A2 Media Ashley Hamilton

Film Posters AnalysisA film poster is a poster that is used to promote the release of a new film to an audience, with the purpose of enticing them to go and watch the film. Different variations of the poster will sometimes be released to appeal to the largest audience possible. For example, different posters of different characters may be made to appeal to different audience members who like specific characters. Posters usually contain things like images, logos, people who were involved in the film, like actors and directors, and the release date.

Ghostbusters

The poster doesn’t contain any information on what the film is, who is involved, or when it is released. The poster only contains a single phrase, gripping the audience into wanting to find out what the poster is advertising, and entices them to look forward to the summer.

The ghost in the stop sign is in the centre, and is the centre of the audience’s attention. The red is the only vibrant colour on the poster, in contrast to the black background, which makes it stand out to the audience and grabbing their attention. The logo in the centre also indicates that ghosts will be the main focus of the film.

This is a form of a teaser poster. Similar to a teaser trailer, the poster purposefully doesn’t reveal too much information on the film to engage their audience and keep them interested.

As the logo stands out, the logo is remembered by the audience, and becomes easily recognisable. When future films were released, the logo became iconic, and was instantly recognisable by the audience.

A2 Media Ashley Hamilton

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The poster is a teaser poster, not giving the title or any information about the film, only the release date. This encourages the audience to go and watch the film to find out more.

Fans of the films or of Captain America in general will recognise the iconic shield that the superhero has, meaning that they instantly know what the film is. This gives the fans of the films an insight. The audience who are not familiar with the films or character are enticed by enigma, as the character has his back turned and face covered, which makes the audience want to watch to find out who the character is.

The character is at the centre of the poster, making them the centre of attention and indicating that they are the main character. They are the only character on the poster, indicating that this is the character that the audience should support and connect with in the film.

The character is positioned in the centre with his legs slightly apart in a slightly triangular frame. This makes the shape of the letter ‘A’, which represents the main character’s name, Captain America. This is a convention some posters use, where there are hidden messages or images that are relevant to the film, sometimes to give the audience more information or insight.

The backdrop of the poster gives the audience an idea of the setting of the film. The background gives the audience an idea of the genre, as action is revealed by the jet and there is also elements of sci-fi with the hovercraft. If any audience members live in the area shown, the poster targets and appeals to them, further encouraging them to take interest in the film.

The poster uses social media to try and reach out to its audience. They appeal to audiences who use social networking sites, as well as promote the film when people post about it.

A2 Media Ashley Hamilton

Inception

The characters in the film are placed at the bottom of the screen. This is odd as it breaks the rule of thirds, which ties in with the confusion and the breaking of reality. The main character is placed in the centre facing the camera, indicating that he is the main focus of the film, and that we should connect to that character.

The setting of the poster confuses the audience, as it doesn’t seem like it is reality. The confusion of the audience fits with the theme of the film, as it contains a lot of confusion within it and the defying of reality. This gives the audience an idea of what the film is about.

The title is a vibrant red, and stands out from everything else. The title will catch the audience’s attention due to the dull colours surrounding it.

The slogan ‘Your mind is the scene of the crime’ gives the audience an insight into the plot of the film, indicating it is psychological in some way. This is a common convention of film posters, in which then slogan/phrase on the poster gives the audience some indication of the plot.

The poster has information on the cast of the film, as well as general information, such as the release date. This is a common convention of film posters. The name Leonardo Dicaprio is the largest cast name, standing out the most to the audience. This means that the name catches their attention, and fans of the actor will be encouraged to watch the film.

The film poster contains information on the director’s previous works. It tells the audience that the director also directed ‘Dark Knight’, which appeals to people who enjoyed that film. If people enjoyed Dark Knight, they will be more enticed to watch this as well.