Charlotte Joyce

FILM POSTER ANALYSIS

HORROR FILM POSTER THE POSSESSION

The tagline says “based on a true story” this heightens the fear amongst the target audience. By knowing that the protagonist is not fictitious and really suffers from the trials and tribulations shown in the film poster evokes empathy and sympathy for the target audience, which makes them even more scared as they put themselves in the protagonists position.

The film title sums up the content of the film and the horror genre that it belongs to. This relates to Barthes ‘Pleasure to the Text’ theory as the audience can guess what the film is about but want to view the film to see it play out. This poster uses a smaller font for “the” which allows for the main emphasis to be on possession. The title font is very simple so as not to steal attention away from the main image but it still stands out because it is all in capitals and the white stands out against the darkness of the rest of the poster.

From the main image it is clear that the protagonist shown is the victim. The film has followed the stereotypical horror convention and Propp’s theory of character types by having a female victim as they are seen as weaker than men and therefore defenceless against the villain. The way that she is leaning back coveys pain, like the hands are torturing her and also a sense that she is possessed which relates to the film poster. These elements attract the target audience of a horror film because some of the most iconic horror films, such as ‘The Exorcist’, include elements of the paranormal. Also the mise-en-scene, such as the costume, hair and make up, of the character suggests that she is an average person. This makes the film even more scary because members of the target audience can imagine themselves in her position. The hands are the element that tell the target audience that the villain in this film is something supernatural because they appear mummified and inhuman. They are grabbing at the female victim and pulling her face down, an element that connotes they are torturing her. This element combined with the hands reinforces the title as it appears they are possessing her.

The puff reads ‘Darkness Lives Inside’ This is a hook for the target audience because it adds a sense of enigma, this fits into Freytag's Pyramid as the audience ask themselves ‘Why does darkness live inside?’.

The billing block is at the bottom of the film poster and is the last element of the poster that the target audience looks at because it is in the smallest font and blends into the background. The credit block acknowledges the cast and crew involved in the production so the target audience can see whether a reputable actor or director etc. are involved with the film. The production logo makes any loyal target audience members want to go and see the film purely because they know that it is big budget and high quality.

The release date is in a red font – a completely different colour opposed to the other aspects of the poster and is placed at the bottom of the page so it is easy to see. Although October is the most popular time for horror films to be released, this film being released in August could entice audiences to watch it as it is the summer holidays and it could be that there are no other horror released near this date.

The website is positioned below the release date and is one of the smallest aspects of the poster so as not to detract attention from the rest of the poster. By using extra marketing techniques such as a Facebook page designed especially for the film, the producers are able to raise awareness of the film and it can reach a wider audience.

HORROR HYBRID FILM POSTER

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

The colour scheme consist of 4 colours; red, white, blue and black in the poster. This makes the poster more effective because bright and colourful elements do not draw the target audiences attention away from the raw image. The colour palette is another signal of the horror genre to the target audience because it is very dark and therefore the audience has a sense of not seeing the whole picture in its true light.

The film title is in a red font which has connotations of blood, passion and evil. The colouring makes the title stand out against the dark setting without stealing the focus from the main image because it is neatly sized and in a basic font. The edges of the writing blur into the background which gives a sense that the writing is glowing. Also the fact that it’s in capitals suggests it’s being shouted at creating an ominous and supernatural effect. This once again establishes the genre to the target audience by implying that violence and harm will be inflicted upon the victims such as the protagonists shown on the poster.

The main image is a snapshot of actual footage within the film. This is clever, as it gives the viewer a small insight of what is happening, therefore inclining the viewer towards the film. The main image is very basic, but clever. The basic form of the image wThe orks well, as it shows how some terrifying things can happen to common people. The blandness and simplistic nature of the image is clever again because it shows to the audience that no special effects have been used, again highlighting the fact that this can happen to normal people. The eye-contact of the people in the bed looking towards something conveys that something supernatural is there, and again draws the viewer in and makes them terrified as your bed is meant to be a place where you feel safe. The image on the poster is in a blue colour, reflecting a night time look, which makes the characters more vulnerable because they cant help themselves. Also the mise-en-scene, such as the costume, hair and make up, of the characters suggest that they are normal, average people. This makes the film even more scary because members of the target audience can imagine themselves in their position and therefore empathise with them.

The tag line uses a rhetorical question. It creates realism and cleverly incorporates it into the horror genre, this creates suspense which makes the target audience want to watch the film. It could also evoke fear or even paranoia within the audience which could make them emotionally involved with the film poster. In addition is effective as it makes the situations to the audience more relatable, furthermore enhancing the ominous effect. The film poster also uses a secondary tag line which says “Don’t see it alone.” this suggests that the film is terrifying which would appeal to the target audience but is also a marketing technique to encourage the target audience to view the film together.

The review says ‘The most anticipated horror event of the year. Steady your nerves, your sleepless nights are about to return’. This is written in white and approximately size 10, the font used is serif making it easier to read. Also this font gives a creepy look as serif font is usually used for formal text giving the poster a serious look. The tag line stands out as it is on a black background this contrast makes the text stand out. The text is very exaggerated and tells us it is the best horror movie out and you can’t get any better than this. This exaggerated line makes the audience eager to watch it and you feel a sense of excitement of the horror it will give you. The after effects of watching a horror movie leaves the viewer on edge and loss of sleep as the picture of horror remains in your mind. The last sentence prepares the viewer by informing them that it is so scary that they will suffer from it and the image will remain for days. It is also put into four lines building up tension and also the spacing out of the lines makes it easier for the audience to read as if they see a bulk of text they would find it boring to read.

The film poster shows the production logos this makes any loyal target audience members want to go and see the film purely because they know that it is big budget and high quality. The banner informs the audience, it gives them information on what to do if their local cinema is not showing the film.

COMEDY FILM POSTERTHE HANGOVER

When looking at the main image on this poster we can see that the genre of the film is most likely to be a Comedy. You can tell this because of the make-up and costumes as one man has a baby brace on the front of him; the baby is wearing big sunglasses resembling him, the man behind has a cut lip and the man on the left has a missing tooth and looks puzzled, all three characters look scruffy. At first sight we do not know why the characters are in this unlikely situation, which adds a sense of enigma (Freytag’s Pyramid) to the target audience as they question how did they get in this state? like the horror posters I have analysed. The location and lighting reflects the Vegas theme as they use dazzling lights and the gold represents wealth these aspects are clearly associated with Vegas. Also the colours used are bright and glamorous to fit in with the Vegas theme. When looking at the poster we assume there are three main characters in the film as not one of them stands out more than another. The presentation of the characters are not how you would find a person to be presented in Vegas, this contrast makes the characters seem out of place in their surroundings. This is humorous for the viewer as they are supposed to be in classy Vegas, yet they are grubby injured and in charge of a baby.

A tagline has been used to give extra information to the viewer, it says `Some guys just can't handle Vegas` This extra information gives the viewer a further insight into the film, we assume the film is based in Vegas through the tagline; where the three men come across trouble. This adds a comedic element of the film as well as a sense of mystery (Freytag’s Pyramid) as the target audience questions what happens to the protagonists?

The title of the film `The Hangover` suggests to the viewer that the three men have woken up after a drunken night and are stuck in a sticky situation- hence the baby, the scruffy look and the two men's injuries. To many having a hangover is not a nice feeling and the audience can put themselves in the protagonists position thus making them empathise with them. This brings the humour element to the film as we presume they have woken up clueless to what happened the night before. The title also emphasises the `Hangover` part mainly, in a San Serif font to make it bold and easy to read for viewers, we straight away know the film will be something to do with having a hangover. In addition the style of font symbolises Vegas because the glow around the title is similar to the lights in Vegas. The `the` part is not so important so to make it more visually appealing and so that the `Hangover` part could be as big and noticeable as possible to save room the `the` is put inside the `O` of `HANGOVER`, this is visually more attractive and adds emphasis to the ‘Hangover’.

Above the tagline there is a banner including information on the director of the film, this is bolder than other posters, as usually information on the director is found in the `billing block`. `From the director of `Old School`` written on the top of the poster aims to pull in viewers. 'Old School` is a well known film, therefore if people know that this film is directed by the same director and they found `Old School` a successful film they will be more than swayed to want to see this film. Mentioning `Old School` will draw the attentions of viewers and make them want to see another film by that director.

The film poster shows the production logos this makes any loyal target audience members want to go and see the film purely because they know that it is big budget and high quality. The banner informs the audience, it gives them information on what to do if their local cinema is not showing the film.

The billing block is at the bottom of the film poster and is the last element of the poster that the target audience looks at because it is in the smallest font and blends into the background. The credit block acknowledges the cast and crew involved in the production so the target audience can see whether a reputable actor or director etc. are involved with the film. The production logo makes any loyal target audience members want to go and see the film purely because they know that it is big budget and high quality.

The release date is placed at the bottom of the page so it is easy to see. And is used to inform the audience when the film will be released.