This document defines key film analysis terminology and provides examples of their use. It defines denotation and connotation for symbols like snakes, flags, and guns. It analyzes three movie posters, noting dominant characters, colors, and implied meanings. It discusses how changing soundtracks can alter the tone of films between happy and scary. Stereotypes are defined for gender, class, age, and personality types. Iconography for different genres like western, sci-fi, and fantasy are outlined. Narrative structures like linear and non-linear are defined and film examples are given. Finally, a Star Wars clip is analyzed focusing on costume, dialogue, props, lighting, camerawork, music, and color and how they convey meaning

1. Meaning
Theory
Tom Bond

2. Snake
• Denotation
– scaly, elongate reptile, legless,
sometimes venomous reptiles
• Connotation
– cold-hearted and
untrustworthy

3. Flag
• Denotation
– A piece of cloth or a similar
material, typically oblong or
square which is attachable by one
edge to a pole or rope and used as
the symbol or emblem of a
country.
• Connotation
– Unite, pride, celebration, royalty,
nation pride, armed forces

4. Gun
• Denotation
– a weapon made from a metal
tube from which metal bullets
come out of.
• Connotation
– scary, dangerous, violence,
death, injury, illegal

5. Poster Analysis 1
• It shows a blue, red, gold Superman costume
with light coming from behind the character. A
glow on face. The actor is Henry Cavil, he’s off
centre to the left of poster.
• Superman is taking up most of the poster. He is
the only person in the poster. He is surrounded
by sky and space. He is at the forefront. I think
he is the main character in the film and he is
strong. His eyes look directly into the viewer’s.

6. Poster Analysis 2
• The main colour of the poster is red which has
connotations of anger, danger, threat. There are
five people in the poster but Flash is the most
dominant. He is the only one wearing a red
costume and head mask. This tells us that he is
the main character in the movie. There is a
lightning bolt going though the poster. This tells
us that the character must be strong and brave.

7. Poster Analysis 3
• The focal point of the poster is Kong, the gorilla.
He is surrounded at the back by a round image
of the sun in orange. Surrounding the sun is a
red sky. This give the impression that Kong is
vast and angry. A helicopter is at the forefront of
the poster this contrasts with Kong who is in the
background. Kong is bigger than the helicopter.
There are no humans in the poster this might
mean that he has destroyed the human race.

8. Soundtrack
• Clip 1
– Like something bad or
dramatic is going to
happen.
• Clip 2
– It made the image look like
it’s a romantic image.

9. Shining
• The music changed the horror film to a happy
family friendly film. Also they chose the more
friendly clips that don’t show the horror side
of things.

10. Scary Mary
• It went from a nice family friendly film to a
horror film. They did this by making the
scenes different colour from light to dark and
then changed the music.

11. Stereotypes
Men
• Strong
• Head of the house
• Intelligent
• Breadwinner
• Practical
Women
• Weak
• Controlled
• Mundane
• Stay at home
• Cooking and cleaning

12. Stereotypes
Working Class
• Hard working
• Poor
• Struggle
• Cheap clothes
• Worried
• Realistic
Upper Class
• Lazy
• Lot of money
• Spoilt
• Expensive clothes
• No cares
• Nerdy

13. Stereotypes
Old People
• Law abiding
• Skills - knit, cooking,
sew
• Slow with technology
• Slower pace
Young People
• Troublemaker
• Lazy - Xbox
• Good with technology
• energetic

14. Iconography- Western
• In westerns they have cowboys, horses, guns,
desert, tumbleweeds

15. Iconography- Sci-Fi
• Space, planets, new technology,
nanotechnology, robots, new scientific
principles, time travel,

16. Iconography- Fantasy
• Fiction story’s (non real story’s), Superhero
fiction, Sword and sorcery.

17. Narrative
• Narrative Definition
– Narrative is a spoken or written account that
connected events e.g. A story.
• Linear Narrative Definition
– Linear narratives present stories in a logical manner
by telling what happens from one point in time to the
next without using flashbacks.
• Linear Narrative Film Example
– A linear Narrative Film would be like wizard of oz
where its in order.

18. Narrative
• Non-Linear Narrative Definition
– nonlinear narratives are those that break order,
meaning that its allover the place
• Non-Linear Narrative Film Example
– Harry potter

19. Clip Analysis
• Costume – Darth Vader wears a black shiny cape and a black metal helmet. This tells
us he is powerful and evil.
• Dialogue – bad guys in movies tend to speak in deep, low voices that are quite intense
and gravelly. Good guys tend to be happy, cheerful with high pitched voices. Darth
Vader talks in a deep low voice, where as Kanan & Ezr talk light voices.
• Props – props such as guns and light sabres are used on fighting scenes. The red light
sabre represent violence and death, were as other coloured light sabres like blue
sabre represents trust, loyalty
• Lighting – the lighting in the Star Wars clip is usually dark and has an evil feel over the
bad guys. In one scene the spotlight Is on Darth Vader, he is being lit up. because he’s
the main focus because he is the main character in that scene.
• Camerawork –in the beginning Darth Vader is shown in close proximity because he is
the main character and he is dominant. However, he gets further away at the end and
the good guys are close up because they are more dominant and have the power.
• Music – the music makes the scene more intense which helps with the effect that the
scene should have.
• Colour – the colour is when its on the bad guys is dark full or black and reds which
makes it evil, well as the good guys it bright and colour full which makes it more
joyful.