4 film poster analysis of key police crime thriller movies

1. Film poster analysis
Crime Thriller

2. The eyes could be representative of
how Ben Affleck’s character needs to
be left alone by the public and the
media (who are currently putting him
in a state of entrapment), in order for
him to grieve the loss of the missing
girl. These eyes are above the cloud
that is blocking the title, this is a very
soft-looking cloud, which is much the
opposite of many thriller conventions,
and much of the poster (particularly
the hard lines created by the various
bar like iconography), reflecting how
the missing girl is now in a much more
comfortable place (i.e. heaven).
The male who is the main focus of the image is the protagonist
character in the film. The poster denotes a long shot of him; he is
being represented as a very lonely man however his body
position could suggest he’s hiding something as his back is
towards the audience.
The location of this image denotes a
large lake, which connotes that maybe
the wife died, disappeared or was
even found in the lake. The institution
wouldn’t just show the audience a
lake for no reason, so this lake could
be an iconic lake when watching the
film.
The main assumptions underpinning
the film poster for “Gone Girl” is that
the male has been hugely affected by
his wife’s disappearance, which is
denoted by his facial expressions and
body language. By the women’s eyes
in the sky it connotes that she had
sadly passed away and he will never
see her again. Therefore this appeals
to the target audience as it
emphasises the fact she has gone
missing but it is up to them to find out
the reasons behind her
disappearance. The target audience
this poster is aimed at are both males
and females, from the age of eighteen
upwards due to the age rating of the
film being an eighteen.
He is wearing casual clothes of a shirt
and trousers connotes that he does
not care about his physical
appearance at this particular time
which makes the audience think that
all he wants is his beloved wife back.
The colour palette of the poster is
much more subdued than many
thriller posters, where most use
stronger colours to show the intensity
of the film, this poster uses blues and
a faded sunset-orange, which are both
contrasted by the strong, white
boarder around the whole poster.

3. The main focus of the poster goes
straight to the close up of the actors
eyes. 2 out of 3 of them are looking
into the audience’s eyes which
creates intensity which is typical of a
crime thriller, However Nicole
Kidman is not looking directly into
the camera which could mean she
has a secret to hide which further
emphasises the title of the film
‘secret in their eyes’. The film is
based on the story of a detective’s
daughters murder and the hunt to
the find the killer so this adds some
curiosity to her character and could
question her involvement. Also since
there is only three characters present
shows they are the most important
ones in the film
The colour scheme for this
picture consists of 3 colours,
black, white and a washed out
orange. The use of low lighting
and a sort of shadow effect on
their faces creates a sense of
mystery to the poster.
The actors names are placed on
top of the film poster which is a
convention normally used
however on top of that, its
written ‘from the writer of
Captain Phillips’ a highly
successful film which grossed over
$220 million and was highly
praised .This technique is effective
as fans of the Captain Phillips film
could be interested in this film
and this is how it attracts its
audience.
In terms of target audience, its
seems to be targeted to a much
more older demographic of 18+ as
the colours suggest a dark and
twisted film.
The tagline ‘the truth lies in the
most unexpected places’ gives a
brief synopsis of what the film is
about without giving too much
information, this type of language
is common but very effective in any
genre of film, especially in a new
and upcoming film.

4. The title of the film and the girls eyes
are in red. This connotes that there is
danger, blood, death or even violence
within the film. This is a common sign
of a crime thriller film, as the colour
red is a prominent signifier of a crime
being committed. Also the idea of the
eyes being in red could also trigger
audience involvement. This could
perhaps scare the audience and trigger
there imagination into thinking the
worst is going to happen.
The title ‘Silence of the lambs’ is
interpreted into visual form in the
poster, as the pale women; this
representing the lamb, is juxtaposed
with the butterfly over the mouth. It
seems to be an odd comparison,
making the poster more alarming.
The butterfly over the mouth also
represents the silence in the film,
however, as it is done with a butterfly.
Furthermore, there is a skull on the
back of the butterfly which adds
intricacy and detail, showing the
connotation of the film being evil.
This may appeal to females more than a poster with a male in it, as it
can suggest females in the cast as well as a female protagonist
(thrillers tend to have mostly-male casts and protagonists). Overall, the
characters face looks almost emotionless, and gives a cold feel to the
poster.
A list of the main actors in the film is
also included on the poster. This is a
convention of the form and is important
because it can help to sell a movie. If
someone is a fan of a particular
actor/actress then they might be
persuaded to watch the film.
Skulls are typically associated with
danger and fear, which serves to
heighten the sense of danger and fear
that this poster creates, which is further
conventional of the thriller genre. There
is further use of colour on this poster
which further allows it to fulfil its
objective of revealing very little about
the film.
By including information on the
original book it allows the original
author to gain credit for the story
that is now being portrayed in a
film. Additionally, this is a form
synergy.
The image used in this poster uses
very low lighting which in turn creates
the shadow effect on her left cheek.
This ambiguity creates a mysterious
effect as the presumed main character
is expressionless and not fully visible
except for her nose and eyes.

5. The use of the big and bold white
font shows that both Morgan
Freeman and Brad Pitt are the main
stars of the film.
The title of the film which is also in
the colour white stands out more
against all the other fonts which
instantly grabs the attention of the
viewer. In conjunction with that is
the use of the 7 deadly sins written
downwards in the middle of the
poster. Glutton, Greed, Sloth, Envy,
Wrath, Pride, Lust are all written in
yellow and are marked off with a
red line which could symbolise
blood. The biblical reference to
these sins could suggest religion will
play a big part but that also 7
people could die in these 7 ways
and both these detectives have to
figure out who the killer is.
Also the tagline does reveal this by
saying ‘ Seven deadly sins, Seven
ways to die which could interest the
audience.
The use of colour in this poster is
effective. There is a mixture of red
and orange which could represent
fire which could symbolise that
both the characters are in danger
or are going to be whilst trying to
find the killer. The red and rustic
golds, oranges and yellows even in
the characters faces make us think
that this will be a very emotional
film, filled with violence and
struggles.
The use of mise en scene shows
that this is a typical police crime
thriller as they are wearing t-shirts
and ties and also each of them
have moustaches which further
emphasises their authority.
By having both of the stars either
end of the poster and by having the
seven sins in the middle gives the
idea that they are there to protect it
and keep an eye on it, so to be a
shield and protect those people
from getting killed.
I think this poster would attract
lovers of horror and dramatic
impacting films, it looks like a dark
film full of emotion and fear. We
can see this purely from the eyes
of the characters, one looks angry
and the other scared. Plus the use
of famous actors will draw the
eyes of fans.