[ News
| Homes
| Life
| Entertainment
| History
| Science
| Community
| Shop ]
| Sport
| Culture
| Cars
| Money
| Broadband
| Learning
| Health
| Dating
| Games ]
[ Text Only: Homepage ]
[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
For all its state-of-the-art technology reports, the everyday tone of television broadcasting was a far cry from the orchestrated perfection of weekly newsreels which gave the Nazis a new powerful medium to put across their message.
The doyen of Nazi film propaganda was director Leni Riefenstahl, although she argued that her work was purely artistic. Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will is widely accepted as a masterpiece, the first film to portray the Nazi utopia. And commissioned by the Nazis to film the party's Nuremberg rally in 1934, her skilful cinematography and rousing music became a powerful weapon for the Reich. With the glamorous presentation of the party, explanation of policy become unnecessary.
This method is still used in today's advertisements. A new car driven by a handsome man through stunning landscapes sells through the association of images, rather than factual information.
Such subliminal messages can be introduced in other media - placing a can of drink in a feature film, for example. Viewers will not even be aware of the connection. It is unclear how effective this technique is, but it is generally viewed as unfair and banned in many countries.
A classic example occurred during the recent US elections. Supporters of George W Bush were accused of running 30-second advertisements containing a 1/30th of a second frame flashing the word 'RATS' on the screen as the narrator condemned Bush's opponent Al Gore.
Media message
Graphic
version
Includes layout and images.