Research into Film Posters and Billboards

By Nicole Simmonds

Film Posters

Above I have created a mood board of horror posters, I noticed a lot of similarities including some of the main titles are either in red or white. All of the images on the posters are a dark colour therefore the white typography contrasts against it. This is effective because it is easier to write, it also plays with the connotations of white as it seen as a pure colour however it is used on a horror poster making the colour sinister. I really like the red typography because the connotations of red is blood and death therefore is suitable for a horror movie poster. Most of the posters show an image of a person on the front cover, I really like this idea because it shows the audience the main character. Some of them show the image of the villain or the victim, I like the idea of having the image of the victim as it is more mysterious.

I decided to have my poster landscape so that I could fit more onto the image at the sides. Before I considered this I needed to look at posters that are landscape therefore the mood board above shows multiple genres of movie posters. I did not focus just on the horror posters because I wanted to consider how other genre of films arrange their image and typography. Each poster shows a different layout o their titles and information, most of them contain a subtitle or a short phrase. I like this idea because it inform the audience more about the movie therefore they are persuaded to watch it. I also like the fact that a lot more images can put placed in a landscape photo because portrait seemed quite restricting and small. I will definitely make my film poster landscape because that means there will be extra room for my image which will be the main feature.

Billboards

The feature that stands out the most for me is the typography. I like how some text is in red and the rest is in white. Red connotates blood and death therefore suggests to the audience this is a horror billboard. However the white is used the contrast against the red therefore connotating evil and innocence therefore this may suggest to the audience what the movie may contain. The typography is extremely large and bold therefore it allures the audience and acts as a bait and hook. The title of the film is the most alluring feature due to its size, I want to interpret this into my billboard because overall the title of the film should be the most important feature because it is the feature that the audience needs to remember to discover more about the film. The font that is used stays consistent throughout the franchise as it then becomes iconic and well known and relates back to the film therefore I want to keep my billboard and film consistent as it will then become recognisable. I also really like that the background is black which contrasts well with the white and red typography, also black connotates death and darkness therefore this is scary for the audience. The image chosen on this billboard is really effective because they’ve clearly used the victims within the movie, this relates more to the audience as they will sympathise for them therefore feel sorry for them. The colour of the image is also extremely dark therefore it syncs well with the colours of the main billboard and allows the typography to stand out even more. I like the use of the hash tags and the company logos at the bottom because it makes the billboard look a lot more professional therefore I may incorporate this into my billboard.

This billboard is a lot more different than the Insidious billboard as it uses different features, for example the image is stretched across the entire billboard rather than just a section. I think for me to do that will be difficult because it will be hard to take a picture that is as long as a billboard sign because they have to be extremely long. However I think that this billboard poster looks really good, I like the fact that the image is stretched across the page because the colours are dark however it is highlighted a little therefore reminds me of a hospital. The image shows a little girl this could suggest that she is the villain and she is clearly rubbing blood into the wall. This might play with our fears because she seems possessed therefore she could be in a haunted house. The image of the blood creates an image of a face, this is extremely scary because it may signify the devil therefore gives a clear indication that this movie is a paranormal horror sub genre. I really like the use of the typography in this poster, The writing looks a lot like the blood in the image therefore it looks apart of the image, the typography has a shadow which looks like it is dripping blood which is really effective because it is very creepy and gory. I like the use of the slogan below the title because it gives a little extra information, it uses the pronoun ‘him’ therefore indicates that the image of the face in blood is the villain therefore contrasts with the little girl who resembles innocence and the devil is represents evil and death. I also like the use of the date at the bottom, this is interesting because it is big and bold therefore remains in the audiences head therefore they’ll remember when this movie is coming to theatres.