How do you analyse a film poster?

Firstly I would teach students the difference between denotation and connotation- denotation being the physical contents of the poster, (colour, composition, text etc. ), connotation being the assumptions or connections we make with these physical components, that are not directly displayed on the poster, but implied by its denotative content. I would ask the student to first look at the denotation of the poster. What colours are there? Who is in the poster, (actors, females/ males, children/ adults etc.)? What does the text say? How large is each component of the poster? Once we have answered these questions together, I would then ask them to consider WHY these components of the poster, (or, in media terms, 'signs of the text') are the way that they are.What do these colours make you think of? What are these colours associated with? What does the text say? Why? Do the colours and the words work together to create one message/ idea, or do they contrast each other?Are some actors or images on the poster, larger than the others? What reasons could there be for this?
After attempting to answer these questions, I would then ask them to consider the poster in terms of the wider cultural and social conditions it was created in- what country was this film made in? Who was the target audience of the film? What year was this film released and how do the cultural conditions of that year effect the marketing of the film?
After answering these, I would then explain to them, that to analyse a film poster, one must consider both the denotation of the poster, the connotation of the poster and the possible reasons why the makers of the poster wanted to portray these connotations in this way- political messages, economic motivations, societal constraints etc.
I would conclude by reminding the student that to analyse a film poster, or any media text, using semiotics, it is best to use a bottom- up approach- start with the basic components of the text and question why and how they are used.