Automatic Machine for Advertisement
by MA Chun Sing
As to think deeply about how advertisement on television influence us, how a large amount of visual and audio information flush into our brain. It is important for us to know how advertisement do to us. The aim of this artwork would be to use a creative way to give them a reflection and a whole new face of advertisement. Making an automatic machine that automatically record and edit some of the content of the advertisement on that day gives people a new perception of how they perceive information from television.
The automatic machine should be a 10cm x 3cm box that can connection to the television by HDMI cable. There are HDMI and power source plugs only on the machine. There is a camera on the front part of the machine. This camera automatically capture people’s motion in front of the television when they are watching it. When the machine detects human movement in front of the television, the machine will start working immediately. When the machine detects no human movement in front of the television, it closes. During the operation of the machine, it calculates the popularity of the advertisement by checking the audience rating, people’s movement, loudness of the television, any changes to the channel. The machine will automatically choose the most attractive advertisement to the audience to work with. It will first record it. Then, when people switch off the television, the machine will try to combine some images from the advertisement and generate a still image which can present the idea of the whole advertisement.This image will be the screen saver for 3 minutes after switching off the television.
There are some factors for the machine to choose images from the advertisement. Texts, slogan, product shots and actors.
The machine will automatically track the text message on the advertisement. It will capture the image with texts and bring it to the front of the combined image. For example: ESTEE LAUDER and 爽健美茶. Same as the slogan, for example 連續8年亞洲精華銷量NO. 1品牌 and 連續10年日本銷量NO. 1. Most of the product selling advertisement shows how popular and famous are they by giving words like “銷量NO.1″. Capturing these kinds of words and showing them obviously can remind ourselves that how we are persuaded by the advertisements.
The machine will especially records images with very large product shots, as this is also a kind of exaggeration to the products. This kind of exaggeration distorts audiences’ view toward the products. Advertisement too much glorify the products by giving it so much effects. People even become hard to know the real product by advertisements.
Lastly, the machine will record images with people in the advertisement, especially scenes that have many people around. They are shown to confuse and brainwash audiences. Using the power of a real person to influence audiences in front of a machine. Therefore, the automatic machine will automatically record and combine the above images together to generate a screen saver for user.
The aim of this artwork is to get people to know more about advertisement. Also at the same time, it can be a useful aesthetic screen saver for the television.
MA CHUN SING
City University of Hong Kong