Tawana Mutanhaurwa

Tawana Mutanhaurwa

Black Swan Poster AnalysisThe poster for the film Black Swan is rather simple and only contains the main character, Nina/Black Swan. The mainly white, red and black colour scheme emphasizes how strange and captivating the main character is. She is in the foreground which makes her stand out and demands attention from the viewer. This is also achieved by the blur effects used in the poster. Her ears and neck appear to be slightly blurred to signify the character’s sly and mysterious personality. The colour white is typically used in the psychological thriller genre as it is often associated with asylums and mental health.

The focal point of the image is the character’s face as they are the only parts of the poster with colour. The colour red signifies danger, violence. It’s also used to represent passion and temptation. The red eyes show the Black Swan is dangerous yet seductive. One could also argue that they represent the character’s way of thinking; she’s violent and aggressive but flirtatious and confident at the same time. Her red lips also signify this.

Her eye makeup looks like a bird’s wings. This foreshadows the plot of the film in which Nina becomes the Black Swan. The whites of her eyes are no longer visible and instead she has large dark pupils. This resembles the way many birds’ eyes look.

There are hints of blue in the poster in the Black Swan’s crown and eye shadow. Crowns are associated with high status figures such as queens and princesses. Its role in the poster is very significant because it shows she plays an important part in the film. Blue is also a royal colour assoicated with majesty and sophistication. Swans are animals that are often associated with royalty so this imples the Black Swan holds some sort of power over people.

Tawana Mutanhaurwa

There is no mention of the character’s name (Nina) in the title of the film. This foreshadows the main characters metamorphism into the Black Swan. The bold black capital letters used for the title signify the eeriness and evil elements of the film as the colour black signifies darkness and fear.

Also included in the poster is the name of the director and names of his famous works. This hints to the genre of the film as Requiem For a Dream is also a psychological thriller.

The actors who play the three main characters in the film are mentioned on the poster because they play the bigger roles. Above Natalie Portman’s name are the words “Academy Award Nominee”. This is important because it adds credibility to the film. Having an actress who has been recognised for previous performances in the film will attract a larger audience so it’s important to include it on the poster.

The bottom part of the poster credits people like music supervisors, the editor, designer, producers and the director Darren Aronofsky is also mentioned again. The distributor and production company as well as their logo also included in this section. This is a very common feature of film posters.

These two film festivals are very well respected and mentioning them on the poster generates interest from audiences who are familiar with the festivals. This helps sell the film to the public.

Tawana Mutanhaurwa

The film’s release date has not been specified but they have stated the season. Most psychological thrillers and films with horror themes are released in fall due to the Halloween season and most cinema-goers go to see films like Black Swan at this time of year.

The website address for the film is also under the date. People are likely to look online for more about a film when they see the poster. This informs them of where to go for more information.

The age rating for the film is mentioned on the poster because it illustrates what age range is able to see the film. It also shows audiences that the film contains scenes that aren’t suitable for young audiences.