Codes and conevntions of film poster
- 2. A Film poster is a form of advertisement and promotion for the film. The poster allows people get an insight to the film and from the way the poster is designed the genre and tone. A main benefit of a poster is that it is not a film piece therefore can be displayed in multiple different places, including at bus stops, large billboards, on buses, underground stations, cinema foyer etc. This allows the film to be noticed by a much larger amount of people rather than if the film trailer was just shown in the cinema, meaning a lot more people will be aware of the future or present film release and be enticed to spend their money to see it. BILLIBOARDS UNDERGROUND STATIONS BUS STOPS BUSES CINEMA FOYER’S
- 3. Any poster whether it’s for a film, product, restaurant etc. Is designed to be able to engage with the audience and want them to go out and buy the product, go to that particular restaurant and is this case go to see the film. ROAD SAFETY POSTER FOOD POSTER VIDEO GAME POSTER
- 4. Film posters always contain a main image that makes the film recognizable as this is audiences, passer-byes and people see which catches their eye. The image can be a still from the film, a character shot etc. however all film posters contain some kind of iconography which enables the audience to asses what kind of genre the film is and enables the poster to reveal something about the film. Horror film posters usually are of a person usually either the protagonist or the villain. The image normally takes up the whole page and is eye catching so it stands out from the crowd.
- 5. AN IMAGE OF A PERSON: Horror films especially use an image of a person as direct eye-sight from the person on the poster creates a personal relationship towards the audience (Uses and Grats) therefore enticing the reader to see the film. Furthermore direct eye sight is especially beneficial on horror film posters as it creates an eerie feel for the audience as it can make them feel uncomfortable as if the person on the poster is looking directly at them. Along with the dark background and horror tone the person will not only feel intrigued to see the film they will also instantly know the genre just from the poster itself. SCREAM SILENCEOF THELAMBS BLAIRWITCH PROJECT
- 6. ICONOGRAPHY: However like any other genre Horror films also use iconography in their film posters to again show individuality and to make the poster unique and stand out. After researching multiple horror posters I have came to the conclusion that this convention is not as commonly used as a person on the poster, however from the posters I have found to use iconography they have all be for highly successful films and thoroughly stand out from the rest. THE PROTAGONIST BLACKSWAN The images to the left are examples of horror film posters that use icons instead of characters. Both these films icons contain images that are relates to the film, for instance the black swan poster has feathering on the sides and then when you look clearly a black swan is noticeable these features both enable the audience to identify what the film may include.
- 7. An important convention in horror film posters is the house colour scheme. From looking at multiple posters they all include bold colours weather they be bright and dark e.g. red, black, purple, oxblood etc. or just simple black and white. From analysing many me and my group have come to the conclusion that the colours used in the house scheme relate the poster to the meaning/ story line of the film. This is an important convention that we are hoping to use in our ancillary task of creating a film poster for our short horror film.
- 8. USE OF DARK/ BRIGHT COLOURS: Particular horror film use dark and bright colours in their posters such as different shades of red, black, purple etc. We have concluded that these shades of colours are mostly used in gory, violent horror films where there main concept is to scare the audience. BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS: Skeleton mouth; To convey death Use of red; To connote blood Black background and eyes; Depicts fear Broken glass; portrays a weapon/ violence Tag line to replicate R.I.P- Death
- 9. USE OF WHITE&BLACK/ MORE NEUTRAL COLOURS: Horror films that are more dramatic than gory and contain a deeper storyline tend to use a more neutral house colour scheme or the simple Black and White design. From re search we have found that this is to portray individuality and make the film itself stand out from the rest along with possibly connoting a more emotional/sympathetic storyline. BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS: White background; Conveying a more emotional storyline Use of brighter red; Again suggesting blood but in a more reserved way. No effects on the text (such as shadowing)- Connoting a unique horror film. Use of lighter image; Still full of fear but is more exposed of light, again Showing individuality.
- 10. The title is a main part of the film poster and the way it is presented is a main convention of film posters. From analysing various horror film posters, generally the fonts used are bold and our in a contrasting colour to make them stand out. Many film posters use a ‘times new roman’ font as they appear creepy and eerie which again portrays the horror genre to the film. However an interesting concept we found was with ‘teaser’ posters which are created for a film that has created a lot of talk or a franchise film such as ‘Scream’, this also adds to the horror theme as it is mysterious as there is not much information which also gives off a fearful tone. An old fashioned font; Depicts an eerie tone, adds To horror genre. White font colour; Stands out, easily noticeable No title, only a skull face and A number five; connotes Mystery and horror. Only info; film release date. Red font colour depicts blood - horror genre.
- 11. A tag line is a commonly used feature in all film posters, however it is especially important in horror genre films. Taglines are used within film posters to emphasise a point about the film as well as hint to what will happen in the film for the audiences. This is an important feature in horrors as they are used to create tension and have an impact on the audience. A few examples of the use of a tag line are below: ‘The past never dies. It kills.” A tagline from the horror film ‘The Return’, this abrupt and short Tag line creates tension for the Audience and includes daunting language Such as ‘dies’ and ‘kills’ obviously linking To the horror genre, ‘If you believe in God, you must believe In God’. This particular tag line again Relates to horror language however also Used direct address language; ‘You’ which creates A personal relationship between the poster and audience, depicting The Uses and Gratification theory.
- 12. Now that our group has analysed various horror film posters, we can now apply media theories to them. Roland Barthes Media Theory: The Action/ Proairetic Code is the idea of little actions that do not particularly raise questions, which creates tension and builds suspense for audiences to guess what happens next. This can be applied in horror film posters as with the use of type of font, tag line, image, colour etc. combined all are used to engage with the audience and make them want to view the film from the small hints and enticing features on the poster. The Enigma Code: This pushes audiences to ask questions about the films plot which the audience can do from the hints on the film posters. The Semantic Code and Symbolic code: This theory looks at symbols and connotation and the meaning behind the symbols. So on a horror film poster the audience will look at the features and work out firstly the genre of the film and secondly the storyline from what the symbols imply.