Analysis of a Movie Poster, in this case 'The Road'

1. THE ROAD
Poster Analysis

2. THE POSTER

3. THE FILM
 “The Road” is a 2009 post-apocalyptic drama directed by John
Hillcoat.
 The film follows a father and his son in a post-apocalyptic
wasteland.
 I have chosen to analyse the film’s trailer because it not only shares
my trailer’s genre, but I also hope to incorporate a few elements of
the poster into my project too.

4. THE CHARACTERS
 We see the father looking beyond the camera almost at the audience which not only
engages the on-looker, but also makes one wonder as to what he actually is looking in.
This helps to enhance the code of enigma.
 The young son, by looking vulnerable makes the audience feel sympathy and
empathy towards the character and thus creating a very early emotional connection with
that character. This connection helps to enhance the code of enigma by making the
audience ask “will he be okay?”
 The image itself uses iconography, suggesting that the father and son will be the two
main driving forces of the film, that we as a audience, follow them on their journey.

5. THE TITLE
 “The Road” symbolises the metaphorical road the film’s characters
are on.
 The use of “The” suggests it’s the most important journey the
characters will ever find themselves on, it could very well inflict with
their life.

6. THE USE OF THE FIRE
 By having the fire in the background, we can see the burning
desire for life, and the harsh realities that possess the characters in life.
The fire in contrast with the background could also symbolise a
shining light for these characters, that there is hope.
 Fire does also have conations with danger, which obviously can be
perceived as present in a post-apocalyptic world.

7. THE USE OF VARIOUS SUB-TEXTS
 By having positive critics on the poster the film seems way more attractive then without
them, and it gives the film a better reputation with the audience. It also helps to promote the
film.
 The use of “VIGGO MORTENSEN” allows the audience to know of a high-profile actor
that is in the feature, which again helps to bring a larger audience, but the fans of Mortensen may
also want to see the film also, as their favoured actor is in the feature. All of this helps to suggest
the poster (and it’s subtext) is a good promotional device for the film
 The director, being famous in his field, brings to the film his fans, his admirers and thus by
putting his name on the poster, the poster is a successful promotion device. John Hillcoat, before
directing “The Road” was known for directing the low budget feature “The Proposition” adding
to his fans, and possible target audience of the film.

8. MISE-EN-SCENE
 The use of mise-en-scene is clearly evident on the poster with the
different characters’ clothing, big, warming coats to shield them from
the cold.
 The make-up with greasy, muddy skin added to the already greasy-looking
hair
 The father also is unshaven, symbolising the break from reality.

9. THE BLACK BACKGROUND
 It symbolises the bleak world, the dark nature of the world and the
dark motives of it’s occupants. I feel this tells on the onlooker of the
film’s target audience. The bleak and harsh nature of the world tells us
that its not for kids, and the film could bring emotional baggage, which
just shows the target audience should be of a older demographic.
 It helps to also contrast against the title and various sub-texts,
emphasing the title and making more people aware of the brand.

10. I T ’ S US P
 It is a movie adaption of a very famous novel by Cormac
McCarthy. The film will not only bring fans of the novel but also
bring those interested in seeing an expanded take on the famous novel
 It has a very well-known actor is Viggo Mortensen, of whom
brings a sense of class and recognition to the film, making it seem like
a big film.

11. ELEMENTS I WISH TO
REPLICATE
 The fire – I hope to use the element of fire in some sense to symbolise the characters’
burning desire to stay alive, whilst also showing the harsh realties of life.
 The positioning of the actors’ names – To have them layered and placed firmly at the
top of the poster would give me maximum space to use and help fill the page. It would
also go along with the usual conventions seen in real movie posters
 The intense look of the actors – By having the actors look intense, strong and in
motion, they would be seemingly 3-Dimenisionable characters.
 The placing of the billing block – It would go by normal movie poster conventions
and thus make the poster seem more professional and of standard with real movie
posters.