Victoria Smith AS Media Coursework: March 2013

Merlin Poster

The dominant signifiers on the Merlin poster are Merlin himself and Arthur. Merlin is holding out his hand to the audience. This connotes his use of magic within the text but also creates an enigma code as to what he is holding out his hand for. He is stood in a dominant position, giving direct mode of address. This connotes his dominant role in the text.

Arthur is stood behind Merlin, showing his role as less of a main character. He is, however, in a very dominant position and is placed above Merlin. This shows his dominance and higher rank over Merlin. He is dressed in chainmail and is holding a sword; this connotes his role as a knight of the round table. It also shows his role as a hero in the text.

In the background you can see a dragon. This is typical of the fantasy genre and would also act as an enigma code as people may well ask what a dragon is doing there. Also seen in the background around the dragon are dark clouds. This is an indexical link to dark times and is a typical signifier used by the fantasy genre. However, there are gaps in the clouds where you can see blue sky, and this is a signifier for the hope that is represented by Merlin and Arthur. Also in the background you can see what looks like smoking houses, and the smoke coming from the chimneys is an indexical link to habitation. Smoke is also an indexical link to fire and represents the lives of the families of Camelot being destroyed by the destiny mentioned in the text.

There is text on the poster saying ‘You can’t escape destiny’. This creates an enigma code as you want to know what destiny they cannot escape. This also begs the question of who cannot escape destiny; the characters or the audience.

The dominant signifier of the poster is Sherlock Holmes. He is stood in a confrontational and dominant position that signifies his dominant role in the text as the hero. He gives the audience direct mode of address which shows his confrontational nature. He wears dark colours that create a sense of mystery about him and thus an enigma code. He wears a long coat which carries connotations of detectives through the cultural knowledge of the audience. This shows his love for his chosen profession and also tells the audience what kind of programme it is going to be. However, he also wears a ratty blue scarf around his neck. This shows his less conventional approach to his work as it is unusual for detectives to wear scarves and is quite a casual piece of clothing. Sherlock is not smiling, but is instead giving the audience a brooding sort of stare. This creates the enigma code as to what he is thinking.

In the background can be seen a typical London street. You can tell it is a typical street as you can see Carphone Warehouse in the background, a typical electronics chain store. Also there can be seen people in the background. This gives a setting to the picture and adds regionality to the text.

There is an overwhelming theme of dark colours all across the whole picture. This has connotations of the mysterious and also is typical of the genre as murder is often involved with detective programmes. There is, however, a bright sky in the background connoting ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’. This light is also around Sherlock’s head, telling us that he is this ‘light’ at the end of the tunnel for his clients.

There is a BBC logo in the top corner and this brings prestige as the BBC is renowned for its drama. Also bringing prestige is the subtext reading ‘Benedict Cumberbatch in’ as Benedict is a well-known and celebrated actor and is known to be able to play moody characters very well.

The font of the text on the poster is very masculine, with a lot of sharp edges and no fanciness to it. This shows the masculine nature of the programme and thus it’s audience, though it does appeal to both sexes.

The dominant signifier on the page is a photo of The Doctor. There are no other people present on the poster, and this shows his role as hero in the text. He is stood in a very dominant position, stood with his arms out and at his full height. He is wearing a tweed suit which is typical of his character and shows his extravagance. He is looking off the side of the poster, creating an enigma code as to what he is looking at. His general body position is very protective, like he is protecting the audience from what is about to come. He holds out his sonic screwdriver which fans of the show will know to be his all-purpose tool. The green light emanating from the screwdriver suggests it is being used, and this, to fans of the show, connotes danger. The Doctor is overwhelmingly in dark or black, and this connotes a dark character with a dark past.

The whole poster has a very dark colour scheme, and is overwhelmingly black. This connotes danger and mystery and a darker storyline. It also creates an enigma code as there is tantalisingly little the audience can actually see.

Seen in the background are cloudy skies. Cloudy skies usually connote trouble. There are no breaks in the cloud, again creating a mystery as to what the trouble will be. Also seen in the background is an unknown landscape. This creates the enigma code of where The Doctor is and what he is doing there.

The Doctor Who logo can be seen at the top of the poster. This brings with it prestige and high production values as Doctor Who is a well-known and long running Sci-Fi drama that has a very good reputation. The font is very masculine and this shows the drama of the programme.