Melissa Lebor
Com 232
2/14/10
Image analyzes
For my image analyses I have chosen a still picture from the movie dirty dancing. This picture features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray. The first time this movie was ever aired was in 1987. Dirty dancing was the first production for Vestron pictures and due to this was a low budget film of only 5 million dollars. Dirty dancing became a massive box office hit making over 214 million dollars worldwide. This movie is worth studying because it is timeless and will always be relevant. After so many years people can still relate to the classic love story that takes place.
To analyze this picture, I will use Lacey’s concepts from his book, Image & Representation: Key Concepts in Media Studies. I will describe this picture using three techniques; these are composition, context and code. When looking at this picture people are instantly drawn in. When examining the composition a number of things need to be considered. We need to ask does this picture draw people in. The answer to this is yes. This picture has been taken close up only showing the top halves of the characters bodies. This instantly makes the viewer look and pay attention. This picture is bold and colorful taken in a dark setting; making the people in the picture stand out. The camera is showing the viewer exactly what it wants you to see. This is the portrayal of love. Considering the scale of the objects in this picture, we can see that the characters are dominant and take up most of the image. In this picture non-verbal communication is extremely important. This picture shows two people emotionally connected and in love. If a person were to view this picture without seeing the movie they would know the connection these two people share. It is obvious through there body language.
The context of this picture shows two people living life to the fullest. If someone didn’t know what this movie was about, they might assume that this was a married couple in bed. These two people are intertwined and obviously in love. We can tell this by the look in Patrick Swayze’s eyes. The rule of thirds definitely applies to this picture; the first place that the viewer’s eyes go to is the characters faces. This gets the viewers attention and holds it. Looking at this picture, nobody would know when it was taken. This picture is timeless with the message never being changed.
It seems to me that the texture of the film is very important in this photo. It looks like a screen capture which would make sense as it seems to suggest movement and action. It has the "candid" feel of an erotic moment, showing both joy and concentration. I'm not necessarily talking about sex here (although the suggestion is certainly there), but about the atmosphere of sensual spontaneity that this picture portrays.
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