"We are your friends" Poster Genre

We are your friends is a musical drama film that was released in 2015. This amazing new film is very new compared to the other film posters I have analysed and is of a different genre to the rest of the film posters.

This poster has added the producers name on ‘Max Joseph’. The producer is a very well-known “Catfish- The TV Show” host which will attract his fans who watch the MTV show attention’s to watching the film. As being a film director is very new to Max Joesph and his fans will be interested to know how he has directed and edited this film to see how his first feature film has turned out to support him.

A hook is used “The world is yours” is used to give the audience a phrase to analyse and to work out the hidden meaning behind the phrase. It leaves the audience thinking of the possibilities behind the hook and leaves the hook associated with the film so they know that they have to watch the film to find out the meaning behind the hook.

This poster is a mid-shot. A mid-shot is used to show the audience the main focus of the image and to show what is happening in the background of the image to give the audience an insight into what they should expect from the film that is advertised. The mid shot shows the audience what is happening in the image but this poster leaves the audience questioning what is happening around the characters in the photo and makes the audience to want to know more about the storyline.

The use of mise-en-scene in this poster is vital as it makes the link between the genre of the film is so that the targeted audience will be able to identify that it is a music drama to catch their attention. The first use of mise-en-scene is the backdrop used in the image. The backdrop is shows a stereotypical landscape of a place such as California and tells the audience that this film is set in America. The light blue sky reflects the positivity in the film and makes the audience aware that this film is not a horror and is going to be a upbeat and happy film for everybody to enjoy. Another use of mise-en-scene in this poster is the use of costume. All 4 characters are wearing very casual clothing in this shot which shows that the characters are portraying very normal lives within the film. Zac Efron being in the main character is facing the camera whilst the other characters are turned away from the camera looking into the distance which is purposely done to show the audience that he is going to be the main character within the film and to attract his huge fan base to the film so that more people will watch the film. Zac is also wearing a pair of headphones around his neck which show that the film is going to be containing a music element and his fans from the hit film “High School Musical” would have seen his old musical films and would be interested to know how his musical career has changed since his older films. The lighting in the shot is very high key. The lighting is very high key to portray a positive feel in the image. This shows the audience that the film is going to be very happy and upbeat which links in with the idea of music being the key element in the film.

Editing is used after the image has been taken to add the titles on top of the image. Special symbols have been used to create the title of what the film is called. The use of symbols instead of just normal text makes the audience’s attention focused on the title as they would be interested to know how the symbols have cleverly been used to show the audience what the title says. The title is in the colour yellow which has the connotations of spring which could represent a new beginning and this could be telling the audience that the Zac Efron is beginning a new musical experience other than High School Musical leaving the audience feeling interested in the film to find out what the hit actor is going to do in this film that is different from the rest of the films that he has worked in before. Another use of editing is used as the photo has been enhanced to make the brightness of the image a lot brighter. This is sued to make the audience know that the film is going to have a positive message behind it. It also show the audience that the film is going to be set in a hot country and is going to be set in America which leaves the audience questioning the storyline and how the setting is going to have an effect on the story.

The representation of young people in the poster is that everybody is different and nobody is the same. As the 4 characters on the poster are all wearing different clothing and all are standing in a different way shows the audience that not one person is the same and that everybody has their own personality and style. This links in with the targeted audience as the targeted audience is teenagers/young adults. Making sure that the audience are aware of the differences in the characters ensures the film company that people will be attracted to the film.

The target audience of the film “We are your friends” is mainly focused at teenagers/young adults from around age 13 to 21. This age range is very precise as the film is rated “R’ meaning anybody can watch the film. The poster has very bright colours and has young adults on the poster which attracts the audiences attention as they feel that they can relate to the actors in the film. Having a targeted audience is very important for directors of films as they would need to add things to the advertising campaigns and to the films that would be of interest to the audience. For example, using the idea of music and having young actors makes this target audience of teenagers to young adults engaged in the storyline as teenagers/young adults are stereotypically known for being engaged with music.

The denotation of this poster is that 3 of the characters have their faces turned away from the camera and that they are looking into the distance. The connotation of this is that the 3 characters are being intolerant to the main character that is looking at the camera and that these 3 characters may cause trouble in the film for the main character as they are looking away ignoring the main one. This is a good way to attract the audiences attention as it makes the audience question the relationship between the 4 characters and makes the audience want to watch the film to find out the meaning behind the image. The denotation of the landscape behind the main image is that the weather is very nice showing that the film is set in America. The connotation of this is that the film is going to have an American theme, such as it will contain the majority of American actors/actresses, it will be set in a hot place as America is well-known for its amazing weather and that the storyline may be a stereotypical American love story which questions the targeted audiences expectation of what they are going to expect from this film. Another denotation is that the character to the left has his hand up in the air, pointing down at the mystery that is below the cliff that they are standing on. The connotation of being on top of the cliff is symbolic as it informs us that this poster is used as a “cliff hanger” to leave the audience thinking of the possibilities of what the storyline is going to contain and how the storyline is going to fit in with the idea of music. The connotation of the male pointing down from the cliff is mystery as the audience do not know what the actor is pointing at. This also is a cliff hanger as the audience will need to watch the film in honour to find out what the actor is doing and how this is used as a symbolic reference in the poster.

Intertextual references in the poster that is other media to do with the film for example www.weareyoufriends.co.uk is used indicating that other media platforms are offering more information about this upcoming film such as more information on what the film is about, when the film is going to be released etc. This intertextual reference may also reveal the trailer of the film to the audience and other things such as clips of the film which helps to promotes the film. This makes the audience aware of where they can find out more information if they are interested in knowing more about the film and even going to watch the film. Having a website that is related to the film is a good way of marketing the film as a lot of young people use the internet a lot more than they read things such as newspaper articles as everything is now available online. “We are your friends” poster is also online on various social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Reaching out to young adults online makes it easier for the target audience of teenagers/young adults to be able to view and see the poster. It also means that the poster is viewable from portable platforms making it a lot more accessible.

The purpose/message of this poster is that music brings people together. The actors are standing together in the photo and the main actor has headphones on which shows the link between friendship and the music. This will attract the targeted audience to watching the film as they would be interested to know how the music has had an effect on the storyline. The large majority of the American and European population are interested in music due to the high record companies producing music such as the likes of “Sony” and “Syco Records” releasing music and using a lot of promotion to make that music sell. Making a film that has a musical element to it will attract music fans attention meaning the films fan base will rapidly increase.

Having a light background has a really positive effect on the audience as it has the connotations of a positive place in where the film is set and also sets the mood of the film as being very positive. This has an effect on the audience as it makes the audience feel at ease with the film as they know that the genre of the film is going to be based around positivity and not horror. Having 4 different characters is very effective as it gives has an effect of showing that the film has something for everybody to enjoy. This has an effect on the audience as it shows the audience that they have a variety of different personalities and people in the film so that they will be able to relate to at least one of the characters in the film. It also encourages the audience to watch the film as it tells the audience that the film is going to be based around friendship and 4 young characters which the targeted audience will be able to relate to.

The title “We are your friends” really gives the audience an insight into what the film is about. The word “friends” makes the audience and fans of the actors become very welcome to the film and makes the audience feel that they are “friends” with the actors in the film. This makes the audience a lot more interested in the film and makes the audience feel that they can relate to the content in the film. By using the word “We” makes the audience feel that they are part of the friendship group with the 4 characters on the front of the poster and makes the audience feel part of a collective society that is in the film world.