Jacqueline Aguilar

11 April 2016
Zack De Piero
Writing 2
Visual Interest
Without knowing it we live our lives according to genre, we act and respond in various
manners that are appropriate to a particular situation. Genre is grouping or categorizing based on
similar characteristics, but genre boundaries can be fluid. With blurred lines determining

Commented [1]: Big time!

distinction, genre categories can be less than helpful. We are constantly faced with wide range of

Commented [2]: Aguilar, it's totally OK to "push back"

against any of these concepts -- in fact, that's almost
always interesting -- but I'm not quite sure what you
mean here. Less helpful for who/what? How is this
sentence building off/onto the ones before and after?

genres because they all serve different functions, they are meant to bring about a specific
response (Dirk, 254). Since we obtain prior knowledge on all genres it certainly dictates our
actions. We know that if we choose to watch a comedy film it is expected to be humorous, this
demonstrates one of many genre conventions comedies can be classified by. Conventions have a
significant impact on our judgement, if an individual wants to laugh chances are that they choose
the comedy film over the Stephen King horror film. Movie posters are capable of showing
different attributes of genre, by using conventions to attract people. Romantic comedy film
posters, contain humor and love but despite the traditional conventions associated to them they
do not always follow the structured formula. Laughing while watching a love relationship

Commented [3]: I'm starting to feel like this intro is

getting a little fluffy.
Commented [4]: You've ~misused a comma (where I
think you should at least know that a semicolon is
considered more "correct" according to most folks) in
two sentences already.
Semicolons separate two complete sentences. Check
this out: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/semicolons-colons-and-dashes/
(Really. Check it out.)
Commented [5]: Aguilar, I had a decent amount of
trouble reading these sentences -- they kind of stopped
and started and bled into each other. That happens
from time to time, so it's not the biggest deal in the
world, but it's a little bit more important because one of
these tough-to-read sentences is your thesis -- and that
needs to be crystal clear.

emerge is the context but these movie posters utilize visual rhetoric to attract both genders and to
prove that genres are not easily definable.
Visual rhetoric can strongly influence potential audiences, as human beings we use visual
thinking as a major part of our cognition. The film Friends with Benefits got much attention in

OK, so I'm not totally sure what you're arguing here. I

underrstand that you'll be analyzing movie posters from
a "visual rhetoric" standpoint -- which is really neat -but what ABOUT the posters will be you be analyzing?
And where's the tension in the argument? And the "so
what? who cares?" considerations? How can you raise
the stakes here?
Commented [6]: This is another one of those
comma/semicolon issues I pointed out earlier.

2011, starring singer and movie actor Justin Timberlake alongside to beauty Mila Kunis. In this
poster both actors are represented equally, the two individuals propose a large role in to film
which neglects the traditional attention being only on the protagonist. By keeping the image
quite simple, it avoids clutter and overall strives for visual clarity. In romantic comedies there
tends to be some sort of potential connection with the female and male. By Timberlake and
Kunis making a sexual reference with their hands, it implies that they are not serious and
ultimately hints to the comedy and playfulness convention of the genre. The gesture is significant
because it shows that this specific disclosure is not limited by constraints. It narrows the

Commented [7]: I like how you're bringing in

"constraints," but I'm not sure what you mean here.

audience because it is not suitable for children to watch but could be something the male gender
can be entertained by. Carrol notes that the constraints of the rhetorical situation are those
things that have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence.
(Carroll 49) Visual literacy helps to give more of an insight in what the audience can expect, and
give clarification who might the intended audience be.
When one thinks of romantic comedies many instantly think of chick flicks but in the
Friends with Benefits movie poster it tries to appeal to both genders by the arrangements of
elements on the poster. It tests the different forms that genre can embody. Color is the most basic

Commented [8]: modify the exigence (Carroll 49).

Commented [9]: OK, so are you saying that visual
literacy is a TOOL or a LENS of sorts that a
reader/viewer can use? So this is about
reading/seeing on a deeper level?
Does this touch upon any of our other course
concepts/terms?
Commented [10]: Didn't you just say that it appeals
more to guys in the previous paragraph b/c of the
gesture?

and critical choice a creator can make, it defines the tone and mood of the piece, and has the
power to call attention. The romantic comedy poster expresses a neutral blue color title that
doesnt contain any feminine connotations, it creates an inviting impression for males. Since
society commonly associate the presence of female dominance with pink colors, this ad rejects
the classic convention and emphasis sex equally amongst the two actors. Redefining the intended
audience is the exigence, the circumstance and condition that invites a response. (Carroll 48)

Commented [11]: I'm having a tough time

understanding this, Aguilar. Rhetorical tactics (how the
poster-creator intends to "hook" potentially-interested
moviegoers) isn't the same as exigence. The exigence
for a movie poster is to advertise the movie and to get
people revved up about seeing it.
Then, once a decision has been made to act on this
exigence and create this poster, the next decision is:
what tactics would be useful here?

Any relationship presents issues and problems, and the movie poster The Break-Up is no
exception, it proves genre can fluctuate with uncommon surface level features. The placement of

Commented [12]: <~~~

the actors, which is a visual literacy feature raises the idea that the man is problematic and
foreshadows who is responsible for end the relationship. Illustrating the female having the upper
hand in the scenario, a popular convention of romantic comedy advertisements. But it also
counteracts the typical warmth and happiness society associates with this particular genre. It
presents an emotional separation between the two individuals creating a cynical tone, hence the

Commented [13]: This is true. (Brutal movie -- in a

good but tough-to-watch way.)

title. Even though this movie poster doesnt embody majority of typical conventions, it still can
be classified as romantic comedy for the little things that bring a level of humor to the scene. The
smirk on the male actors face while buried under bed sheets is why this film poster is categorized
as a romantic comedy rather than a drama. Thus because this poster test the genre boundaries it
proves that Genres are not concrete and, often have formulaic features, but these features can
change even as the nature of the genre remains.(Dirk, 253)
Romantic comedies tend to focus on a single relationship between two individuals, in the
John Tucker Must Die movie poster there is an abnormal amount of females standing behind one
single male. The gender unbalance implies that there is more of a complex storyline than
following the general convention that includes a man falling in love with one single girl. This

Commented [14]: I think this is a solid reference BUT I

have 1 questions/concerns:
The way you've presented it, it doesn't smoothly
connect to/ transition from the previous sentence. It
seems sort of plopped in there at the end of a
paragraph about The Breakup.
Commented [15]: Aguilar, Im wondering if your paper
would benefit from re-structuring the organization.
Instead of

advertisement tries to invite the male gender by seducing them with young women showing lots

-Source #1 (Friends w Bennies)

-Source #2 (Breakup)
-Source #3 (John Tucker)

of skin. While gaining audience it also means this poster is able to afford the loss of other

Could your paper/argument unfold a more

integrated/interwoven way if you did something like:

potential viewers, a rhetorical strategy perhaps worth taking. Aside from the sexual image
presented the audience is forced to fixate their attention to the bolded title and tagline Dont Get
Mad, Get Even. The tag line presents the audience with a problem that they are either intrigued
by or offended by. A level of playfulness and sexuality is a common convention of romantic

-Idea #1 (and then incorporate sources 1, 2, 3)

-Idea #2 (and then incorporate sources 1, 2, 3)
-Idea #3 (and then incorporate sources 1, 2, 3)?
Commented [16]: Nice observation here

comedies, but the many forms that it can take on is what matters and ultimately selects the
potential audience.
Romantic Comedies is a genre that has been labeled by its witty themes and flirtatious
attributes. But when analyzing its conventions it soon becomes apparent that while looking very
differently, these movie posters aim to provide a light feeling on relationships while pushing
boundaries. Dirk notes that it has become very difficult to label a certain genre because due to
the, fact that two texts that might fit into the same genre might also look extremely
different.(Dirk 255) All the previous posters discussed fall into the romantic comedy genre
because they portray some sort of comical relationship between individuals, a degree of humor,
and visual literacy that illustrates a relaxed, not so serious tone. The first two poster exhibit
gestures as a technique, they give the audience an insight of what they might expect, the sexual
hand joke and the duct tape placed as a barrier give the image a sense of playfulness,
contributing to the genre. All these posters are not to be taken seriously, thus they follow a
unique relationship dynamic. By positioning the female actors in this fashion it seems as though
the writers acknowledge that their audience are majority women and want to appeal to them
more through social status.
At first glance, people may perceive romantic comedy movie posters as a form of
entertainment for females only, because there is a reputation of female dominance. But on the
closer inception they try to attract both genders in a comical manner that includes relatable
situations and calm neutral backgrounds. Genre helps individuals choose what kind of feeling
they want to experience when deciding on which film to watch, genres have the power to help
or hurt human interaction, to ease communication or to deceive.(Dirk 252) When one can

Commented [17]: I'm wondering if this could work as a

springboard INTO your paper -- ie, right after your intro.
Do you this could help drive your analysis of the movie
posters?

identify genre by its conventions, it becomes simpler to choose the correct category one is
interested in, and thus acknowledging how versatile genre feature can be.

Works Cited
Kerry Dirk, Pavel Zemliansky, and Charles Lowe. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. West
Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2010. Web.
Carroll, Laura Bolin. Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis. Writing
Spaces 1.1
(2010): 45-58. Web. 28 April 2013.

Writing 2 Feedback Matrix for WP1

Table of Textual Features

Did Not Meet

Expectations
Thesis Statement
Use of Textual Evidence
from Genres
Use of Course Readings
Analysis
Organization/Structure
Attention to
Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors
Sentence-level Clarity,
Mechanics, Flow

Met Expectations

Exceeded
Expectations

Aguilar,

Other Comments
Cool paper! Turning an analysis of 3 posters into a 4 to 5-page paper
isnt easy, but I think you did a solid job overall.
Please check out my comments on some ways you could improve this
for the portfolio. One area that you might consider more angles of
audience and gender. Can gender be broken up any further? Are all
guys the same, and all girls the same? For instance, would someone
who had recently gone through a breakup be more or less inclined to
see The Breakup based on the poster? And what about samesex/gender relationships? How might they respond to these posters?
I also think your analysis could strengthen by incorporating some
information from the graphic text chapter -- theres some good stuff
on visual literacy in it.
On a much smaller level, I really want you to give the semicolons
resource a look. Theres something called a comma splice and you
did that a solid 5+ times in your paper.
Still, I want to be clear: Im happy with your work here.
Z
8/10