The document discusses and analyzes various film posters for romantic comedies. It notes design elements commonly found in romantic comedy posters like featuring the main protagonists and using pink colors. The document also analyzes specific posters providing details on design choices and how they relate to the tone and plot of each film. It prefers posters that are more unique and original while still recognizable as being in the romantic comedy genre.

1. Film Poster Research

2. I started looking
at Romantic
Comedy posters
for some of the
more successful
films.
This film was
released in 1999
and so is rather
dated, with a plain
flat background
and ugly,
unbalanced, bold
font and the typical
use of pink to
target the female
market. However,
the photo used is
good, as the
characters are
looking straight at
the camera,
connecting with
the viewer, and
introducing the
main love interests
and advertising the
actors.
I dislike the amount of
white space in this
poster as it feels
empty and
uninteresting. The
harshness of the
outline of the photo
and text, is not
cohesive with the
more modern style of
posters, with even
superimposed
pictures having a
coloured background
or photo instead.

3. Typically in romantic
movies, both the male
and female
protagonist’s are
pictured, often in a
romantic embrace,
with soft lighting and
in a romantic location
such as a beach. These
romances are normally
more serious and
dramatic than
romantic comedies
and focus on older
couples in their 20’s,
whose relationships
are seen as more
serious.
Movie posters often
feature a line of text
at the top, attracting
the audience through
either promoting the
actors or where the
plot came from. The
title of the film and a
tagline, such as
‘Nothing on Earth
could come between
them’ and ‘You know
it when you find it’
are featured towards
the bottom, with the
lowest part of the
poster used for the
information about
the production and
release of the film,
including a cinema
release date.

4. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind Different Posters
This poster is more
traditional in it’s
approach, although I
view it more
appropriate for this
romantic comedy, with
the two protagonists
being featured, and the
white of the ice and
blue towards the
bottom create a dreamy
and romantic
atmosphere and the
character’s head is
airbrushed, contrasting
the gritty qualities of
the photo on the left
poster. The blue and
yellow texts also has
happier connotations,
whilst the title is more
centre, making the
name of the film more
prominent, and there is
space for details about
the film in the bottom
right.
This poster is
interesting and more
original, standing out in
the romantic comedy
genre as at first glace it
does not look like it
belongs to the rom-
com genre. The photo
highly contrasted and
saturated, with a grainy
quality, creating a gritty
atmosphere, with the
removal of the main
character’s eyes
creating an ominous
feeling and a
detachment to the
character. The dark
edges give the
impression of a darker
film and the use of the
newspaper has
connotations to
kidnapping ransoms.
The only hint at the
romantic genre is in
the words ‘I’m fine
without you’.

5. These films, have
slightly more unique
posters, that fill the
whole page.
500 Days of Summer
features a collage of
Summer, presenting the
protagonists obsession
with her, and connecting
to the ‘500 days’. The fact
that the characters are
not together foreshadows
their separation. The use
of white text with a black
background is good for
standing out against the
multicoloured
background.
Moonrise kingdom
features the whole
main cast, and the curly
font creates a classy
style, whilst the flat
backdrop background
adds a a quirky style
and gives it a theatre
like quality.
Juno features orange and
white stripes, linking to
the outfit worn in the
photo and start of the
film, making that pattern
iconic to the film. The
handwritten titles and
bold font create a
younger style.
Amelie’s poster focuses on
a close up of the main
character, as the focus of
the film is more on her
journey rather than that of
the couples. Her cheeky
facial expression and eye
contact connects directly
with the viewer to wonder
what she’s thinking. The
green background contrasts
with the red to create a rich
colour palette.

6. The more recent
indie films share a
style of their own,
taking the 2D
aspects from the
older film posters,
but still
conforming to
using photos of
the protagonists.
These posters
incorporate the
use of empty
space, similar to
the 10 things I
hate about you
poster, but break
up the monotony,
by using
patterned or
shadowed
backgrounds, or
blurred space in a
full photo.
Me, Earl and The Dying
Girl’s poster is my
favourite of all those so
far, as the choice of
colours are cohesive,
and the photos are
integrated with the
title, drawing the
viewer’s eyes to one
spot, rather than all
over the poster. The
subtle pattern in the
background stops the
poster from looking too
plain and the orange
writing draws the
attention to the release
date and is cohesive
with the girl’s outfit.
The comments such as
‘This is the poster
where you meet’ also
highlights the comedic
element to the film.

7. Because of the anonymity of the love interest in
my plot, I will be moving away from the typical
romantic movie posters of couples embracing
and instead lean towards the more
independent, teen rom com posters with a
colourful background. I like the use of white or
yellow text against this, and prefer the posters
with minimal text.