In this report, I am going to talk about a selection of content such as words, images, colours, fonts, and anchorage. I will also include a construction of content, which will be codes and conventions, modes of address, denotation, connotation, semiotics and who/what is being represented. In the first film poster the main character, Sherlock, is stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, which establishes that he is in Paris, France. Now we know where it is set due to that one landmark. The sky is quite grey and dull, which matches the rest of the dark colour scheme within the poster. The title of the movie already suggested something dark is going to happen in it since shadows are dark. The background is mainly black and white however Sherlock isn’t, this connotes that there is danger within this film and Sherlock is the hero who tries and saves the day. In terms of Sherlock’s appearance, he’s looking very masculine. I know this because of his facial hair and clothing. This also makes him appear rugged as well as his grown out hair. His clothing is very smart which shows us he is wealthy. They are also clean, you can see this from just looking at the white shirt, this shows us that he hasn’t gone through a lot of effort to get to the scene in the poster. This connotes that danger is second nature to him as due to the condition of his clothes he’s made it seem effortless. His collar on his shirt is turned up which symbolises Sherlock means business. He is holding a gun, straight away this tells us something bad is going to happen. He looks very confident while holding it because his finger is on the trigger and he is making direct eye contact in the direction the gun is being pointed and his stance is in the same direction. His stance is broad which symbolises his confidence and his chest is puffed out which again shows us his masculinity. The tower is slanted, due to the camera, representing the anarchy and chaos, which could reflect the narrative structure of the disruption. Sherlock is pointing his arm to the corner of the poster, which creates the impression he is pointing towards the sky and the heavens. This shows that he is the saviour and main hero in the film. He is holding a gun, which symbolises that despite the religious symbolism, there is darkness and danger in his world. Sherlock is not making eye contact with the audience, suggesting that there is present and consistent danger that he must be prepared for. This also relates to the pointing of the gun, as it tells the audience that Sherlock must defend himself. In this second film poster, another main character is shown, Doctor John Watson who is Sherlock’s best friend/assistant. Judging by his clothes he is wealthy and his top hats usually symbolises upper class. His facial expression is serious looking due to the glare and stern look, this makes him appear angry. Watson has a direct gaze towards the audience so that you have a direct connection with him, almost like he’s inviting you in on his adventure. In contrast with Sherlock on the other poster who’s looking off into the distance, which could represent his perceived superiority, almost looking down on people which symbolises that he has more power than Watson; this is the element of Sherlock’s character. The Sherlock novels was written from Watson’s perspective so for fans of the books they would probably have more of a connection to him rather than Sherlock hence why Watson has more of a direct connection from his direct gaze. Watson’s hair and facial hair seems to be neatly trimmed which shows he takes pride in his appearance. He is holding his cane over his shoulder, which makes us question if he’s using it as a weapon. He is also stood in a masculine yet confident way; his back is slightly arched. The sky is quite grey and dull which matches the rest of the dark colour scheme within the poster which represents the shadows hence the title. The title of the movie already suggested something dark is going to happen in it since shadows are dark. There is lighting on the main characters bodies in both posters so we can see their faces however which means they are brighter than the rest of the poster which symbolises that they save the day, it gives off an angelic vibe as angels are normally bright. The background is mainly black and white however Sherlock isn’t, this connotes that there is danger within this film and John is the hero who tries and saves the day. Watson is stood in-between two train tracks with trains on them which might mean that he has to travel somewhere or he’s putting his life in danger. It also suggests that Watson is tightened into a situation and needs to find an escape route. The smoke in the background is steam from the trains, I know this because of the era it was set. The physical position of the character in the poster looks defensive, suggesting that he must defend himself. The light from the moon is symbolic, suggesting that goodness is being deprived by the situation of the characters as it is being blocked by Watson’s head. The moonlight is also lighting him up, reflecting him in a “positive light”. In poster one Sherlock is angled to the right and is positioned on the left-hand side of the poster and on poster two Watson is angled towards the left-hand side and is positioned on the right-hand side of the poster. Sherlock is holding a gun with his left hand which tells the audience he’s left handed and Watson is holding his cane with his right hand which shows us that he is left handed. This links to why Sherlock is on the left of his poster and why Watson is on the right of his poster. This shows that despite these two characters being the best of friends they are both binary opposites which symbolises that both their personalities are completely different. The text on the posters is both the same so there is no point in talking about it twice. Text it is located at the bottom of the poster and is all in white apart from the date it was released so that stands out; these colours look good against a dark background. It draws our attention to it as well as the fire/sparks surrounding it does. The text relates to the posters before of the colour scheme and style of font symbolising that this film is a thriller because it seems mysterious. The actor’s name that is in the poster is above the title of the film and is a smaller font. As far as the title is concerned, the name Sherlock Holmes is the biggest font of the poster. It is a sequel to the first film so that part of the title is written underneath in the same bold 3D font but only smaller. This way the audience know that is a second film to the first one. There is also a website in the smallest font on the poster underneath the release date at the bottom of the poster to promote the film and a few film logos to show who made the film in the very bottom right and left-hand corners. The position of the main title is central, implying that Sherlock is ever-present and aware of this enemy. Classic and clichéd light blue background, creating a cold and solitary environment. The fog in the background is used to suggest that danger and mystery are ever-present in this setting. The dark foggy background of the two posters connotes mystery with is getting with the film seen as it’s based on a detective. The characters in both film posters are wearing Victorian clothes which connotes that the film is based in the Victorian era. With the time period established this helps to build a picture of the type of storyline.
After analysing these two posters from the film Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows I began to notice how Media producers have to bare their target audience in mind when creating film posters. It has to be appealing in a way that it will attract the right kind of audience. The posters have to be relevant for the film so they get an accurate representation of the film. In order to do this, they have to think about the images used, text (release date, title and font size), logos and colour. They have to take into account such as age, gender, genre, audience, demographic, connotation, protagonist, antagonist, narrative, representation, stereotype, interests, unique selling point and social class. This film is a 12A to it appeals to a wide audience rather than if it was an 18. As far as the target audience is concerned this is aimed at males aged between 12-30 years old who like detective and action films. I know this because of the colour scheme and characters are all more appealing to that category of people. This film is an action-packed thriller based on the popular fictional character Sherlock Holmes and his side kick Doctor Watson. The posters connate that this film contains violence, as in the first poster Sherlock is holding a gun and in the second one Doctor Watson is holding a cane over his shoulder as if he’s using it as a weapon. People might even watch this film just because they like certain actors in it hence why the film producers have hired recognisable big Hollywood stars to play the lead roles to help sell the film.
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