Conventions of film posters

1. Film poster
conventions
Emily Capon

2. IMAGE
The main aspect of any film poster is the main image as this is what the viewer first
looks at to identify the genre and the actors within the production. This is usually
presented as a large image which represents, either a certain point in the film, or is
a separate image of the main protagonists. Although some film posters do not have
an image of their main characters, and might perhaps only have the logo i.e. the
Jurassic Park film poster, usually without an image, the poster is less attractive and
is less likely to gain an interested audience however it does have a strong
indication of the film genre and may come across as more masculine. ‘Twilight
Saga New Moon’ film poster could be argued that the main protagonist is the
female character ‘Bella’, throughout the rest of the films we begin to see that there
is more emphasis on the lives of three characters, of which the story line revolves
around. Therefore, this would be why the film company have chosen to include an
image where all three of the characters are present, instead of it just being the
female character. Not only does this make it more interesting, but it also helps to
clarify who the main actors are, which for some people, would be the main interest
Also, the image which has been chosen for this particular poster, is also very
important as it helps to highlight the type of genre that the film is. Having the female
character between 2 males suggests that there’s some competition between the
two males, however as the female character is positioned more forward than the
two male characters this suggests she has a larger impact on the film and the films
story line which may promote a larger female audience.

3. Typography
When looking at codes and conventions of film posters, it is clear that typography is
a key aspect. Not only does it help to give a reasonable amount of information of
what the film might actually be about, but it is also enable to entice the audience in,
especially if what is written is of interest to them. As the ‘Harry Potter’ films are such
a widely known and popular film/book series, not a lot of information would need to
be added, as people are more likely to know about the details of the film anyway.
However, the clearest bit of typography present is ‘The Rebellion Begins’. This
almost symbolises the start of a whole new drama within the Harry Potter series,
which looks interesting through this writing used. Furthermore, the fact that it is a
simple piece of writing also adds to the dramatic effect that the poster gives, as it is
almost suggesting that there is nothing more to say, and the only way to find out
what happens, is to see the film- a good piece of advertising. Typography may
include a quote from which a someone says about the film such as a rating, or a
quote from which an actor actually says within the film. These two aspects draws in
the viewer as if the rating has been given from a well known company the audience
is more likely to trust the rating on the film and therefore go see the production itself.
The quote from the actual script allows to set the atmosphere within the film but also
invites the audience to watch the film by the character within the production. Some
film posters use as little text as possible to allow the main image to speak for itself
especially if its well known and is part of a series.

4. Angle/Vantage point
Camera shots which links into the images used- are also very important when it comes to creating
a film poster. From research, typically a film poster will usually have a close up, or mid shot of the
main protagonist. As you can see from the ‘Shutter Island’ poster, a close up of Leonardo Dicaprio
is used. The close up of his face, is quite menacing and filled with mystery, which could also
symbolise what the film might be about. By using this type of camera shot on the front of a movie
poster, it entices the audience in even further, as it makes it more appealing and attractive to the
eye. This is particularly true when a famous actor is used on the front of a poster. Dicaprio for
example, is an incredibly well known and popular Hollywood actor, therefore, by using him on the
front of the poster, fans of his will be more inclined to see it, as they are able to see that he is
being portrayed as the main character. On the other hand, shots, such as those you can see on
the Avengers poster, are typically going against conventions of the types of camera shots used.
Although having said this, this type of shot is becoming highly used when it comes to action films,
where more than one character is wanted to be highlighted. This is particularly so for the
‘Avengers’ film, as it is a film where all of the great and well loved Avengers characters come
together within one film. However it is seen in action or horror films to have a long shot to either
create an unnatural eerie shot, or to establish the location within the film providing an insight into
the production which may even be a still of the film such as the film inception and the ‘Dark Knight
Rises’ which are both located within the city which could connote the busyness or the loneliness
within the city. Close up shots are a great way to exaggerate the relation between to people which
is much more common within romance dramas, period dramas and teenage films such as ‘The
Fault in our Stars’. Angles are also a creative way to establish the hierarchy within film by having
the lead character either positioned in the middle towards the front or stood alone such as ‘Mean
Girls’

5. Lighting/House style
On any poster, the lighting used by the editing crew, will be highly worked upon, until the
precise lighting has been found to accurately represent the film. In particular, the film 127
hours, which is displayed on the left, is a film about a man who is rock climbing on his own,
and falls into dangerous trouble, whereby his arm becomes caught between a rock and a
cave wall. Like the film title suggests, the character was stuck there for 127 hours.
Consequently, the lighting used on this particular poster complements the story line very
well, as it looks to be a sunset/sunrise, which represents the amount of time he was there
for. Therefore, without the appropriate lighting and colour scheme, a film might be very hard
to advertise and sell. The colours and lighting need to be appropriate for the genre of the
film being shown, as other wise it effects the audiences perception of the film. For example,
a typical convention of a horror film poster, will be that the lighting and colours used, will be
very dark and gothic, indicating danger and mystery. On the other hand, a romance film
poster, will most likely include light colours, typically light blues and pink which symbolise
love and romance. Lighting is a great way to evoke mood and atmosphere for example
darker film posters with little lighting are usually action, horror and and have a darker
meaning behind the film such as ‘Paranormal activity’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ whereas a
lighter film posters often refer to lighter hearted films such as romance and comedy such as
‘Grown ups’ and ‘Water boy’. The lighting displayed on the film poster is often similar to the
lighting within the production for example in my own short film the lighting is very bright and
contains lighter colour which we then apply to our film poster.

6. Language, Producers
and Actors.
Witten language and the title on a poster are possibly the most stereotypical conventions
used on a film poster. They provide extra information about the film company, more than
the film being advertised. For example, this written language will usually, if not always
include, the directors name, the producers name, all of the main cast and also the
production and distribution company that has been used so everyone receives some
recognition, this is also great advertisement due to the use of celebrity endorsement but
also well known filmmakers, which attracts more viewers . There may of course be some
other information used as well, but this is the generic information most likely to be
present. The most important convention of a film poster, will be the title of the film. This is
such an important aspect, as otherwise it would be very confusing to an interested
audience as they would not know how to identify the production . Not only this, but it is
also a name/title that will appear on all media products to do with this film, meaning that it
is very important in the advertisement of the film. Furthermore, the title of the film, will
most likely be incorporated into the genre or story line of the film. Within Harry Potter for
example, the title is written as if it were a lightening bolt (the same lightening scar that the
main protagonist is born with on his head). Within Inception, there is a strong element of
danger, which is why the title is in red, as this is what it connotes the most. It is also
essential that film posters display the BBFC classification rating upon the poster so the
audience is aware of who the film is suitable for, this is also a great reference for parents
with young children and targets the population in the correct manner. Some film posters
also establish the date in which the film is being released in the cinema, it is often worded
like ‘Coming soon this winter’ etc. once the date has past the time is often removed and
stated similar to ‘In cinemas now’