Film Poster Analysis Sheet

Title of Film: Boyhood Type of Poster: Main Poster

Mise-En-Scene Codeor ConventionDetail (description & what it means)

SettingThis poster is set outside, which represents the open air and freedom, and we can relate this to little boys when theyre always playing outside in the open air and this film is based on a young boys life growing up. The image of the young boy represents the boy, and the grass represents outside and showing his freedom.

PropsN/A

Non-Verbal CommunicationThe young boy on the poster is lying down on the grass showing him not caring about getting dirty which is stereotypical that boys dont care about being unclean. He is lying on his arm holding his head suggests he is looking at something above and has been lying there for a long time, and his other arm is above him, the way he is lying suggest he is relaxed and enjoying lying there. His facial expressions shows he is looking up toward the sky, this is showing the innocence of a small child.

Costume / Make-UpHe is dressed in a stripy t-shirt which is showing he is just a typical young boy, the shirt is different colours blue, blue shows the conventions of boys and this film is about one boys life growing up. The boy has quite long messy hair, young boys stereotypically dont care about their appearance, and his hair being long and not groomed shows this. His appearance doesnt suggest a different personality; he is representing the stereotypical young boy.

ColourThe poster is mainly green,. Green represents naturalness and this film is bout the natural growing up of a young boy, and due o it be filmed over 12 years it suggests that this is the natural way of a persons boyhood. Green also represents nature, this film is about growing up which is something that is natural and not man made. The other colour on this poster is his t-shirt colour, blue. Blue represents boyish, and this links with how the film is about a young boys childhood. The brighter shades of blue represents the happiness and carefree attitude that young people have, and the darker shades are representing the coldness of this young boys life growing up and how some times can be hard, so its the contrast between the two. The white stripes represent his innocence as a young child.

ImageThe key image in this photo is the young boy, the film is about a young boy life and growing up, so by focusing the poster entirely on this boy it will let the audience know its about this boys childhood and he is the most important character in the plot. The image is a medium close up of this young boy and it is cropped so we only see the top half of his body, this is to focus in on the boys face, natural lighting is used to represent how this is a completely natural film of the life of a boy growing up. The image behind is grass. The grass represents the nature and freedom of this film, there is a lot of dead space around the boy which represents time, the colour of the grass has been enhanced and made brighter so it will attract the audience. There isn't a iconic image as this is an independent film.

Language A quote from a film review has been used on the poster of this film, this exact quote A moving 12 year epic that isnt quite like anything else in the history of cinema is used to give the audience an clue that this film has been filmed over 12 years, and also that it is different from anything else in cinema history which may attract an audience. Using a quote that someone has said about the film will make the audience trust what this audience member is saying and is more likely to watch the film.

TypographyThe title boyhood and having a picture of a young boy on the poster, gives the meaning that this film will be able this young boys life growing up. The typeface for the title is a chalkboard like font, as this film is about a young boy growing up, school would have been a main part of this and we associate chalkboards with school and it gives the audience an idea of youth. The title is positioned in the dead space in the centre above the image of the boy and is the largest font so this out of all text will catch the audiences eye. The other text on this poster is sans-terif typeface, this is so it will be easier to read as it is important information such as cast, quote, director etc.

LayoutThere is no tagline for this film. The top line of the quote which is positioned at the very top of the poster is the sec on biggest text on the poster, this is because this gives the 12 years of filming plot and it is also positive feedback about the film and promoting it. Then the cast are the nest biggest font and their last names are larger than first (as they are often remembered by their last name), this is because often people watch films due to their favourite actors/actress starring in the film, so having the casts name above the title and quite big may attract the audiences. The credit block is placed at the bottom of the poster, because the main focus on it is the boy they dont want to distract the audiences attention away from that. The biggest text and centred on this poster is the title. The rest of the text is above or at the bottom, this is to so there is little writing within the dead so the audience will focus straight away on the boy and title. The director/writer has put his name under the title, as this is a very original film he wants the audience to be away who created it. There is no certificate rating on this poster.