Poster research

Film Poster Research

Horror and Action Posters

Horror posters tend to use/overuse the colours: red, blue, green and a grungy brown/grey. All of the colours will some

what be unsaturated. The reason for this is that because they are used so widely in horror movies, as humans, we will

automatically be drawn to these colours and fear them more as we know what they are associated with. The title will tend to have a blurred/mechanical effect, along with a close up of

a face or a violent scene from the movie.

Action posters will also use red, blue, green and orange as their main colour scheme. However, the difference between

these and the other ones, is that the action movie colours are much brighter and strike the eye more. This gives the

audience a sense of adrenaline/excitement when looking at the poster which coincides with the fact that it is an action

movie, and they are meant to feel hyped up to go and watch it. The titles will usually be at the bottom to make space for the massive action scene going on behind. This will include some type of explosion, weapons/guns being used and a

futuristic element.

Comedy and Drama Posters

Comedy horror movies will usually use bright colours such as blue, yellow and green. I have also noticed that the main background colour that they choose to use is

either blue or white. This is because it is the most refreshing colour for the audience. The image will have

a character/group laughing and having a good time. The text for the titles tend to be simple and easy to

read.

Drama posters will use dull colours to portray some type of despair which will happen in the film. There will be a

relationship between two people shown as this will hint that there will be either conflict like in 'Warrior', or love as shown in 'Safe Haven'. This makes the audience curious as to what happened between them, and they will be more

excited to watch it.

The different types of posters

Teaser Poster-This comes out before the actual film and will

only contain minimal information such as the release

date and the title. This is done to hype the audience about the

upcoming film.

Character Poster- will have the normal information,

but will only focus on one character at a time. This is

done to sell the actor/actress.

Main Poster- will have all of the information,

including credits. All of the main characters will be on

it as well.

Where are they advertised, and why?Films are usually shown in:

• Public Transport- Most people use public transport, so they can't miss it. They will either be stuck on the busses, at the bus stop, or in the tube station.

• Billboards- These are massive, so again the audience can't miss it.• Street walls- They will be stuck on the busiest streets, such as in central London.• Cinemas- The can be inside, or outside the cinema. This is good when people are deciding on what film or

watch, or what they would like to see next.

Poster SizesThe Standard poster size is called one sheet. It is 27" by 40"

(69cmx104cm). This is portrait format.Bus stop or subway posters are usually 40" by 60" (101cmx152cm). This is again in portrait format.

The standard posters for billboards are called 48 sheet. They are 240" by 120" (609cmx304cm).

Appeal and AttractionPosters attract the audience as it leaves them with a sense of enigma as they

wonder what is going on and how will the story unravel. This is done by mainly the MES EN SCENE because the image is carefully chosen to allow the audience to

know the genre and the actors, but not know any of the plot. Most of the enigma will also come from the title of the film as the audience will try and make

connections between it and the image to try and figure out a basic storyline.

The poster must be aimed at a wider audience than the trailer. This is because it is most likely that all ages will see the poster as it will be up in most places. However,

the trailer can be targeted to only their age group as they will most likely be the ones to search it on YouTube.

Conventions of posters

Main Image Actors Names

The main image on the poster will usually be the main character/characters. This allows the audience to see which actor is playing what character, and this

is make them anticipate the film even more if the like particular actor. The genre will also be portrayed

through the MES which will help the audience understand what type of film it will be before they

watch it.

The main actors names will usually be at the top or at the side of the poster and they will appear somewhere in the image as well. This is important for the audience so they

know who is playing in the film. It is also important for the actor themselves as they will get more recognition and publicity which will be good for future jobs. The order of

their names will depend on their status in the industry and if they play a main or minor role, but are still well known.

Title/Credits Release Date

The title will be the biggest text on the poster as they want the audience to focus on that the most as

it gives away the man plot of the film away but subtly. The typeface and colour will match the genre. The credits are very small and are always placed at the very bottom of the poster. This is because there

are a lot of important people and companies involved and they deserve recognition as well.

The release date will usually be at the bottom of the poster or underneath the film title. This is to inform the audience of when the film is going

to come out so they can anticipate it and support it on social media.

Tagline

Taglines are used to give the audience more enigma to the storyline as it hints to the plot but not directly. They will be placed at the top

or at the bottom and it will leave an impression on the audience.

The three most prioritized features?

• Main Actors in Image • Title of the film • Credits This is because the audience must know

the title and the characters/actors involved as this will give them an idea of how appealing the film is for them. For

audiences they more 'judge a book by its cover' and go by first impressions.

Reinforce or Challenge?

Posters will reinforce the conventions by the MES EN SCENE e.g costume, makeup and setting in the background. This will give the audience a feel for the film without actually watching it.

We know that this will be an action movie due to the guns being shown. We also know that it will be set it in

a while back and in the 'wild west' era as they are wearing the hats and coats

for that era.

This poster challenges the conventions by not including

the main character as the focus of the poster, but the place

they stay instead. This gives the audience a better

understanding of how the film will be like as they know the

surroundings.