Poster Research

By: Alex Jones

• What are the main colours used in the poster? What do they connote?Katniss is wearing a red costume. The colour red indicates danger, energy, anger, confidence and passion. The clouds are blue and white and they represent hope and victory. There is also silver writing to give information however it makes the audience focus more on the image. In addition the black mocking jay stands out in the image.• What symbols are used in the poster? Do you need audience foreknowledge to decode the

symbols?There is a black mocking jay on Katniss shoulder. This represents the rebellion. Wearing a mocking jay pin is a sign of rebellion to the Capitol — whether or not the wearer means any harm. Not only did it fail in killing off their own creation, but it turned into something even better than before. The audience need to watch the first one in the series to get what the mocking jay represents.• What are the main figures/objects/background of the poster? Are they represented

photographically, graphically, or illustratively?She is represented as the mocking jay and she looks like the sign of hope. Also everyone in the film sees her as a sign of hope.• Are the messages in the poster primarily visual, verbal, or both?There is always hope, if you believe.• Who do you think is the intended audience for the poster?The audience is teenage girls, this inspires teenagers to be brave and strong and makes them feel that there is always hope.• What persuasive techniques are used by the poster?They use emotion, to make the audience feel that Katniss is being brave and standing up to something.• Which genre conventions are referred to?The poster follows the conventions of action and adventure.• Is a star used as a USP (Unique Selling Point)?Jennifer Lawrence is used; many teenager girls look up to her because she is smart, brave and strong. This makes the audience what to watch it.• What pleasures (gratifications) are promised by the poster?That there is going to be hope and she is going to face up to her fears.• How is attention gained?Attention is gained; there is a famous actress on the poster.

ANALYSING MOVIE

POSTERS

Target Audience

I love tension.

I love shopping with my friends, listening to music, watching films, having sleepovers.

I love going out with my mates, playing football, playing on my Xbox, going to parties and watching films.

I love watching films with my friends.

I mainly shop at Topshop, New Look and River Island.

I mainly shop at Topman, Urban Outfitters and JD Sports.

I am 16 years old.

Both GendersMaleFemale

My social life is very important to me.

I love films that include a hint of Sci-Fi.

I love films that are action adventure.

I love fast food.

I mainly drink Coke.

I mainly drink water.

I love technology, especially the latest gadgets.

Target AudienceBoth GendersMaleFemale

I love watching films with my family and friends.

I love action adventure films with a hint of Sci-Fi.

I mainly drink water.

I mainly shop at New Look, Topshop and JD Sports.

I mainly shop at Topman and JD Sports.

I am 15 years old.

I am 14 years old.

I love fast-paced scenes.

I’m a girl who’s not scared to like action/ sci-fi films. I break the stereotypical view.

I love tension.

I love any fast food.

I love pizza. I am always on my Xbox.

I live on my phone.

Target Audience

I love listening to music whilst doing homework.

I love going on holiday to new and different places.

I watch a fair amount of Television, in my spare time, my favourite programme is Friends.

In the future, I would like to do something related to sport as this is my main hobby.

I am currently in year 9 at Brockington College.

In my spare time, I like to play football and see my friends and family.

I live with my mum, dad and older sister (Lauren).

My name is Sophie, I am 14 years old.

I don’t really watch many films. However I do like films that have a lot of action going on and they interest me the most. I like films that have a sequel, for example: The Hunger Games and Star Wars.

Evaluation Of My Draft Posters Q1) How effective was your research into similar posters and relevant target audiences. What did you learn from your research into these two areas? In what ways did this shape the creation of your posters?I learnt that they use powerful images to draw the audience in and most posters have the main characters on the posters and they are well-known, which can persuade the audience to watch it. On the posters, there are major issues in the background so they draw the audience in. in addition they use dark colours and some mainly have red, black, yellow and orange ( for example The Hunger Games ) to show danger and them colour intrigue the audience in. The film titles are bold and plain, this makes the audience look more at the picture and it easier to read the name and remember it, this is very effective; it makes the pictures stand out from the title. Everything that I have learnt makes the poster eye catching for the audience.Q2) What creative decisions did you have to make at the different stages of your poster production? How did your posters change as your work progressed?Main poster - In the background, I faded a galactic city in to a magical forest. I did this; it shows the two main scenes and it gives you a sense of the background of the characters. Its also helps show that it is an action adventure film with a hint of sci-fi. I also changed the eyes on my protagonist and change the colour of the image to black and white, this makes the audience feel like there is something strange about the character and something has happened to them. Teaser poster – In the background, I had a plain black background with leaves falling from one side and red veins to look like there is a chemical in there blood. I also have an eye as the main image. The eye looks like it is looking at a tree but then it has a galaxy image behind it.

Evaluation Of My Draft PostersQ3) How closely does your poster follow the forms and conventions of existing posters? Give examples of real posters you referenced.Teaser Poster – I have used a powerful image, I used an eye looking at a tree with a galaxy behind it. A simple title, so the title doesn’t take the attention off the image and so it is easy to read. I have used are black, red, yellow and white, to show that it is an action adventure film and it contains danger. In addition I used these colours to make my poster stand out and catch the audiences attention.Main Poster - The background shows the audience what the two main settings are like. For example the left side is a picture of the woods and the right side is an galactic city. This also gives the audience an intake on what the setting will be like. I have a bold title so it is easier to read and doesn’t distract the audience from the main image. And the main image is a picture of the main character. It also includes credits, the slogan and I included the Universal logo. Q4) How successful is your finished poster? What are its strengths and weaknesses?My teaser poster is more successful than my main poster; it shows off the films genre more. I don’t like they way my character is place on my poster, I think I would make it look like she is looking a both worlds instead of looking at the audience. I love how the two settings fade into each other in the background. In addition I like the colour and contrasts of the eye and the background in my teaser poster.