Poster analysis

The first TV series poster I am going to analyze is Season one, American Horror story. The genre of this poster is horror, indicated in the title, with elements of drama and thriller. The characters are exposed through a hole in the wall which reveals how the series is likely to contain sinister aspects; this is also an example of an enigma code as we question their location.

The dominant signifier on the poster is the three main protagonists who it is assumed are a family. Each of the characters has a direct mode of address and has serious facial expressions. The female character, who is standing, is wearing a red dress which has connotations of danger and passion: this leads the audience to assume that there is going to be a strong representation of femininity present in the text.

The title used is of a feminine font, coloured white which has connotations of purity and innocence. However, the text below ‘Starts tonight 10pm’ takes a different approach: it uses uppercase and is a masculine font which is coloured red: again symbolising danger. Due to the contrast between the two texts the audience may assume there is also a contrast between each characters storyline. On the bottom right-hand corner there is a 3D indication of what channel the TV series will be broadcasted on: this again contains the colour scheme red and white and the contrasting connotations of danger and purity.

At the top of the mise en scene there is text which informs the audience of the creators of the TV series: viewers who have previously enjoyed media such as Glee and Nip/Tuck may be persuaded to watch. It can be said that this information reveals the genre of the poster. 

The second example of a TV series poster I am going to analyse is ‘Suits.’ The genre of this poster is presumably a legal drama: the audience can assume this due to the dress code of the main protagonists who are wearing suits. The location of the two men appears to be a city where from our intertextual knowledge this genre is often present.

The dominant signifiers are clearly the two male characters who are also likely to be the main protagonists. Both have a direct mode of address and formal but relaxed facial expressions.

The colour scheme used on the TV poster is black, white and red. Each of these colours contrasts with each other: black having connotations of authority, elegance and formality whereas white symbolises purity, innocence and isolation. Red has the connotations of passion and danger in which the audience can assume each of these representations are present in the text.

The two protagonists have different dress codes: The man on the left is wearing red informal converse and a red tie which is misplaced whereas on the right the man is wearing black, polished office shoes and a buttoned blazer. The contrast between the two characters symbolises there is perhaps two sides to a story and the conflict between the characters.

The title used is written in a masculine red block font which is designed to portray how this TV series is aimed at men. The mise en scene also contains a slogan ‘Nothing’s ever black and white’ which is ironic as the poster uses these as the main colours. 

'Lie to me’ is another example of a TV series poster which contains elements of the genres drama, crime fiction and thriller. This is indicated in the title as well as the background images of human eyes and mouths which we can use to detect when someone is lying.

The dominant signifier on this TV poster is the man who is closest to the camera: due to his authoritative position the audience may assume he is also the main protagonist. Each of the characters present on the poster has a direct mode of address and has a relatively serious facial expression which indicates the formality of the series. Each of the characters on the poster has a formal dress code such as a suit and tie to show the audience the importance.

The poster is aimed at both women and men as there are characters from both genres which are represented as strong and powerful. The women on the poster may also be described as the male gaze who encourages men to watch as well as women who view them as role models.

The title uses the colours red and white which has conations of danger and passion and purity and innocence. As well as this, the poster contains the by-line ‘they’re undeceivable’ to represent how each character is free from illusion.