codes and conventions of a film poster

1. Codes and
Conventions
of a Film Poster
HELK Productions

2. Purpose of a Film Poster
The purpose of the film poster is to attract the target audience of the
film, which the film producers will have researched into before the
production of the film took place. This establishes the genre of the film as
well as hinting what the narrative of the film could be, giving the
audience a preview/insight to the narrative. The film poster is a physical
form of promotion, rather that seen on a screen/movement. This is used
to advertise a film and promote the film to the chosen audience. A film
poster must follow the codes and conventions as if not, the result would
leave the audience feeling confused and may put them in discomfort, at
it is not what they expect to see from a film poster. However, if done
right, producers have been known to challenge codes and conventions of
a film poster, which can be quite exciting for the audience to view and
may catch their eye and draw them in even more. Lastly, if we don’t
follow the codes and conventions of a film poster, we could attract the
wrong audience, as we have got a set audience and could be quite
misleading as to what genre the film is and may not give and insight to
the right narrative of the film, if the codes and conventions aren’t
followed. This is something we must take into consideration when
making the film poster

3. Main Image
This is one of the main and most important aspects of a film
poster as this is what is most likely to draw the audience in. The
main image is what portrays the narrative and establishes the
genre. This may also introduce the cast, as codes and
conventions show, the protagonist is normally in the main image
of a film poster. Images of the poster may display the films
narrative from the use of semiology. The main image of a film
poster may be an action shot taken from the film, which is
normally seen in action films themselves, or can be a character
still. This is a more set up shot, which is heavily reliant on the
use of semiology to promote and connote many different
messages about what the narrative of the film could be.

4. Title (masthead)
The title of the film poster is also one of the most crucial parts,
as along with the image, it may be one of the first thing the
audience will see. The main convention for a film title on a
poster is to keep it central and placed either at the top or at the
bottom of the poster. We would like to follow the conventions
and have a large title as the audience would easily see it and
make it central at the top, as this is most simplistic. However,
codes and conventions for a film poster’s title have been
challenged before, to intrigue the audience and draw them in.
we will have a large title, which has a lot of lead room as this
would not cover up the main image, making it still visible
and appealing to the audience. To make the title more
obvious, we plan to make an effect within the title,
like the gradient getting weaker. We will do this using
Photoshop

5. Directors, Producers and Actors
On a film poster, the directors, producers and actors are always
shown. This is to follow conventions of a film poster and to
make the film poster of a better quality. We will put the written
information at the bottom of the film poster as we don’t want to
cover the main image, as we feel that is one of the most
important parts to our film poster. This will also show symmetry
to the masthead, as like the masthead it will be central. This
should fit into the rule of thirds, as lead room is left at the top
and bottom of the poster. This means that the image is still the
main aspect of the poster. This will be small text, but needs to
be big enough for the audience to read, as the producers,
directors or cast may draw in the audience, as it might be a
reason they want to watch the film if it is one they like.

6. Motto’s and Ratings
A quote is normally taken from the film or to describe the film to
promote the film and make it aesthetically pleasing to the
audience. This may also make the films narrative more clear to
the audience, whilst giving them hints on what to expect and
what could message of the film. Our message is based around
asking for forgiveness which may be added as extra detail and
information to our film poster. Also, ratings are normally seen on
film posters from magazines and companies who rate film and
media. This is put on film posters as promotion, to show the
influence that the film had on audiences and to show it may be
a film worth watching. This may encourage the audience to go
to see the film if they have some assurance from others who
have viewed the film and given it a good review.

7. Our Ideas
The image which we are considering to use is a character shot, as this ties
in well with our narrative. We plan to shoot an image of Eve sat on the rock
she was sat on as Richard noticed her. We will use Mise en Scene to
connote her body language as cold and scared, by Eve looking fragile and
timid as she can arch her back and raise her shoulders. This ties into the
narrative, as this is the first time we introduce Eve, in the film. This will also
outline that Eve is the protagonist in the film, as the narrative is built up
around her. We will also use lighting to brighten Eves appearance, which
could make her look slightly abnormal and spirit-like. We will use the rule
of thirds to follow the conventions of a film posters image. We will do this
by having Eves face two thirds up from the screen, so the audience will see
that first, as two thirds on the screen is normally eye level to the audience.
We will also use the rule of two thirds to help measure for lead room for
the masthead, when taking the picture as we would like a worms eye shot
of Eve and a lot of the sky, as we can place the title here. The masthead will
be made central and will have a creative flare, by using a gradient fill, to
make the text ombré at the bottom, which suits the time of the evening
getting darker, as the title is a play on words. We would also like the “lost in
the” to be inside each letter of Eve to make the title stand out to the
audience. This may stand out and look appealing as it challenges the codes
and conventions, as opposed to having a normal title. This should make the
poster eye caching to the audience and may draw them in.