This document discusses types of signs and how they are used in film posters to convey meaning and messages to audiences. It defines signifier, signified, iconic, symbolic, and indexical signs. It then analyzes several film posters, discussing how elements like costumes, lighting, framing, colors and imagery are used semiotically to provide clues about the genre and plot. Specific techniques like faded faces, establishing shots, and placement of text and images are examined for their connotative effects in representing themes of death, loss, and the supernatural.

1. L U C Y C L A R K E
SEMIOLOGY

2. TYPES OF SIGNS
• Signifier is the intended meaning this would be the image itself
• Signified is the actual meaning this would be the meaning behind
the image
• An Iconic sign occurs when the signifier resembles the signified, for
example a photograph or drawing
• A symbolic sign is where a meaning is behind the sign, for example
road signs with words in e.g. 30mph signs
• An indexical sign is a link to a meaning e.g. a no smoking sign which
shows a cigarette with a cross in front, this doesn’t actually say with
the words “no smoking” but we understand what the sign is asking.
• Polysemic signs can be read in many ways and has more than one
meaning to the audience

3. All signs have a connotation and a denotation. The
denotation is the simplest form of a sign for example, the
word rose signifies a particular kind of flower. However, a
connotation is the secondary meaning which is the
signified sign. For example, if we see the rose we think
passion and romance , this then helps the viewers
understand the genre of the film will likely be romantic.
Furthermore, this is encoded (created) by the film
makers/creators and decoded (understood/noticed) by the
audience as they now understand what the genre of the
film is likely to be like.
HOW DO THESE SIGNS WORK?

4. SEMIOLOGY IN FILM POSTERS
Film posters can have symbols to entice the audience, different colours can display
messages and iconic images are used to inform viewers what the film is about.
This is the advertised poster for the film gravity. Straight
away, viewers will understand the genre of this film from
the use of semiotics. This can be said from the costume of
the character within the poster as you can see they are
wearing a space suit is the obvious give away that the film
may be of a science fiction genre. There are many other
factors such as the lighting of what looks like the moon
going from very bright to dark, as well as the set out of the
shot, which leaves the viewer feeling uneasy and on edge,
this may suggest the film may be motivating and may have
many plot twists. The boy posture of the spaceman also
shows that there may be a situation or something gone
wrong with the main character through the film.

5. THE MAIN MESSAGE…
There are three main messages we want to connote on our film poster, for the
audience to decode. These messages include, the idea that the girl is lost and
also that the girl is looking and searching for forgiveness. We would also like
to hint to the audience the girl may be dead. It is possible for us to achieve this
by shooting the picture up on the moors, as this is a big place and may show
that the girl is lost, as stereotypically, characters tend to appear missing in
larger areas that are lonely and deserted. By shooting on the moors, it may be
easier to represent that she is trying to find her way home. We can also
represent that she is looking for her way home by the use of body language, as
she could have her face angled to the side (as if she is looking around) and her
shoulders tense like she has been searching for a while. We would like to
portray a sense of innocence in the protagonist. We are going to do this by
having her in a white dress as it implies innocence

6. DECONSTRUCTED FILM POSTER…
This film poster is similar to how we would like our poster
to look. The film is about a girl who was murdered, who’s
spirit lives on and could see back into the world as she
awaited justice. The film poster represents death in
certain ways by giving hints to the audience and by
connotations, such as, her faded face in the centre of the
background. This may connote death or a spirit as she is
not all there as it isn’t a solid image. Instead, it may
represent a ghostly/spiritual figure. Her head is also in the
clouds, which could connote her character looking down
on others, which her spirit may be doing in heaven. The
birds flying away from the tree may connote freedom and
are flying higher to the sky, which could have a specific
reference to heaven, s the place they are flying to is
lightened with a bright light. This again may show her
spirit in the sky, as rays of sun are shining down, this may connote.

7. …
What I find effective is the use of lighting as to me, this
connotes that everything in her world(heaven) is okay
as there is a bright light coming from this area.
However, in the real world, everything is not okay and
could be a bit dark. This is a connotation encoded by
the film producers as the floor/bottom of the picture is
a dark and eerie. Which it is in the film, as her family
goes through a dark time, trying to find justice for the
girls death. This is done by colour balancing in
Photoshop, which is an aspect we can consider, when
making our short film. The use of colours are also
important, as they have avoided the use of bright
colours as this might confuse the audience of the genre.
By using the colours as shown on the poster, it
connotes a sense of solemnity. The background is dark
at the bottom, making it easier for the text to stand
out, showing the title of the film. This is made bold so
the audience knows the title , making it relatable to the audience.

8. DECONSTRUCTED FILM POSTER…
This is another film poster that could influence our film
poster. It shows a woman who went missing and died
(similar to our protagonist) however, the story is very
different to our as it portrays the relationship with the
protagonist and her husband and how the husband could
be guilty of killing his wife. Although, our story is based
on two relationships, the first is the main one between
our protagonist and her father and between her and the
character Richard and how he displays a caring fatherly
figure towards the protagonist. In this poster there are
many connotations due to different features, which can
be derived from the poster. The first connotation is that
the man seen in the poster, could be looking for the “gone
girl” this gives the audience this connotation, from the
use of the mans body posture. He is looking to the side and his shoulders are tense. This
implies he might have been busy looking for her as well, because his sleeves are rolled up,
again this may imply that he has been searching for a while and has been busy looking.

9. …
Also, this is an establishing shot, which allows lots of
space(lead room) both sides of the man which shows that
he has looked. I like the use of the establishing shot in this
poster as his surrounding are on a big scale and he looks
slightly lost as he is on a much smaller scale than the
surrounding, this is portrayed from the use of an
establishing shot. This further implies that it is difficult
to find her. I also like the lead room above him as it is a
low angle shot. Because the shot is low angle, it focusses
on the sky. The cloud in the centre may have a
connotation of heaven, which the faded picture of a
woman's face could further connote she may be a spirit,
as she is in the sky which has a heavenly representation.
The text is bold and central, making it easy for the audience to observe quickly. Also
the word “gone” is merged into the could, which could suggest where the “girl” is as
she could be dead and in heaven.