The document analyzes movie posters for war films from the 1940s to present. It finds that the posters consistently use certain conventions. They typically feature earthy, neutral colors to represent war being fought in natural settings. Over time, the colors became darker and more mysterious. The posters also transitioned from being fully hand-drawn in the 1940s to incorporating new technologies while maintaining a hand-drawn style. Additionally, the image usually dominates using rule of thirds, while the title appears at the top or bottom to direct viewer attention. Adhering to these poster conventions can help a new war film project align with audience expectations of the genre.

1. Key Changes-Posters

2. Name: The silent Village
Synopsis: The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the
Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales.
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The product portrays the limited use of technology within the
poster during the 1940s due to the use of black and white and the
use of the poster being hand drawn.
The contrast between white and dark represents a binary
opposition and, further connotes an enigma as the audience will
wonder what the ‘mysterious’ darkness could represent.
The rule of thirds has been centred around the image of the
characters, possibly connoting the hero/ villain
(8 prop
characters).
The typography of the title is very clear and takes us a significant amount of the poster to
represent its importance, moreover, due to the use of the colour white, the title represents
potential innocence that the film holds, a of it being a ‘true story’.
The product represents the bitterness countries had with one another as of the product being
based on what countries done to one another throughout the war.

3. Name: Good Will To Men
Synopsis: Anti-war cartoon. Remake of Peace on Earth.
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The product is a cartoon which could portray how much of a
sensitive subject the war was during this time, due to cartoons
being short and snappy.
- The poster portrays neutral earthy colours, for example, the blue
representing the sky and moreover, the snow connoting the
natural weather conditions. Creating a link to the war as of it
being fought on ‘natural ground’.
- The typography further represents the time period due to the
style in which the main heading has been written in, this type of
style was very common for important documents during this
time.
The image has been hand drawn, connoting the limited use of technology
The contrast between the dark colours of the brown trees and the light colour of the snow
connotes a binary opposition, creating a villain and hero (trodovs 8 prop characters) within the
product and, furthermore, it causes an enigma as the audience will wonder how a war can
represent ‘good will’.
The title has been portrayed within the rule of thirds, enticing the audience to look at the title, the
title will bring the audience to want to watch the product as at that time countries were very bitter
to another, whereas, the product represents ‘peace’.

4. 1960s
Name: The Great Escape
Synopsis: A group of Allied POWs devises a plan to escape from a
seemingly inescapable Nazi prison camp. After they escape from
the camp, the POWs are faced with the daunting task to get out of
occupied Europe with their lives.
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Very much like the previous poster the colours are very earthly,
signifying the territory on which the war was fought on.
Moreover, a close up shot has been used of a characters face,
representing their importance and, moreover, the emotional
content they hold with what the war has lead them to feel.
The typography has been represented within the colour white,
implying that although war is portrayed as immoral, people
involved are seen as innocent. However, the red around the
typography could connote blood, portrayed through the killings
that the war causes.
- Though the picture has not been completely hand drawn, elements have to stay within the
conventions of war time period dramas. Due to some elements not being drawn, there's a
representation within the significance of the change of technology.

5. Name: Patton
Synopsis: The story of WWII General George S. Patton. His
unconventional tactics, tough as nails exterior and sheer arrogance
made him a wild card during missions. He was feared and respected
amongst allied and axis regimes alike.
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This poster holds the same significant conventions like the
previous posters which have been analysed, for example, there is
still an importance in the use of neutral colours, for instance, the
greens, blues and greys.
Furthermore, the use of the image being drawn has faded
throughout the years, however, the use of shading through
technological advances portray a drawn element.
The rule of thirds represents the title and half of the soldiers face,
enticing the audience to look into the emotional aspect of the war.
We know the character represented is of a soldier due to the use of him wearing the
conventional soldiers helmet and, moreover, by having the stars on his helmet.
The poster is very minimalistic which could represent the isolation and loneliness that the war
could and does uphold.

6. Name: Casualties Of War
Synopsis: During the Vietnam war, a girl is taken from her village by
five American soldiers. Four of the soldiers rape her, but the fifth
refuses. The young girl is killed. The fifth soldier is determined that
justice will be done.
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Throughout the 1970s-80s the brightness of colour seems to
fade out that has previously been represented. More neutral
and dark colours have been used, potentially to signify the
darkness of the war and what actually went on. Previously the
posters about the war seemed bright and colourful as
countries needed soldiers to fight but now that the war was
over, the devastating disasters where hitting home.
The difference of colours still, however, portray binary
opposition from good vs bad, connoting an equilibrium within
the narrative.
- Emotional connotations of the war have begun to come into posters over the last twenty years as
seen, this represents the drama element of war products and further entices a mass audience as
the product sways from being emotionally touching to the actual war, leading to various reasons of
why to what the product, for example, due to entertainment, educational and potential escapism
(uses and gratification theory).

7. Name: Schindler’s List
Synopsis: In Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually
becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their
persecution by the Nazis.
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The colours are still represented as dark and mysterious
connoting a sense of enigma within the product. This has
been an on going convention since the 1970s.
The rule of thirds portrays two characters holding hands, the
hand above seems to be pulling at the child's hand, possible
connoting the young character ‘slipping away’ from him.
The young character is represented wearing an orange top
which symbolises prisoners, potentially connoting the
concentration camps during WW2.
The typography is represented at the top of the page and not
within the middle, signifying the importance of the main
image.
The colour of the titles typography is of a white/cream colour, this connotes potential innocent and
the colour is not pure white.
The list within the background of the picture represents the title further due to the ‘list’.

8. Name: Letters From Iwo Jima
Synopsis: The sister story to Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers,"
"Letters from Iwo Jima" tells the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from
the Japanese forces perspective through letters written home.
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The colour scheme from previous years is still very consistent
within this poster, for example, the darkness filtering through to
lightness, representing binary opposition and a potential disequilibrium within the product.
- The main image within the rule of thirds Is of the male character
holding a walking stick, due to him looking into the sun it portrays
the potential goodness of the character.
- The title is represented as less important due to it being centred to
the right and not right within the audiences eye.
- The title has been portrayed as white, connoting innocence and
purity, this has been further connoted due to the title being
centred where the bright light is shining through.
- The most dominant colour is the dark, connoting badness and evilness which could be represented
through the immorality of war.

9. Name: War Horse
Synopsis: A friendship begins between a horse named Joey and
a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When
they are forcefully parted, the horse moves through the First
World War, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he
meets -- British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer
and his granddaughter.
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Within this poster colour begins to come through more
than the previous posters that have been represented,
however, the poster still stays within the conventions that
colour fades from dark to brightness.
Emotional content has been significantly used within this
poster, for example, the rule of thirds emphasises both the
horse and characters facial expressions enticing the
audience to want to watch the product.
The title typography has been represented in black, which
connotes emotional hurt or pain.
- An enigma has been represented throughout this poster as the audience wonder what the
characters are looking at and why they have the sadden look upon their face.

10. The layout of the posters represented all have similar positioning of the content it
upholds, for instance, the image has always been portrayed as the main focus, due to it
being represented within the rule of thirds, the audience are directly drawn to look at it.
Colours within the poster filter through representing a potential narrative, for example,
the bright colours could represent the begin of the narrative, portraying the start of the
equilibrium, as the colours filter through and the shades become sharper could portray
the unbalancing of the narrative, causing a dis-equilibrium to be portrayed. Each poster
represents a narrative and each have more than one colour portrayed, however, the
most common colours are that of blacks, browns and oranges, staying within the
stereotypical conventions of a war time drama poster.
Moreover, the image in each poster represented dominates that of the test, the titles
are either portrayed at the top or the bottom of the poster, by placing the title at the
bottom the audience have no choice but to look through the entire poster to find out
what it the title of the product is, furthermore, by the use of having the title at the top
of the poster the audience are able to instantly identify (uses and gratification theory)
with the image and are able to make the connection between the two.
Additionally, posters before 1960 were hand drawn due to the limit of technological
advances, however, after this time period elements of posters were hand drawn and or
the effect of a hand drawing was established through the use of technological advances
on software's such as Photoshop.

11. Conclusion
Conclusively, Although some of the posters were not short films each one portrayed a convention
which will be represented within our product. For example, throughout the posters the
consistency of representing colour has been a main convention. Each poster uses neutral, earthy
colours to represent the war being fought on natural ground, moreover, throughout time the
posters have changed slightly, colours became darker and furthermore, mysterious. The colours
filter through from significant shading of dark to lightness. Additionally, from the 1940s posters
were hand drawn, however, during the 1960s technological advances began to become in tact,
therefore, changing the way in which posters were created, however, the shading used creates
the effect of posters being hand drawn staying within the convention of war time posters.
Therefore, in order to stay within the stereotypical conventions of a war time period drama, we
will be incorporating all the features spoken about in the previous slide.