Film PosterCodes and conventions

What are they used for?

*The main purpose of a film poster is similar to a film trailer, to promote a film. A film poster is a physical type of promotion which means it can be promoted in different places, for example billboards, busses and even in the underground.*A film poster has to be eye catching so it catches people’s attention, so they are interested in what the film has to offer.

Image*Main image to catch viewer’s eyes*A still from a film or character shots*They always contain some sort of iconography, to suggest the film’s genre.*The image usually portrays the narrative of the film.

Title*The majority of film posters have titles on them because if they didn’t then people wouldn’t know what the film was called and therefore wouldn’t be able to find out any information about it.*However, if the film is well known then the title may not be added because the producers may want to reveal half of the information to tease the audience to increase the amount of hype towards the film

*Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull (2008) didn’t require a title because the iconic hat told the audience that it was a new Indiana Jones film.

Quotes, Ratings & Recommendations

*Once screened, the promotion team of the film re-create posters to include positive reviews, ratings, feedback and recommendations.

*Helps sell the film to audience as usually well known papers/ companies write about them.

Directors, Producers & Actors*If the director or producer are popular their names are likely to be displayed in a large font on the movie poster because it is likely to be the main selling point of the film. For example Stephen Spielberg is a popular movie directorHowever, if the director or producer are less well known then their names are still likely to be on the movie poster but in a smaller font so it’s not as obvious.

*Regarding the actors of the film, their names are either at the top, bottom or placed at a random section of the poster. Similar to the director and producers names how popular the actor is depends on how big their name is displayed.

Awards*Similar to reviews, if a film is still being advertised during award season and then the actors or members of the film team get nominated for an award, then the poster can include these.*If an actor or member of the production team has been previously been nominated or won an award before then this can also be included on the promotion poster.

*This can add to the selling point of the film because the audience will recognise the award winner or nominee and expect the film to have high standards.

Taglines

*Used to emphasis a point about the film and hints for the audience on what will happen.

Dating & Extra Information*A date on the film posters allows the audience to know when the film is out in the cinema. The date could either include the exact date (day, month and year), just the month, the season or just ‘coming soon’. The date released for the film depends on if the film will be known and whether or not the promotion company think the film will benefit from an early date.