Transformers Movie Poster

Analysis of Media Text #2
Analyse Media Text Using the Media Triangle

Transformers 2 Movie Poster

Media Triangle:TEXT:



The media text in this example is a movie poster advertising the coming of "Transformers 2". It states that in the movie the audience will see more alien robots, bigger explosions and most importantly much more Megan Fox. The dominant message is that if you like Megan Fox you have to come and see this movie. Obviously, woman are being stereotyped in this poster as sexual objects, much like the robots, for the amusement and pleasure of men. The picture of Megan Fox is larger than any of the other images in the poster and most of her breasts are exposed. While I know it is wrong, the honest truth is that the poster does appeal to me because of how sexy Megan Fox appears.



AUDIENCE:



This brings us to the intended audience. The target audience is heterosexual men and boys who enjoyed the first movie and would like to see more of the same (except with "even more" Megan Fox). Women and girls are not in any way the intended audience. While the male movie star is in the poster, he is very small in comparison and there is no reference to him in the headline. The text appeals to its audience by stating and showing exactly what it plans to offer (robots, explosions and Megan Fox). She is presented with exaggerated lips and a great deal of her breasts exposed. The assumption that the text makes is that the target audience (men) objectify women or at the very least have fantasies about objectifying women as sex objects.



PRODUCTION:



This poster was produced by Paramount with the purpose of advertising for the up coming sequal to the original Transformers movie. The poster must have been designed and created by a printing company. It does not look like a "real" photo of the characters directly from the movie but a drawing of the two characters, the explosion, and the robot. Women and girls might be negatively affected by this text because it perpetuates the distorted image of woman as merely sexual objects. To be fair to the producers of the poster, the above poster is not the one shown in theatres here in Toronto. The poster below, with greater emphasis on the robots (appealing to the young boys), is the one I have seen advertising the movie.