Barthes Narrative and film trailers

Roland Barth has 2 codes, which relate to how media texts are perceived.
His first theory, is the 'enigma code'. This is the theory that every text (e.g. posters, films, tv etc...) implies a question, which draws the audience into the piece by curiosity.

For example, this movie poster features 3 different characters; two of which, are hidden. This creates many questions, like 'how are they?' and 'what do they have to do with the main character or the plot?'
The name of the film; 'gone' is also vague, as we don't know who is gone or where.
These mysteries show that the plot is mysterious and riddled with twists and revelations; thus making it seem like an entertaining film.





Barth's second code is called the 'culture code'. This links to the stereotypes that the media uses, to familiarise audiences with particular places and people. Culture is an important aspect in media, as it can affect the behaviour of characters and create obstacles in the film's storyline.

For example, this is the poster for the film; 'ill manors' - a crime drama depicting the lives of people living in the worst parts of England.
The main character is wearing tracksuits, as he holds a gun, whilst standing in front of a grey city. The culture of this place is represented as miserable and dangerous in this poster; which reflects the way in which most people view council estates.





                                              
This is the trailer for the mystery thriller; Shutter Island.
It is a film about 2 detectives investigating a criminal who is situated in an asylum for the criminally insane. There are many mysteries within this trailer, like who the criminal is, what the asylum is hiding and how he got away with his crimes.
This complicated plot is enticing because it seems packed with interesting characters, clever games and revelations.
For my trailer, I think that the plot should be a bit of a puzzle to keep it interesting and to create a goal to work towards. Aimlessly trying to defeat a number of creatures is entertaining, but not entirely interesting. Audiences are sick of clichés; they want something different and intelligent to watch. Horror movies that have creatures and curses (which is my idea) also have conspiracies. For example, in a movie with a haunted object, the characters would try to find out about the object's origins. 

This is the trailer for 'Bend it Like Beckham'. It follows Barthe's culture code, as it portrays negative stereotypes of strict Indian families and sexism in sport. These two factors get in the way of a girl's dream to be a professional footballer.
Culture based narratives are somewhat realistic, but their portrayal of certain groups can be negative and biased. This can lead to people having poor and ignorant opinions on certain cultures.
My trailer isn't going to have any racial stereotypes because the storyline won't have anything to do with culture. The characters in my video will just represent an average, middle class family.