film poster analysis
TRANSCRIPT
Film Poster Analysis
The Impossible Poster
PurposeThe purpose of this
poster is to catch the audiences eye with the powerful image, inform them of the name of the film and who is starring
in it.
ColourThe colours are very
bright and in your face, especially with the sun at the top of the poster
which seems to indicate hope in times
of extreme devastation. These
vibrant colours add to the power of the
image.
Key ImageThis powerful image attracts to the audience because of many different
factors. The shot is taken from a low angle which gives us the impression that the people are fighting through the disaster, and using each others
compassion towards each other to help them get through it. The sun that is glaring over them gives the picture a sense of hope, and makes the
image look inspirational to the audience. You can’t see any of the actors faces, this depicts how scared they all are, and that they are trying to block
out the devastation and keep their loved ones safe.
BackgroundThe background consists of
palm trees, bright sun, splashes of water and some
bits of wood. The background doesn’t play a
big role in the appeal of this poster (apart from the sun) because it is mostly about
the characters in the middle. The background
tells us it’s set in a tropical country and that it is some
sort of disaster movie judging by the water and bits of wood. Although
there is no clear indication in the background that it is a disaster movie, the blood on Ewan McGregor's arm
gets it across better.
RealismThis film is based on a true story, although most people who see this for the first time won’t realize this because it doesn’t
have the ‘based on a true story’ tagline on it. Anyway the audience would get the impression that this is a realistic film
because of the real images, and that the film is probably based on the relationship between the family, judging by the image of them clinging onto eachother, rather than being based on
huge CGI disaster sequences like films such as ‘The day after tomorrow’ & ‘2012’.
The Impossible Poster
Text ColourThe colour of the main font is black, and put on
a white see through banner so it can be seen clearly. The colour of the lead actors names
are light grey on a white background, which cannot be seen very
clearly, this is probably because the film is more about the message than
the actors.
Text FontThe font on the actors names and the title of the is fairly basic, it’s not got any stylistic
qualities, it’s just their to give you
information. The title of the film is much
larger than the actors names because it needs
to stand out more.
TaglineThere is no tagline used on this poster, they probably wanted the image to be the main
focus.
ReactionI think this poster is great, the simplicity of it really draws you in to the main image. I’ve seen this film
before and I enjoyed it, that may alter my judgment slightly but I still think I would want to find out
more after seeing it.
LayoutThe layout of this poster is simple but effective. Our eyes are drawn towards the powerful image because it’s placed in the middle. The information is placed at the bottom with the title and the actors names, this poster proves that sometimes less is
more!
Zero Dark Thirty Poster
ColoursThere’s a lot going on in terms of
colour, there are two main colours, orange & blue. These represent two different kinds of moods, the blue at the top of the poster represents calm, and the
orange at the bottom of the poster represents chaos. The reason I
say this is because there is a calm looking woman with shades on at the top, and explosions going on
at the bottom. This makes the audience think that the woman at the top is powerful and in control
of the situation.
Key ImageThere are two main images merged into one, the calm woman at the top and the chaotic explosions at the
bottom. The images represent one extreme to the
other which makes it powerful and instantly
catches the audiences eye. Like most film posters, the key image is the main focus.
BackgroundThere is no distinctive
background on this poster. It’s like everything is in the foreground, it’s different to
‘The Impossible’ poster because you cant pinpoint
exactly what is in the background. Anyway, there
is blue sky at the top and orange smoke at the bottom that merge together in the middle, and as I’ve said
before, these represent two contrasting feels, calm &
chaos.
PurposeThis poster informs you of the
name of the film, what it’s about and when it’s released. It looks as if it is an action film, judging
by the fire and helicopters.
Zero Dark Thirty PosterText Colour
They have used the colour of the title in an interesting way. Unlike
the standard block colour lettering that most posters use,
they have merged it into the main image. As you can see, the main
title includes an image of a woman that spreads across all the
words ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, I’ve never seen this before and it works very well, giving the
woman a sort of mysterious look because you can’t see all of her face. The text at the top and the tagline are both in white, these
stand out fairly well to get across the information to the audience.
The small print is not usually meant to be read so it is in a murky orange colour that fits
with the background. The red text showing ‘January 11’ stands out
well with a bright red colour against a black background, this
is a crucial bit of information that the audience want to know.
Text FontThick ‘Impact’ style fonts are
used for this poster, suitable for the genre of the film. The main title is very big, a lot bigger than the average title size on a poster, this is because it merges into the main image, it can afford to be
bigger because it’s not as noticeable. The typical thin font is used for the small print at the bottom. The information on the
top of the poster, the tagline, and date on the bottom use
more or less the same font style and size, they’re smaller than the main title because they are of less importance, however they are enough to catch the
audiences attention.
RealismThis poster is based on a true
story, there’s nothing obvious on the poster that gives that away, apart from maybe the tagline
‘The greatest manhunt in history’, which may hint some
form of realism.
Zero Dark Thirty Poster
ReactionIt seems the more you look at this poster the better it gets, you don’t notice all the clever aspects at a first glance, but when you look
into it more you realize how much thought has gone into
making it unique and attractive to the audience.Layout
Trying not to repeat myself, the layout of this poster is clever, using the calm & chaos idea
from top to bottom and using a large transparent title, it is unique and eye catching. It
doesn’t entirely stick to conventions, however it does in some places e.g. The small print and release date at the bottom and the tagline in the middle.
TaglineThe tagline ‘The greatest
manhunt in history’ hints at a true story and explains what the
film is about. We know from this that it’s an action film, and
it’s about a manhunt.
Basic Instinct PosterPurpose
The purpose of this poster is to seduce the audience with the main image and give them
information regarding the title, tagline and actors names.
ColourThe colours used on this poster are harsh, with blacks whites and reds. Having seen this film I can tell what
they are trying to do with the colours, it’s telling the story of the
film, the whites represents how seductive main female character is, the blacks and reds are saying if you get seduced by her, you are entering
into a dark place where you‘re risking your life, the evil look on her
face accentuates this.
Key ImageI would describe the main image
as ‘seductive & evil’. The expressions of the actors really make it powerful. Especially
Sharon Stone, it shows her hiding behind Michael Douglas’s
shoulder with her nails wrapped round his back like she is going to hurt him, the way she is looking straight at us is very creepy also. Michael Douglas looks terrified but seduced at the same time. The tag line accentuates this
image.
BackgroundThe background is very
simple on this poster, it is mostly white with some
black, the white represents the seduction aspect, and the black represents the
danger aspect.
RealismThis is a fictional story,
though not a fantasy story like a sci-fi. So there is an element of realism to it, if
that element of realism wasn’t their the film poster & the film wouldn’t work.
Basic Instinct PosterText Font
The main title uses quite a thin font, especially on the word ‘Instinct’. This seems to make a link to the message of the poster, the sleek
think look represents the danger, this attracts to the audience. I like how small the lettering is on the
tagline, it’s not bold and out there like the zero dark thirty poster, it’s
quietly there in small writing, and to me, that gives the poster an
element of mystique. Similarly with Michael Douglas’s name in the top
right hand corner, it’s very thin which also adds to the mysterious
feel of the poster.
Key ImageI would describe the main image as
‘seductive & evil’. The expressions of the actors really make it powerful.
Especially Sharon Stone, it shows her hiding behind Michael Douglas’s
shoulder with her nails wrapped round his back like she is going to hurt him, the way she is looking straight at us is
very creepy also. Michael Douglas looks terrified but seduced at the same
time. The tag line accentuates this image.
BackgroundThe background is very simple on this
poster, it is mostly white with some black, the white represents the seduction aspect, and the black represents the danger aspect.
Text ColourThe two colours used on the text are red and black, they represent danger and death. The color red stands out the most, notice how
Michael Douglas’s name is in red, this accentuates that he is going to be in some sort of danger during
the film.
TaglineThe tagline on this poster is very
effective, I said earlier how I liked the small font because it gives the poster an element of mystery. The words rhyme, are very concise and they sum up the
film brilliantly, there’s always something creepy about words that
rhyme when they are used in that way. I’m sure members of the audience would want to watch the film after
reading that
Basic Instinct Poster
LayoutThe layout Is an important feature
of this poster, it shows the two different moods in the film, the
seduction and the danger elements with the white and black colours. You can pick out conventional
triangle shapes within the poster, this gives it a strong composition
that attracts the audience.
ReactionThe people who designed this poster
want you to feel scared and seduced by Sharon stone, and I think it does a
brilliant job of doing that. Everything about this poster is sexy and terrifying.
The colour, facial expressions, font’s etc, all add up to it’s appeal. The majority of people would be intrigued by this poster,
and as result would want to watch the film.
Basic Instinct Poster
LayoutThe layout Is an important feature
of this poster, it shows the two different moods in the film, the
seduction and the danger elements with the white and black colours. You can pick out conventional
triangle shapes within the poster, this gives it a strong composition
that attracts the audience.
ReactionThe people who designed this poster
want you to feel scared and seduced by Sharon stone, and I think it does a
brilliant job of doing that. Everything about this poster is sexy and terrifying.
The colour, facial expressions, font’s etc, all add up to it’s appeal. The majority of people would be intrigued by this poster,
and as result would want to watch the film.