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Feryal Günal, Zafer Tural
of French, Italian and even Hollywood artists and in 1950’s “Turkish Fashion” began to be
used in magazines. With the Republican era fashion firstly became a fact being studied by
“Technical School for Girls” (Naskali & Altun 2010).
The expression “the most fashionable of the year” used in the first part is distinctive in
the second part as well. The second part is opened with the motto “We satisfy you for Fritos
Shots, the most fashionable chips of the year.” The word “fashion” and the verb “satisfy”
have the association primarily with the “beauty of a woman”. We may say that the universal
rules of female beauty began to come up with the beauty contests in Ancient Greece.
However, the first beauty contest, in its recent sense, was organized in the town Folkstone in
England in 1908. And the first World’s Beauty Queen Contest was
organized within the scope
of London Festival in 1951 (Naskali & Altun 2010).
Beauty contests and fashion sector that have been evolved with modernity put dressing
aesthetics and right after the female aesthetics and this disposition may be explained with the
“Rationalization Theory” of Max Weber
7
. And the period of Enlightenment and the coming to
the fore of science brought rationalization. The most distinctive feature of rationalization is
the disposition of developing a value system measurable in every sphere. This provides
standardization. The evaluation of the canonical values of art history and the improvement of
the aesthetical value systems constantly for the search of the answer of the question “what is
beautiful” is a result of rationalization. Today as everything is standardized and becomes
suitable for serial production certain standards concerning the beauty of the female and male
beauty are set. The representatives showing these standards to the society are models. Today
“fashion” is a sign in fact determining the aesthetics of women, displaying the female body
rather than the dress via models. The fiction of the commercial film is based exactly on these
signs and by introducing the product through a worldwide known model representing the
standards of female beauty, the idea that the relevant product has similar qualities is the
signified.
2- Atmosphere and the Analysis of the Objects/ The Way the Objects Construct the
Human Typology
All cultural objects use signs because they mean something and all cultural practices depend
on meaning. Thus, they have to be subjected to an analysis using Saussurian concepts of
linguistics, by being processed as language. Semiology, semiotics developed right after
structural linguistics as a model of structuralism, is a mix science composed of semantics,
sociology, linguistics, phonetics, psychoanalysis and many disciplines. Cultural codes,
traditions, everything defined as sign systems arranged according to the meaning processes
belong to the sphere of examination of semiotics. (Berger 2004,)
In the semiological approach sign, sense-making, icon, index, denotation and
connotation imply various ways of sense-making. This approach is a structuralist approach. It
has the object to show the relations between the elements located in the creation of the
meaning. (Stevenson 2002, s.41). With this approach all of the elements in the film should be
taken into consideration. The objects used in the foreground in the commercial film and the
atmosphere created are the third analysis group composing the visual base of sense-making
from the angle of verbal and musical expressions.
7
Rationalization Theory has been studied in Alan C. Turley’s “Max Weber and Sociology of Music” article.
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The Semiotics Analysis Of Film The Commercial “Doritos”
“Some studies display that the musical perception decreases while watching TV under
the strong influence of visual elements, in contrast with listening to absolute audial devices
such as radio, tape etc. The audience in the television programs is focused on the visual with a
ratio of 81% and on music with a ratio of 19%; it has also been clarified that images/view
activate the analytic perception and music the emotional associations.” (Kalyoncu 2009, s.44)
The visual objects in the foreground we may enumerate as
film set and the stage decor,
inauguration/show activity, colorful lively lights, confetti, microphone, pearl necklace, satin
accessories, red dress, two-piece dress/trousers, jeans/t-shirt, school uniform, eye glasses,
academic gown, briefcase are used in order to create human typologies. It would be more
proper that these two groups may be analyzed together for the analysis of the human typology
in the film.
In the first part of the film, the film set and the scene where there are many people
working in the set give the expectation that a big show is coming. The fact that the first part
does not give any information about the product and about the person invited makes the
audience curious, and this scene of hard work and the suspicious approach of a finicky
character like Huysuz Virjin imply that this curiosity is worth for waiting. In the second part
the scene, lights and confettis attempt to give the feeling of a big show by reminding
inauguration ceremonies or award ceremonies in Western culture. Today show business is
also spreading in Turkey and the show concept
replaces ritual and ceremony, which have been
pushed aside by modernity. The significance of the signified depends on the size of the show.
At the first part, glasses are seen on three characters; the two men talking to H. Virjin and
Fox’s first appearance on the scene. The glasses worn by the man (teacher-a) on the right of
H. Virjin are used to make up the typical teacher character because of their appearance.
Because of their old design, the glasses worn by the man (teacher-b) on the left of H. Virjin
are used to compose not the regular teacher character but the academician, at a university,
who comes from long-established family. That Fox comes to the scene is a helping indicator
for the hardworking (ragged as H. Virjin says) student character. At first part, we see
teacher-a with a bag known as civil servant’s briefcase, a gingham jacket, white shirt and his
lisping speech and this makes him one of us. So, the target audience is getting wider including
“middle class”. The aristocrat effect of teacher-b is
composed with traditional vest,
shiny satin
neckerchief and his perfect diction. In order not to have bad influence on the audience, this
aristocrat teacher is characterized with beard and his over self-confidence face expression is
mitigated. The contrast between these two teachers and inner confusion of teacher-b compose
a parody here and with this parody, it crystallizes in the entertaining atmosphere of the movie.
H. Virjin is portrayed in far and separated place with her sarcastic manner and with the help
of rail system of video camera. This location tells she is not one of us.
With her ensemble and pearl necklace, H. Virjin composes a noble character. This entire
teacher, aristocrat, noble people characters and many people working at the back of the stage
constitutes the nobility of the academy which is broadcasted as “Doritos Akademi”, series of
advertisement. Because of the symbol of academy which is at present time composed as a
package of powerful meanings by Harry Potter movies, it is very sensible that Doritos firm
makes an investment on these concepts.
At the second part, while Fox coming to the stage with jeans, t-shirt and sneakers constitutes
the student character, this indicates a “ragged” woman with Virjin’s objection. After Fox’s
transformation, it is obvious that the meaning behind it is sexuality with her red and low-cut