This document analyzes several film posters for coming-of-age movies. It discusses elements common to these posters like the placement and styling of the title, names of lead actors, release dates, quotes, and focal images. For the poster of "The Last Song", it summarizes that the title is centered to draw the eye, a quote promotes the emotional experience, colors tie elements together, and the focal image of two characters on a car suggests a journey of growth. For "The Spectacular Now", it notes the billing block blends into the image, trees represent growth, and colors create a fresh visual. For "LOL", the title links to the focal image of texting, pink targets female viewers,

1. Title
The film title is written in serif font, thus, creating
a ‘classic’ look to the poster. ‘The’ has been
placed in italics; this style is well suited to the
traditional aesthetic.The use of white allows the
title to stand out, enabling the poster to appear
eye-catching and gain the T.A’s attention. The
title adheres to the conventions of a film poster;
this is because it is the largest font displayed,
typical of similar promotional features. The title
has been placed in the middle third of the
poster, making it the centre of interest; this
ensures that the consumers eyes will be drawn
towards it. It is important to make the film name
memorable.
Cast
The names of the leadings actors have been placed above the
title; the close proximity of the two ensures that the audience
eyes are drawn to both. It is conventional for production
companies to use the ‘star system’ to create hype pre-release.
Miley Cyrus is popular amongst the T.A of teenage girls, making
for the ideal ‘coming of age’ protagonist.
Release Date
The date of release has been placed at the bottom of
the billing block. Although it is written in small text,
the white colouring enables it to stand out. It is
important to include the date on a poster; it builds
hype prior to release - the viewer is waiting for the
film to come out.
Billing Block
It is conventional for film posters to include a billing
block; this is the poster version of film credits. This
is made up of highly condensed text- ‘steel tongs’.
When producing my own poster, I will ensure to
include a billing block.
Tagline
Normally, a tagline is a ‘one liner’, suggesting the
plot/genre of the film.
The tagline speaks of ‘first
loves’,’family’ and the
‘moments in life that lead
you back home’ (much like
our own inter-titles!). These
are all expected themes of a
‘coming of age’ film; we
normally experience our
‘firsts’ within our teenage
years.
Focal Image
We see three images within the
poster; together, these create the focal
image for the promotional material. The
first image, of which the eye is drawn to, is
Miley Cyrus’ face. As this is the most
prominent image on the poster, we can
guess that she is the protagonist of the
film. Liam Hemsworth’s face is placed to
the side of this. The opacity has been
decreased, making for a slightly faded
aesthetic. Perhaps his character does not
hold a stable position within the
protagonist’s life. To the bottom right of the
poster, we see the two holding onto one
another. Mise en scene helps to enhance
the sub-genre of romance; the soft, setting
sun creates a sky filled with pinks and
blues - both of which are calming colours.
The beach setting suggests the location of
the protagonist’s home. It also continues
the romantic visual as the seaside is
associated with escape. Perhaps the two
‘escape’ here together.
Further Appeal
The film is accessing a large fan base of possible viewers through referencing the
works of ‘Nicholas Sparks’, an American novelist. ‘The Notebook’ is one of the most
famous romance films; by including this on the poster, the audience is reassured that
the film will adhere well to themes of romance/drama and is ‘worth a watch’.
I have decided to analyse the film poster
for ‘The Last Song’ (2010). It is a
Hollywood ‘coming of age’ film.

2. Title
The name of the film has been placed almost
central within the poster; it’s positioning has
clearly been carefully thought out - the image
of the characters below is still clear to see, yet
the viewers eyes are also drawn to the title
above. The typography is bold and coloured
white; if it had been printed in black, it would
stand out less against the trees. The ‘NOW’
has been written in a larger font, placing an
emphasis on this particular word; the title links
with the saying ‘live in the now’ - we should
enjoy the present, especially whilst we are
young. The type face is sans-serif, making for
clear font; there are no frills. This contrasts
with the classic, traditional look seen on ‘The
Last Song’ film poster.
Quote
Included on the film poster is a quote from the
‘Rolling Stone Magazine’; the film ‘hits you like
a shot in the heart’. This publication is a well
regarded magazine, featuring both music and
film reviews. Through the inclusion of this
quote, the production company is reassuring
the viewers that the film is enjoyed and
recommended by infamous critics. It is also an
emotional roller coaster ride, increasing
consumer pleasure. When watching a
romance, the audience expect to see both
negative and positive moments; those of
which make you cry and those of which make
you laugh/smile.
Billing Block
It is conventional for film posters to include a billing block; normally placed at the bottom of the print. As explained
previously, this features credits, written in ‘steel tongs’. This legally must appear on a film poster. The billing block
here seemingly blends with the image. The font is yellow, which ties in with the mise en scene seen within the focal
image; the female wears a dress of the same colour. This adds a clear style to the poster.
Focal Image
The photograph used for this particular
poster is of a road, covered in a canopy of
trees. The two protagonists sit on the boot
of a car. The foliage could represent
growth; within ‘coming of age’ films we see
the characters transition - grow through
age/experience. The female is dressed in
yellow, making her stand out; this colour is
also used on the surrounding text,
emphasising her position as protagonist.
The car could suggest a journey; perhaps
the two are on a ‘journey’ together. As the
branches are bountiful with leaf, we can
infer that the season is summer; perhaps
the film is about a summer fling; maybe the
two find themselves through one another.
The colours used result in fresh visual,
representing the tone of the film.
Award
This film is an independent production; this
means it is reliant on critical acclaim in order
to display success; Hollywood studios, on the
other hand, measure success through profit.
Through inclusion of this ‘Sundance Film
Festival’ award, the production company is
reassuring the viewer that the film has proved
to be a hit.
I have chosen to analyse this film poster for
‘The Spectacular Now’ (2013). Again, this is a
‘coming of age’ production.
Additional Appeal
The production company has referenced a
successful romance film, of which it shares
writers with; this can also be seen on “The Last
Song’ poster. If the audience enjoyed the
screenplay for ‘(500) Day of Summer), they will
also enjoy this film

3. Cast
The names of the leading actors have been
placed at the top of the poster. As said
before, Miley Cyrus is an ideal ‘coming of
age’ protagonist; she is popular amongst
teenagers, the T.A of this genre. Girls will find
it easy to relate to the film through this
character, resulting in increased consumer
pleasure. Demi Moore is a well known
actress, having starred in renowned
romances, such as ‘Ghost’ (1990); through
the inclusion of these names, the production
company is utilising the star system in order
to create appeal. The font is pink, appealing
to the intended female audience; the colour
is stereotypically associated with this gender,
Title
The film name has been printed in a ‘text’ like
font, linking to the focal image; the
protagonist appears to be typing into her
phone. This choice of type face will appeal to
the target audience of teenagers, as the
younger generation stay connected through
new technology. It is conventional for
Hollywood films to utilise modern invention;
they have the means to do so, unlike many
indie studios. Again, the font is pink, with the
hope of targeting female viewers; the word
‘LOL’ is used in text language, ‘laugh out
loud’, but it may also be a nickname for the
protagonist.
Billing Block
Again, as seen on the previous other two posters, there is a billing block placed at the bottom. This adds
a professional look to the promotional material. I will consider including one on my own creation…
Release Date
A date of release is included at the bottom of
the poster; this is in the same place as the
date on ‘The Last Song’ print. This is
coloured in the same pink as seen on the
other titles (besides from the white billing
block); there is an obvious style/theme to the
poster, adhering to the typicalities of a
female; this gender is thought to find pink
appealing. Adding the date onto the poster
provides extra information and creates hype
prior to release; the viewer will look out for
updates and extra information (pull media).
Focal Image
The poster captures a girl (Miley
Cyrus) lying on a white, fluffy rug;
this could represent her lifestyle as
comfortable. She appears to be
texting on her iPhone; this may
suggest that technology plays a key
role in this film. As Shannon and I
have created an independent
production, we do not have the
funding to include new technology,
such as is shown here. The
protagonist is dressed in jogging
bottoms and a loose tee,
suggesting she is having ‘down
time’; this is something that many of
us like to have; she also appears
down to earth - this makes for a
relatable character.
I am analysing a film poster for ‘LOL’ (2012). This is
another ‘coming of
age’ film.