Short film posters often have certain conventions like using white font for the title to make it stand out. They may also use bold typography to generate interest. Some posters do not show a person's face but instead their hands or feet to hint at something important in the plot without revealing identities. Characters are often facing away to suggest a journey of discovery. Posters leave some elements as mysteries through hermeneutic and proairetic codes to intrigue viewers until they see the film.

1. `
Codes and conventions
Short film posters

2. Title
A common convention of short film posters is
that they have white font for the title. This may
be because it is simple and stands out, catching
the eye of the viewer, especially when it is on a
dark background.t
Another convention is to have bold typography
to create an impact and generate interest from
the viewer.

3. Examples

4. Subject
We found that some short film posters don’t
have the face of a person in but instead either
their hands or feet.
This could show the importance of said hands or
feet within the film or to not reveal the identity
of the character as it a major part of the plot.
These posters add some point of Todorov’s
narrative theory. As the subjects hints to the
point of disequilibrium within the film

5. Examples

6. Facing away
When the poster consists of a person, a common
convention of the posters is that the characters are
facing away from the camera.
A reason for the lack of direct mode of address
could be that the character in the poster is trying to
prove something in the film, like a journey of
discovery.
The colour code: all females which are in short film
posters which we researched have lighter skin,
considered more desirable and fit better into
western ideology of beauty. As this would be more
likely to sell the film. – Bell Hooks

7. Examples

8. Anchorage
A typical convention a film posters is to have
anchorage in a tagline, such as Jurassic World
However this isn’t the case when it comes to
short films as it isn't as much of a convention.
Anchorage in full length films usually includes
Propp’s Character Roles as they usually indicate
there will be a hero and villain and can indicate
other character roles. As there isn’t usually
anchorage in short film posters, Propp’s
narrative theory is a mystery until the short
film starts

9. Examples Films
Short Films

10. Tone and Register
The tone and register of short films can vary
dramatically as they cover all subgenres,
however we are trying to focus more on the
seemingly romantic tone with a light degree of
formality, like young adults.
This also includes Barthes’ Enigma Codes
whereby the posters do not fully explain the
situation and so it becomes a mystery to the
reader until the film is seen and loose ends are
tied and closure is achieved.

11. Examples

12. Previous credits is also a convention of film
posters and is used a form of guarantee and a
means of prompting audience expectations. This
couples with a positive quote, something a
newspaper, similar demographic or respected
critics write and give stars for the film, which
again is a big form of advertisement for the films
and can reference aspects of the film which are
not shown within the poster .
Previous Credits and
Positive Quote

13. Examples

14. Barthes and Short Film Posters
The Proairetic Code is the idea that little
actions that do not particularly raise
questions creates tensions and builds
suspense for audiences to guess what
happens next. This could be used in short
films posters, as little parts of the poster
may not straight away raise questions, but
may have an impact on the film as many
short films contain a plot twist at the end.

15. Hermeneutic Codes
When a text is not being fully explained, it
is considered to be a Hermeneutic Code, as
audiences want to find what happens as so
far everything is a mystery. This is very
common in film potters, as the viewer does
not have the whole story, so they are
curious to find out more.

16. Computer screen &
Chair. How is it to
do with the film.
What is on the
computer screen?
Computer has
connotations with
sharing and lack of
privacy which goes
with title. Plot?
Examples
Why are they
running?
What is that light?
What do they
have to fear?
Is he the
collector?
What does he
collect?
Who is the man
behind?
Who are they?
Husband and
wife?
Where are
they?
Who is the
man in the
picture?
Why does he
have a gun?