Consuming Images by Rhodes Gary D.;Singer Robert;

Author:Rhodes, Gary D.;Singer, Robert;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Figure 4.3 When There’s No Man Around (circa 1966)

It was not until Richard Avedon’s four spots for Calvin Klein’s Obsession in 1985 that black and white became a major trend in TV commercial production. They featured black-and-white footage bracketing a narrative otherwise told in color. Academy Award recipient Nestor Almendros, cinematographer of Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (Robert Benton, 1979), and Sophie’s Choice (Alan J. Pakula, 1982), shot the commercials.16 The following year, a commercial for the San Francisco Examiner depicted William Randolph Hearst III in the “stark black and white style of Citizen Kane [Orson Welles, 1941].”17 By 1987, Advertising Age observed the growing number of commercials that were largely or wholly filmed in black and white.18 Most notable among them was perhaps Nike’s Revolution (1987), directed by Paula Greif and Peter Kagan. The two used Super 8mm black-and-white reversal stock, a daring move for any mainstream film in an era before Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991).

In 1988, BBDO relied on the “trendy black-and-white format” for a Dodge automobile commercial in an effort to stand out, to “break through ad clutter.”19 Paul Grainge writes:

In general, monochrome experienced a resurgence in brand advertising during the 1980s and 1990s by global multinationals such as Nike, Coca-Cola, and Calvin Klein . . . [M]onochrome became a strategic promotional mode, used both for its connotations of time and its association with artistry and style. In the fashion industry, in particular, black and white was used as a signature of designer legitimacy and high-street chic, advertising anything from the chiaroscuro elegance of Giorgio Armani to the sport/street styles of Adidas.20

The use of black and white in commercials became pronounced enough to inspire various parodies of the same, such as Compulsion by Calvin Kleen on Saturday Night Live in 1987. And its presence has continued in the twenty-first century.

As with their feature-film forebears, these commercials have relied on black and white to create particular moods, which range from nostalgia (as in David Simpson’s Twilight Zone-style commercial for Arby’s in 1989) and humor (as in Pepsi’s 1996 commercial Security Camera) to romance (as in Lee Jeans’ commercial for Riveted Flares in 1997).21 All of these elements mark Martin Scorsese’s Dolce & Gabbana commercial Street of Dreams (2013), starring Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey. And then there is the depiction of sex, which Cross Verve fountain pens used in a 2003 spot featuring “near-naked” talent. Advertising Age responded “Hubba hubba!” but told readers, “Don’t worry. It’s not pornography. It’s shot in black-and-white, so obviously its art.”22

By contrast, other ads have relied on black and white to convey fear or revulsion. In 1988, the GOP ran a spot entitled I Remember You that featured “stark” black-and-white images of America during the Carter administration to frighten voters into electing Republicans.23 And then there is David Lynch’s Rats (1988), sponsored by the nonprofit organization We Care About New York, Inc. Its narrative preaches against littering by linking the same to the city’s rat population. Horrifying closeups of a rat’s tail, paws, face, and mouth unfold in slow motion.

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