Movie Poster

1. Movie Poster

2. Codes and Conventions of my Movie Poster 6. Credits to the actors/actresses 1.Main image is the largest and takes up the majority of the poster 2. Secondary image is faded out in comparison with the main image, as well as smaller 3. Tagline in a colour that stands out, yet doesn’t take away from the title 4. Title of the film in the largest font. The colour red makes it stand out compared to the rest of the text on the poster. 5.Billing block positioned in the bottom third of the poster Release date of the film in the largest font on the poster Production company logo

3. Codes and Conventions of my Movie Poster The main image takes up the majority of my poster, a convention that I noticed for all of the film posters which I researched; I therefore decided to follow this convention due to the fact that it is a feature that evidently is proven to work. The fact that this character is wearing black and white gives the impression that this film has got ups (white) and downs (black). The use of the hat indicates that she is trying to hide her eyes and not give too much information away to the audience, however from the bottom half of her face we can see a blank, emotionless expression. As I did not adjust the colour levels of this image, it means that the attention of the audience is more drawn to this image, suggesting that this character has a more significant role in the film. 2. The secondary image on my movie poster is of the girl that features in my teaser trailer. The light glow around her is suggestive of the fact that she is an illusion and not actually there in person – this makes the viewer inquisitive about the whereabouts of this little girl; this point is reinforced as she is slightly blurred out, meaning that this could be representative of true life, perhaps she is forgotten about? The characters eyes are looking upwards either into the distance or up to the other character; this could suggest that she is looking forward into the future or equally, she could be looking up to her elders – either way, it makes her appear to be more innocent, by showing her age and portraying her in a vulnerable light. 3. The tagline in my movie poster is a way that I have managed to link the images, ‘Looking To The Future, Remembering The Past’, as we can see the eyes on the younger character looking into the distance, yet she is faded out – suggesting that she is in the past. The font colour that is used for my tagline is bright enough to be noticed over other information, however it does not take away from the tile of the poster – which I feel I the most important.

4. Codes and Conventions of my Movie Poster 4. I chose this particular font for my title due to the fact that it appears to have two lines running through it in order to make up the letters, which is representative of the film that it is promoting, as there are two parts to it, the kidnapping of the child to the possible discovery of this ‘child’ many years later. My title is the largest and in the most outstanding colour of my entire movie poster as I feel that out of all the information on the poster, this is the one piece of information that the viewer should remember. The red shade also connotes feelings of fear and warning for the viewer. 5. I created my own billing block, due to the fact that in previous drafts it was not very clear. I placed it in the most common position – bottom third – in order to help to add to the realistic, professional look of my movie poster. I chose a light grey font, as I did not want this to take away from the movie poster; from research, it is clear that only those people who are very interested in film take the time to read this. At the bottom of my billing block the release date is in a large font in order to make it catch the attention of the viewer, as this is a significant piece of information that I wanted to get across. I also added my production company logo, Lens Productions, at the bottom of this billing block, a code that is used by the biggest in the industry such as Warner Brothers. 6. Like with the vast majority of movie posters, I have paid credit to the actors/actresses in the film that is being promoted, this technique helps to immediately draw in an audience of those people who will watch the film simply for the work of the actor/actress. I made their surname in a larger font as this will instantly catch the eye of the viewer.

5. Codes and Conventions of a Real Movie Poster 1. Credits to the actors/actresses and director 5. A way to attract the audience – in the brightest colour on poster 2. Main image takes up the majority of the poster and due to the high quality, the attention of the viewer is on this main image 3. Secondary image faded out 4. Title is the largest of the font compared to the rest of the poster 6. Tagline 7. Billing block is in a light grey font and positioned in the bottom third of the poster

6. Codes and Conventions of a Real Movie Poster • At the top of the movie poster the two main characters in the film are mentioned, “Angelina JOLIE” and “John MALKOVICH” this is a marketing device that is used in order to attract an immediate audience to the film, as people that are familiar with these two actors work will want to view this film straight away. This is also the reason that the second name’s of these actors is in a larger size font, in order to attract the attention of the viewer straight away. At the top of the poster it is also stated that it is “a Clint Eastwood film”, this is yet another feature in order to attract a larger audience due to the fact that they are aware of the previous work of this person. • Due to the fact that the image of the woman is what takes up the majority of the poster, the majority of the viewer’s attention is drawn to the face of the woman. Upon instantly looking at the poster, the viewer will realise that she is not making eye contact with the camera; this gives the impression that she has something to hide or perhaps is ashamed of her actions and therefore does not want to make eye contact with the outside world. The lack of emotion that is demonstrated on her facial expression gives a further indication of the blank, disinterest in the camera that she has. The fact that only one side of her face has light hitting it is suggestive of the fact that she is being kept in the dark about something, most likely to do with the storyline. As she is not wearing much makeup we get the impression of her being very natural and not the type of character to display fakery or hide her true self. The fact that she has her hair sitting properly and does not appear to come across as grubby or dirty is suggestive that she is quite well to do and that although she may be well off she still finds herself in a dull situation. • Although we notice the second image on the movie poster, the viewer does not pay as much attention to it. The mid shot of the young boy is mainly in dull colours and it is only the slightly light that hits his front that allows us to make out his face. In the image the boy looks frightened and anxious, as if he is unaware of what will happen next. His causal stance and relaxed facial expressions makes us feel a sense of innocence for the boy as he appears to be in a vulnerable position. The white background for the movie poster makes us believe that there is a sense of innocence displayed throughout this whole story and that it is these two characters which are being kept in the dark, perhaps about the truth.

7. Codes and Conventions of a Real Movie Poster 4. On this movie poster the main writing that we notice is the title ‘Changeling’, the fact that this is in capital letters helps in order to make it stand out to the viewer. The harsh black colour of the font immediately gives the impression of a hard hitting storyline. The font itself is very simplistic and quite simply allows the viewer to get to the point without any unnecessary decorations. 5. Above the title, the red font stands out against the pale background; it is understandable as to what this particular statement is in red, due to the fact that it states that it is “a true story”. These three words are enough to influence somebody to make the decision to consume the film when it is released – as for some people the prospect of a true story is an immediate selling point. This statement is also in capital letters in order to help with the impact that it creates in to the viewer. 6. Beneath the title, we see the only line that may be linked to the narrative, “to find her son, she did what no one else dared”, instantly the viewer will be intrigued as to what happens in this storyline and therefore the marketing purpose of the poster may be doing its job. This is also in the harsh colour of black, which makes it somewhat hard hitting to the viewer. The fact that the title and this one line of narrative is between both the images, indicates that there may be an emotional or physical separation between these two characters in the film. 7. Not instantly noticeable on first glance, we see the billing block in a light grey shade at the bottom of this movie poster – the most common area for it to be situated – it gives us information such as the production company, Universal, and the recommended viewing age. The fact that this large section of writing is in such a light shade means that it does not take away from the rest of the movie poster.

8. Similarities and Differences When we compare my poster to the movie poster of ‘Changeling’, it is evident that there are some similarities, as well as differences. • Similarities • Two images on the poster – one larger than the other. • Main image on the left third of the poster • Grey billing block • Emotionless expression on the character’s face in the main image • Credits to the actors/actresses along the top • Not much colour lighting up the characters • Title is in the largest, most noticeable font of the poster • Differences • I have used a dark coloured background for my poster • Shorter billing block in Changeling, also mine is at the very bottom • Only a head shot of the character in the Changeling main image, with a mid-shot of character in secondary shot • Credits to the director paid in the Changeling • The writing on the Changeling is less spaced out compared to mine

9. In conclusion, I have discovered that it was necessary to utilise and develop the forms and conventions of real movie posters in order to make my poster realistic and to add to the professionalism. I believe that in order for me to achieve the high quality, realistic movie poster that I wanted – research of codes and conventions was essential. For some aspects it is important not to directly copy the every convention of other movie posters, nevertheless for certain things, there is no need to change a winning method – ‘winning’ due to the fact that these successful movie poster are attracting us to watch films everyday!

10. The End