Homeland is a popular TV series that is scheduled Sundays at 10pm on channel 4.
Channel 4, as an institution promote alternative views and new perspectives as well as entertainment. Many programmes from America are shown on channel 4. The diversity of the institution is celebrated through the different channels, such as; E4, 4More, 4Music and 4od where you can access programmes at any point.
Their aims consist of appealing to the interests of a culturally diverse society, to include programmes of an educational nature or value and to also demonstrate experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes. Homeland offers the combination of action and drama with the concept of political barriers that the main character Carrie must solve.
The main concept of the poster is at first the distorted picture of Brody's face. Only being able to see one half of his face, makes the audience question his identity and whether he carries secrets. The poster uses these enigma codes for the audience to question Brody's motives immediately. This could relate to the anchorage 'The Nation sees a hero. She sees a threat'. The positioning of the characters, shows Brody brought forward as Carrie looks over his shoulder, suggesting she doesn't trust him and they have some connection to each other. Her facial expressions shows her seriousness and determination. She seems to be wearing a suit blazer and little makeup. This questions her character and the stereotypical representation of women in action programmes. Usually presented as desirable women, Carrie challenges this. She isn't positioned in a provocative way or seems to have an interest in the male in the picture, apart from what seems to be only business, rather than personal.
Brody's uniform proposes a hero. This also helps to establish the genre of a thriller. We would assume as an audience he has defended America and in some way received respect for this. This also makes us question even more why Carrie sees him as a threat.
The text looks eroded and the 'e' is positioned backwards. This could suggest a change in character, causing damage. This also indicates what the narrative could involve before we have even begun to watch the programme. The idea of swapping sides links with the typography, as well as the anchorage and distorted image. The yellow text connotes happiness and warmth. However the black seeping upwards could suggest some discomfort or change to what appears to be currently stable.
The concept of 'Homeland' also allows us to relate to the idea of 'Homeland Security' - A Government department post 9/11. Alongside the name of the TV series and the poster, as an audience we can gather what the narrative will involve.
Nice analysis of the poster, well done. Try to develop some parts further, for example, make a connection between the distorted face, anchorage and the narrative expectations of the audience. You could also talk about audience positioning:
ReplyDelete"even before the show has begun, the film poster is working to position the audience to be suspicious of Brody; the backwards "E" in the title introduces "changing sides" as a narrative theme, which is supported by the words 'she sees a threat' in the tagline.
These elements combine powerfully to make the audience question Brody's motives. They are powerful 'enigma codes' that help construct the audience by drawing them into the narrative; even before the first episode, they will be questioning whether Brody is the hero that his costume suggests."