Signs that have significance in Urban Britain

The image of a hand grasping a knife can be representative of the increase in knife crime in Urban Britain. The red finish can symbolize a consequence of the knife crime; blood, which in itself is associated with death.

At a connotative level, the fact that the knife is white is almost a contradiction of itself; as white is usually associated with innocence and purity (e.g. wedding dresses, angels, etc).

The image of the wall covered in graffiti can symbolize Urban Britain's struggle - on a denotative level they're putting their controversial message on a wall, this may be a message to the government, who isn't listening - Like talking to a brick wall, literally.

Roland Barthes - Cultural Mythologies

Barthes would often interrogate pieces of cultural material to expose how society used them to assert its values upon others.
For example - Portrayal of wine in French society as a robust and healthy habit would be an ideal perception contradicted by certain realities (i.e. that wine can be unhealthy and inebriating).

Shane Meadows

"When I am not happy with my work, I am like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now."

Shane Meadows was born on the 26th December 1972 in Staffordshire. When he was younger, he enroled at a Performing Arts course at Burton College, where he first met friend and future collaborator Paddy Considine (Dead Man's Shoes) - featuring a terrifying and intricate performance from Considine.

His enthusiasm for British culture was made clear when he ranked #40 in the Telegraph's list: the 100 most powerful people in British culture. This enthusiasm is also made clear in his films such as Dead Man's Shoes (2004), Somers Town (2008), and arguably his most popular film; This Is England (2006), from which he recieved a BAFTA for Best British Film.

Shane found his passion for Short Films back in 1994 with The Cleaner (which has a running time of only 2 mins) and since then, he's never stopped directing. - During the period of 1994 and 2007, he made a total of 56 short films, each lasting from 40 seconds to 30 minutes.

The Dark Knight film poster analysis

Using Chandler's representation model

Burning Batman logo:
Reference - The building in the background looks as if it has been damaged, there is a fire on several floors cleverly revealing the Batman logo. It looks very dramatic because the contrast of burnt orange on black attracts the reader's eye.
Reception - It can be interpreted in many ways - one being that it symbolises the fall of Batman; the connotations of fire include 'danger'. Leading on from danger, the burning logo may also be seen as Batman's new enemy's warning to him. On the other hand, it may be interpreted as Batman's growing popularity with Gotham city - His logo has been branded into a sky scraper, for everyone to see, even his enemies (this could be Batman's warning to all his enemies..?) Also, the fact that the logo is on the building behind him suggests he has moral support - Metaphorically speaking, he has the whole of Gotham City behind him.
Production
The institution's choice behind the burning logo of Batman is to inform the readers that the film contains action and menace. The production team chose the bright colour of the logo to entice readers, also, to make it stand out - forcing a passer-by to sub-consciously take a mental note of it.

Menacing theme from top to bottom:
Reference - The smoke pouring from the building, the burning logo itself, the dark sky, the sparks shooting in the air, the tagline 'welcome to a world without rules' and the dark, scary-looking figure of Batman are all implications for a menacing theme.
Reception - One interpretation of the dark, menacing them of the poster is that Batman will reveal a darker side to himself in the film, which will interest the reader. This darker side may have been responsible for the destruction of the building in the background. Another interpretation of this theme is that chaos is in full swing in Gotham City, and that Batman is stuck in the middle of it (hens the positioning of him).
Production - The menacing them of the poster will interest and excite fans of the superhero, once again, it attracts readers because it is a carefully-put-together picture. The production team wanted the reader of the poster to be enticed by the exciting mise-en=scene, also for the reader to ask questions about Batman's status in the film.

Shutter Island website analysis

http://www.shutterisland.com/#/home

The use of negative space on the website draws the viewers eyes to the prominent title, the trailer on the top-right third and the animated picture of its protagonist - which glows in a candle light referring to the theme of the film - Psychological thriller.

The main colour theme is blue, which connotes water, accompanied with a light-house. The secondary colour theme is black - which connotes, in this case, mystery. Mystery, as a theme, is portrayed throughout the whole website; The protagonist is holding a lit match close to his face, the light-house reveals nothing but fog and the buildings on Shutter Island are at a slant.

The website offers viewers to 'resolve this ongoing mystery' by placing links at the bottom of the page coloured in gold - in a metaphorical sense: Treasure is placed at the bottom of the sea for the searcher to open.