The document analyzes several movie posters and summarizes key techniques used: 1) Posters use contrasting colors to make important information like titles and actor names stand out from the background. Positioning and lighting of characters can also provide clues about the plot and their roles. 2) The Legend poster positions the two main characters equally, showing they have the same power, unlike posters where one towers over the other. 3) Film noir conventions like men peering through blinds and femme fatales are identifiable in The Dark Corner poster. Lighting suggests one character needs help while the other is optimistic.

1. POSTER ANALYSES

2. THE BLACK DAHLIA
In this poster we can clearly see the title of the film as it is a dark red colour on
a white background. This could represent happiness being covered and soiled
by death and sadness (which is denoted as the colour red).
The names of the main actors in the film are shown at the top. Although we
cannot very clearly see their first names due to the dark red on black, we can
clearly see the surnames of actors. This may be a problem with some movies
however the surnames are very recognisable meaning we do not necessarily
need to see their first name. For example, we can assume “Johansson” will be
Scarlett Johansson based on her already large fan base and popularity.
We can also see in this poster the information at the bottom. This is normally
what is contained on movie posters. It is important information for legal
reasons however it may be useful to the general public. However, it does not
stand out as strongly as the title or actors names as it is not viewed as being
essential for the audience to know.
In this small print, it does however have a piece of information saying it is
inspired by the most notorious unsolved murder which will lead to people
researching the film and potentially telling others what it is about therefore
building publicity for their movie.

3. THE BLACK DAHLIA
In the poster, the woman is gazing upwards. Underneath her, the background
is white. The contrasting lights could represent life and death and she is
crossing over from life to death. This would tell the audience that are unaware
with the story that she will die in the film and that would be a main part of the
plot. As well as this, her lipstick dropping could actually be blood dripping from
her lips. This could connote that she will die (connotation of blood) due to
someone's love for her (connotation of red lips).

4. LEGEND
This poster shows the main characters who are the Kray Twins and the woman
(Frances Kray). They are central in the poster with the title of the film in big
bold letters. We can also see films made by other producers of this film. This
technique can be used to attract people who may have enjoyed those films by
suggesting they may also enjoy this true British story. Similarly to the Black
Dahlia movie poster, where it tells the audience this is based on a true story.
This has the same impact where it raises awareness for when the movie actually
comes out.

5. LEGEND
In the poster, we see the two main characters standing side to side. Unlike
many movie posters containing multiple people, we have one character
standing over or in front of another to show superiority. However, the
positioning here tells us that the characters are equal in power and support
each other (which makes sense since they are both gangster brothers). The
other character in the shot is Frances Kray, the wife to one of the brothers
Reggie Kray. Her position standing behind the two characters shows that
although she is not the main focus of the movie, she is still a major part of the
plot and is always driving the brothers to make decisions.
We can assume that the movie is going to a gangster movie as the facial
expressions are more serious than they would be in other genres of film.
Another clear sign that this will fall under that specific genre is that one of the
twins is holding a gun while they are both wearing very sharp and expensive
suits. Frances is also set up to look like a femme fatale with very nice makeup
and shiny hair.

6. THE DARK CORNER
The poster for The Dark Corner has the names of the main actors and the title
in large bold letters. They are also bright colours which stand out against a
dark background allowing the eyes of the viewers towards the important
information. There is also an irony that the title “the dark corner” almost
radiates yellow light across the woman in the post. This could just show that
the title is in a dark corner since it is surrounded by black making it stand out
stronger.
The poster shows the man as being quite pale with more blue/ grey light
shining on him while the woman emits bright yellow light. This could inform
the audience of character traits. It could tell us that the man is more
depressed and in need of help while the woman is more optimistic and adds a
hint of joy to the movie. It could also suggest she is the love interest in the
film as he is drawn to her light since she has what he lacks and desires it.

7. The Dark Corner
The poster shows very common and stereotypical conventions of a Film Noir
movie. The man is peering through venetian blinds which are commonly used by
this genre due to he harsh lighting contrast that they cause (this is explained
more in-depth in my comprehensive analysis of genre).
The poster also has a character we can assume is the femme fatale due to her
costume and how well presented her hair is. The bright red shoes (which I now
know commonly represent lust from previous research) tell us that she is quite
scandalous and eye-catching towards the man.
In the trailer we can make the assumption that the man is looking out for the
woman. This is through the positioning where is slightly larger and looking down
upon her. This could connote that he is protective over her or actually spying on
her through windows. Both ideas could fit in with Film Noir.
It could also be the case that the man is hiding behind the venetian blinds. In the
actual film the man suspects that someone is following him and trying to kill him
which explains why he would be hiding behind venetian blinds.

8. WHAT I CAN INCORPORATE IN MY OWN
POSTER
 From my research I know that an important
technique is to make the positioning of the
characters clear and distinct as this is a
common tool used to describe the plot and
which characters are going to be more
important. However as seen in the Legend
poster, this does not necessarily need to be
one character standing over the other but if
two characters have the same status then they
can stand side by side.
 Light is also an effective tool. The contrast in
these posters not only make the important
information (such as titles and main actors)
stand out, but can also reveal personality traits
of the characters in the movie.