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Feryal Günal, Zafer Tural
The film opens with the classical catchword “Doritos Academy” and the picture of the
product. The setting is the film set. Huysuz Virjin, walking between the rails and between
them, is talking to them. Many employees around are working hard.
The conversation is about
the model, who will be summoned for the launch of the new product. The Doritos Academy
invited Huysuz Virjin for the presentation of the inauguration ceremony which will be
inaugurated for the launch and the presentation of the product.
II.Part
In the stage being set for the inauguration ceremony there are the director of the school,
Huysuz Virjin and a chorus of girls in front of the public. With the announcement of Huysuz
Virjin “We will satisfy you on behalf of Fritos Shots, the most fashionable chips of the year”
world-wide known model Megan Fox comes to the scene, Huysuz Virjin does not like her
dress and Fox transforms by eating the chips on request. Now there is a red dress on Fox
instead of jeans and t-shirt. With the accompaniment of the chorus, lights and the screams of
the audience Fox walks, introduces the product in a sexy manner according to the order of
Huysuz Virjin, after the audience wishes for repetition Huysuz Virjin gets angry, the film
finishes with the slogan “the most fashionable chips of the year”, while Fox and Huysuz
Virjin dance with classical canto moves.
The Analysıs Of The Codes Of The Commercıal Fılm
Considering other chips commercials, this commercial film presenting the product, does not
give any idea to the audience about the qualities of the product. The most explicit message in
the film is that an ordinary woman consuming this product may transform into a hot, sexy and
beautiful woman. We may group the signs used in the film as following:
1-Verbal expressions: Words
“Fashionable”, “crispy”, “hot”, “open” “shot”, “pompousness”,
“academy” “fritos shots”, “beep” call as the signal used for censor, idioms “be satisfied”,
“the most fashionable of the year”, “god damn your “beep”” “to be self-confident” are the
most distinctive verbal expressions used in the film.
2-a-Objects and atmosphere: Film set and the stage setting, inauguration/show activity,
colorful and lively lights, confetti, microphone, pearl necklace, satin accessories, red dress,
two-piece dress/trousers, jeans/t-shirt, school uniform,
eye glasses, academic gown, briefcase.
b-Human types: Queer character, teacher, director(headmaster), model, student, employee,
wise and mature woman, hot
and sexy woman, shabby and ordinary woman, audience.
3-Sound effect and musical expressions: The song called
“
Ben Kalender Meşrebim”, the
jazz version and the electronically version of the song, electronically effects, polyphonic
chorus effects, jazz motive, the screaming and applauses of the audience and the sound effect
of the chips in mouth.
1-The Analysis of Verbal Expressions
The analysis of the words in the film is both examined on the basis of a diachronic
examination and analyzed on the basis of the structural linguistics theory of Saussure (1857-
1913). According to the theory Saussure “proposes to analyze the language synchronically, as
a self-sufficient and independent system by handling it on a definite point of time.” For
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The Semiotics Analysis Of Film The Commercial “Doritos”
example, if we examine the Turkish of the 16th century and the Turkish of the 20th century
separately and synchronically we find two different systems. (Moran 1994, s.189). If we
follow the development between these two systems we will make a diachronic examination.
On the contrary, according to the structural linguistics what really matters in a language
system are their functions within the system and the connections among each other rather than
their being dependent on the past. The second important difference of the structural linguistics
is the difference between the signifier and the signified. According to this difference words
are signs because they signify something and there are two aspects of a sign, first vocal image
and what this image signifies is the signified.
signifier signified
Crispy = young woman
Hot = sexy,
willing woman
Open = opening the legs for sexual intercourse
Beep = slang or
swearing to be censored
Academy = prestige, Harry Potter academy.
As it should be understood from the abovementioned examples, actually almost all of
the words imply a sexuality reaching almost to the degree of pornography. Though all these
words do not imply these meanings by themselves, they are encoded in different meanings
with the connections and differences with other signifiers and within the recent language
system and the atmosphere created in the commercial. The commercial plays an active role in
elevating the signifier and signified to the domain of sexuality thanks to the image of Huysuz
Virjin, which is combined with relax attitude and talks with sexual content.
The verbal ideefix of the commercial is the expression repeated on every occasion “the
fashion of this year”. Fashion “is a temporal, seasonal fact embraced by consumers along a
specific period of time. Being in harmony with theoretical products of life times it changes.
This change develops with the stages, which
will become obsolete; the inevitable fall awaiting
every fashion, and mass harmony, being embraced by the pivots of fashion and being
introduced by them.” (Naskali & Altun 2010). The expression of dressing of people who are
admired, the imitation of their life styles and the spreading of this image of imitation to the
degree of mass of fans is the situation called “primitive idealization” for human psychology.
Today this situation concerning imitation presents itself mostly within the concept “fashion”
socially (Günal, 1999).
After industry, fashion is industrialized with mass culture and urbanization. And
media are tools used for spreading fashion. Understanding the aesthetical codes of consumer
products and the change in their social meaning requires understanding the change in fashion
and while media are improving they create its own consumer mass being conscious of the
aesthetical value and the social meaning of the product. In Turkey the contest for being chic in
Western dresses
in Republic and K z lay balls, the attempts of small scale officers to represent
the “Chicness of Republic” by adding some part of their wage to the sustenance for
Sümerbank dressing may be indicated as the most simple examples concerning its role within
the process of modernization of fashion. The concept fashion beginning with the
representation of the officers in Western dresses in 1925 spreaded in 1940’s with the dressing