Tom Walker wrote:
> Science World here in Vancouver runs a continuous loop of
> the 1987 Fischli and Weiss film "The Way Things Go". The
> borrowings of the Honda ad from the film are obvious to
> anyone who has viewed both.
I didn't know that. But not surprising. It's an ad -- and people in
advertising "borrow" everything. Everything is a twist on some
recognizable existent piece of communication.
As to the nature of advertising, itself:
That's their job. I've known many of them over the years. Sit around,
getting bombed by lunch, looking at the world around them, and coming up
with twists on themes that already have a lot of "brand/recognition
value" out there. That allows them to, more or less, rip off the
recognition value of something else. It makes "30 second spots" or
whatever more powerful.
It's the same thing Chomsky talks about in his "news media model."
People with divergent opinions on politics are not necessarily "cut"
from the talking head circuit because there is a conspiracy of right
wing ideologues trying to silence them -- sure, there are those out
there, but it's not in every situation.
Rather, those spouting "conventional wisdoms" are able to be more easily
understood in the small space of time they will get on camera.
On the other hand, try to go on and say something positive about Cuba,
you will have to "set the table" to make your comments coherent to the
audience -- and that process of "setting the table" eats into your air
time. In the crunch of the editing room, believe me, you often get cut
if there is no operative sound bite.
It's structural.
Ken.
--
If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same
mistakes, only sooner.
-- Tallulah Bankhead
