General

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION, ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about CA1

I NEED SOME IDEAS!!!?!?!?!??!!?!!!!!

I’m glad you asked. Here is a visual on the various types of narratives possible for selection (once again, remember to consult your tutor for advice)…[pic 1]

There may also be more innovative works by creative people (eg: song+game+movie) not represented here. Anything is possible, but choose something within your means. Choose something you are confident of.

Once again, those marked with (*) must be related to a social issue.

Does “song” mean music video?

If you choose to analyse a song, you may choose either the music video version or the version of the song with lyrics. You will learn in class that sometimes the music video makes the analysis of the song tricky, but it offers a deeper degree of appreciation of the art of the song.

Can I analyse my own creative art work?

While it is good that you have found a creative outlet to express yourself, this CA seeks to get you to think about what others were thinking of when they created a work to express themselves or a point. You should widen your knowledge and critical analysis skills by looking at someone else’s published works.

Can I analyse materials that were used in class already?

No. This includes:

• Nike’s Take It To The Next Level TVC
• Pepsi’s TVC featuring Manchester United v Real Madrid/ Nike v Adidas
• Louis Vuitton print ad featuring Gorbachev
• Ai Weiwei’s art work, Zodiac Heads
• Collin Raye’s song, “Love, Me”
• Learning Journey to Chinatown
• X-Men (2000)
• Steve Jobs’s Stanford 2005 Commencement speech
• teamLab’s Sword and Shadow dance performance
• Mass Effect 2 video game
• Pepsi’s “monk” TVC
• The Fountain by R Mutt, art work by Marcel Duchamp
• Judith Beheading Holofernes, art work  by Caravaggio
• 3 Coke Bottles, art work by Andy Warhol
• Starhub’s series of Football Channel print ads in Straits Times (2010)
• Hugo Boss’s Anywhere in your element print ad/ TVC
• Patek Philippe’s Begin your own tradition print ad
• MCYS/Yasmin Ahmad’s “Funeral” TVC
• Singapore MOE’s “Mrs Chong” TVC
• “Two Beds & A Coffee Machine”, song by Savage Garden
• Andy Samberg’s song/MV, “Threw It On The Ground”
• Chris Medina’s song/MV, “What Are Words”
• Papa Roach’s song/MV, “Lifeline”
• Michael Jackson’s song/MV, “Earth Song”
• Gary Jules’s song/MV, “Mad World”
• OneRepublic’s song/MV, “I Lived”
• CONAC’s anti-smoking print ad
• Coca Cola’s Small World Machines TVC: “Bringing India & Pakistan Together”
• Google Search’s Reunion commercial: India & Pakistan
• Rachel Platten’s song “Fight Song”

I came across a TVC that is very interesting, but it seems rather vulgar. Shall I use it?

While it is good that you have picked up the fundamental skills to critique a work, do remember that there are others in the class who are not as ‘liberal’ as you are; you should not select anything that is offensive. Consult your tutor when in doubt. Do also remember that there must be persuasive or narrative elements in the work for you to analyse so that you will at least meet the requirements of the CA to pass the CA. If it is vulgar, it may not be that persuasive after all and you may not have much to say about the lack of appeal.