This document summarizes the conventions of real movie posters and how the media product challenges some conventions. It finds that the media product conforms to key conventions like including the title, release date, focal image, and credits, but challenges conventions by keeping the poster minimal and relying primarily on the image and tagline to attract the audience rather than including excessive additional elements.

1. In what ways does your
media product use, develop
or challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?
(Film Poster)

2. Conventions of a Film Poster
• It must be eye catching and captivating to its audience.
• There must be a focal point that will draw in the audiences eye.
• The title is displayed in a large, eye-catching font.
• It clearly defines the film genre.
• The poster should be designed to attract the largest audience
possible.
• There is usually an indication of when the film is being released.
• Information on the directors and production company.
• There are often reviews of the other films the company have
produced.

3. Passion (2012) – Thriller/Crime/Mystery/Drama
• As we can see that there are not too many things, we can see and not
see the two characters, and this create that sense of mystery that the
movie is about. In addition the two characters are almost kissing, and the
fact that we can barely see one face and not see the other emphasize
this mystery, maybe creating that sense of curiosity that will attract people
to the cinema.
• The colours are not too many. For the majority are dark colours, there is
this touch of more bright colours, that is brought by the brightness of the
lips, which give to the poster that light that attract the attention.
• The title of the movie is the next thing, after the picture, that attract the
attention, it is big and at the bottom centre of the page, in order to give
space to the picture to attract the first attention.
In this case even the name if the director is big and it is placed right
beneath the title, it is write in a bright colour, but not too bright to get all
the attention from the title.
• The only other thing that are present in this poster are the names of two
of the actors, leading us to guess and understand that those are the main
characters.
• At the very bottom we have in line listed all the home producers that
contribute to the production and distribution of the movie.
Research Into Real Movie
Posters

4. The Woman In Black (2012) – Thriller/Horror/Drama
• The first thing that attract the attention is the picture. We have right at
the front the main actor and behind him a blurred scary face. This
leads us to understand what the genre of the movie is.
• The colours are for the majority dark, we have light on the face of the
character which allow us to see his worried face. Then all around is
black and the only other thing that we see is the blurred face behind
him.
• The next thing, after the image, that attract attention is the title of the
movie. It is write in bright colour and even highlighted buy another
bright colour all around it. This attract the attention to the title and
leads to the tagline right above it, also in a bright colour (even if not
too bright).
• The only name that we see is the name of the main actor in the
movie, also in a brighter colour than the background and like the title
highlighted.
• At the very bottom we have the date in which will be on in the
cinemas and underneath that we have all the producers that
contributed to the production and distribution of the movie, even thou
are very small and impossible to read from far.
Research Into Real Movie Posters

5. The Prestige (2006) – Thriller/Mystery/Drama
This poster has dark colours and the lightest ones are not very light.
We can see faces in that shadow of two characters and in the middle
a very shade half face of another character. The poster make use of
black, blue and grey, which create sense of mystery.
At the bottom we have the title, which is the biggest thing that attract
attention after the image.
We have a tagline right above the title but in a vary small write, but I
would say that is the next thing that attracts attention.
At the very bottom we have all the names of the director and
producers that have contributed to the production and distribution of
the movie, and like in every other poster these are in a very small
write. Underneath those we have the date, but differently it is in a
bigger write which attract attention.
Then at the top we have a tagline which tells us something about the
director, seen the fact that his/her name is not evident or highlighted in
any part of the poster, a part from the list of all the producers (which
not everyone reads).
Under that we have the names of the main actors.
Research Into Real Movie Posters

6. Response To My Research
• I have added a tag line in order to create a mirroring
border around my focal image.
• I decided to have a central image, placed on the far
left, with the main character looking directly to the
camera, in order to create a connection between the
individual and the character represented.
• The design the I decided to use for my font, is kind of
unusual to be seen on posters or magazine covers. But
I decided to use it since it might give that sense of dark
and danger present in my trailer.
• As well as having the title and the release date, I have
added the director and production information in bill
blocking at the bottom of my poster, giving the poster
that more professional look.

7. Response To My
Research
When it comes to this poster, I have to say that in my opinion it has
a more professional looking.
• Tag line is present at the upper left side of the poster, even
though not at the very top, instead it is been placed closer to the
face, creating that sort of border that help to draw the attention
to the main picture.
• I decided to have a central image, with the character looking
directly into the camera, creating eye contact with the audience.
• In this poster the font design that I chose to use is a more
popular and usual to be seen on posters or magazine covers.
• As well as having the title and the release date, I have added the
director and production information in bill blocking at the
bottom of my poster, giving the poster that more professional
look.

8. Conform to
conventions
Comparing my final design to the
conventions of a movie poster, I feel
like both of my posters respect the
main conventions and stuck closely to
the way a poster is normally laid out.
I have included title, release date, a
focal point in the main image, a
powerful tagline and added
information about the director and the
production company.
And also by the use of the colour, I
feel like I have been sticking to one
theme and/or colour palette.
Challenge
conventions
As long as conforming to the conventions
of a movie poster, I feel that my poster
challenge them, even though in a very
subtle way.
I think that by trying to keep the poster as
minimal as possible, by adding only the
necessary, like title, date, tagline and
informations of director and production
company; I have been trying to challenge
the conventions of adding as much as
possible that could attract the audience in
any way, by relying only on the tagline
and the main picture.