Short film poster analysis

1. Kieran Morris
Poster Analysis:
Purge and Side Effects:
Side Effects:
The title ‘Side Effects’ is a term commonly used to list the symptoms of an illness or injury. By using this term at the
title of the short film, the audience are instantly aware that an accident may take place in the movie which caused
someone to go into hospital and have ‘side effects’. This is accentuated by the use of mise-en-scene and imagery
in the poster, with a close-up image of a patient lying in a bed with wires attached to their face. This implies to the
audience that a lead or protagonist character is likely to be injured and hospitalised. The poster also uses a fade
effect, showing two people hugging on top of a hill at the bottom of the poster. Whilst the hill could connote nature
and beauty for the audience; the use of the title and hospital image together with the hill further accentuates that an
accident may have taken place. The two characters hugging together could be interpreted in numerous ways by the
audience. It could be suggested that the characters are upset about a character being hospitalised, or alternatively,
they could be crying because they may have caused the accident to take place. This juxtaposition in connotations
is likely to intrigue the potential audience and general public; thus enticing them to watch the short film to find out
more. The use of the white and dark blue colour scheme creates a cold effect for the audience, suggesting that this
film has a harsh storyline. Overall, this links to the genre of drama, whereby audience members feel intrigued by
storylines and wish to watch to find out more.
Purge:
The short film title ‘Purge’ is a term used to describe ‘rid of an unwanted feeling, memory or condition’. By using this
verb as the main title, it is suggested to the audience that the character photographed has had an unpleasant and
hurtful life experience which she wishes to remove from her life. This implies to the audience that the short film will
feature a dramatic and possibly upsetting narrative, thus intriguing the audience into finding out about the
characters life and therefore they will watch the short film. This is further accentuated by the use of a close-up shot
of the female characters face which suggests that she is possibly scared or concerned about something. The use of
direct eye contact exaggerates this; making the potential audience feel intimidated. Despite this, it could be
suggested that because the protagonist character is a woman and because of the role women play in a traditional
society; the character could be vulnerable. Therefore the audience are likely to feel concerned for the character and
are more likely to watch the short film. Whilst the film director ‘Brad Kavivlah’ is not well-known by the public; he
has been credited underneath the name of the short film title in order to introduce the audience to a new film
director that could potentially be well-known in the future due to this film possibly being his ‘break-through film’.
Whilst this doesn’t help with promotion at the time of film release, the credit could potentially support further
promotion in the future and further establish Kavivlah’s career as a film director.