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Film Poster Research

Film poster research involves analysing film posters as if we were to make our own film poster. Each film poster is unique to the content of the film and the genre it belongs to.  The film poster is the initial stage of distribution and marketing. Its the first view of the film the audience see therefore the poster must signify to the audience what the film is about and the poster can contain images that grab the attention of the audience. 

What makes a short film poster?

A short film poster has to be appealing to the eye. Many short films are experimental therefore their film posters should be unusual and matching with the film. A film poster is there to provide a selling point to the target audience to watch the film. It should be commercially distributed to reach a large audience. 

Features of a short film poster?

Short films don't have information of the release date. This is because the film is very well known and therefore the release date isn't necessary for the audience. The audience isn't anticipating the film to be released, its a new product that needs to break into the market. For a short film its about getting the film out into the public eye and gaining recognition. 

 

Short films often have their characters in the middle of the poster. This could signify for the audience the characters that are in the film. This could be presented through a freeze frame of the film which if memorable it could attract a varied audience. Iconography isn't necessary in short films as they are often experimental and work on a low budget. 

The imagery used in the poster would often give some clues to some of the mise en scene and storyline. Short films have a more graphic and experimental imagery because they are trying to express their message to the audience. 

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Also, characters, directors, producers and other members that assist the production of the film would often be on the poster for promotion. However, n the short film they don't always have this information. This may not be necessary depending on how they want to the film to be promoted, budget or they might unknown to the general public and may be wasting their low budget. 

What makes a feature length film poster?

A feature length film is contains more information for the audience to absorb. It contains dates of the release date which is when the film is due to release to the public. 

What makes a short film poster?

Just like short films, feature length films also have at least one character on the poster. Generally, the character is placed in the middle or a close up of the figure is enlarged in the middle. This area is the first place your eyes will look. It signifies the characters in the film and what the film could be about. Along with iconography the imaging of characters and movement can show what the film is about. 

The film poster would also have a small slogan. This is direct address to the audience as an appeal to watch the film. This poster shows, 'Welcome to a world without rules'. This connotes that this is an action film where there will be 'bad guy' and the 'good guy' tries to defeat them to save the world. 

This poster is a universal brand of the batman series. All of the actors have been named of the poster. The cast of the film is released to try and promote their film. This shows to the audience which actors will be appearing in the film which could bring added viewers according to the popularity of the actors. 

The release date of the poster is added too. This is because a feature length film is highly anticipated by the audience once conformation or a trailer is shown to the audience. This allows the audience to plan for the release and also creates revenue as premiers and pre orders will be ordered. The cast of the film is also released to try and promote their film. 

Examples of Components of a film poster

These following points are some examples of components of a film poster:

ATTENTION

Grabbing the audience's attention is number one priority as this will attract them to watch the film. This can be created by:

  • Bright lighting or sharp colours

Bright colour and lighting is immediately attracted to the eye due to the nature of the eye and attraction to lights. Once the audience has spotted the poster they are likely to carry viewing the finer details of it. Without bright lighting or even an usual graphic imagery, the audience may never come across the poster

  • Large graphics

Large graphics can be useful in a poster as it can explain what the film is about but also it engages the audience with the possible protagonist or another element from the film. From this the audience can connote what the film is and are they interested in it. 

  • Personalized element from the film

This refers to the characters or props within the film that may intrigue the audience. For example, if a film is promoting its documentary on nature, a still of the jungle landscape may be too boring as most people have an idea of what the jungle looks like. However, change the still into a close up of a certain animal or specie not many people have seen before the audience may become curious and will know what the film is about. 

  • Sexually provocative imagery(Keeping with the film)

This element can attract the audience through sexual imagery. This can vary from shadows or concealed image of a women. This is therefore predominantly aimed at the male population which could be argued limits the amount of the target audience. Also, it may differ from the actual film. However, the attraction is there and the audience will decide if they would like to watch the film. 

ICONOGRAPHY-Showing without telling

The iconography of the poster is very effective at showing what the film is about without having description. Personally this has more of a professional look rather than lots of information and text. 

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Moreover, iconography is imagery that is used to show a tease of a film which the audience implies what the film is about. This means that there is generally a large graphic that will grab the audience and tell them what the film is about. It should be something rememberable and that stands out to he audience. 

Interests

Interests

Interests involves what key elements on the poster engages the audience to the film. After the audience has been attracted to the poster by the selected iconography the audience needs to be retained to the film. The poster must offer an incentive for the audience to watch the film. 

This poster is from the highly successful series of the The Hunger Games. The poster has all the key elements like a slogan, iconography and design. A few elements of this poster that would interest the audience would be the positioning of what seems to be the main protagonist on a journey. This signifies that the story line will be in depth with many obstacles for the character. The character's back is against the audience and is viewing a path ahead of them. This connotes the path of the story line. Showing the characters in the middle of the poster gives an incentive to audience because it shows the type of character in the film and can signify what may happen in the film. 

 

Furthermore the iconic symbol of the hunger games is known for. This attracts the audience especially the avid followers of the series will know exactly what the film is. The symbol is effectively a crow with an arrow. This could signify that the film has fighting and battles with old fashioned weapons. This would also signify that the film would be set in the mid centuries as these weapons were associated with that time period. 

Appeal

Appeal is what is on the poster that could appeal the audience to the film. There are many forms of appeal varying from a simple yet remember able poster to a very detailed and creative poster that offers lots of information to the poster. 

This is a film poster from the film Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park is an iconic film that has several films and a developed fan base. Its set in the dinosaur years and is full of action. The poster shown here seems to be undeveloped as it doesn't contain much colour or designs which is a convention of what attracts a poster to the audience. However, the poster has been produced with simplicity in mind so that the audience remember it for being out of the ordinary. It still contains the fundamental elements such as the director, the classic Jurassic Park logo and the release date of the film. Furthermore, the Jurassic Park logo has been made big in the center of the poster. This could a attraction technique as this would be the first thing that you would see. This is further enforced as the background is black which means that the sharp red colour is projected to the eye. 

This is a short film poster that uses similar technique for a different genre. This film poster is on a horror film which is shown through the bloody hand on the window. The hand has been covered in blood which connotes violence and death. The red is immediately the first thing that the audience sees as they are looking at the poster. From that, its fairly obvious its a horror. The rest of the poster only has a title and small print of the cast and production team. This poster uses similar colour designs and only has an hand in the center. This makes the poster rememberable for the audience as they wouldn't expect to see a poster like this due to its uniqueness. Lastly, the iconography of the hand smeared with blood is a vile image that most people would be troubled by and therefore remember it. 

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