1. Film Poster Analysis
Film Posters are important to give an audience a teaser into what this film’s narrative may
be about whilst communicating and establishing the specific genre. It should create a
sense of curiosity including hermeneutic codes to create enigma with suggestive but not
explicit visual hints. Furthermore a poster introduces us to well known actors we might
know as am audience giving us more reason to tune in. We are also shown vital
background information about the films production team and who's behind the creation
giving those who are media literate an incite into the style they are to expect.
2. Daniel Blake here is seen adhering to the rule of thirds catching the audiences eye by his off optical centre proxemics. His
gesture of his strong clenched fist suggests a rebellion or revolt symbolized through the tension in his hand and arm and
matching pugnacious facial expression. This strain connotes a narrative that may follow some kind of change or injustice to him
that causes this need for uprising and fury.
The unsaturated grey bitonal colour scheme gives us an indication of genre as it seems very
ordinary and overcast hinting that this could be of the social realist genre, as there is nothing
energetic vibrant or ostentatious. Therefore the red visually heavy array of reviews stands out
against the bleak background emphasising there importance and communicating to the audience
the films critical acclaim. This is extremely important for an independent film with unknown actors
as the audience needs to be assured of the quality of the film through other means.
The graffiti style font used for the title gives us
insight about the social realism genre because
of its withheld connotations with violence and
the working class. Those associated with
vandalism are more likely to live in a more
rough low class area where they would be
more influenced to be involved with petty
crime. Its messy reckless feel symbolises this
film is of more gritty genuine themes that
wont be glamorised for the purpose of
entertainment.
The fact Daniel stands alone paired with the
prevalence of the pronoun “I” conveys to the
audience they will be following the journey of
one man with perhaps a lot of pressure on his
shoulders to influence change; the fact that he
is not in a group makes the issues at hand
even more personal and the fact he is fighting
them alone even more brave and compelling.
The protagonists mise en scene in the form of
costuming is very casual and ordinary; this
reinforces the hints of the social realism genre
as it is very genuine average working class
clothing. Furthermore because of this he looks
quite dishevelled and unkempt supporting
themes of poverty and the struggles those of
the working class face.
We are hinted at the narrative twists through
the juxtaposition of this very average elderly
man in comparison to the vandalism and
pugnacious nature where he is standing up for
a change. This mentality is usually more
prominent in the younger generation as we
are fighting for our futures so this passion and
drive is hinted to be something that drives
the narrative and is highlighted by the obvious
contrast between stereotypical
representations of the elderly and the graffiti
that is very atypical for him to be linked with
side by side.
The bold enlarged capitalised text of the
director and producers name is important
as to a media literate audience noticing Ken
Loach’s name would automatically let them
know this is of the social realism genre and
that it will be dealing with the harsh
reality's of real life because that is what
most of his work is renowned for.
3. In the poster for crime action blockbuster ‘Baby Driver’
I am greatly inspired by the illustrated style cut out
medium headshots that have been photoshoped into
the bright pink backdrop. From more research I
realized this “painting effect” was in fact real and the
images were real illustrations from commissioned
artists however this look is something that could be
mimicked from altering real photographs too. This style
suggest a more Hollywood action style film as the final
product is obviously not realistic and impossible; the
floating layered headshots or our star characters all in
strong powerful positions gives us an insight into the
type of narrative we might follow and the character
types we will be dealing will because no one looks
vulnerable or scared suggesting this movie is looking
from the point of view of those who fight rather than
those who run. The overlapping headshots is
artistically appealing to the eye because the different
sizes and angles of each image create an eye-catching
dynamic result as well as introducing the audience to
the stars. Even though this style is more common in
Hollywood Blockbusters using this technique in my film
poster would challenge the typical social realism
conventions and represent the real issue depression
and anxiety as as exciting, complex and difficult as the
over the top hyperbolic scenarios in action movies
consequently drawing more people towards the film.
The Bright pink branding is something very unique to
this poster as the color has connotations with youth,
innocence and naivety which in comparison to the
strong criminal figures and iconography of the
machine gun is a huge juxtaposition. The color
introduces a new sector of audience conveying to the
audience the narrative may also have some more
playful themes, especially alongside the image of
Ansell Elgort, who is known best for his portrayal of
the dreamy heart throb Augustus Waters in John
Green’s ‘The Fault In Our Stars’. This Pink colour is
continued all the way through the films advertising
campaigns and is an example of brand continuity.
The tagline is a very important convention of all film posters; in one short sentence the
narrative is captured, enigma is created and an audience member is left interested to know
more. The tagline here is printed underneath the title as if to be read as a whole sentence
with a dramatic pause. The homophone “killer track” cleverly makes reference to both the
importance of music reinforced by the iconography of ‘Baby’s’ headphones and also the
main narrative basis surrounding the getaway driver character and the consequences of his
dangerous ‘killer’ job. This again mixes naïve carefreeness with very real dangerous
hardships creating an interesting dynamic that we expect to be explored in the film itself.
The inclusion of the list of actors names is very popular
in blockbuster films as the actors themselves bring
with them a new sector of audience and their own
brand and filmography. Certain acclaimed actors
names will ensure a particular quality to the film. This
is less important for my independent film as obviously
my student actors don’t yet have any critical acclaim to
there names however its still an important piece of
background information to include alongside the
names of producers and directors to give well
deserved credit. Here the directors name lies above
the title which is something I may recreate as it gives
the film a sense of ownership and put his name at the
forefront which is where, for creating such an amazing
final product, it deserves to be placed. You can’t read
the title without reading who made it.
A secondary poster
for ‘Fight Club ‘
1999 using the
same cut out
illustrated style to
introduce its main
characters
The white bold, thick capitalized font is fairly
common among action films connoting a more
intense serve narrative than that of a romance or
comedy whilst at the same time becoming the focus
for the poster as it is the most important piece of
information. The title is also placed adhering to the
rule of thirds and the z pattern so it will definitely
wont skip our attention as it lies where our eyes are
most likely to focus too . However, I do think the off
white colour on the brown grey background doesn’t
create enough contrast and the two colours bleed
into each other making the title less of a bold
statement than it could have been.
4. The first thing you notice about the
Submarine film poster is its eye-catching title,
controversially split over three lines into three
different colors. This is an extremely different
approach as with most titles you would try to
avoid having to split up a word sacrificing
formatting decisions for the logistical fact you
want the text to be readable however the
Submarine poster has actually embraced this
turning there title into more of a spectacle
with a lot of subtext. The three Primary colors
are each very different and contrasting which
is a feature I love. In my opinion the higher
the contrast and divergence the more likely it
is that something will pop of he page and grab
someone's attention. Furthermore the
primary colors fit perfectly with the specific
color scheme in the film itself; blues in the
seaside town and the red in Morganas coat
are made reference to in the poster; this is
also an example of how the producers have
tried to keep brand continuity. The differing
colors perhaps also represent the different
feeling running through a teens mind at an
extremely stressful and overwhelming time in
there life and how emotions can flip from one
to the opposite in a split second just like
yellow to red.
Another very individual and unique aspect to this poster is the blue wash which covers
approximately a third of the page; This has obvious connotations to the title and the idea of
being submerged, drowning in feelings you feel like you can’t stay above the surface of. I
have used a similar wording to describe the feeling and emotions present in my own short
film so this is something I might try and recreate especially as my film does also include an
underwater scene so this two makes a relevant reference. As well as connoting a deeper
subtext the blue wash breaks up the page and continues the fluent colour scheme through
the entirety of the poster. In addition by choosing a different darker colour the production
blurb stands out against the bottom of the image.
Furthermore the inclusion of the film review
and five star rating at the very top of the poster
again in the bold standout red colour gives this
indie film well needed reference to its
outstanding critical acclaim reassuring a new
audience of the films overall quality and why
they should watch it. Again the primary yellow
and red colors run throughout with the review
being in red, the most visually heavy colour, to
emphasize the positive comments. I’ve also
noticed the time taken into choosing which
review to include as the review makes reference
to it important moral ending, genre and
originality the three main selling points.
The photograph used as the main feature image
focus’s and embodies the main protagonist
Oliver and his constant gormless worried
shocked expression that he carry's with him
throughout the film. It is a personality defining
portrait. Is also photoshoped to be isolated and
desaturated reinforcing his feelings of detach ,
nausea and being completely overwhelmed by
the struggles of teenage life. His expression also
makes him look vulnerable , naïve and
consequently likeable introducing him as a
good genuine character who we will probably
find ourselves rooting for.
Finally above the production blurb we can read the directors name capitalized and in bright
yellow which is a vital convention of any film poster. A more optional feature is the list of
starring actors which this poster has chosen not to include as because it’s produced by
British independent film company, Warp Films, many of the actors are pretty much unknown
by the masses and this film is acting as a star vehicle to get them recognized. Adding
unknown actors name to a promotional poster would do nothing but perhaps deter an
audience however it is pleasant to give credit where credit is due so this is something I will
have to think about.
5. The two shot used as the main image
in the poster gives the audience an
insight into our two main protagonists
and automatically suggests the
narrative will lye around their
relationship perhaps covering themes
of friendship and loyalty behind the
main social realism theme of drug use.
The image is actually a still taken from
he film itself which is something I may
consider as the poster should be in line
the film and not staged any differently.
The pairs mise en scene connotes the
film will cover the British working class
as their costumes are nothing special
and resemble those who are involved
in manual work. Furthermore there
posture and expression connotes
perhaps a sense of relief or relaxation
that even though they might have
individual problems they come will
always have each others back. To sit
next to someone, not look into their
eyes and just share a moment with the
world is perhaps more important than
the more evident signs of affection.
The black an yellow colour scheme, as well as being extremely bright and full of brave
contrasts to grab a audiences attention, also resembles and refers to the idea of hazards and
danger acting as a parallel to the universally recognized colors seen on warning signs or tapes.
This connotes that perhaps the pair are involved in a dangerous business or an event and this
is where the narrative will stem from. The black and yellow theming also mirrors that of the
2003 “Kill Bill” poster hinting that the two films may have similar themes of revenge and
honor.
The main element of the title
is not the black bold block font
but the way the I in ‘Shifty’
continues to act as a divide
between the two characters
indicating some sense of
disagreement will occur
throughout the film. The line
is also a bold statement
symbolizing segregation on a
larger level perhaps from the
more higher class in society
shunning the two working
class boys out. Beyond its
relevant connotations the bold
black line cutting through the
center of the poster is eye-
catching and unique.
The inclusion of the two reviews and star ratings from well
established media establishments such as “Empire magazine” are
important for the independent film to portray to an audience that
they’re film is worth taking the risk on as other factors such as star
actors or well known directors are not relevant here. The focus on
the storyline and moral in the two reviews that were chosen
connotes that the directors focused more heavily on creating a
morally impacting narrative than using incredible aesthetically
pleasing lighting or cinematography techniques; this approach
enraptures the fundamentals of the social realism genre.
A reoccurring theme; again the
tagline here includes a
pun/homophone that hints at
the themes and plot whilst also
symbolizing the main moral
message. ”Deal” both
references the need to deal
with a problem but also the
drug dealing trade that the two
protagonists might be involved
with.
The Shifty Poster makes reference to its cast
namedropping the most important and more
recognizable names bold under the title
emphasizing them against the other normal
formatted text. This brings in a new sector of
audience, the actors individual followings,
whilst promoting the film as a star vehicle for
the talented yet more unknown actors. The
poster can be used as reference to give
them credit for their performances.
