Film posters 10

To analyse a film poster annotating how it creates meaning.

Key term: Connotation: What something may symbolise. e.g. a rose can symbolise or connote love

• How do you think this poster appeals to the audiences and makes them want to watch the film?

• 5 minutes to discuss in your groups- be prepared to give feedback.

How the poster sells the film: The technique How they work

The picture The picture can be used to help the audience understand the genre. It may be a still from the film which may give the audience an idea of the narrative of the film.

The tagline The tagline can be used to give the audience a sense of genre and tone of the film. E.G comical, fearful. It can also be a feature that is used on the other products for audience recognition

Credit block This is were all the information regarding the institution is.

Use of star names These may be used to appeal to an existing target audience and draw them into wanting to see the film

Use of star The picture of the star, especially perhaps in character can also work as a selling point to draw in existing fans.

Release date Can be important, especially around key times.

Reference to producer

This works by relying on a previous film to bring in an audience

Create a sense of enigma

This is the sense of mystery and the questions that the audience ask such as who might be the killer. The aim is to make the audience want to see the film to get the answer.

The lesson today

• Task 1- Annotate a film poster from the ones given on student shared (poster sheet).There is a sheet on there to help you if you are stuck (film poster sheet)

• Task 2- Write about how the poster appeals to the target audience describing the techniques that it uses.

Task 1 what conventions of the film poster does this have?

Task 2 How does this appeal to the audience?

Tag line

Use of photo to reflect genre

Credit block Reference to producer using Shaun of the dead to draw in existing fans

Certification

Links to official website and face book page

Using this, lets add to how these techniques create meaning for the audience

We must also consider:

• position within the frame

•Colour of text•Font style

Release date

Title of the film

The name of the studio

Use of star

Mise en scene to reveal genre

Stars names

Using this, lets add to how these techniques create meaning for the audience

The lesson today

• Task 1- Annotate a film poster from the ones given on student shared.

• Task 2- Write about how the poster appeals to the target audience describing the techniques that it uses.

• It must be written in full sentences like a mini essay• It must evaluate and analyse how it appeals to the

audience, not just describe what is on there.• If they are good they can be the basis of your first

piece of film coursework

The poster appeals to the target audience in several ways. Firstly the use of the dark colours link into the comic book genre and connote a sense of danger and darkness/evil to the city of Gotham that is portrayed.The use of the batman sign on the building is iconic and links in with the previous films. This is used so that fans of the previous films will be drawn into watching this films. The picture of the batman himself is using a tilt up camera angle. This is to suggest that he is powerful and that he is someone we should fear. As we already know that batman is the hero, we take the tilt up to mean that the villains of Gotham city are the ones who should be afraid of him.The destruction of the building is one of the key features of the poster. It suggests that Batman is willing to destroy the corrupt city, to ensure that the villains are defeated. This may suggest that he will go to any lengths to protect the city. Again it is using the shape of the bat which is symbolic with his character. It is also the symbol that the police use to call batman to help them in the films. This poster relies on an audiences previous understanding to make sense of some of the symbols and connotations used within the

The use of tagline- welcome to a world without rules prepares the audience for the idea that a sense of evilness and corruption will be part of the narrative structure of the film- clearly showing this is not a romantic genre! There is a sense of juxtaposition within the poster as we have a sense of superhero and destruction, not two ideas that we would usually associated together. The poster also uses the stars names to pull in the audience . The title of the film the dark knight suggests that........

• The poster appeals to the target audience firstly through its use of picture.......the picture is......which suggests.........

• Another way in which the target audience are drawn in is through the use of star names......

this is because........

Extension task

• Use the internet to search the same film but look for alternative posters, focusing on how they sell perhaps a different idea or image to the audience.