A film poster is a poster used to advertise a film. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. Today’s posters often feature photographs of the main actors. Prior to the 1990s, illustrations instead of photos were far more common. The text on film posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. It may also include a tag line, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, etc.Film posters are displayed inside and on the outside of movie theatres, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. The same images appear in the film exhibitor’s pressbook and may also be used on websites, DVD (and historically VHS) packaging, flyers, advertisements in newspapers and magazines, etc.Film posters have been used since the earliest public exhibitions of film. They began as outside placards listing the programme of (short) films to be shown inside the hall or movie theatre. By the early 1900s, they began to feature illustrations of a film scene or an array of overlaid images from several scenes. Other posters have used artistic interpretations of a scene or even the theme of the film, represented in a wide variety of artistic styles.

We can guess that, with the placement of Denzel in front of the subway switchboard that he is the man who works at the subway station and is in charge of directing the subway and is consequently the one who is faced with the dilemma of Phelm 123 being taken hostage. The colours speak loudly

when it comes to conveying the genre of this impending movie; with the dark and drab colours we can guess that it is a movie of action and enthralling scenes. There are also bright orange colours on the bottom of the poster. These colours are ones that we associate with danger, warning and caution etc. With the hints at red in the array of oranges bombarding our senses, we can hint possibly towards death and danger.

By using these stars as their unique selling point, it is very effective because every one of these two guys fans will be making the trip to the movie theatre to see the movie, inevitably increasing their ratings.

The facial expressions and appearances of the main characters are crucial in our insight into what the characters are like and what type of role they play.

By using Emily has their unique selling point; they are inevitably acquiring all of her fans in order to raise ratings for their movie. If they had of used someone unknown for Cyberbully it may not have done as well as it did with Emily as the main character.

The usage of her sitting on her own and looking small and alone, affects us more than words ever could. With words, they’re just that: words. Whereas with the image, we’re actually getting an inside look into what this girl is feeling and how she is coping before we’ve even seen the movie.

There are also faint words in the background and on the ground she is sitting on. This is a very effective tool to use – it is very powerful because it further solidifies the idea of cyber bullying.

Because it is a movie based on bullying on the internet, for the double ‘l’ in the word ‘bully’, they have used two forward slashes in order to relate back to the background of the computer.

The tagline, words can hurt, summarises the narrative of the movie perfectly. It is placed right under the laptop in order to signify that they are referring to both on the internet and in reality in general.

Something in the poster that attracts the attention of the audience perfectly is the placement of the woman in black. The fact that her whole body is submerged in her black cloak and it is only her face that you can see suggests that this is what she used to curse her victims; with a simple look. Daniel’s character is front and centre of the movie poster; highlighting him as the protagonist.

The house is clearly an important aspect for the movie and its narrative. It also makes the viewers think about maybe the woman’s curse taking place in the house or that this is where most of the paranormal occurrences happen. Therefore, this makes the audience want to gain the knowledge of whom or what is in the house. Having a haunted house is a typical characteristic of any horror movie, therefore, this reveals how this movie conforms to the codes and conventions used in a movie poster.

Important quote saying: ‘Fear Her Curse.’ This sentence allows the excitement of the movie to grow as the audience begins to question what her curse is and what events unravel when she casts a curse.

The main actors name ‘Daniel Radcliffe’ is exposed and sits over Dan’s forehead. This reveals to the audience the importance of this person’s name and is clearly the movie’s USP. Those who are huge fans of this actor will therefore be immediately attracted to the poster and this will heighten the anticipation levels of the movie. Placing the Dan’s name at the top of the poster enables the audience to be informed that he is the main character in the movie, which immediately brings forth the significance of Daniel. It will also intrigue his fans further as it is his first post-Harry role.

The slogan is a colloquial phrase used to describe a good film and is made into a pun by having a literal translation shown in the image below it. It is very fitting for the genre as the movie involves a lot of gore and mutilation of the human body while also highlighting the 3D technology by means of multilayered 3D images.

The extremely simple colour scheme of black and white really makes an impact on the audience and accentuates the image and text. The poster has a very clear eye-flow going from the top to the bottom, thereby giving the viewer all the main information they need to know, and having the website and extra information at the bottom for them to read if they are interested. The bold colour scheme and connotations of violence really attract the target demographic.

The tagline of the movie is ‘THE TRAPS COME ALIVE IN REAL 3D’. This is very clearly the movie’s USP. A horror movie that is in 3D is always intriguing as was the Final Destination 3D.