My finished poster design - Alex

This is my idea for a poster for our film. I have made the title to biggest because it draws attention to the film and because on a actual magazine cover the name of the magazine would be the biggest aspect of it. Our film is called The Magazine because it is all about how a girl reads a magazine and dreams about being on the cover of it and then we find out that she is homeless and fell asleep reading a magazine called 'The Magazine'. However then part of the dream comes to life and we don't know if the dream was real or not. The magazine is the start and end to all of the problems and also the name of the magazine is 'The Magazine' which sounds daunting and almost like a horror. My design is simplistic because it is a simple idea. We can't give too much information away in our poster because there is a plot twist at the end which we want people to be surprised by and this is why I've mentioned the plot twist on the poster, to draw people in and to keep them guessing throughout the film. The red symbolises blood as I researched on other posters such as the silence of the lambs and I used it because the story could be seen as a little bit dark. The girl on our poster is our main character and the most important because she is the one having the dream.

Poster Analysis #4 The Imitation Game

Media Language

The layout is that the main character is in the centre of the poster and takes up most of the poster representing that he is the main character, his facial expressions are sincere which links to his position of work which is shown through writing of "Behind every code there is an enigma" as his work is the enigma code. His costume is very smart by his shirt and tie which shows that he is important and his hair is slicked back to represents that he is serious about his work.Underneath is the title which is small and is not the main focus of the poster because the focus is the character who is centred but it has a yellow colour to stand out against his shirt and tie whilst the background colour of the poster is red. This has connotations of blood and danger which could represent ideas for the film. There is a pattern of circles over the poster overlaying the characters face, it is a very symmetrical pattern which could represent the characters personality of liking things organised and in order.

The tagline is "Behind every code is an enigma". This links to the enigma code created by Alan Turing which represents that the film is about the enigma code and can link to the circles being very repetitive and intense like cracking the code. The imitation game is based on a true story about Alan Turing cracking the enigma code.

The Imitation Game is rated 12A due to it's sexual and nudity references, violence and gore and it's frightening scenes.


Representation

The representation of wealth and middle class is shown through the costume of a suit and tie and also his poised body language which shows he is someone important. He also represents a stressed out person due to his intense facial expressions which links to his genre of work as a code breaker.

Genre

The Imitation Game is a biological thriller film. It is shown that it is a biological film through it being based on Alan Turing's ground breaking work on breaking the enigma code but shows thriller genre features through the use of blood, gore and violence but suspense also within the film.

Poster Analysis #3 We Need To Talk About Kevin

Media Language

The actors both have sincere facial expressions shown by using a close up shot, the top female is staring into the distance on the right, she looks frightened but concerned whilst the bottom male character has an evil look about him as he stares into the camera with wide eyes. It makes you feel for more intimidated and adds intensity to the film. The main image is of a male and a female, due to the title "We need to talk about Kevin" it represents the relationship between the characters as it takes a close bond to "talk about" them. Due to the characters showing close resemblance you can tell that they are related as their facial expressions mirror each other and they have similar Caucasian features with dark hair and pale skin. The images don't relate to the background as the shots are close ups to see their sincere facial expressions which don't relate to a background. The lighting of the poster is mid lit because it makes the red titling look more severe, the red also represents blood and gore which can give a hint to what the film is about. The title is in the centre of the poster where "KEVIN" is bigger than the rest of the writing which represents that he is the main character and that he has a problem due to them having to talk about him.

It has a film festival entry winner logo on the poster, this lets people know that the film is of a good standad if it has won an award.


We Need To Talk About Kevin was described as  "masquerades as a psychological puzzle but is essentially a horror film full of decorous sensationalism". Therefore it is rated as a 15 due to blood, gore and mild nudity. The film was originally premiered at Cannes Film Festival where they were successful and then went onto showing.

There is no tagline but a review by The Times calling it "Earth shattering" with a 5 star rating to attract the audience to watch it from the poster


Representation


The female actor is represented as scared and worried, this could be because of Motherly instinct but the glare in her eyes posses anger towards the male character. The male actor is represented as evil due to his long stare into the character which can show he has done something bad. These representations make the film more appealing to watch. There is a strong representation of family values within the poster as the 2 characters on the poster have similar looks and the title shows that she cares.

Genre

The genre is a psychotic thriller which is shown by the rating on the poster "an earth-shattering film". You can tell that is it a psychotic thriller due to the intense stare in both the characters eyes, the male character looks more severe so it represents that he is in control over the female.

Poster Analysis #2 Room 107

 

Media Language 

The poster uses dark lighting to create an intense atmosphere and increases the tension within the film poster because you don't know what's in the darkness. The main character in the poster is kneeling and her face is hidden by the lighting which represents her into a mysterious character but it is also shown by her plain white dress which can represent purity and angelic but contrasted to the darkness it juxtaposes the situation. Her body language and facial expressions are plain and cannot be read which shows she is putting up a front. 

The layout of the poster is that the writing and title is up at the top and leave the rest of the space for the picture of the female. This means she is the main character and that she has something about her due to the lack of other writing or people. The title is of a red colour which fades down so that it looks like blood is smearing down which represents that she is associated with blood and evil. All the font on the poster is different so the tagline which is level with her torso is smaller says "It's not a thriller until you think about it" by making it smaller it makes it spookier as it is edgier. It also complies with the horror genre and by having a tagline it makes the audience think about what they are about to watch.

The main image relates to the background as it fits in with the theme of darkness and links to the plot line of the other character being afraid of her. 

There are no reviews or billing block on this posters which makes it look quite simple. It only has the film makers name at the top and below that 3 names of actors who have featured in it. This is effective because it diverts all eyes onto the main character in the poster.

Representation

Through the use of a white slip dress the female in the poster is represented as angelic and pure. This allows the audience to cast an idea of what her character will be like but the dark background and setting represents that she is linked to the devil and evil. It does not represent women in a particular way due to the poster not showing facial expressions or body language so she is portrayed as a blank canvas which is ready to be interpreted.

Genre

The genre of the film poster is a thriller horror due to the dark lighting and the blood styled title which complies with a typical horror genre poster. The tag line "It's not a thriller until you think about it" gives away that it is a thriller genre piece.

Poster Analysis #1 Bill & Maggie's Intergalatic Taxi Service

Media Language

The poster uses space galactic colours for the theme of the poster which links to the title 'intergalactic taxi service' and it also represents the film of travelling around the galaxy.

The layout of the poster is that the title and the billing block is at the bottom so the main focus is the 6 characters but the main character is positioned in the centre and is slightly larger than the rest of the characters this shows that he is more important and by his costume of rounded glasses and a large hat shows his character as a conductor.

The main image of the poster is the conductor which shows his authoritive role because his other soldiers are smaller than him and because the females in the poster are beneath him, it emphasises the power he has representing male dominance within the film. He relates to the background because he could be shown as controlling the sky and that the females are breaking the rules as they are in possesion of a steering wheel which looks like a pirates ship wheel. 

Despite the poster being animated you can clearly establish the facial expressions and body language the characters are showing. The two females at the front are showing excitement and positivity to the journey through their grinning faces and their body language suggests they're close but the elder female leaning on her in a close manor. The title is white so that it stands out against the galaxy background and "Bill & Maggie's" is slightly enlarged and is on a different level to the text beneath it which is "Intergalactic Taxi Service". This shows that they are the key focus of the film. By positioning the title near the bottom it gives more room for the pictures which take up 2 thirds of the poster.

The actors names are only placed in the Billing Block but their production company logo "FilmmakerJ Studios" is on the left and right bottom corners so that they can be recognised.

Representation

The characters are positively represented as they are all dressed respectively and are all shown to be going on a journey together which represented friendly and family values. No character is represented badly because it is aimed at families and shows different job roles which can inspire people. Although there are ethnic groups which are underrepresented as there is no showing of them as it is white majority. As there are only 2 females and 4 males, females are underrepresented and only express the roles of a motherly figure and someone who is being neutered (the child) but they are incharge of the wheel. The male figures are represented with authoritive roles as soldiers or conductors which show they are the dominant more important people. 

This film poster is for the upcoming film in spring 2017 where there are only a short tralier for it but there is a short summary about the plot where it defies the representation of the men being more dominant as the plot revolves around the girls stealing the ship and taking it for a joy ride.

Genre

The genre is a fantasy film due to it being set at the 'intergalactic' and it showing the characters in a galaxy filled environment. It is aimed at families due to it being a taxi service in the galaxy so it is family friendly and easy for everyone to watch. Although it doesn't have a specific certification so it'll be good for everyone to watch.

The film poster is found on shortfilmposters.com and has a profile on IMDb.

These websites will help spread the awareness about the short film and advertise them.

I, Daniel Blake Poster analysis

This is the film poster for the independent British film 'I, Daniel Blake'. The first thing noticeable is the grey background on which everything is set. This sets a mood for the film, suggesting that the film will include some serious tones or social realism, helping confirms the films genre. The grey also works well because the text is still clear and effective, and with the text adds an urban feel to the film. This is also present in the title, which is composed quite large in at the bottom, in graffiti text. The choice of using graffiti text adds a number of tones the the poster. It adds an urban feel, suggesting that the film may centre around the streets, or maybe lower working class. The graffiti also adds a sense of rebellion, as the way the character is composed in the poster could suggest that it was him who wrote it. It contrasts with the much more organised text above it, where all the film reviews are composed across the wall. The reviews are blocked together into one huge block of text that spans the wall, making it stand out as a poster. The font is bold, and stands out from the wall behind. Particular words and phrases are highlighted in red text, making them very bold on screen. This helps emphasize the praise that this film has been given, and the audience's eye is drawn to all these very positive reviews. This works with the films promotion, as it is clearly showing that lots of different companies think that this is a good film, and have therefore left positive reviews. The character is composed within the poster so that he stands out. There is a shadow cast behind him, showing that he is not simply superimposed over the background, but actually there and interacting with it. His posture, particularly the raised fist shows a range of themes; success ,accomplishment, moving forwards, etc. This shows that the film is centred around the character's success or personal achievement, and  hints that the film will include the full journey of his success. His clothes appear to be that of an average working class citizen, hinting that the character is of modest background, and that this could be an underdog type narrative.

Lovefield poster analysis

This is the poster for the short film 'Lovefield' by Mathieu Ratthe. This short film is well known for its twist narrative, and how well the director uses semantic codes to lure the audience into a false sense of insecurity. The poster works well in showing this, as there are lots of horror semantic codes throughout, whilst hinting at some more light-hearted visuals associated with different genres.

The background is of a field, which both explains the films title and shows the setting of the short film. There is a dark overtone to the image, with the field and clouds being desaturated and dark. This is a semantic code that establishes the genre as horror, as horror films are often associated with dark tones and often vast uninhabited fields. However, the sky is not just simply dark and cloudy, there is also sunshine creeping through, trying to reach the fields. This suggests that there is more to the narrative than first thought, and without knowing the twist, viewers may notice and criticise this. Rather ironically, the small light foreshadows the light-hearted twist in the narrative.

The character in the poster is shown from the torso up in the field. More importantly, his hand is obscured by the field, and the choice to only show his torso and arm suggests that this character is hiding something. This adds to the theme of horror shown throughout the poster. The viewer can only theorize what he is holding/doing, but it does not appear to be pleasant. The characters himself is looking down at something in the field. This, again, adds a sense of unknowingness which helps suggest that this character is up to something sinister, making the viewer assume that he is an antagonist. The character wears overalls and a trucker hat, both clothes associated with the stereotype of rednecks. This stereotype is often used in horror movies as antagonists, so also helps builds this character's image as an antagonist.

The title is written in bold font, and is slightly obscured by the cornfield. There is a silhouette of a crow on the last letter; another semantic horror code to establish this films genre. The bold font makes it impactful, and it looks like the sort of impactful font used similarly by other horror film posters. This further brings the viewer into the sense that this will be a horror short film, as all the semantic codes seem to point that way. The poster is very effective in its use of semantic codes, and that it mirrors the films buildup to a horror genre.

Bronson Poster analysis

THis is the poster for the British independent film Bronson. The film centres around the character of Bronson, a notoriously violent British prisoner. Lots of things in the poster show parts of it narrative, focus, and stylistic approach.

The main focus within the poster is the character Bronson. His composition is central, showing that he is the protagonist for the film. The lack of anything else, or any other people in the poster adds a sense of solitarily, which corresponds with the fact that he is a prisoner. His stance looks somewhat victorious, as though he has just won something. This is further shown with the overhead lights shining down on him. The lights add a professional feel, and make him look like a champion, they also highlight the fact that he is the protagonist. They give the only colour in the poster, using mostly gold and yellow tones which add a sense of fame and notoriety about this character. It also hints at the more stylistic approach taken by the director when making the film. His head is tilted upwards so that he is looking slightly down at the camera. This could suggest that he is very self-centred or that he has a large ego, and the fact that he looks down whilst still composed at eye level suggests that while he thinks great of himself, others do not. Further down in the poster, his hands are wrapped much like a boxer would wrap their hands, only there are blood stains on them. This metaphor of blood being on his hands shows that this character is very violent and dangerous, setting him apart from regular boxers he is imitating due to his increased violence. As well as blood on his hands, there is blood on his chest, further showing the characters extreme violence.

The title font is all in capitals, making it bold and stand out. it goes with the rest of the posters colour wave of yellow/gold tones. Again, this adds to the feeling of fame and notoriety. The font has a certain metallic feel to it, it looks like cast metal. This is used both to show when the film is set, being in the twentieth century, and to add to this sense of the film being raw and hard hitting, as shown with the violence implied by the character in the frame. Underneath is more text in the same style, reading 'The Man The Myth The Celebrity'. This adds to the fact that the protagonist has a degree of fame and notoriety about him. It also hints that this is based on a real person. The change to the well known phrase 'the man the myth the legend' suggests that he is not your typical famous person and hints that his story and rise to fame is is alternative.

Donkey (short film) poster analysis

 

The Image of the poster is a still of the main protagonist from the narrative. The image has been captured from a frame within the film, so this was not separately shot specifically for the poster. It has been blown up so that it completely fills the screen, making it stand out. It also implies that this is the central character in the film, and that the plot revolves around him. The image is in grey-scale, as is the whole short film. This adds sincerity to the film, and helps deliver its message within its social realism genre. The image also looks grainy, giving it a coarse and gritty feeling. This also adds to the implementation that this short film will include a sincere message or tone. The image is a shot of the protagonist looking into a foggy mirror. This adds to the theme of reflection by the protagonist, which can be seen within the short film itself.

The director, Keir Burrows, puts his name above the title in a much slimmer and smaller font above the title.

 

The title for the short film is positioned almost at the bottom of the poster. It is placed under the focus of the image, as not to overlap and distract. It is in a bold, white font, spaced out across the centre of the image. The bold font adds impact, and the use of white works with the image to keep the grey-scale tone.

Along the bottom are five separate awards that the film has won at separate film festivals. These help with the promotion of the film, as it lets people know that this film is of a high quality, and has been officially recognized for this. This also shows that the film has been well distributed and is definitely known by a large audience.

  

The poster is quite minimalistic, and only shows the essentials. There is a company logo in the top right  corner, which is made very small to continue the posters small font layout. There is no billing text, and no age certificate, as these would not appear on a short film poster.