Analysis Of Two Skins Posters

Denotation & Connotation (Poster 1)

• Red nail varnish: The girls in poster are wearing red nail varnish, this symbolises lust which is quite convenient as they are displaying scenes of a sexual nature. It may also represent danger, showing their rebellious and hazardous ways in which they are capable of.


• Bedroom setting: The fact that the poster has been set in a bedroom, represents the ways in which the teenager think. It shows how they mostly think about sex and revolve their lives around it. It seems as though this is all they feel they can do with their time.


• Ripped wallpaper: Again, the fact that the wallpaper in the bedroom has been ripped off represents their disobedient and defiant ways. It displays the teenagers in a negative manner as they have no regard for property and the things around them.


• Rizla type title: The title on the poster reads ‘Skins…’ This has been presented to look as though it is a rizla (used to roll drugs). This shows the audience how the teenagers show a deep interest in drugs, although this is wrong, it seems as though it is made to look right or maybe “cool”.


• Little clothing: The teenagers are dressed in nothing but their underwear. This promotes their promiscuous and care-free ways. It also represents another aspect of their lives, again referring to sex.


• Lighting in the corner: The lighting in the right corner of the poster is quite significant. It shows the audience how a teenager has been excluded from the group. This is one of the first areas I noticed when analysing this poster. I feel it highlights this area because it wants to shows how inconsiderate and nasty these teenagers can be when it come to only caring for themselves and leaving others out.

Conclusion

The first ‘Skins’ poster that we are presented with displays the teenagers in a very promiscuous, careless and immoral manner. The majority characters (teenagers) in the poster are lying besides one another on the floor of a bedroom displaying scenes of sexual nature. The bedroom wallpaper has been pulled off and ruined; this displays their disobedient and rebellious personalities and how they have no regard for property and only care for themselves. The all seem to promote negative attitudes in the poster, appearing quite inconsiderate and not worrying about how they are presenting themselves. They are dressed in nothing but underwear, again displaying their promiscuous and care-free behaviour. The girls in the poster are wearing red nail varnish, I feel the colour red symbolises the lust in which they are displaying in the poster yet it can also represent the danger which is yet to come as a result of their immoral habits. In the right hand corner of the poster a lamp lights up one of the teenage characters. When analysing this poster this area especially captures your attention, it shows how the teenager has not been included and presents him in a friendless and lonely manner. This shows another cruel and wicked side to the teenagers as they feel it may be ‘funny’ to make fun of or exclude other people. The title on the poster, reading “Skins…” appears to look as though it has been made out of a rizla (used to roll drugs). This shows the teenagers interest and intake in drugs, even though this is not a positive habit or thing to do, they still continue to do it which again shows them in a disobedient and care-free manner. I don’t feel this is a realistic portrayal of teenagers. I feel it is quite disturbing to think that they are representing teenagers of today as not every teenager acts in this way. It may however represent a small minority of teenagers as many teenagers obviously do experiment with drugs, they do have sex and they have also, at one point in lives been destructive. However, this doesn’t mean that even these teenagers do nothing with their time, they may have jobs, constructive hobbies and an actually life that doesn’t revolve completely around sex and drugs. Therefore I don’t feel that this poster is believable, it seems as though they have created this poster based on the unconstructive and negative representation of teenagers caused by the media.
Many people observing this poster may build different responses and opinions. Some of the audience may feel that perhaps it is an accurate representation of teenagers today as again; the media have created a negative representation of teenagers. Other members of the audience may however feel that these representations that have been made are good as other teenager can see what is right and wrong, helping them build a positive life for themselves.
This Skins poster was banned as it was not thought to be appropriate or suitable for the people of the public to see. I’m sure many parents and guardians would want their children to watch this program as to the poster glorifies sex, drugs and destructive behaviour. I feel many people, both adults and other teenagers may find this poster offensive and distasteful as it is representing teenagers in a shocking and negative manner, other teenagers may feel quite angry as they know that they do not behave in this way and neither do many other teenagers in society. Many adults (parents) will also have not taken a liking to this poster as they would not want their children to be watching it as it is glorifying an immoral and negative lifestyle. They may not want their children to feel as though it is “cool” to do these things are feel as though they should act in the same way.

Denotation & Connotation (Poster 2)

• Paint splats: The colour splats of paint that have been included on the poster could represent the teenager’s personalities being quite fun, entertaining and happy. It could also possible represent an interest in something, not necessary art but maybe some creative and positive.


• Graffiti: On the poster there is graffiti on the walls behind the teenagers, however this doesn’t come across to the audience as something destructive or immoral like the behaviour in the first poster. It makes you realise they are still just teenagers and seems as though it was done in a harmless and undisruptive manner.


• Colourful clothes: All the teenagers, unlike the first poster are all dressed head to toe in clothing. This clothing stands-out and works well to catch the audiences’ attention. They are all dressed in different colours, again representing their personalities and how they are most probably extremely fun and out-going. The teenagers are also displaying positive attitudes as they are all happy, joyful and smiling!


• Polaroid images: The poster has also incorporated Polaroid images at the bottom of the poster. It is as like all of the teenagers share a very close friendship and it displays all of their times together. This represents the teenagers in a pleasant and friendly way as it seems they show a deep care and concern for one another.


• Title ‘Skins’: The title on this poster has been created to look very simple and basic, yet also quite bold. Unlike the other poster, it hasn’t been made to look as though it is a rizla! The colour purple has been used, this colour represent a unisex vibe to the program, as it possibly centres on both boys and girls.

Conclusion

The poster for Skins is extremely different to the first poster I analysed; it displays a broad variation of colour causing it to become very bright and attractive. The wide use of colour possible represents their cheerful, fun and positive personalities and attitudes. It also, in a weird way makes the graffiti on the walls look as though it is acceptable, when looking at the poster it is most probably the last thing the audience will identify as people will be paying more attention to the teenagers as the poster doesn’t really focus on the graffiti. Paint splats have also been used on the edges of the poster, this is a positive feature compared to the other aspects used on the first poster, for example the ripped wallpaper and the rizla paper. The paint splats could possibly again represent their fun and entertaining behaviour and maybe also a creative and imaginative side to them. I do feel that this is a positive representation of teenagers today as it presents them to the audience in a positive light. In some ways I do feel that the poster comes across as being believable. One of the reasons why I feel this is because I know there are teenagers in society who would not at all be considered ‘angels’ but they do have high expectations for their life ahead of them and are quite sensible with the actions. I don’t think any people of society could find this poster promoting the Skins program offensive. I, as a teenager feel that is displays and presents the teenagers in a cheerful, encouraging and positive light and prefer this poster to the first poster I analysed.