SEMIOTIC ASPECTS IN “TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVE BEFORE” MOVIE POSTER

Dwi Nitisari

Universitas Gunadarma, Dwi_nitisari@staff.gunadarma.ac.id

ABSTRACT

The aims of this research are to find out verbal and non-verbal signs which are found in the movie poster titled “To All the Boys I’ve

Loved Before” and to find out the meaning of verbal and non-verbal signs of this movie poster. This research is analyzed using

Saussure’s about signs. The method of this research is qualitative method because the data of this research are in words and pictures not

in numbers. The result showed that the verbal sings found in this research namely title, sub title, font size, internet sites, movie maker,

institution logo, and the date of release. The result also showed that some non-verbal found in this research namely picture, color,

position, and the poster background. All signs reflected that this movie poster is included to romantic’s movie.

Keywords: Semiotic, sign, movie poster.

INTRODUCTION

Advertising is any kind of media used to inform people about something important, which is normally intended to inform people

to do something or buying a certain product. One of the division of advertising media is “Movie Poster”. Movie poster is still an

incredibly important part of film’s marketing technique. The aim of a movie poster is to gain interest in a movie, an effective way to

distribute a movie in a wider range of locations, and movie poster can also give us important information about the production context

of the movie. There are different forms of language used in advertisement. According to Gilson and Berkman (1986) define

advertisements as the persuasive media of communication to help companies achieve marketing objectives. To meet this need,

companies should make the best advertisement with the most suitable language style.

This study analyzed the semiotic signs used in movie poster advertisement using Saussure theories. Semiotic study can analyze

not only written and spoken language but can also analyze visual element of the advertisement. The focuses of this study is to analyze

the semiotic signs and the messages conveyed by verbal and visual signs, especially in “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” Movie

Poster, which has a very amazing story and based on the New York Times Best-seller. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movie poster

also has much semiotic signs which can be analyzed in this study, which should know the meaning of the semiotic signs in this poster

such as the meaning of color, the verbal and visual aspect, etc.

By analyzing the movie poster, this study can reveals that the function of the sign in each movie poster is to illustrate and guide

the audience about the story of the film. The connotation is made based on the relation of the movie poster and the story along the

movies. The date of the release of the film stands out, it is very important for advertisement purposes that the audience can know when

they will be able to see the film.

a. Saussure’s Semiotics Theory

Saussure treated language as a sign-system, and his work in linguistics supplied the concepts and methods that semioticians

applied to sign-systems other than language. One such basic semiotic concept is Saussure’s distinction between the two inseparable

components of a sign: the signifier, which in language is a set of speech sounds or marks on a page, and the signified, which is the

concept or idea behind the sign. Saussure also distinguished parole, or actual individual utterances, from langue, the underlying system

of conventions that makes such utterances understandable; it is this underlying langue that most interests semioticians.

b. Theory of color term by Wierzbicka

Wierzbicka’s natural prototypes are instrumental in the initial construction of their color categories, but they also remain present

as “cognitive anchors” for the semantics of those categories (Wiezbicka 1996:332). They are revealed in a language’s use of metaphors,

set phrases and sayings which indicate a conscious or sub-consious connection with a natural phenomenon; for example, ‘he’s green’

meaning ‘immature’ or ‘inexperienced’, is appropriate to vegetation, the suggested prototype of the color green. Wierzbicka

distinguishes a prototype from an exemplar or model; for example, charcoal and soot are exemplars of black, but the prototype is night.

RESEARCH METHOD

The data in this study were taken from a poster advertisement entitled “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before”. It was published

by the Wikipedia on id.wikipedia.org. The method used in collecting data in this study was library research. The data collected through

some steps. The first step was by downloading the advertisement from the sites on the internet, second by observing the verbal message

which was applied on the text on the poster advertisement. Third, by observing the visual messages from the advertisement such as

color, shape, etc. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively based on the theory of semiotics. The semiotic theory

by Saussure (1974) was used to analyze the signified and signifier of signs in this poster advertisement. In analyzing the meaning of

color term, the theory proposed by Anna Wierzbicka (1996) was used.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The result of this research showed that verbal and non-verbal signs which are found in this movie poster namely:

a. The Analysis of Verbal Elements To All The Boys I‘ve Loved Before Poster

No. Verbal Elements Signifier Signified

1. Headline

“To All The Boys I’ve Loved

Before” text is a signifier of the

movie title with the same text.

The phrase “ To All The Boys I’ve

Loved Before” was the boys that

Lara Jean (as main character) once

liked. Lara Jean Covey is a

sixteen-year-old half-Korean,

half-white girl living in Virginia.

She is extremely close to her older

sister Margot and younger sister

Kitty. Lara Jean keeps love letters

to all the boys she has ever loved

in a teal hatbox given to her by her

late mother who died by a head

injury when Lara Jean was just 9.

One night, while hanging out

with her little sister, Kitty, Lara

Jean falls asleep on the couch,

allowing Kitty to sneak into her

room and find her collection of

letters then Kitty send those letters

to all the boys that Lara Jean loved

before.

2. Sub Headline

a.) A NETFLIX FILM

b.) THE LETTERS ARE OUT

a.) The sub headline that

placed over the headline is

“A NETFLIX FILM” it

means that Netflix Film is

a production company

of To All The Boys I’ve

Loved Before movie.

b.) The phrase “The Letters

Are Out” on this poster is

the cause of the problem

that Lara Jean has to face.

Because the letters those

she kept in her box was

disappear.

3. Body Copy

a.) Based On The New York

Times Best-Seller

b.) AUGUST 17 NETFLIX

a.) The meaning of body

copy in this poster is to

advertise the movie. The

meaning of this body copy

is how the filmmaker

emphasize that the movie

is based on the New York

Times Best-Seller so it’s

mean that the movie or the

story of this movie will be

interesting.

b.) The meaning of body

copy in this poster is to

advertise the movie. The

purpose of advertising the

movie is to attract the

viewers, and can also be

seen by the release date of

the movie in August 17

that will be presented in

Netflix.

No. Non-Verbal Elements Signifier Signified

1. Illustrations

a.) Character Analysis

a.) Character Analysis

The girl (Lara Jean)

b.) Decoration analysis

The love form

background with

some icons and

some names.

The Paper

background

a.) Character Analysis

The girl who is quite large

and positioned in the middle

of the layout shows her

representation as the main

character in the film. Her

name is Lara Jean. She also

wearing an outfit that

represent that she is a

teenager.

b.) Decoration analysis

This background

represent about the love

letters which Lara write

for. The name are

consist in the

background (John,

Peter, Kenny, Lucas,

Josh) are the man who

received Lara’s love

letter. The decoration

b.) Decoration analysis

(cupcakes, bicycle,

camp, etc) means the

memories of Lara and

the boys had.

This background means

about the paper that

Lara Jeans usually use

for write the letters.

2. Typography

a.)

a.) The font type used to write

the headline and the names

a.) Typography type of script

has the appearance like a

handwriting so that it

b.)

in the background in this

movie poster is Script.

b.) The font type used to write

the sub headline in this

movie poster is Serif.

creates a personal and

familiar impression. The

headline words and the

names in the background

was really personal for Lara,

because the letters she wrote

and the boys she loved was

kept confidential.

b.) Serif font is a letter with a

hooked tip. This letter was

very popular before the 19th

century. Because the letter is

based on the ancient

handwriting that has a

classic, elegant and formal

impression.

3. Color impression

a.) White Color

b.) Pink Color

c.) Blue Color

a.) White Color

b.) Pink Color

c.) Blue Color

a.) White is often associated

with feeling clean or

hygienic and clinical. White

can also make a product look

clear and clean. Like a

canvas, the use of white

tends to be like colourless, so

that every colour above the

white becomes prominent

because white acts as light.

This movie using white color

is for represent the common

color of letter.

b.) The color pink is the color

of universal love of oneself

and of others. Pink

represents friendship,

affection, harmony, inner

peace, and approachability.

So, this is means about the

Lara Jean’s romantic story.

c.) Blue in general can be

associated with intelligence

1.

2.

and logic. So, it has the

meaning of Lara's mindset

or logic in her life.

CONCLUSION

Based on the foregoing analysis poster advertisement entitled “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” movie poster, There were

two aspects which formulated in this poster. They are verbal and non-verbal. The verbal signs consist of three elements and the Non-

Verbal signs consist of three elements. From verbal analysis we can know that the movie is based on The New York Times Best-Seller

and produce by Netflix. From non-verbal analysis we can know the genre of this movie is romance. The movie poster used the semiotical

signs by both verbal and visual aspects which have some important purposes, such as: to give some information for people about signs

in order to know the messages of signs in the posters

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Juliantari, Ni Luh Putu. 2014. “Semiotic Analysis of The Conjuring Movie Poster Advertisement”. Denpasar. Faculty of Letters.

Udayana University.

Isfandiyary, Farah Hanum (2017) The Aspects Of Semiotics Using Barthes’s Theory On A Series Of Unfortunate Events Movie

Poster. Undergraduate Thesis, Diponegoro University.

Gems, Emily. 2003. Colour Meaning. Urbana: United States.

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_All_the_Boys_I%27ve_Loved_Before_(film)

Perpustakaan Universitas Gunadarma BARCODE

BUKTI UNGGAH DOKUMEN PENELITIANPERPUSTAKAAN UNIVERSITAS GUNADARMA

Nomor Pengunggahan

SURAT KETERANGANNomor: 141/PERPUS/UG/2020

Surat ini menerangkan bahwa: Nama Penulis : Dwi NitisariNomor Penulis : 090910Email Penulis : dwi_nitisari@staff.gunadarma.ac.idAlamat Penulis : Jl. H. M Degel Amin No.44A

Telah menyerahkan hasil penelitian/ penulisan untuk disimpan dan dimanfaatkan di Perpustakaan Universitas Gunadarma,dengan rincian sebagai berikut : Nomor Induk : FSB/SA/PENELITIAN/141/2020Judul Penelitian : SEMIOTIC ASPECTS IN “TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVE BEFORE” MOVIE POSTERTanggal Penyerahan : 21 / 12 / 2020

Demikian surat ini dibuat untuk dipergunakan seperlunya dilingkungan Universitas Gunadarma dan Kopertis Wilayah III.

Dicetak pada: 02/03/2021 22:14:53 PM, IP:103.155.156.10 Halaman 1/1