CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A MOVIE POSTER

• There are various types of movie posters such as teaser trailer posters, DVD release posters and cinema release posters. However they all advertise the poster and aim to draw an audience in to see the movie.

• They are a main form of advertisement for the movie and can be displayed inside and outside of the cinema including billboards and the side of transport.

• Most posters feature the masthead, a main image, usually of the main character(s), a tagline, the name of the director/actor and a billing block at the bottom of the poster highlighting the key companies and crew members such as the production and distribution companies, the director the musical composer and the costume designer.

• As viewers we should be able to grasp the genre from the posters which may be connoted through the colour scheme, the fonts used, the main image and the camera angles.

WHAT IS A MOVIE POSTER?

Horror Film PostersTagline

Main images of characters giving a direct mode of address

Title of movie written with a pointed “M” represented a blade, connoting violence and a red “4” highlight this is the fourth part of the Scream movie while the red connotes blood and gore.

Billing block Release date written in red emphasising the violence and gore.

Names of major actors and actresses which will draw fans in to see the movie

Credit for the director which will encourage fans of his previous work to see Scream 4

Mysterious background mist heightening the eeriness

Close up of the villain’s mask which is very haunting and familiar to fans of this movie. The mask also displays a tint of red again emphasising the violence and horror in this movie.

Horror Film PostersThis horror poster also has a very dark colour scheme. The background is black with black and white images placed on top. The mid shots of the five characters display these characters wearing black clothing which fit into the house style. Black is a colour most common on horror posters as it connotes the mysterious and eerie atmosphere and may also give the impression of death.

Red is a colour that is also featured in many horror posters connoting blood and violence, two features that viewers has come to expect in a horror movie.

All the characters featured in this poster are giving the viewer a direct mode of address, creating the illusion that the characters are looking directly at the viewer. Therefore, this is will allow the viewer to feel involved in the movie and may encourage them to see it. The masked face also seems to be looking at the viewer creating a disturbing tone, which may highlight the tone of the movie.

Comedy Film PostersPrevious credits of the director

Tagline highlighting the plot in a comedic fashion

The main image can be viewed as the unique selling point as it portrays the comedy excellently. Three men are depicted with a baby, wearing an over-sized pair of sunglasses, matching one of the men’s. These characters seem to be showing the viewer the various, unfortunate events that have happened in Vegas and will encourage the viewers to see the movie to witness the events unfold.

Billing blockRelease date

Title

Lights in the background represent the setting of Las Vegas indicating the importance of setting to this movie.

Comedy Film Posters

Unlike the horror poster, a comedy poster features bright colours to highlight the light-hearted, funny nature of the movie. Yellow seems to be the main colour in this poster which is emphasised by the bright lights in the background of the poster which may indicate the lights of Las Vegas. The title is also written in a bright yellow font with a glow around each letter again which may emphasise the importance of setting to this movie.

The images on many comedy posters may be viewed as the unique selling point of the poster as the image is what portrays the comedy to the viewer. In this poster the main image of the three men and the baby is placed in the middle third of the poster with no other features in the middle third or featured over the image This highlights the importance of the image as the viewer is able to see the mid shot of the three males and therefore recognise the clues they are giving to the viewer of the unfortunate events that occurred in Vegas. Therefore this may encourage the viewers to see the movie.

Thriller Film PostersTagline highlighting the plot

Main image. A full body shot depicting a male holding a gun. This therefore connotes the violence that viewers have come to expect in the thriller movie.

Quote from the movie. The language and syntax highlights the plot and the action that will occur throughout the movie.

Title

Billing block

Previous credits from the director which will encourage fans of his other works to see this movie.

Actor’s name which will encourage fans of this actor to see his newest work

Smaller black and white images behind the main image portrays the plot and also adds a mysterious atmosphere as the viewers are unaware of the different events in each image.

Thriller Film Posters

Thriller posters are similar to horror posters in their dark colour scheme. This “Taken” poster is mainly in black connoting a sense of mystery and a threatening impression. The main image is also dressed in black emphasising the threatening ambience. However, this male character is wearing a leather jacket which may portray his character to be edgy and aggressive. This impression is emphasised through the gun he is holding which connotes the violence and action throughout the duration of the movie.

The quotation from the movie and the title of the movie is written in a bright orange font which helps it to contrast with the black background therefore making it easy to read. These are also the first features the eye glances towards due to its bright colour. This infamous quote is highly recognisable, especially to the viewers who have watched the teaser trailer and so at first glance will be able to identify that this is the movie poster for “Taken”.

CONVENTIONS FOUND IN ALL FILM POSTERS

Title

Main Image

Release Date

Billing Block

Tagline

Actors/Actresses Names

Credit of the director

Colour scheme to fit in with the genre of the movie

• HorrorDark colour scheme- usually featuring black and red to connote the dark atmosphere, violenceand gore that may feature in the movie.Close-up/Mid-shot of the villain or the main victim.Written in a font that emphasises the fear and horror. May involve a weapon such as a knife and uses words in the tagline or quote to highlight theterror in the movie. • ThrillerAgain consists of a dark colour scheme to highlight the intensity of the movie. May illustratesome action in the images and if a weapon is to be seen it is usually a gun. This is one of the waysa thriller poster contrasts with a horror film as in horror films, villains will usually murder with ablade, depicting a slow, painful death were as using a gun helps to keep the action of the moviemoving at a fast pace.

• ComedyUnlike the horror and thriller movie posters, comedy usually features bright colours to connotethe light hearted and cheerful tone to the movie. The main image will usually have a funny slantwhich also depicts the comedy of the plot. The tagline will also reveal part of the plot highlighting

the funny events that will occur throughout its duration.