Film Poster Research

Poster, colour, font and image research.

The colours used on the poster are all very dark (mainly black and red), which suggests that the films is going to be mysterious and scary. It gives the audience an idea of what the film is going to be like, what the storyline is and the genre of the film. This is very important because it is very likely to attract people who like thrillers and horrors, which is what the poster is for.

A close up of the main character’s (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) face is used as part of the main image on the poster, so the audience focus on his facial expression. Low key lighting has been used to create a shadow over half on his face. The combination of the camera shot ,the lighting and the character’s expression add to the suspense and mystery of the poster. The fact that half of the main character’s face is covered could suggest that, in the film, he is covering something up or hiding something.

The match that the main character is holding is the only part of the image used that is in colour. The audience’s attention is immediately drawn to the match when they first see the poster. This could be foreshadowing, and showing the audience what might happen in the film i.e. DiCaprio’s character is responsible for a fire. The brightness of the match in contrast the dark background colours also draws the readers eye to the tag line above (‘Someone is missing.’). This again gives the audience an insight into what the film I about.

The title is written in a large, distorted font in bright red. This links in with the genre of the film (psych thriller), and is likely to attract an audience of people who enjoy films of this specific genre. Red is largely associated with danger- which again suggests what the storyline is focused on.

The use of two images merged into one gives off more of an idea of what the film is about. The image of the prison shows the audience where the film is set and where the title comes from, where as the photo of DiCaprio’s character with the match tells us about the storyline itself.

The colours of the image used are very dark. The whole of the bottom corner of the poster is almost black. This gives off the idea that the film has a dark and mysterious storyline. This is important because it gives the audience an insight into the type of film it is going to be, and attracts the target audience.

The main character featured on the poster is making eye contact with the camera, which in turn makes the audience feel as though she is looking at them. This both entices the audience and intrigues them.

The title is in a distorted font, which again reinforces the fact that it is a horror/psychological thriller. The font fits well with the title of the film (‘Crush’).

The tag line is very important on a film trailer because it is, along with the image, the biggest clue into what the film is actually about. This tag line is short and snappy which again points to the theme of horror/thriller. It also hints at the fact that it is referencing the two characters pictured on the poster.

Red is also a colour featured throughout the poster. This is commonly used on horror/thriller posters because it signifies danger and blood, which are typically involved in this genre of film.

Colours• After researching my chosen genre, I have found that

there is a common colour scheme that runs throughout nearly all of the posters. Black, red and white are the most used colours for horror/psychological thriller posters. Typically, the background colour is black/dark/a shadow, and any text is in either red or black. This is useful information because I will need to keep this in mind when creating my own horror/psych thriller poster.

Fonts

• TITLE:

After researching many different fonts on the website dafont.com, I found these two. I think that these are the two most suitable fonts for the title of my film on the poster/magazine cover. When I make my poster/magazine, I will use both of these and see which one looks the best. I will also have to use this in my film trailer, so will have to take that into consideration as well.

Poster Survey Analysis• Question 1: What is your gender?

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Male Female

The majority of the respondents of my survey were female, which is who my film trailer is aimed at. This makes the results of my survey even more important because the answers given are from my target audience. This means that I should take the answers into consideration when making my poster/magazine cover.

Question 2: What is your age?

12yrs-17yrs

18yrs-23yrs

24yrs-29yrs

over 30

As my film is going to be rated a 15, and most of the people who answered this survey were aged between 12 and 17, the answers are even more important. There were also some answers from people aged 18-23, who could also watch my film/trailer.

Question 3: What colours would you expect to see on a psychological/thriller film poster?

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Black Red Blue Pink Yellow White Purple

This question was very important because colour is a main feature of the poster. The colours will either make the poster eye-catching and memorable, or ruin the poster by not fitting the genre and confusing the audience. The respondents said that the colours they most expected to see on a psychological thriller poster are black, red and white. This fits with the genre because it gives off the idea of danger and a sense of horror- which is what the film is about. The colours they would least want/expect to see on a poster of this genre are pink and yellow, since they are bright and usually associated with fun, uplifting films- not thrillers.

Question 4: Which of the following film posters do you think is the most effective; Black Swan, Shutter Island

or Crush?

When asked which of three posters were their favourite/the most effective, the most given answer was ‘Shutter Island’. This will help me when creating my poster because I can take ideas from Shutter Island, including camera shots and fonts ect.

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Shutter Island Black Swan Crush

Question 5: What is your favourite film poster of all time?

Woman in Black X2Harry Potter X2Silence of the Lambs X2The ButlerDear JohnMaleficentCarrieShutter IslandBlack Swan

These answers will also help me create my own poster because I can see common themes through all of them, and they are all successful posters for successful films which should mean I can take inspiration from them.