Media Theory Revision Guide
My Revision
Essential Film!
Now available - the Essential Revision for A Level Film textbook.
Kiss of the Vampire
Hermeneutic codes
Barthes
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To entice would-be cinemagoers to watch the film, the KOTV poster deploys teasing hermeneutics.
The high eyeline of the lead vampire suggests authority yet his upwards stare to an unknown danger prompts the audience to question what might be positioning this figure of authority to be so fearful.
On the right hand side of the screen the male who looks upward to the lead female vampire offers himself in a highly submissive way; again, prompting the audience to question how and why he has become so powerless.
Enigma codes
The use of an element within a product to create mystery or that tease the audience so that they have to read or watch more of the product to obtain narrative resolution.
Media terminology used
Pyramid composition
A film marketing design technique that places a cast in a triangular shaped composition. Character positioning relates to their importance in the narrative.
Gesture codes
Refer to stylised body actions that relate coded meanings to their readers. A thumbs up gesture for instance means 'I'm okay' - holding our hands in the air suggests submission.