Seven Film Poster Analysis

It contains standard poster features, including: picture, tagline, credit block, use of star names, use of star and an enigma. The tagline is intriguing because audiences don’t know how the film will relate to the seven deadly sins. The use of star in the poster is also likely to draw in audiences because of the success of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in the other films that they have starred in, including them on the poster will give the audience high expectations of the film. The enigma on the poster is the use of the seven deadly sins, the audience wants to understand what relation that they have to the film.

The main colours used are black, yellow and red. The black is used to connote mystery, it suggests that the villain of the film is unknown. In addition to this, black is often associated with evil, using it on the poster connotes the horror genre. Yellow can cause anxiety and agitation, it could suggest that the film will be tense. Red is used to symbolise evil and violence, it suggests that the film will contain visceral murders.

There aren’t any symbols featured on the poster that the audience needs foreknowledge to decode.

The main figures on the poster are Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt and they are represented photographically. The expressions on the two characters faces suggests that the themes of the film will be dramatic or troubling. Another of the main images on the poster is the seven deadly sins crossed out with a red line, this is represented illustratively. Having them on the poster can interest audiences as to what their connection is to the plot of the film, also having them crossed out is significant – audiences wonder what it means.

The messages on the poster are both visual and verbal, but primarily verbal. The visual message on the poster is the two main characters, their facial expressions suggest that the film will be disturbing or troubling. The verbal messages on the poster is the use of star names, the list of the seven deadly sins, the credit block, the title and the quote. The verbal messages are used to generate audience interest in the film, they are familiar with the actors, intrigued by the use of the seven deadly sins and the quote makes them wonder what the “gut-wrenching climax” of the film will be.

The intended audience of the film are fans of the two actors featured on the poster and most likely young adults to adults, the film is rated an 18 so the film is not aimed at children or young teenagers. This is because the film features the seven deadly sins and adults are more likely to know what they are. Younger audiences are also normally more interested in being scared by the film or the gore, the expressions of the characters suggest that the film will have a more dramatic plot that won’t interest a younger audience.

The lighting of the characters is a common convention in horror, the characters faces are normally hidden by shadows – which can be seen here in the poster. Another common feature of horror films is iconography, horror films often use religious icons – like the use of the seven deadly sins seen here.

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are used as USP’s here. Both actors are Oscar winners and have won numerous film awards for their performances, using them on the poster will already make audiences more inclined to watch the film because award-winning actors are in it.

One expert witness is quoted, “A nerve-jangling thriller with a gut-wrenching climax!”. Using words like “nerve-jangling” and “gut-wrenching” make audiences more interested in the film because the words are powerful, it gives them high-expectations of the film and the positive review of it makes them more likely to watch.

Thrills and horror are promised on the poster. The quote describes the film as a “nerve-jangling thriller” so the audience already expects thrills. The tagline also says “Seven ways to die.”, it connotes that death will be a key part of the film – most likely to be violent or disturbing because it relates to the seven deadly sins.

Attention is gained through familiar face, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are infamous so an audience is almost guaranteed to know at least one of the actors. They have both won multiple awards and featured in various blockbusters, so audiences are likely to recognise them and know that they are good actors.

The tagline works by creating an eerie and sinister feeling, “Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.”. The mention of death is likely to intrigue and possibly even scare audiences because the deaths will be related to the seven deadly sins, which makes the tagline somewhat disturbing for an audience.

Overall, I would say that the poster is good. It uses USP’s, quotes and the tagline effectively to intrigue the audience. The use of the actors on the poster means that the audience recognises them as good actors, making them more likely to watch the film because they know that their roles will be performed well. The seven deadly sins used as a USP makes the poster interesting and makes it stand out to audiences because it isn’t a generic horror film, it makes them more likely to watch.

The poster communicates effectively with the audience because it gives them clear expectations of the film, they expect horror because of the lighting, tagline and colours and they expect thrills because of the quote on the poster. The poster suits it’s target audience well because is a more mature poster, it makes an older audience more interested in the film.

There aren’t any obvious alternative readings that will harm the marketing message and there isn’t anything clearly offensive on the poster. Although, the use of the seven deadly sins may be offensive to those who follow the Christian faith as the seven deadly sins feature in the Bible.