Learning objective:
- To deconstruct media texts (film posters) and find examples of the conventions linked to that genre.
- Key words: Codes, conventions, deconstruction.
- You will consider the visual codes that are
employed in order to give clues about certain genres within the Media
today.
Analysing audio-visual media texts
Generally in Media Studies, you will need to analyse a text in terms of visual codes, technical codes, and possibly audio codes. These will help to categorise the text in terms of genre.
This categorisation can also include codes of camerawork, Lighting, editing and sound for audio-visual media
This categorisation can also include codes of camerawork, Lighting, editing and sound for audio-visual media
and graphic design elements for print-based and interactive media
VISUAL CODES including:
- Costume, Clothing, physical appearance, jewellery, hairstyle, make up.
- Facial expressions
- Colour uses
- Body language and gesture
- Graphics
- Settings
TECHNICAL CODES including:
- Shots – range of shots and why they’re used – wide shots? Close ups? High/low angle shots?
- Any camera movement
- Editing – the way scenes change from one to the next
- The pace of the text – fast? slow? why?
- Lighting
- Mise en Scene – what’s in the shot.
AUDIO CODES including:
- Sound
- Language used
- Foley
- Diagetic and non diegetic
- Any ambient noise
- Voicover
- Music
- You will deconstruct media texts and find examples of the conventions linked to that genre.
- Key words: Codes, conventions, deconstruction.
Analysis of film poster conventions
First steps
What are the main colors used in the poster? What do they connote?What symbols are used in the poster? Do you need audience foreknowledge to decode the symbols?
What are the main figures/objects/background of the poster?
Are they represented photographically, graphically, or illustratively?
Are the messages in the poster primarily visual, verbal, or both?Who do you think is the intended audience for the poster?
When analysing a poster, you should consider the following broad questions before you start to focus on the details:
Given that all movie posters have the same purpose - to get audiences to go see a movie - what persuasive techniques are used by the poster?Critical Evaluation
- Is it a good poster?
- Does it communicate effectively with the audience?
- Are there any alternative readings which might harm the message of the marketing campaign?
- Is the poster offensive in any way? e.g. representation
It must be eye catching and captivating to the audience•
There must be a focal picture that will draw in the audiences eye•
The title is displayed in a large, eye-catching font•
It clearly defines the film’s genre•
The poster should be designed to attract the largest audience possible•
There is usually an indication of when the film is being released – either a date or ‘Coming Soon’, although they are sometimes less specific, for example they might say ‘In Cinemas This Summer’•
Information on the Directors and Production Company is often displayed in a billing block at the bottom of the poster•
There could be reviews or titles of other films that the company has made (Cars/Toy Story)
Crucially, the Pulp Fiction film poster has many typical conventions of a thriller film poster. The character, narrative, themes and iconography each have different conventions that can be seen.
The header of the poster of 'Pulp Fiction' is blood red with bold, yellow writing stating the name of the film. The bold, yellow writing is also used for the cast list. In both cases, the colour yellow is used to ensure that the text stands out against the background - but it is also used in a consumerist nature, as the colour yellow psychologically encourages consumer demand. As well as that, yellow - being the 'happiest' and brightest colour in the spectrum - is supposed to contrast with the seemingly displeased expression on the female protagonist's (Uma Thurman) face.
The scratched sides of the poster, an effect made using the colour white, is meant to give a 'trashy' and 'teen indie' feel to the poster, despite the fact that it is an extremely high-budget production. This could be to make the film seem older than it is - a trend continued with the old-school font used in the header of the poster for "Winner of Best Picture" and "a Quentin Tarantino film". It is known that Tarantino is a fan of old fashioned films so this may be apart of the branding as a Tarantino production. The 'trashy' nature of the poster continues with the rather seductive image of Thurman on the bed, smoking a cigarette and the 10-cent sign (a sense of cheapness which relates well to the teen target market who may not be too well off, financially, themselves).
The large image of Thurman presents many contrasts within itself - on one hand, we are presented with a typical, innocent looking girl with her legs crossed in the air, however that same girl is smoking a cigarette and has a gun resting near her. This suggests that Thurman is playing a character who is extraordinary, and may perhaps lead a double life. Within the same imagery, the poster manages to appeal to both the male and female market - the seductive nature of Thurman's pose, with cleavage on show will attract the male audience whilst the gun and strict pose creates a feeling of female empowerment which will attract the female audience.
The gun may also connote that the film will be of crime or gangster in genre - this relates to the blood red header which resonates a sense of violence. The open packet of cigarettes and the smoke coming from the cigarette in hand shows that the image is a still shot of movement, this gives the feeling that the film will be action packed.
This idea of a still shot continues with the fact that Thurman is reading a copy of 'Pulp Fiction' the book (this communicates that the film is an adaptation) but is only half way through.
Task 1:
Analyse the film poster below, state the genre of the film, identify genre conventions discuss the audience and how they are being targeted
Crucially, the Pulp Fiction film poster has many typical conventions of a thriller film poster. The character, narrative, themes and iconography each have different conventions that can be seen.
Pulp Fiction Poster analysis
The header of the poster of 'Pulp Fiction' is blood red with bold, yellow writing stating the name of the film. The bold, yellow writing is also used for the cast list. In both cases, the colour yellow is used to ensure that the text stands out against the background - but it is also used in a consumerist nature, as the colour yellow psychologically encourages consumer demand. As well as that, yellow - being the 'happiest' and brightest colour in the spectrum - is supposed to contrast with the seemingly displeased expression on the female protagonist's (Uma Thurman) face.
The scratched sides of the poster, an effect made using the colour white, is meant to give a 'trashy' and 'teen indie' feel to the poster, despite the fact that it is an extremely high-budget production. This could be to make the film seem older than it is - a trend continued with the old-school font used in the header of the poster for "Winner of Best Picture" and "a Quentin Tarantino film". It is known that Tarantino is a fan of old fashioned films so this may be apart of the branding as a Tarantino production. The 'trashy' nature of the poster continues with the rather seductive image of Thurman on the bed, smoking a cigarette and the 10-cent sign (a sense of cheapness which relates well to the teen target market who may not be too well off, financially, themselves).
The large image of Thurman presents many contrasts within itself - on one hand, we are presented with a typical, innocent looking girl with her legs crossed in the air, however that same girl is smoking a cigarette and has a gun resting near her. This suggests that Thurman is playing a character who is extraordinary, and may perhaps lead a double life. Within the same imagery, the poster manages to appeal to both the male and female market - the seductive nature of Thurman's pose, with cleavage on show will attract the male audience whilst the gun and strict pose creates a feeling of female empowerment which will attract the female audience.
The gun may also connote that the film will be of crime or gangster in genre - this relates to the blood red header which resonates a sense of violence. The open packet of cigarettes and the smoke coming from the cigarette in hand shows that the image is a still shot of movement, this gives the feeling that the film will be action packed.
This idea of a still shot continues with the fact that Thurman is reading a copy of 'Pulp Fiction' the book (this communicates that the film is an adaptation) but is only half way through.
Task 1:
Analyse the film poster below, state the genre of the film, identify genre conventions discuss the audience and how they are being targeted
Year 10 written tasks success
criteria:
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Knowledge of the concept of
audience/representation/narrative
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Awareness of concept of categorisation
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Uses examples to support analysis
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Use of media terminology/key
words
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Quality of written
communication
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