semiotics- a single man, analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aypyJtHzC70 - follow the link to view trailer

Studying this film trailer, there a lot of signs and symbols from aspects of the footage that are extremely frequent, and play a massive role throughout the film.

Our first image is of a naked man drowning, the nudity and surroundings is what signifies and portrays messages that signify traits of disturbed, lost and weak. Within the first few seconds of the trailer we know as much as that this film primarily focuses on a single man, weak and lost. In fact, there are a few references to water throughout this trailer, decoding their meanings, water can be seen as freshening and also portray cleanliness, but alongside the harsh, strong classical music(original piece by Abel Korzeniowski) and the constant ticking noise (representing a clock), we are confronted with time, and frustration. In this case, water with this particular context, suggests a series of negative meanings. Time and purpose strung together with this man's life seem to be an issue.

Throughout the trailer there is a mass of mixed emotions throughout the majority of the trailer, snapshot images of things that connote danger, depression (guns, miserable chore of fixing your tie in the morning), to other signifiers that signify love, passion, happiness (roses, smiles, kissing). It could be argued that this trailer introduces viewers into the world of this 'single man', as being him, metaphorically, falling. The colour also changes as the different images change. The roses are a bright, intense red colour, with a much higher contrast and saturation as appose to the far more dull look other images (guns) have. It is made clear how important colour is by studying an extract from (Barthes, Roland (1977): Image-Music-Text. London: Fontana), 'its signifier is the bringing together of the tomato, the pepper and the tricoloured hues (yellow, green, red) of the poster; its signified is Italy, or rather Italianicity.' This shows how effective colours can become, in this case, the three colours red, yellow and green represent Italy and therefore connote Italianicity which could authenticate the product itself. Referring back to the trailer, the intense bright red colour of the roses seems to express their love, passion far better than if they were a duller, less bold, red.

The constant reference of him drowning easily communicates this, with the footage flipping back and fourth, from happy to sad connotes confusion, ultimately the result of our final image, what appears to be Colin Firth's lover in the film. His motion and orange/brown colouring suggests warmth, reassurance and a sense of hospitality. This could be what the drowning man is drowning for?