Media texts are constructed using a variety of signs - media texts can vary from newspapers and magazines (print) to moving image media such as soap operas or reality t.v, and signs can vary from words, images, even sounds.
Semiotics is the examination of signs and the level they hold;
The denotation level - the literal meaning of a object/word
The connotation level- what one associates with a sign when interpreting
I will be analysing The Hangover's advertisement poster.
Denotations: Three ruggered, battered and bruised men, located in an expensive looking hotel room.
The man furthest on the left appears to be wearing no trousers, the man in the middle is looking into a mirror with a missing tooth, and the man on the right is tightly holding a pillow. A glass table in central with many bottles of alcohol laying upon it. A baby is also visible wearing adult sized sunglasses, crawling on the floor. A tiger and cockerel can be seen in the background.
Connotations: The appearance of the men suggest they have been in a fight, and the cuts and bruises display a sense of danger, especially the man with a missing tooth. The alcohol suitably connects with the battered look of the men as they both convey disobedience and defiance, and it also explains the reason as to why they would have got themselves into trouble or ended up in a fight. The men on the left and right are both staring unknowingly into the camera, creating a sense of confusion and panic - possibly wondering what had happened the night before. This once again links nicely with the alcohol, being the cause of memory loss. The disorienated state of the man on the left creates a sense of carelessness and recklessness to his character, he definitely projects a bizarre attitude. A baby positioned near his character adds to the strangeness. A baby conflicts with the situation the guys seem to have found themselves in, it even seems unlawful for a child to be surrounded by alcohol and more alarmingly a tiger. A tiger known for being one of the most dangerous and harming animals sitting in the background preying on the three men is very surreal and distressing. Contrastingly the cockerel adds humour to the situation, a harmless animal having absolutely no reason to belong in that hotel room. These three men are not obviously supposed to appear attractive and like muscular hunks, they are portrayed as useless messes - most definitely not the heroes, complete victims places in a completely hazardous setting.
