This is a slide share presentation I created explaining the codes and conventions of a film poster

1. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
OF A FILM POSTER

2. BRIEF ANALYSIS- INCEPTION
Bold film title
Reference to an
A list actor
Intriguing tagline
Reference to
directors work
Credit block
Reference to
release and
where it will be
shown
Main focus area
of image- hinting
at storyline

3. MAIN IMAGE
• The majority of film posters allocate the entire
space for the main image which they think best
represents the film.
• Creators will create a whole separate
photoshoot to be able to have a varied number
of different images to use.
• The main image is the main focus of a film
poster. It allows the audience to guess at the
film genre and also at what the film may be
about.
• Take the two examples I have included… if
someone had not heard of Harry Potter before
they would probably be able to guess that it is
an adventure film while people could assume
that ’27 dresses’ is a romantic comedy because
of the stereotypical attractive female main
character in a white dress.

4. TAGLINE/ CATCHPHRASE
• Taglines are often used on film posters to
give the audience an idea of what the film
is about or just a few words related to the
concept of the film.
• They can be positioned anywhere on the
poster although it is often placed at the top
of the page to balance out the amount of
text at the top and bottom of the page.
• It is often separated from other pieces of
text so as soon as the viewer sees the
main image and title the tagline is the next
thing they will see.
• Not all films do use to have a tagline as
they do not feel it is necessary to give the
audience more information e.g. The
Amazing Spiderman poster did not have a
tagline which I assume is because Marvel
already have a following so know they will
have a fan base without providing a lot of
information about the film.
The Hunger Games tagline
emphasises the scale of the
story.
Total Recall provides a little
more information about what the
story may be about.

5. FILM TITLE
• The font size is often a lot bigger than any
other information on a poster as that is what
the creators of the film want the viewer to
remember most as that will encourage them to
go and see it once it is in cinemas.
• Most title font styles chosen for a poster quite
often will tie in with the genre/ theme of the
film. For example Sherlock Homes is an action
adventure film set in Victorian times and the
style chosen for the title reflects this.
• The colour of the text will contrast the
background colour e.g. red against black
would more suiting of a horror film while
shades of pinks against a white background
would suit a rom com better.
• Some films have developed their own style for
the film title which has become iconic in itself
e.g. Star Wars.

6. CREDIT BLOCK
• Above is an example of a credit block from the film poster for the marvel film Thor.
• All film posters which include a credit block often use the same font style and usually
take up the same amount of room on the poster.
• It includes the important main production and distribution companies are included as
well as the names of the important crew members such as the producer, director,
editor, director of photography ect…
• In this general area of the poster the company logo will be included as well as the
release date and links to social media accounts and the films website address.

7. GENERAL INFORMATION FEATURED
• BBFC rating and/ or logo
• Some may include a critic review such as a well established film
magazine or website like Empire and Rotten Tomatoes
• Comment on previous successful work by the director
• Mention of any awards won e.g. Academy award winner…
• Release date in cinemas/ on DVD
• Connections to social media e.g. Facebook and Twitter.