Analysis of Generic film posters

Poster Research Pt. 1

Ethan Scott
THE HENLEY COLLEGE A2 MEDIA PPORTFOLIO
The film poster for the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls instantly communicates the genre and plot to the viewer through the composition of the images in the poster. The high-key lighted
main image of the poster is Lindsay Lohan (who plays Cady Heron in the film) in the left third foreground of the poster: Showing Lindsay Lohan as the protagonist because her
picture is the largest along with being in the front. Viewers can get a sense of the films theme by Lindsay Lohan essentially watching her back from the mean girls (antagonists)
suggesting that Lindsay will be under some sort of encounter/attack with the mean girls. This is heightened by Lindsays character wearing a darker shade of pink (almost red t-shirt)
signifying her danger. This is in comparison to the clique pink outfits, over sexualised poses of the mean girls. The genre of the film can be communicated through the over posed body
the plastics
language via conveying a parody of the attitude
stereotypically found in teens, suggesting that its Actors names on a film poster are used as a selling
both a teen and a comedy film. point to the viewers. Lindsay Lohans name is one out
of the two actresses names on the poster and hers is
The film title is meant to resonate in the minds of the largest. It has clearly shown that Lindsay is the
the viewers and give them clues on the plot of the top billing actor mainly because of her credentials as
film. The typography of the film title is in a sans serif, a well-known child actress. Tina Fey is known for her
pink, capital text, clear and concise bold font: This is TV credentials on shows such as 30 Rock and The
supposed to be metaphorical to the concept of Mean Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; but she also wrote the
Girls. The mean in the title is the boldest word on screenplay for the film also giving her notoriety to be
the entire poster reflecting the actual meaning of the on the film poster.
word, bold, harsh, and in your face showing how the
film will emphasise on this element of teen drama. The billing-block has been put across
horizontally down and this was useful because then it
did not look inconvenient and fitted with the
structure and the layout of the film poster. The
names of the other actresses have been put and think
The bold highlighting of text within the poster is used
that this fits well with the theme of the film and the
to bring forth the important features (i.e. release
overall genre. The films
date, film concept and actors). The configuration of
distribution/production/exhibition company is
the Mean Girls film title is not a typicality of film
Paramount pictures, indicating that immediately, the
posters. It happens to be vertical and placed between
film is of high budget from a Hollywood company
the left and middle third of the poster. This is because
(much like the Scream film poster) the images are the
The tagline watch your back is not only ironic as
focal point of the poster rather than the text,
Lindsay is facing directly away from the possy with
although, the text does aid the theme that the film
her back facing them, but the term is also a colloquial
studio is trying to convey.
term used by teenagers as a way of saying watch out
therefore appealing to the target audience and
setting a clear indication of the genre.

The colour scheme is mainly consisted of light/placid colours this is effective because it displays a soft and gentle nature stereotypically associated with femininity. The different
shades of purple used in the text make it look eye catching and fits well with the genre of film; the purple-pink mid-tone colouring of the film title links in with the genre of the movie
being a chick flick that includes a lot of bitching - as pink and bright purples are associated with youth and femininity, specifically adolescent females.
For the film poster, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013 sequel to The Hunger Games) we are immediately greeted by the captivating main image of Katniss Everdeen (played
by Jennifer Lawrence), the protagonist holding a bow and arrow. The powerful image takes up most of the front cover to show her importance in the film/story line. Her face is oblique
left/almost profile to extenuate her jaw line and make her face shape more prominent to exaggerate her strength in the photo and portray that into her character. Despite the more
profile angle of her face, she is looking directly into the lens of the camera, implying that she is looking directly at you hunting us and we are her target, which will attract peoples
attention. Unlike the other film posters analysed, there isnt a single
actors name on the film poster. This is most likely
due to the buzz that Jennifer Lawrence was getting at
A large part of a film poster is the title of the film. The the time of the films release, haven been in a plethora of
film title for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is other films: Therefore, her name on the poster would
very eye catching and prominent and stands out probably be an off put to some passer-bys so the film
against the background/main image of the poster. studios just let the main image do the selling (typical
convention of film posters)

The billing block at the bottom of the poster in very

small writing is the cast and crew of the film, who film
companies, directors, screenplay etc. produce it. It is in
The writing is in gold letters that darken at the edges very small writing because it is important by it is not
to give it an almost 3D effect, reinforces the text and compulsory to read and does not want to distract from
makes it visible to a passer-by. the main image (marketing centrepiece).

Remember who the enemy is this is a very thought

provoking and powerful tagline as it seems like the
protagonist is aiming at her enemy (or audience). It is also
telling her to be cautious.
The gold letters represent importance, success and At the bottom of the poster, it tells us the release date of
status, depicting to the viewer that the film will focus the film. This is important so the audience knows when
on some sort of reward: This reward is used they are going to see the film.
metaphorically in the form of catching fire the fire is
the reward and will be attained by Katniss.

The colour scheme is predominantly orange, warm colours conveying vibrancy and action. Although vibrant, the colours used are very dark reds, oranges, blacks and gold's.
The red represents danger and aggression; it is a very noticeable colour. The black signifies something darker and dangerous; it also allows the other colours used to stand out more.
The oranges mixed with red replicate fire, symbolising destruction and chaos. The decision to use these colours that symbolise danger, anger and rage; is to convey the strength,
passion and overall determination Katniss will have fighting in The Hunger Games.
The film poster for the 1996 thriller Scream is predominantly the main image, which takes up around 80% of the advertisement. This is to attract the attention of any passer-bys.
The film studio (Dimension films) has clearly used the image - a close-up shot of a woman with a frightful facial expression, bleak complexion and clad with a hand over her mouth as
symbolic codes to convey the ominous and mysterious narrative of the film: This is to bring depth to the low-key lighting and black and white shot conventions; commonly found in the
thriller genre. The film studio has definitely made it clear what the genre of the film is and have given an indication as to what is going to happen in the film.

The film title is essential on a film advertisement so The main actors in the film are displayed below the
that people know what the film is called, in order to find film title in a serif font in a capital text. A film with a
out more information about it. well know cast is set to show all their main actors in an
equal size and space on the poster as a selling point.
A convention of a film title is to be adhesive: This is done
This tactic applies to directors as well but because it is a
by giving the viewer clues aesthetics within the title
NEW thriller, it is not a selling point so it is thriller
that inclines on the plot of the film. This feature causes
genre iconography in the form mainly as the main
the poster to stand out from any other film posters that
image. Therefore, director is visible has credentials in
may be around it.
thriller but not a big text. That is why it is at the bottom
The typography of the Scream film title is in a sans serif of the poster.
white font, with the middle of the letter M in the title
Between the cast names and the directors intro the
consisting of a jagged edged dip. Along with these
one of the most important parts of a film poster is all
features, the composition of the title is spread out with
spaced letters. The sharp M is meant to convey on the billing-block which contains the name of
something sharp that in turn would make someone the director, producers, actors, soundtrack, production
scream - a knife. The white colouring of the title is company, screenplay, and much more, as well as the
meant to symbolise isolation, caution and hostility, the rating, a website link to find out more and sometimes
feelings the characters of the film will face when images of the production companies of the film. The
experiencing paranoia of who the killer. The spaced out information on posters is very small, so attention is not
letters along with the colour implies equality and diverted from the image and other parts of the poster.
uniformity representing their status within the film: The
In film trailers, posters and other promotions,
characters all have equal chances of being killed.
taglines are used within them all to emphasise a
The configuration (mise-en-scene) of the Scream film point about a film as well as hint to what will happen in
title is at the lower quarter of the poster. This is to let the the film for audiences. Taglines aim to be memorable
image, do the talking. The title is meant to be for audiences, so that when they think of the tagline,
simultaneous with the main image almost like a clue to they think of the film: Someone has taken their love of
the image. The hand over the mouth suggests a typical scary movies one step too far. Solving this mystery is
thriller convention of the protagonist in the mercy of the going to be murder. It indicates its going to be scary
antagonist causing them to scream . than any other recent film that involves killing

The hostile and mundane colour scheme communicates negative emotions and occurrences. The heavy shadows of black conveys Intimidation, unfriendliness, evilness and
death. White depicts uniformity and caution whilst the blue in her eyes (and on the small print) shows mystery and deceit. The use of colours and connotations on a film poster is very
important to sell the film and really give the viewer an insight as to what they could possibly be watching.
The 2001 Thriller/Drama The Beach is a hybrid genre of film and its film poster can be seen displaying conventions of both Drama and Thriller films. The film poster for The Beach
corresponds to the Scream film poster having the main image be the centrepiece for their poster for marketing. This is to communicate a strong sense of mystery so that the viewer is
left to infer the meaning of the poster as there is not much text to support it. The main image is of Leonardo DiCaprio, (who plays Richard) who has acted in a plethora of Drama/Thriller
films (e.g. Romeo + Juliet, The Titanic, Marvins Room and Shutter Island). The low-key lighted oblique image transforms Leonardo into an enigma as the shadows of his face display a dark
hidden thing amongst a high-key background. The image further conveys the Drama and Thriller convention of solidarity and one mans perspective. The lack of clothing suggests he is
placed in an unknown environment. The poster gives not much away so the image is relied upon to learn more about the film leaving the viewer intrigued to want to watch.
Text Well know actor, of small cast at the top. Top

The film title and strapline of the actors name are

The typography of The Beach film title is in a serif probably as noticeable as each other are, but their
(easy to read) light-blue font that matches the sea in the placement with the actors face between them
background. The size and spacing of the film title is not encourages the viewer to take notice of the poster as a
as spacious and eye-catching as both the Scream and whole, rather than just the title or just the actors
Mean Girls but uses the mise-en-scene (which is name billing actor making clear for the view that high
essentially a beach in the background) so that the quality acting. Above the film title is another marketing
image/scenery is relied upon, to learn more about the technique to allure all the fans of a successful film
film. Trainspotting: From the director of Trainspotting.

The configuration of The Beach film title is at the lower

A tagline is also featured beneath the film title:
fifth of the poster. This is to let the image, do the talking.
Somewhere on this planet it must exist combining
The title is meant to be simultaneous with the mise- ambiguity and strong themes such as innocence to
en-scene almost like a clue to the image. create a sincere tone that is not used for family or
comedy films, so this is an aid to display the genre of
the film without being direct.
All of the text is level as well, and does not contradict
the stance of the character who is facing a different
angle. This makes it much more tidy and easy on the The billing-block text is featured; however, this is
eye, which is an essential feature of any successful film a necessity and not a marketing technique, so it is out
poster. of the way and uses discrete text, so as not to ruin to
the effect of the poster.

Colour scheme is depicting a serene and tranquil,

ethereal
explorer experience. The predominantly
who feels a strong connection toblue film poster
a beach this desire to get to the beach brings him peace fulfilling a dream. The slightly darker blue found in the sky communicates the deep
translates the motifs of the film to the viewer- The light- a possible disequilibrium within the film. The low-key lighting that produces the black patches on his face heightens this. The
thinking that comes with self-solidarity: This foreshadows
blue water symbolises
comparison youthlitand
to the high-key peace with
background ones selfwhich further provides an indication to the turmoil that viewers might witness within the film.
is uncanny
(aided by the image) which is in retrospect with the film
Reflection
From the research conducted from the general film poster analysis, these conventions are necessary in order to produce a
professional film poster:

The film title is placed either in the middle/ in bottom of the film poster
All of the film posters follow some sort of colour scheme/theme
All main images are placed within the middle of the cover
All have slogans in either at the top of bottom of the page
The billing block is at the bottom of the poster

Due to this being, a general analysis of the posters further research is needed to fully gain a sense of what the layout
/features of my poster should be - as for now this is a guideline to what is needed to be produced. However, I do like the
composition and theme of the Beach film poster. It is heavily linked to that of the Romance genre because there is
water, and a large image of a face facing towards the sun, situated in low-key lighting.
When conducting genre specific research these guidelines (situated above) will already be applied for the criteria of the
poster. Specific research would just be an extra.