Image: http://media.photobucket.com/image/the%20descent%20film%20poster/ptnik/movies/the-descent-movie-poster-small.jpg
Summary of the film:
The film is directed and written by Neil Marshall and was released in the UK in July 2005, rated 18. The genre of the film is Drama, Thriller and Horror.
The film is about a family who go on holiday, have a tragic car accident in which the main characters husband and daughter dies, leaving her the only remaining family member. Later, the main character Sarah goes on a exploration holiday of caves in the mountains with a group of friend. Whilst exploring they get trapped in cave, encounter monsterous creatures and have to fight for survival.
Saussure’s Signs:
Saussure looks at the signs and the signified - what is actually shown in the product and the representation of what is being shown.
In the poster for the The Descent a very significant sign is the female in the poster this is because the image depicts that she is in danger thus creating suspense for the film. The cuts on the females face show danger and show her as a victim and suggests struggle .
The smoke/ light rays in the image show faces in the light which is a sign. This signifies an element of danger and could suggest that the female is being watched. The light also signifies that the female may be trapped suggesting that she is a passive, victimised character in the film. The light may also signify that the light offers and escape route but due to the positioning of the woman at the bottom of the page, she is unable to escape.
Barthes Myths – the cultural connotations of the signs
Barthes myths say that the culture in which the product is placed and the meanings it has, are based upon the cultural beliefs of that region.
The light shown in the poster could have a religious angle. The source of the light could be from God. This can have two alternate meanings. Firstly, God is shining the light on the character to offer support and strength which would help the woman escape. Alternatively, the light could suggest Judgement Day in which the woman is a victim of bad fate as she is looking up to the light suggesting God has power over her, showing her as a passive character. Also, the faces in the light look similar to a religious statue which supports the idea of the religious aspect in this poster.
Levi- Strauss Binary Opposites
Levi Strauss looks at narrative structure in terms of binary opposites. This means that opposites such as the known and unkown are used to set the structure of media texts.
In my opinion, binary opposites cannot be seen in the poster for The Descent as the poster creates questions in the audiences head by creating suspense due to the mise en scene of the poster. The poster suggests an enigma so by revealing the structure of the film to the audience. This would dampen the hype for the film which would decrease the viewing, therefore decreasing the revenue.
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