ANALYSING MOVIE
POSTERS
BY SHANNON
HARTSHORNE
CONVENTIONS:
• - Main image
• - Film title
• -Tag line
• - Credits
• - Colour, Font choice
• -Website/social media
• - Release date (month and year)
Types of posters
• TEASER POSTER :- Contains basic information to your appetite. Often does not
indicate much about the plot, may have a picture of main starts and name of the
film.
• MAINTHEATRICAL POSTER :- Contains information about the production
personnel, stars and distributors.
• CHARACTER POSTER :- Features main character, identifies the genre
• DVD RELEASE POSTER :- Includes reviews
The conjuring
Other films produced
Main image (stands out)
Linked from doll to person
Text at bottom is unclear
Dirty walls – abandoned
Cracks on floor
Dark colours suggest horror
Title stands out
True story – more
intriguing
DistributorComing soonColour stands out
Dark colour suggests horror
as she’s in corner of the room
All font is big and bold -
consistency, clear all one colour
The title is big and bold
Gothic, supernatural,
death writing, renaissance
See the white of the dolls eyes
Her bow is red – only
bit of colour on poster
Page split into 3rds, text is in the bottom 3rd
conventionally the image is in the centre and
not much is happening on the top.
Rocking chairs are calming, seen in horrors – associated with older people where as here its juxtaposition
SawVI
VI – machinery
Face
Light background to focus
on main image
Bear trap on face
Tag line- suggests he’s
still alive
Trapped
Interesting picture choice
Title stands out – its like
metal with blood stains
Roman numerals
Hard to see writingGearsDate of release
Pitch – devil, fork – metal writing
Distributors
2 websites for audience to research more
Text for title is uneven, some are bigger than others.
The ‘w’ looks like a pitch fork which is typical in a horror
Background dirty?
Roman numerals reflect the intellect of the villain as
it suggests the character is intellectual in the film.
Tagline, in centre suggests he could be saying it, font
is small suggests he’s whispering. Full stop at the end
suggests it’s the end.
Colour of text is black/white so it stands out
Main image; person, stands out
Silence of
the lambs
Colour Scheme- the face is pale and not very healthy
looking this is conventional because it creates an
atmosphere which the audience may feel uneasy.
Main image of face
Insect on her lips suggests she is being silenced
furthermore the insect appears top haver a skull
on its body which suggests danger.
Credits are at the bottom
and don’t stand our unlike
the film masthead.
Distributors
Production company
Writing is hard to see
Star names are above the masthead and tagline this
is important because it’s a main convention of a
movie poster also it can help sell the movie.
Tagline has a black
background behind which
allows the words to stand
out from the main image.
The colour of this
poster helps it reveal
very little of the film.
Mise-en-scene has been used well here as the
eyes are red which signifies danger also, the red
eyes and the insect are the only actual bit of
colour that has been used other than the neutral
colours of the skin.

Analysing movie posters

  • 1.
  • 2.
    CONVENTIONS: • - Mainimage • - Film title • -Tag line • - Credits • - Colour, Font choice • -Website/social media • - Release date (month and year)
  • 3.
    Types of posters •TEASER POSTER :- Contains basic information to your appetite. Often does not indicate much about the plot, may have a picture of main starts and name of the film. • MAINTHEATRICAL POSTER :- Contains information about the production personnel, stars and distributors. • CHARACTER POSTER :- Features main character, identifies the genre • DVD RELEASE POSTER :- Includes reviews
  • 4.
    The conjuring Other filmsproduced Main image (stands out) Linked from doll to person Text at bottom is unclear Dirty walls – abandoned Cracks on floor Dark colours suggest horror Title stands out True story – more intriguing DistributorComing soonColour stands out Dark colour suggests horror as she’s in corner of the room All font is big and bold - consistency, clear all one colour The title is big and bold Gothic, supernatural, death writing, renaissance See the white of the dolls eyes Her bow is red – only bit of colour on poster Page split into 3rds, text is in the bottom 3rd conventionally the image is in the centre and not much is happening on the top. Rocking chairs are calming, seen in horrors – associated with older people where as here its juxtaposition
  • 5.
    SawVI VI – machinery Face Lightbackground to focus on main image Bear trap on face Tag line- suggests he’s still alive Trapped Interesting picture choice Title stands out – its like metal with blood stains Roman numerals Hard to see writingGearsDate of release Pitch – devil, fork – metal writing Distributors 2 websites for audience to research more Text for title is uneven, some are bigger than others. The ‘w’ looks like a pitch fork which is typical in a horror Background dirty? Roman numerals reflect the intellect of the villain as it suggests the character is intellectual in the film. Tagline, in centre suggests he could be saying it, font is small suggests he’s whispering. Full stop at the end suggests it’s the end. Colour of text is black/white so it stands out Main image; person, stands out
  • 6.
    Silence of the lambs ColourScheme- the face is pale and not very healthy looking this is conventional because it creates an atmosphere which the audience may feel uneasy. Main image of face Insect on her lips suggests she is being silenced furthermore the insect appears top haver a skull on its body which suggests danger. Credits are at the bottom and don’t stand our unlike the film masthead. Distributors Production company Writing is hard to see Star names are above the masthead and tagline this is important because it’s a main convention of a movie poster also it can help sell the movie. Tagline has a black background behind which allows the words to stand out from the main image. The colour of this poster helps it reveal very little of the film. Mise-en-scene has been used well here as the eyes are red which signifies danger also, the red eyes and the insect are the only actual bit of colour that has been used other than the neutral colours of the skin.