Sumbliminal Messages that you found...

Once did a project on subliminal advertising in High School long ago. It was focused on billboard and magazine ad campaigns. The notorius abusers were cigarette and liquor ads. One ice cube had over 18 variations of the printed word "sex" all over it, in many different positions and abstractions.

Point is that with today's technology, I would bet on subliminal usage in today's increasing visually based dissemination of information, advertising, and even non-fiction reporting.

Originally posted by pineappleupsidedown


It is illegal to use single-frame shots in movies to advertise. I believe it began when movie theaters would insert pictures of popcorn and candy into the movie reel. And sure enough, the amount of popcorn they sold went up.

just pointing this out..

Claim: An early experiment in subliminal advertising at a movie theater
sunstantially increased sales of popcorn and Coke.

Status: False.

" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow">
www.snopes.com...

www.albinoblacksheep.com...
this was a very convient flash about subliminalk messaging i found the ending pictures look abit phottoshopeed but who knows

Arghhhhhhhhh!!! that was about as subliminal as a kick in the nuts. Good one.

Read "The Clam Plate Orgy" published in the 70s. Truely a definative book on subliminal manipulation.

Does anyone know about subliminal messages in music??

There's a unusual Black Metal band called (The) Axis of Perdition, and it's rumoured that they include subliminal messages (it really would not surprise me..) it's this kind of Industrial/Noise BM sound with really odd "voice overs".
You should check out some of their stuff if you're into strange noise/metal.

As for movies, I thought it was illegal to do the whole single frame thing these days?

Originally posted by areyosicker
www.albinoblacksheep.com...
this was a very convient flash about subliminalk messaging i found the ending pictures look abit phottoshopeed but who knows

I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU.

god **** f****** s*** AH I HATE YOU. hahhaa

but that was really really good

Oh man, I almost had my first heart attack at 17 thanks to you.

Originally posted by areyosicker
www.albinoblacksheep.com...
this was a very convient flash about subliminalk messaging i found the ending pictures look abit phottoshopeed but who knows

OMFG!!!! DUDE you scared the crap outta me!!!!

OK ya my dad told me a story about when he used to go to the movies back in the days. (way back XD) Anyways he remembers the coca-cola commercials playing during the movies and they had to stop using subliminal messages. The words "Drink coca-cola" and "eat popcorn" were flashed at 1/2000th of a second and made sales go up.

Originally posted by Ophiuchus
Does anyone know about subliminal messages in music??

There's a lot of research going on at the moment into what's known as "Reverse Speech". The theory is that as we speak we also, subconciously, form sentences backwards. These backward sentences are also subconciously interpreted by our brains and give an insight into out true feelings.

Kinda difficult to explain but for more information can be found here:

www.reversespeech.com...

I remember hearing about certain songs which contain hidden messages when played backwards......

Queen - Another One Bites The Dust

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

Here are plenty more examples of reverse messages in songs:

www.reversespeech.com...

There are many more and some of them are quite spooky, for example the Stairway To Heaven passage talks about Satan. I'll do a little searching and see if I can find out more about it.



[edit on 2/7/2005 by sufferer]

Jk Cinema has some good features on subliminal items in advertising as well as music (including some led zepplin song forward and backwards...CREEPY!)

www.jkcinema.com...

the zepplin song is on the flash bit on the page entitled "evidence"

How can you not like a page with a Cradle of Filth reference hehe

As I'm reading most of the replies to this thread, about the only one that didn't make me groan and shake my head were from MNIceman (who somehow has Pisky's avi???), because I know exactly the ads that he was talking about.

Okay, reader, if you want an education, keep reading. If you just came to see the pretty eye candy, then scroll down to the "Examples" part. But please, for the love of god, if you're going to call something an apple, it's best for you to know what the hell an apple is first.

Subliminal messages are not obvious, nor is it the same as innuendo. Babes hanging on a guy in a beer add, a guy rescuing a cat out of a tree, an actual line of dialogue during a film, making the consumer feel like their product is needed, wanted, or will make the consumer cool, and catchy slogans are all standard and quite legal examples of what is not subliminal advertising, but merely marketing.

Also, subliminal messages are not "mind control devices". This use of subliminal messages can only be effective if the influence is specifically related to the consumer's unconscious desires, or what they believe to be important to them. For instance, a vegetarian cannot be subliminally made to desire meat, unless they truly in their heart desired it.

So what, then, makes for a subliminal message? There are three main types in my own experience:

• Placement - Subliminal Placement is a visual medium in which the objects constituting the whole picture are arranged in such a way as to not be obviously seen, yet recognized by the subconscious mind as a archetypical shape appealing to "baser instincts, fears, and faculties". The Deuce Bigalow poster that WilsonianNotch12 was a parody of this form of advertising as it was obvious enough to be be dismissed, but of the examples given so far, it's the closest I've seen to one.
  
  Some other examples of Placement are as follows. See if you can find what's wrong with them before reading the explanation:
  
  
  
  Note, the advertisement is for boots. It's got O.J. Simpson. He's always on the move...AND HE'S GOT THREE LEGS. The third leg just kind of disappears up into his crotchable area. "The third leg" is a rather common euphemism for a man's genitalia, and the entire effect is "framed" by the lettering "OJ Dingo" which forces the reader to stare into OJ's Crotch. Even the expression he carries, and his gestures almost comical aspect to the whole thing. It's as if he is saying "Look, look at my giant schlong! How did it ever get that large, you ask? It's the boots."
  
  
  Okay, that one was pretty easy. This next one is a lot more subtle.
  
  
  
  Anything strike you as odd about this advertisement at all? How about the fact that they are all dressed in black, in suits, wearing bowler hats, and hanging lifelessly from their respective numbers? How about the fact that they are rising up into the sky from Earth, into the beyond? They're all dead, and being carried off. Now why would an advertiser do such a thing? What's the benefit in making your audience think of Death when viewing your advertisement? That's a toughie. Some say that it is because people who engage in typically unhealthy vices either do so because they wish to court death, others say they do it in order to stop thinking about death. Perhaps both are true, hence the effectiveness of death themes in tobacco and liquor ads. In this one case, a third tier to what I've been taught is added. "Our Cigarettes will take you to Heaven".
  
  
  Now that you've seen that ad and the explanation, this one should be bluntly obvious.
  
  
  
  Note that the same effect applies. The bodies are stiff, lifeless, dressed in dark suits, bowler hats, and instead of rising up into heaven, they are looking at deep holes in the ground (burial plots). Add to that the fall colors, when everything on Earth begins to die, a barren planet, and the sunset again and you've got another advert screaming "Hooray Death!"
  
  
  Okay, think you've gotten good at spotting placements? Here's the hardest one for you, last.
  
  
  
  The image itself is enough to make me cry, though not as much as if it'd been a bottle of Glenmorangie. However, there are images of death, and horror all over this advert, hidden in the shape of the glass, liquid, and reflections. For those who might say "you can see anything in anything if you look hard enough" I would be normally inclined to agree. In this case, however, I would argue that this is not a photograph. It is a photo-realistic painting. The entire image was designed purposefully. Secondly, it ran for almost 20 years. There is no way in hell a company uses an advert for that long unless it was incredibly effective. Thirdly, it ties in heavily with nightmarish imagery that is common to "Vice Advertising".
  
  Among the hidden images that can be found in this advert are: a meat cleaver blade, multiple anarchy symbols, a raven, a shark, a soldier's camo-net helmet, a skull of a bird, some sort of long-nosed demon face, a bottle pouring liquid, and a hook.
  
  And then, below it all... "Have you ever seen a grown man cry?"
  
  The sheer sick and twisted brilliance of this advert is that any or all of these images could apply to the history or subconscious of an alcoholic (the heaviest buying market for liquor companies). Usually they are drinking to chase away their demons, almost all of which are related to death. The advert simultaneously reminds the viewer that these demons exist (triggering the response for another drink) AND associates it with the breaking of a precious bottle of their elixir. If the bottle breaks, the demons are released, and you will cry.
  
  
  Moving on, we find the next level of subliminal messages:
  
  Sound - Sounds can be placed subliminally in a variety of ways, through backmasking, changing the speed, overlaying against white noise, stuttered patterns, or extremes of volume. Some are obvious when pointed out, some are subtle enough to require sound-editing to actually filter them out.
  
  Some examples of subliminal sounds are:
  
  • In Disney's "Aladdin", when Aladdin is outside of Jasmine's balcony, and the Genie is in bee form, turn the volume up quite a bit and listen extremely carefully. Aladdin says something, then the genie says something, and right before Jasmine replies you can hear someone whisper "take off your clothes". Whether or not this was meant as a subliminal message to increase the sexuality of the next scene, or if it was a disgruntled employee, or an editing accident, this is an example of subliminal sound by volume control. (note: I had this one proven to me two days ago. It is quite verifiably true)
    
    
  • Wierd Al Yankovic has enjoyed the use of backmasking in at least two of his songs. On the "3D" album, a bit past halfway through "Nature Trail To Hell", there is a short non-vocal musical score with some backmasked lyrics. If played backwards, you can hear "Satan eats cheese whiz" said in a very gutteral voice. (note: again, this was proven to me about 4 years ago and is quite verifiable). On the "Bad Hair Day" album, near the end of "I Remember Larry" where Al repeatedly sings "Yes, I remember, remember, remember...", there is supposedly another backwards message that says, "Wow, you must really have a lot of free time on your hands". (note: not personally verified, but sounds like something he'd do)
    
    
  • The original Exorcist, among many other sound techniques, has "You are getting sick" slowed down to an unintelligable speed during a particularly grisly scene. (note: not personally verified by me, but personally verified by the same teacher who taught my course on subliminal messages, back in high school)
  
  
  Have fun with those. Now let's move on to something ruder...
  
  
• Flashes - Flashes are a visual image that would be bluntly obvious if left on the screen for long enough, but because of the speed and distraction with which it appears, it becomes a subliminal message.
  
  Such examples of this are:
  
  
  
  The famous Lion King "Sex" scene in Disney's "The Lion King". The clouds form the word "SEX". This is not nearly as suggestive as the next one though:
  
  
  
  Note, the naked woman in the window. That is the "flash". However, in this scene, we see this combined with "placement" as well. Check out the position of the mice, the shapes created by the sardine tin that they are in, and the rolled up lid, where Victoria's (I think that's her name) hands are, and the expression on both of their faces. Combined with the "flash" of naked woman, this is quite possibly the naughtiest Disney scene ever.
  
  However, it should be noted that most likely, these scenes were placed by pranksters within the ranks of Disney's terribly disgruntled and mistreated employees. I seriously doubt Disney as a company would have any interest in selling sex to kids. Perhaps, if anything, it's to keep the parents interested, but I'm more inclined to believe it's an angry editor or artist getting even.
  
  

There's really a lot more to subliminal messages than just what I've outlined. It should also be noted that technically, what most people think of as subliminal is actually only semi-subliminal. However, I hope that I have managed to demonstrate the differences between what has been called subliminal in this thread so far, and what is actually subliminal (or semi-subliminal).

Good post, thelibra......one thought on your O.J. example......

In the lettering, you'll find that there are only two letters that are clearly distinguished against a lighter contrast.......DO........a kind of subtle imploration that can go hand in hand with the emotional/chemical reaction provoked by the 'third leg' demonstration...........when you read the caption, the two letters are very prominent in the peripheral.

Also, for those who want to learn more about semi-subliminal, this is a pretty good link to read up on.......Happy Learning......

www.subliminalworld.org...

[edit on 4-7-2005 by MemoryShock]

How effective is backmasking in music? You don't listen to the music backwards (well, ok some people might for fun ) so surely, any message would not get across.

Anyway, here's a great site with some backmasking clips with the 'lyrics' for you to check out. jeffmilner.com...

However, I feel that some backmasking songs is reaching a bit... as for the Stairway to Heaven clip. Apparently even if you say the words and then play them backwards you'll hear the same 'satanic message'. I think it's purely a coincidence. We only have so many sounds so if you string enough of them together of course you'll be able to make something out of it.

On the other hand, some bands (ie Pink Floyd) have defintely taken a forward recording, then reversed it putting it into the song. Then when you play the song backwards you're hearing it the right way around. (did that make any sense?)

Originally posted by EarthNug
How effective is backmasking in music? You don't listen to the music backwards (well, ok some people might for fun

) so surely, any message would not get across.

Well, the theory behind it is this: your mind is able to subconsciously sort out the message backwards to forward. It would remember the sound in the proper direction, thus planting the message in the brain without it ever actually being heard correctly by the ears.

However, the truth of the matter is that it's quite ineffective, but as it still counts as a type of subliminal message, I included it.

Originally posted by xxblackoctoberxx

Originally posted by areyosicker
www.albinoblacksheep.com...
this was a very convient flash about subliminalk messaging i found the ending pictures look abit phottoshopeed but who knows

I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU.

god **** f****** s*** AH I HATE YOU. hahhaa

but that was really really good

Oh man, I almost had my first heart attack at 17 thanks to you.

I said the exact same thing. and i had to pump the volume all the way up trying to hear the freakin song!!! !AAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! that one really pissed me off....

thanks EarthNug! awesome link. And welcome to ATS!

All forms of media are full of subliminal msgs..They try to get you to thinka nd feel different and shape the minds of the masses..some i personaly believe are very blunt in theere nature though quite effective...take for example...sex and the city..encourages females to sleep around and have multiple partners. Most hollywood movies always glorify the jewish race and latley im noticing a growing trend in glorification of the porn industry in movies aimed at teens...all this is warping the minds of the youth....

peace

Originally posted by q_ball
All forms of media are full of subliminal msgs..They try to get you to thinka nd feel different and shape the minds of the masses..some i personaly believe are very blunt in theere nature though quite effective...take for example...sex and the city..encourages females to sleep around and have multiple partners. Most hollywood movies always glorify the jewish race and latley im noticing a growing trend in glorification of the porn industry in movies aimed at teens...all this is warping the minds of the youth

I'm sorry, but do you have some kind of problem with Jews or were you simply pointing out a trend? The wording is a bit obscure.

I can understand how anyone could have a problem with encouraging promiscuity and porn (despite my personal enjoyment of both), but I'm curious as to how you manage to lump "glorify the jewish race" in there with two very unrelated subjects. Please enlighten us.

Oh, and as this board is about denying ignorance, I'd like to point out that the Jews are not a race, they are a religion. It's a common misconception by gentiles, but the fact is you can convert to Judaism. You can't covert to being another race. You can also be born into the faith, literally, provided your mother is Jewish, as the lineage is matriarchal (the father could be any faith).

Anyway, I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, as well as educate, lest someone mistake you for an ignorant bigot, which I'm sure you are not.

HOLY #!!!!, that scared the poopies outta me!!!!