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Julio Lopez

Professor Oscar Martinez

English 1301-108

20 October 2023

Analysis of a Still shot from a McDonald’s video advert

In a still shot from The Fries: Quarter Pounder® | McDonald’s, A Mcdonald's Quarter

Pounder can be seen taking up about 75% of the screen while the rest is taken up by text and a

small pile of fries (Fig. 1). On the burger more fries can be seen layered on top of the rest of the

ingredients while a splash of ketchup tops it off under the bun. The background is blurred

seemingly to bring all of the attention towards the burger that is on the screen in a subtle manner.

The shape of the burger is also used in order to guide the viewer towards the advertisement’s

intended point of focus. The still shot also displays text which reads "perfect made perfecter"

suggesting that the Mcdonald's Quarter Pounder is already perfect but is made more perfect by

applying fries to it. By using the elements of space, blurring, and shape, Mcdonald's creates an

advertisement which markets both the Quarter Pounder burger and the fries as “perfect”.

In order to make the Quarter Pounder the focal point of the image, Mcdonalds uses space

to keep the viewer’s focus on the burger. . By using up 75% of the screen to display the Quarter

Pounder, McDonalds has made it easier for people to identify what the focal point of the image is

and has made it seem as if an item of its caliber is extremely important and it is necessary for it

to take up a majority of the screen. The increase in size makes it appear bigger and more

important by making it take up a large part of the screen that the viewer will see. The increase in

size off the Quarter Pounder also allows for a closer and much more clear view of the ingredients

in the burger allowing the colors and the texture to stand out towards the viewer .The
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advertisement works to show this to the viewer by making sure the texture of the Quarter

Pounder is seen up close and the colors of the ingredients pop out at the viewer creating the

illusion that the Quarter Pounder looks “perfect” as opposed to other burgers. The idea that the

burger is perfect is further established by the texture displayed in the burger; a display of juicy

meat, glossy melted cheese, crispy fries, and perfectly round buns.

The blurring of the background highlights the foreground and establishes the idea that the

Mcdonald's Quarter Pounder and fries are the center of attention. In order to make sure the

foreground is highlighted the background is blurred and items around the Quarter Pounder have

been feathered which in turn, leaves the Quarter Pounder as the only thing in the still shot that is

truly in focus. In order to attract attention to the fries there are fries separate from the ones on the

Quarter pounder placed next to the burger which can be seen somewhat clearly in contrast to the

background .This leaves only the burger in focus making it almost impossible to see anything

else in the still shot, this creates the idea for the viewer that this burger is special in some way

hence why everything else around it is working to make sure the burger is highlighted.

The shape of the burger guides viewers towards the burger, suggesting that the viewer

should direct all of their attention towards it. The shape of the burger on the screen appears as a

rectangular shape with a round top, this shape is able to cover parts of the screen which a

different particular shape like an elliptical shape would otherwise not be able to cover. To add to

the shape of the burger, the fries which are also layered on the burger are seen coming out of the

burger and expand to parts of the shot which the shape alone is not able to cover. This in turn is

able to guide the viewer towards the burger by using the fries as a guiding line and establishes

that the viewer should be focusing on taking in mcdonald’s “perfect product”.

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The goal of the advertisement made by Mcdonalds is to suggest to the viewer that the

Quarter pounder and the fries are some type of special “perfect” food item. In order to achieve

this, the advertisement uses space in order to maintain focus on the Quarter Pounder and allow

the texture and the colors of the burger to pop out at the viewer, making the Quarter Pounder

look perfect. The advertisement also applies blurring to the background, this keeps only the

burger in true focus while keeping some fries, separate from the ones on the burger, on the side

to attract some attention towards them as well. Finally, the advertisement uses the shape of the

burger in order to maximize the use of space and guide the viewers of the advert towards the

burger, maintaining focus on the burger and the fries. The still shot from this advertisement

shows how the elements of space, blurring, and shape are used to highlight the burger and

suggest to the viewer that the Quarter Pounder and the fries are “perfect” marketing it as this to

gain more sales.

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Appendix

Figure 1. Still shot from the advertisement “The Fries:

Quarter Pounder® | McDonald’s”(2020)
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Work cited

“The Fries: Quarter Pounder® | McDonald’s”. Youtube, Jan 28, 2020,

The Fries: Quarter Pounder® | McDonald’s