Fashion Films Analysis
Nowadays, the fashion industry requires a lot of attention in order to create demand for its products. Due to the fact that fashion exists to make a human appearance more beautiful and attractive, the most common ways to promote the products or services is to let people see it. Therefore, almost all brands of clothes, accessories and cosmetics organize their advertisement as visual material such as photos, fashion shows or even short films. In these terms, the advertisement of this merchandise ought to be specifically designed by different signifiers in order to capture the attention and encourage to purchase the product.
Prada Candy
Prada Candy is a series of three short films directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Copolla, which got their name from Prada’s new perfumes (Prada, 2015). All three parts tell about relationships between a girl, Candy, and two of her admirers, which are at the same time best friends, Gene and Julius. The first film describes the way they get acquainted and the other two show two different episodes of their twisted, still, happy life.
The most powerful signifiers of the story of Prada Candy are the characters. Candy, who probably symbolizes the new perfume, is an enchanting young lady, whose look can capture and make the two of these men fall in love immediately. At the same time, her behavior is both flirting, playful and enigmatic. In fact, it is easily understood that Candy is not a usual girl, she is a mystery (Prada, 2015).
Image 1: Prada: Candy, 2015
Candy’s admirers, two best friends Gene and Julius are two handsome young men, who are both lucky with meeting the love of their life. Enchanted by Candy, they are trying to get more of her attention and appreciation. Being good fellows, they do not confront violently. Instead, their competition looks rather friendly and funny. The considerable feature of this signifier is that both of the men look similar, which makes one think that they are either brothers or relatives. In these terms, looking at how two almost similar men compete for one woman makes the film an easy-going one. The conflict does not create tension nor grabs the attention very much, which makes Candy as a character and Prada Candy as perfumes remain the center of the composition (Prada, 2015).
The environment of the scenes is the friendly warm atmosphere of bohemian France. Here is a small café with desserts served, a flat, designed in a fancy way, a barbershop with classic ladies and, of course, the evening city. The combination of such ordinary places looking so unusual creates a feeling that the film is made for a limited audience with special elite rights to observe Candy and her admirers. Moreover, the flow of event is fluent but not very quick. The actions and characters’ behavior is adequate and understandable while the speed of the action does not seem overextended (Prada, 2015).
Image 2: Prada Candy, 2015
According to Williamson (1978, 24), “color is simply a technique, used primarily in pictorial advertising, to make correlations between a product and other things”. The coloring of the whole film is soft and pastel. Still, the dominance of pink and beige seems to be obvious (Prada, 2015). These two colors are to follow Candy and represent the perfumes. The lady is always dressed in light closes, which makes her stand out on the background of evening café, half-lighted flat, and, actually, her attendants. While Gene and Julius are in dark clothes, they still look like gentlemen. At the same time, Candy’s light bright look highlights her femininity and elegance.
Prada: The Postman’s Dreams
‘The Postman’s Dreams’ is also a series of five short films (director Autumn de Wilde) advertising Prada’s Famous Galleria Bag. The first film is probably an introductive one. In this video, the postman, a little bit lanky and a clumsy guy in postman’s uniform. The life of his seems to be full of envelopes and parcels, however, it obviously lacks something meaningful to the postman. Therefore, in his dream, he sees his own Galleria Bag. Anyway, the dream stops and the postman has to work. The next four films tell how the life of this postman is surrounded by Prada and their famous product (Prada, 2015).
The first as the most considerable signifier is the Postman. He is tall and lanky, which gives a necessary support to his confused look and careless attention. Still, the postman has an attractive appearance, as well as the other characters of the story. The postman is an element, which does not necessary appear to be the most important character of each story. The appearance of the postman requires him to follow the rules, therefore, even though the character is young, his look claims that he was already bored of his life as a postman (Prada, 2015).
Image 3: Prada: The Postman Dreams, 2015
Besides, Galleria bag itself is a strong signifier too. This product enters the world of the postman and his dream’s to become an integral part of all the mentioned stories (Williamson, 1978, 50). In the first part, however, it is highlighted that the bag is the center of the film as it appears to be the postman’s obsession. Later, the bag is a feature of love between a couple in the second part, an object of child’s game, a marvelous fruit on the tree, and the accessory of an old peculiar woman. The advertised product enters the real world and becoming a part of it, the bag transforms this world into an unordinary universe, where Galleria is the center of all the vicissitudes.
“The Blasting Company” as a music band, which appears in every episode (Prada, 2015). Alongside with the postman, they are as frequent as the main characters can be. The only one thing that differs the postman from the group is that musicians do not even move. Their image is static. In these terms, their unmoved behavior is connected with the sound. In fact, musical support is one more signifier, which can improve the way people perceive the video. The melody is light and rhythmic. Its playful tone corresponds with the general events of the video and perfectly complements postman’s adventures in his dreams.
The characters of other parts, even though they are visible once or twice through the whole film, are the signifiers too. For instance, a couple of lovers in the second part hurry on the stairs to get to their room. A man and a woman behave impatiently but their playful encounter does not look like something indecent. In the third film, a little boy appears playing with Galleria bag. A majority of his toys highlight the fact that among all the opportunities he has chosen the Galleria bag (Prada, 2015). A girl on a motorcycle is a model-looking stylish lady. The girl uses a stone to make one of the bags fall, just as people deal with apples (Prada, 2015). In this film, the girl, as well as the apple tree with Galleria bags, are the considerable features which connect Galleria bag, an advertised product, to the real world (Williamson, 1978, 22). An old lady from the fourth film is a bright and unusual personality. Her Galleria bag appears at the beginning of this part and remains the central object almost all the time. In this film, there also appear the postman, which accompanies the old lady (Prada, 2015).
The whole variety of the characters of the film ‘Postman’s dreams’ is an important criterion which describes the advertised product by putting it alongside with the postman in a strange and interesting world of dreams. These characters, which represent different groups of society, show that the world is not similar and Galleria bag is a creation which will make everyone satisfied.
The ‘Prada: Postman’s dreams’ has its own specific range of colors. These are light-blue, dark-blue and red. These colors shape the postman and his environment as well as define his position in each of the films. Apace with postman’s distinguishing palette, Galleria bag has its own color in each of the films. This color shapes the position of the bag in this world. For example, in the third part the bag has a terracotta-brown color which perfectly fits its environment, which is a wall of wooden panels. In the fourth film, for instance, the color of the Galleria bag is red, which draws parallels between the object of the advertisement and the world around it (Prada, 2015).
The comparison of two films
Prada Candy and Prada: The postman’s dreams are two films, describing two different products. However, it is possible to compare them and identify, which one is the most successful in advertising.
Prada Candy is a perfume and its advertisement ought to show the smell, which is impossible to transfer, in order to encourage the audience to like it. In these terms, by drawing parallels between the perfumes and the main character is a powerful method to show how the product can impact the real world. The same technique is used in Dior: Poison girl. This advertisement also associates the perfumes with a girl, and her behavior and fame are associated with the success of the perfumes (Christian Dior, 2016).
Image 4: Dior Poison Girl, 2016
However, Prada Candy seems to be more successful as an advertisement, as it represents the product in the line of films. Such a deep and detailed design of the Candy’s universe provides the audience with characters, which soon become beloved. In fact, the more the story is developed, the more it attracts people’s attention.
When talking about Prada: Postman’s dreams it is necessary to admit that the universe, created by the film also captures attention. In Prada Candy, the appearance of the same characters makes the audience interested in the future destiny of the characters. In opposition to that, ‘Prada: The Postman’s dreams’ makes interested by the totally different events, happening in all the parts. However, there is still different identifiers which point out that these films are the parts of one universe.
When comparing the representation of the advertised products, the second film, Prada: The Postman’s dreams, is more successful as it places Galleria bag into the center of all the events, happening in the film. Even though Prada Candy is effectively shown through the figure of Candy, Galleria bag seems to appear in the shots all the time. The appearance of the product as it is makes the audience definitely remember the product’s look and associate it with some particular events. Moreover, Galleria bag has its own world, which it definitely created. In these terms, Galleria bag seems to be better advertised than the perfumes Prada Candy.
Conclusion
Prada Candy and Prada: The Postman’s dreams are two films, which have to advertise their products of the fashion industry. In popularizing such accessories, the visible image is vitally important. Therefore, both of the films are perfectly shot and have almost all the required features. The similarity of these films is that they show the product having its own happy life. In this context, both the perfumes Prada Candy and the bag Galleria are observed as a piece of accessory, which definitely brings success. However, there are differences in the way both of the films show their products. In Prada Candy, the central object of the shot is Candy, her relationships with Gene and Julius, and their competition to capture her attention. Such a line of demonstrated events represents the only part of the world, which is centered around Candy. Contrariwise, Prada: The Postman’s dreams creates a whole universe and demonstrates the product as its center. In opposition to Candy, the Galleria bag appears as it is. Therefore, the advertising quality of Prada: The Postman’s dreams seems to be higher than the one of Prada Candy.
References
Williamson, J. (1978). Decoding advertisements. London: Boyars.
Prada, (2015). Prada Candy: Episode 1 by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola. [image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvxcA0sP1R0&list=PLOyTme9UphHp0vBz2b_xk9aqyU9UIVlYo [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). Prada Candy Episode 2. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTBh0Fx4Fqg&index=2&list=PLOyTme9UphHp0vBz2b_xk9aqyU9UIVlYo [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). Prada Candy Episode 3. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyNrUOiZJDA&index=3&list=PLOyTme9UphHp0vBz2b_xk9aqyU9UIVlYo [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). PRADA CANDY L'EAU - BEHIND THE SCENES. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKyte4wkin0&list=PLOyTme9UphHp0vBz2b_xk9aqyU9UIVlYo&index=4 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). THE POSTMAN, Prada 'The Postman Dreams'. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh-3Fk-lSyA&list=PLppHiVjbPHaw_7mQoZBOBorylvm-HIZDp [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). THE MAKEOUT, Prada 'The Postman Dreams'. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onMOyHJjttY&list=PLppHiVjbPHaw_7mQoZBOBorylvm-HIZDp&index=2 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). THE BATTLEFIELD, Prada 'The Postman Dreams'. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As58ud6ueJw&index=3&list=PLppHiVjbPHaw_7mQoZBOBorylvm-HIZDp [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). THE TREE, Prada 'The Postman Dreams'. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U59C2FFhJio&index=4&list=PLppHiVjbPHaw_7mQoZBOBorylvm-HIZDp [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Prada, (2015). THE LAUNDROMAT, Prada 'The Postman Dreams'. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aybZwtWHpg&list=PLppHiVjbPHaw_7mQoZBOBorylvm-HIZDp&index=5 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Christian Dior, (2016). Dior Poison Girl - The new fragrance (Official). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re4icu2NXO8 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
Images References
Kinopoisk, (2015). Prada: Candy, online image, viewed 17 April 2016, http://www.kinopoisk.ru/picture/2172043/
Anon, (2015). Prada Candy, online image, viewed 17 April 2016, http://images.vogue.it/imgs/galleries/bellezza/notizie-bellezza/018327/schermata-2013-03-18-a-12.56.45-vd-2142708_0x440.jpg
Prada, (2015). The Postman Dreams. online image, viewed 17 April 2016, http://thepostmandreams.prada.com/en/postman
House of the Lure, (2016). Dior Poison Girl. online image, viewed 17 April 2016, http://houseoflure.blogspot.fi [Accessed 17 Apr. 2016].
