Using Semiotics In The Media

Semiotics can be used to help analyse most things. Things in the media such as album artwork, tv and movie posters can all be analysed by using semiotics and looking at the signifiers and signified. I chose to look at the movie poster of one of my favourite movies, Titanic; and then answered some questions on it.

1)What are the key signifiers in the movie and what do they signify? They include the ship, the sea, the man, the woman., it also shows upper class and expense.It also includes a lot of blue and black colours.

2)What are the denotative levels? The Titanic, the couple, the clouds and the sea.

3)What are the connatative levels? Titanic means great strength and power, this signifies the power and strength the characters in the movie use to try and survive the sinking of the ship to hold on for the lifeboats. The text says 'nothing on earth could come between them'. The ship is positioned in between them too and this is positioned on purpose as it's the ship that does end up getting in the way off them as the character Leornado DiCaprio plays, Jack Dawson, dies due to the ship sinking. The ship being positioned the way it is too shows social divide as the couple are above different sides of the ship.The two characters are positioned in the sky with the sea and the clouds being between the ship and them; this signifies heaven as they both die in the movie.

4)What are they communicating to the audience? The couple are positioned the way they are to show that they are a couple in the movie so there will be a love story involved. They have very worried and sad expressions on their face too to show it will be a tragedy. Kate Winslet is facing away from him too and this shows that their romance was frowned upon, which it was due to the social class divide.