• Explain what analysis is
• Recognize barriers that make analysis more challenging
• Describe why suspending judgment is important for analysis

Breaking Down the Message

When you scroll through social media, watch a commercial, or sit through a movie trailer, you’re surrounded by media messages designed to do more than just entertain—they’re crafted to persuade, inform, provoke, or sell. These messages may seem simple on the surface, but they’re often packed with deliberate choices in imagery, sound, structure, and context.

Practicing analysis means pausing to look beneath that surface.

When analyzing a piece of media, here are a few questions you may want to ask:

• What is the item trying to convey (content)?
• How does it try to convey it (form)?
• What is the creator’s goal (function)?
• What cultural or social context does it rely on (context)?

Choose one of the following trailers, skits, or commercials to analyze:

Mission Impossible – Final Reckoning Trailer

You can view the transcript for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) – Tom Cruise” here (opens in new window).

WICKED Movie Trailer

You can view the transcript for “Wicked – Official Trailer” here (opens in new window).

Gen Z Hospital – Saturday Night Live

You can view the transcript for “Gen Z Hospital – SNL” here (opens in new window).

Comedy Central – Substitute Teacher

You can view the transcript for “Substitute Teacher – Key & Peele” here (opens in new window).

Nike Commercial – So Win

You can view the transcript for “So Win. | Nike” here (opens in new window).

Apple Commercial – Quit Quitting

You can view the transcript for “Apple Watch | Quit Quitting | Apple” here (opens in new window).

Now, let’s analyze the piece of media you chose by breaking it down:

Content

Form

Function

Context