (upward), that makes it appear taller and bigger, this
also can make it look impressive
• 3) A low horizon conveys a feeling of freedom; a high horizon makes the viewer feel
claustrophobic
- Major lines:
→ “There are many vertical/horizontal/diagonal lines4)”
→ “There is a sense of perspective given by …”
→ “There is a feeling of movement suggested by …”
• 4) an X composition generates a feeling of order and stability
• +) if the vertical lines are apparent, there is a movement towards the sky and a sense of spirituality
• +) if the horizontal lines are predominant there is a connotation of materialism
• +) a harmonious combination of vertical and horizontal lines results in an impression of
peacefulness and calm
• +) a picture containing no lines, no bearings may create an impression of anxiety or even anguish
- Space distribution:
- The way surface is distributed in the picture gives more or less importance to
a certain element
