VISUALIZATION OF CHARACTERS AND MEANINGS OF SIGNS IN SLEEP CALL MOVIE POSTERS: Semiotic and Dramaturgical Approaches

Abstract

Film posters often act as the first media to introduce the themes and nuances of the film to the audience, so the visuals in them are very important in forming the audience's initial expectations. This research examines how the Sleep Call film poster conveys implicit messages through the visual elements used in its design. In this research, Ferdinand de Saussure's semiotic theory is used to identify signs and signifiers that appear on posters, while Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory is used to understand how the audience might interpret and respond to the visuals displayed. Through qualitative descriptive methods, researchers will assess the extent to which the Sleep Call poster successfully reflects the film's main themes and messages, as well as how these visual elements influence the audience's views and expectations of the film's content. Research findings show that the poster design successfully aligns visual elements with the desired tone and theme, thereby increasing the audience's emotional involvement. Thus, this poster can be considered as an effective promotional medium in attracting the audience's attention as well as forming relevant perceptions of the content of the film Sleep Call.