2. Utopian and Dystopian
• Utopian is a perfect, idealist world or image.
• Dystopian relating to or denoting an imagined place or state in which
everything is unpleasant or bad.
• Kiss of the vampire is a dystopian as it is an unpleasant image as
people are pictured being killed, and suffering.
3. Product context / Cultural context
• The vampire and bats are used in this product to show that the film is
a horror film which involves the mythical creature and he is the main
character. (protagonist)
• Women in the era of which this film was made (1963) were portrayed
as weaker and vulnerable. Women who would watch this film would
be afraid as they are the main target and possibly want to watch it as
the woman were dressed in fashionable clothes and high heels.(figure
hugging clothes.)
4. Representation of Gender, Race and Age
• It shows women as being vulnerable and weak as on the poster they seem
almost powerless to the protagonist, they are also young this shows that
they are also more vulnerable and would bring in a bigger audience as they
are more attractive.
• The protagonist is a white young male, this stereotypes men as being
strong, especially in there younger age and that they are more dominant
than women, at the time and more feared. He is also young as this is a
stereotype of when men are in their ‘peak’, strongest and most athletic.
• Also all the characters are white, as in the 1960’s it was a lot more racist
than it is now, so people wouldn’t want to see black actors.
5. Semiotics
• The semiotics in this poster are:
• The bats in the poster represent the vampire as vampires turn into
bats, it also shows that the bats are evil creatures as they are attack
the women.
• Setting: it is set in the night symbolling a more eerie scene, and shows
that the bats come out of a night and turn to vampires to attack.
• The woman: shown as hurt, scared and vulnerable as one is
unconscious and the other is under attack from a bat.
6. Objectification of women
• In this poster the women are shown as vulnerable and weak, they are
wearing very bold clothes that were very revealing in the 1960’s when
this poster was made, which would make males want to go and watch
the film.
• The women are almost objects as well as being considered as weak
compared to the male.
7. Conventions
• Use of colour: The red on the V of vampire shows how the vampire is
drawing blood showing it is a horror film. The bats are also black
which shows they are evil and mysterious.
• Bullet points and Lists: It bullet points and lists the characters and
directors.
• The heading is very big and bold making it stand out and eye catching.
• Buzz word: Kiss was a buzz word in the 1960’s.
• Serif is used in the heading to represent blood.
• Secondary image: is a castle in the background.
8. Gauntletts theory of representation
• The media show women with a certain image and men with a certain
image.
• The poster shows this by showing women as vulnerable and weak, as
well as just objects for men.
• It shows men as being strong and independent as well as stronger
and more bold than women.
9. Codes and Convections
• The women's dress codes is short, outgoing and revealing to grab attention
of men.
• The Protagonist is in all black with bold red on a jet back geled hair, with
sharp teeth to show he’s a vampire.
• The gesture code is women as being vulnerable and afraid, as there body
language shows them cowering and being afraid.
• The Gesture code of the vampire, is mysterious as he is almost creeping up
on the women.
• The Vampire shows it’s a horror as it is mythical evil creature, the dark
background also portrays it as horror film as it is mysterious and eerie. The
blood on the poster also shows us it is a horror.
10. Structuralism-Binary opposition(Levi Strauss)
• The women are presented as weak, vulnerable and innocent showing
that they are the good and innocent.
• Were as the male protagonist is presented as strong, evil and
mysterious showing that he is the evil and bad in this poster.
• This is the idea of structuralism how it shows opposites as one good
and the other bad.
