This document analyzes and summarizes three movie posters: 1) Abduction - The poster features a lone character sliding down a skyscraper, raising questions about the plot and genre (action thriller). 2) Taken - The dark poster obscures the main character holding a gun, creating intrigue about the crime/thriller genre and kidnapping plot. 3) Shutter - A horrifying facial image is the sole focus, likely appealing to an 18+ audience and establishing the horror genre, though the title creates some disconnect from the unsettling visual.

1. L I A M W O O D G A T E
Poster genre research

2. Abduction
Target audience:
The target audience for this film is
likely to be in the 16-24 age range,
based on the style of the poster.
Firstly the text is all easy to see and
read in a white font that fits with the
style. The poster is quite bright while
also maintaining a grey and gritty
feel. The presence of a weapon in the
character’s hand and the faint
outline of a helicopter connote
violence which fits with the age
range that has been outlined.
Characters:
There is only one character in this
poster and he appeals to the target
audience, he may be holding a
weapon, but his clothes suggest he is
just the average person caught up in
something he doesn’t want. However
he is in a generic “action movie”
pose while sliding down the window
of a skyscraper connoting a heroic
quality and raising multiple
questions for the audience. The
character himself isn’t obscured so
we don’t ask questions about him
specifically.
Genre:
The genre of this film is likely to be an
action thriller with some criminal
elements possibly. It is foremost an
action film judging by the pose of the
character and how he is sliding down
the window of a skyscraper. Questions
that would be raised are: Who is this
man? Why is he sliding down the side
of a skyscraper? These questions are
what make it a thriller as it isn’t exactly
obvious what is going on, are we
looking at the protagonist, antagonist
or even just a minor character. The
name of the film brings the crime
aspect in, as the word “Abduction” is a
term in criminology and allows the
audience to guess what might be the
plot or the basic motivations of the
main character.
Conclusion:
This poster is quite good in that it
raises questions and intrigues the
audience while also impressing them at
the same time with the visual imagery.

3. Taken
Target Audience:
The target audience for this film would
likely be in the 18-24 age range and there
are aspects of the poster which show off the
target audience. Firstly the titles are
prominent with a large and pointed font
that is easy to read and see, the quote is
faded slightly to show the protagonist. The
gun is placed over the text to give it an
important role and to draw attention to it.
The dark colours also appeal to the target
audience because it draws intrigue into the
film, it is visually pleasing with the orange
of the title’s contrasting with the black and
white theme.
Characters:
The only character on the poster takes a
central role behind the test while the
weapon he is holding isn’t behind the text.
The character is presented as dark and
mysterious as he is turned to the side and
his face is shrouded in darkness so we can’t
see it and the clothes he is wearing blend in
with the background making some other
parts invisible also. The character has been
portrayed in a tense manner which makes
the audience feel on edge as it is difficult to
tell if this is the protagonist or the
antagonist.
Genre:
The genre for this film is crime/thriller,
this is because the presence of a weapon
connoting violence and fear and the way
the character is shown in the poster
raises intrigue and questions from the
audience. The word “Taken” implies
some sort of kidnapping or capture
which would make up the crime portion
of the film. The dark colours and the
contrast between orange and black make
up the genre as well, orange can connote
caution or approaching danger.
Conclusion:
Overall this poster is quite effective in
portraying the characters and text in a
way that conveys the genre back to the
audience as well as drawing them in at
the same time with the obscurity of the
main character and the prominence of
the weapon. As it is a crime/thriller it is
relevant to my production which also
shares similarities in the name, “Taken”
implies something or someone has been
stolen, while “Ransom” implies similarly
but that there is blackmail or something
on a deeper level going on.

4. Shutter
Target audience:
The likely target audience for this film
would be those in the 18+ age range
mainly based on how horrifying the
poster itself is. The colours used and the
text used connote fear and danger for
the audience. As horrifying as the poster
is, it also raises intrigue and gives the
audience questions that they will want
to find out what the face is and what it
will mean for the plot of the film in the
long run.
Characters:
There is only the face of something that
can not be described properly, it looks
like a ghost or demon. Perhaps the
point is to make it so that it is difficult
to discern exactly what it is so that the
audience is able to question that. The
character lacks eyes and looks
horrifying to create an air of terror
surrounding the character presented
and the whole idea of the film.
Genre:
The genre of this film is likely more horror
than thriller based on the subject of this
poster alone, but the name “Shutter” is
less nuanced and doesn’t exactly carry the
same feel that the main body of the poster
does which could make up the thriller
element of this poster.
Conclusion:
This poster is quite effective at creating a
horrifying image for the audience and for
raising intrigue for the audience, however
there is a slight disconnect as the name
doesn’t carry the same horror that the
picture does and therefore creates a bit of
a difference. Using an image that is
horrifying surprises the audience by
making them quickly aware of what the
tone of the film will be and they will no
doubt ask questions like “What, or who, is
that thing?!”