Once you have conducted secondary research your task is to conduct a textual analysis on two posters in a similar genre to the one in which you will be working.
For example;
Horror - ‘Saw 3D’ and ‘The Ring’
Romantic Comedy - ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and ‘When Harry Met Sally’
Science Fiction – ‘Alien’ and ‘Star Wars’
You will be producing a conventional film poster so you need to understand the codes that govern this medium
Analyse two film posters using your toolkit for analysis.
De-construct the text analysing symbolic and technical codes
Toolkit for analysis
Firstly analyses photographic codes;
framing
lighting
focus
camera angle
juxtaposition
types of shot
effects such as the use of digital editing
design and layout
Secondly analyse textual codes which can also be referred to as anchorage as the text anchors the meaning. Tag lines are a convention of film posters and sometimes use the rule of three such as;
‘They are young…they are in love…and they kill people’ (Bonnie and Clyde,1967)
‘He is afraid he is alone, he is 3 million miles away from home’ (ET,1982)
‘Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning’ (Star Wars Episode 1,1999)
Consider the following textual codes;
title
tag-lines
font
typography
the use of language
stars
director
classification
Thirdly analyse symbolic codes which are all the things that are placed in the poster to create meaning. Essentially you are analysing the image that has been created. You can also use the filmic term mise-en-scene. For example if there is a lily in the scene this may connote death. Write down all the things you can denote (see) and then explain what they might connote or signify (mean)
Consider the following;
costume
body language
facial expressions
props
use of colour
Use the toolkit for analysis to write a semiotic analysis of film posters. (400-500 words)
As you are writing include discussion of how your own ideas have been influenced by your research.
Always try to ground your discussion in the specifics of the text. Use textual evidence.
Try to discuss the target audience as you write your analysis
If you go over the word limit do not worry. This is a first draft and will be revised with the guidance of your teacher into a report of 1600 words (see task 6)
If in doubt the advice is ‘Don’t get it right, get it written.’
You could begin;
‘I have chosen to deconstruct the poster for the horror film ‘Saw 3D’. The tagline ‘In eye-popping 3D’ drew my attention and really targets an audience with shock but also humour which attracts a young audience keen to be shocked. The image is of an eyeball dislodged from its socket suggests body horror and that the content in the film follows the recent trend of ‘gorenography’ where the audience is ‘grossed’ out by sickening violence. On closer inspection the image contains dismembered arms and hooks and chains with the blades of a jigsaw also evident suggesting the killer’s preferred tool for torturing victims. Whilst the content seems extreme I feel that modern audiences are active in their engagement with texts and use them to gratify needs. They are aware of the fictionality, which allows them to both laugh and feel terror as horror is so post-modern that the idea of such media affecting the audience is outdated. The shocking content of the poster will create interest amongst friends and allow word of mouth to spread. The key audience for this film is 16-24 year olds who want to be shocked and thrilled and a little disgusted at the extremes the film portrays. This has been called torture porn…
Word process an essay and include the film posters that you are using to illustrate your points
If you prefer you could present the task as a web-log. That way you can create links to clips, images and research sources that you have used
Film Education has produced a series of useful case studies online that will help you to de-construct film posters and to understand how meaning has been created. Follow the links to view this example which discusses the marketing strategy surrounding the romantic comedy, ‘The Boat that Rocked’
http://www.filmeducation.org/theboatthatrocked/
http://www.filmeducation.org/theboatthatrocked/activity4.html
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