The origins of visual language in dystopian advertising

Abstract

This paper discovers the ancient roots of such notions as utopia and dystopia in order to trace their original etymology. The way through the most famous and major works in the history of dystopia reveals different types of it in variable forms of art. The key features of dystopian worlds are aimed to emphasize particular aspects of life in the worst possible way. Getting closer to the film industry it becomes clear that many dystopias filmed on camera are visualizing and interpreting apocalyptic scenarios from novels and other literature. Analyzing particular examples of legendary dystopian movies and advertising campaigns reveals certain character traits of visual language and storytelling. It includes dark color palettes, lighting, types of shots, grim music, propagandist and oppressive storylines in a way that causes emotional feedback and gives particular mood to the movie clip. Dystopian advertising catches viewer`s attention thanks to a completely different emotional feedback which it causes instead of expected positive emotions.