Film PostersEmily Hemmings

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This is the simple poster to attract the audience to the film that will be released soon into cinemas.

This is the more complex poster which gives all the details of the opening date, actors name and the directors involved.

Posters feature the main characters within the film to gain the audiences attention

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A plain white background is used to make the models stand out and also the writing. This emphasises the importance of the characters on the photo and how they are related to the story line.

The font used to present the title is very elegant and feminine giving an impression that the target audience for this film is females and emphasising that it is a love story. The colour red has many connotation of love, danger and passion linking to the theme of love.

The release date on this poster is in a bold font standing out to the audience and making it very clear when the film is to be released.

The models in this picture look very relaxed and typically in love. They have been airbrushed to make them look natural and elegant, again linking to the audience of females. The way the male character in this film is looking at his lover brings mystery to the audience.‘’Why is he looking like that at her?’’

This is to show the famous actors within the film to attract their fan bases and other member of the public.

Tag lines can link to the film and to also give a little of the film away, drawing people in.

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A clear indication that Will Smith is the star of the film. His name is presented in a white font which sticks out from the black and brown background.

The use of the Hashem sign on the building hints there something biological unsafe in this film such as a widespread deadly disease.

The smoke and decay in the image hints to the theme of destruction within the film.

Some of the companies involved within the movie have been included on the poster. As this is a teaser poster the production personnel have not been mentioned

Another clear indication that Will Smith is the main character involved with this film. Even though he is not placed centre this does not subtract from the fact that he is the main character. He is the largest and closest object placed onto the poster.

The tagline confirms that Will Smith is the last man standing. This brings excitement and mystery to the audience. The tagline links with the image of the sense of being alone. However the tag line also hints that there is something else out there with the main character.

A clear colour scheme of browns and yellows; which has connotations of light and dirt which is many key features within the film.

The font on this poster stands out with a glowing font which immediately grabs the audiences attention.

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The division of the main actors name suggest that there are worlds between them both.

The character shown in the white dress confuses the audience as to what significance she has and who they are encouraging them to watch the film.

The background behind the main male character is not in focus producing a blur. This makes the character stand out showing his importance.

It is clear that this is a male character within the film. This attracts a male audience as there seemingly is an alpha male involved.It is clear that this male has been in a war shown by his costume and physical wounds.

This shows that the film is based on a well known book wrote by Ian Mcewan.

The tagline on the poster suggests the love yet complicated relationship the two characters have. There is a hint of togetherness being destroyed which creates mystery.

Both characters are looking away in different directions. This suggests maybe the characters do not agree or have different views.

The link of war is also connected with the title with the background of soldiers. The main title stands out in a type writing font which could represent the letters they send to one another.

Independent film posters compared to main stream.

Independent film posters:

fMainstream Film Posters:

How to Create a good film poster key points

cSimplicity: Be simple, choose a main subject and display it big and bold, don’t confuse the audience. Study where your eyes go the first time you look at the poster. Check with others. Are your eyes going to the most important part of the piece, or are other distractions taking your eyes away somewhere else?

Create Mystery:Think of your poster as a story in itself, and think of the ingredients that great stories have: Mystery, contrast, conflict, turnarounds, twists, etc.Now take the first one, mystery, and think of the impact mystery can have in your poster. A poster that reveals too much is like a movie that reveals too much too soon, it fails to engage, it’s too easy.Create mystery in your poster, open questions whose answers are yet to be revealed. Set up challenges that seem impossible to solve. Reveal riddles, trigger a discussion, surprise your viewers.

Be Bold:Your movie poster competes against thousands of others. Remember that we live in the age of saturation and competition is high. Therefore you need to be bold, in every way. Use broken textures, unusual visual treatments, surprise your audience, make something memorable, find the courage to be different.

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Ask Questions:A great way to learn and grow through the process is to cover some parts of your poster and see what the effect is. Why is this effective? Why is this not? Does the poster work better when i cover this part? If something doesn’t feel right which part is responsible for that? And if the poster feels great what is it exactly that makes it so great?

Quality:Filmmakers spend a lot of time thinking of the production of their movies, the colour correction, the visual effects, but some of them spend little time thinking of the production of their poster and may even release posters with a range of technical issues. Audiences will see your poster before they watch your movie. Your poster is your presentation card. In fact your poster may influence the decision of a person pondering if watching your movie or not. Refine your poster as much as your movie. Make sure the text is easy to read and understand. Spend time choosing the right background that fits with the message and the audience.

Feedback: When you are trying to come up with something truly special, it is very hard to get it right the first time. You need to embrace the opinion and feedback of others. Iterate, create a movie poster, get feedback from others, create another version, keep iterating until you are satisfied. If you find the feedback relevant and useful go ahead and integrate it into the project. In the end make sure you are happy with the end result because this is your product, your work and your vision.

Film Poster steps• Glance – somehow your poster is seen by a person. Their action?

Either it’s not noticed / ignored / phased out… or it’s noticed. I don’t have a scientific number but consider only 1 in a 1,000 people even notice it. I made that number up, it may be much worse.

• IF they acknowledge it’s existence – people then ‘see it’, but may pass immediately, or linger for a moment and consider.

• If they show ANY interest – that linger may turn into a second or two of further investigation (who is in it? Etc), or they may pass…

• Finally, if they do show interest, it may log it in the brain – most of the time this will not happen, but ideally a person will remember the poster and film. They may even pick up that DVD, click on a link, by a theatre ticket.