Film Poster Analysis

Avatar –

The main colours used in the poster for ‘Avatar’ are dark blue of the night turning to and orange colour of the sun either setting or rising. This could connote the sun setting on main civilisation on the planet. The most obvious figures on the poster are the two main characters of the film that are shown across each other meaning a possible relationship between the two. I believe that the poster is intended for fans of the sci-fi genre as it shows different planets and species which would take their attention straight away. The director, James Cameron, could be seen as the main star on this poster as his name is put clearly above the title above the film and previous films he has been a part of at the top. ‘From the director of Terminator 2 and Titanic’, showing that he has the credentials to make another extremely popular film. As well as the director there is also a picture of the main actor Sam Worthington who was also in Terminator and many other films making him part of a unique selling point for the film.

The information on this poster for ‘Avatar’ is necessarily important but it gives us clues as to who the main characters are and also the main themes that the film will pass through as they try to reach the conclusion. With the film being a major breakthrough with different technologies the poster was not used to as much as effect as other films have used it as the use of 3D etc. made marketing via television and big screens more suitable to show the film to its full extent. Thus making the poster not look to be expensive to produce and create.

I believe that the poster is effective but because of the other ways the film was advertised it would not be the most important to ‘Avatar’ but having said that it still serves its purpose as the popularity of the film means many people will still want the poster on their walls and shows the main reasons why the film should be watched giving different stars to sell it and the fact that you can watch it in 3D at this point was an extremely positive point. I believe there are no offensive or alternative ways of reading the poster in which may harm the message of the film; it all follows strictly to the rules.



Trainspotting –

The main colours used in the poster for ‘Trainspotting’ are orange and then black, white and grey. These colours are especially important on the characters to connote they all live dreary and drab lives with nothing much to aim for. The characters all have their names written next to their photo which gives the audience an idea of what their personality and looks. Begbie (#1) comes across straight away as a stereotypical crazy man with a cigarette in his mouth, sticking two fingers up towards to us, showing his arrogance and that he is not scared of what anyone thinks of him. Diane (#2) is shown to be quite forward as she and not caring as much as Begbie as she is dressed in just pyjamas with the top half very low cut showing confidence, yet quite fragile as she holds her arms as tightly to her body as possible.

The way that Sick Boy (#3) is presented to the audience is to also be cocky with a sense of a ‘bad boy’ feel to him as he is dressed in a suit which shows he is a working man who looks after his appearance, yet is holding his hand in a gun shooting position which gives the illusion that he is willing to go that extra mile to get what he wants. The name Spud (#4) grabs the attention that maybe he is not the smartest tool in the box, he is dressed in quite a socially awkward/geeky way with the think rim glasses and leather jacket as well as his body is quite weedy and skinny with not much muscle obvious to see.

From first look it is obvious to see that Renton (#5) is heavily influenced by drugs, wearing a t shirt looking extremely pale, he looks as if he is sweating yet clenching together as if he was shivering this could mean his body temperature is not stable which is synonymous with drug addicts. As a result of all these different stereotypes it shows the characters before they are shown on screen meaning that no character foreknowledge is needed. I believe the poster is for anyone who is takes notice and judges stereotypes, as having watch the film each character lives up to what is portrayed of them on the poster. The audience may also be people who have gone through the addiction of drugs or even just trying to them, this makes the appeal larger.

The techniques used in the poster are as said above different stereotypes to cause a reaction, one of the unique selling points also being that it ‘Trainspotting’ is from the makers of ‘Shallow Grave’ therefore many fans of that will straight away be tempted by the new project. Having each of the main characters on the poster in a prominent position will expose them; many people will recognise the actors from different films as with Ewan Mcgregor who was also in ‘Shallow Grave’.
As the film is an independent film with funding from Channel 4 constraints on budgets will be tight, unlike the multi-million costing production of ‘Avatar’. I believe this shows through on the poster that the institution is not going to throw money out at the click of a finger, so I believe that the poster was very cheaply made. This marketing campaign used very plain using very limited effects, this can also help show that the film is gritty and from the UK. The audience will find this very easy to read with no trouble surrounding the photos, it is a film you have to watch to know the full story. I think that the poster communicates the message across very effectively as we already have an idea of how the characters will act yet it does not give too much away about the plot of the film.



Toy Story

The main colour used on this poster is a dark blue colour, it denotes that it is night time and connotes that there will be a lot of adventure during the film. Although the group of toys are being chased by another the facial expressions are still all looking very happy with smiles and excitement on their faces. As this is a sequel the main fan base of the film will have foreknowledge of the previous films to understand what has happened before but it is not needed to discover what is happening in this poster. The fact that there is an order to who is at the front looking directly at the camera (Buzz Lightyear and Woody) and others at the back seem to look smaller (Bullseye and Barbie) shows that there is an hierarchy in the importance of certain characters in the film.

The film was completely made using complex CGI animation therefore the poster would have been made the same way, using something which replicates the kind of adventure that is in the film. I believe that the poster shows that the film has a very young target audience as it revolves around a group of toys, including teddy bears, spacemen, cowboys and other such items that are popular with children. In the background you see a rainbow on a building and also sunflowers which all tie in with one of the main themes of youth and growing up. The techniques used in persuasion towards the film in this poster are to make everything look as if the characters are having fun and enjoying what is happening in the film and also to look excited as if change is imminent, as with this action and adventure are the genre conventions that could be seen and referred to in the marketing campaign.

The type of star that is used in this film poster is the characters that we already know, as the sequels have been massively popular and important in the history of computer generated imagery and especially in film as the ‘Toy Story’ was the first feature length film to be completely animated. Other marketing campaigns such as merchandise have increased the popularity of the film; this makes the characters in the film the stars and therefore the unique selling point. For me the original film was one the first I saw in a cinema so I and many others will have grown up with the story and seen it progress to what it is now. Different unique selling points include the use of 3D technology for the first time in the sequence, this increases the ability to sell the product to new fans, also at the bottom it says ‘From the creators of ‘Finding Nemo and ‘Up’, this is another way to pull in new fans who may have seen and been fans of those films. Attention is gained from the poster by the use of toys running away from others as this is an original type of story and plot.

I do not believe that the information of this poster is incredibly important as the film already has an extremely large fan base which word of mouth will help the most to create a buzz surrounding it. It is quite important in terms of the marketing campaign as it gives fans something to look at and look forward to, I believe that merchandising; as mentioned previously will be one of the most important as more money will be made through this. The poster would not have been too expensive to produce as it is using the same technology which was needed to create the film.

The film poster is extremely effective as it is all that is needed to excite the fans and gives enough of a clue to plot and themes to attract and engage potential new fans into watching the film, therefore it communicates very effectively with its audience. As the film is geared towards the younger generation efforts would have been made to ensure there are no type of alternative readings in which may harm the message of the marketing campaign, this also includes making sure it is in no way offensive to any potential audience member.

Pirahna 3D

The main colours used in the Piranha 3D poster are dark greens merging into black with a sharp distinctive red colour dotted around on clothes. The water colour challenges the conventions when an ocean is on camera, normally it is a light blue colour but this film is trying to show the darky murkiness that lies beneath and that not all is well. With this there is a bottle of beer that has been dropped by the person standing in the water, it shows that they would have been having fun but as their senses will have been played with that there is more danger involved. Red colours in film posters generally connote either love or danger, in this it will most likely mean the latter as they look very vulnerable and exposed to the elements of a Piranha’s teeth. As the women’s top part to her bikini is off and the beer bottle connotes a type of sexual theme to the film as well as the red colour. As a result of this I do not believe any audience foreknowledge is needed to decode these symbols.

The main message that is on the poster is written ‘Two million years of evolution, one perfect killer.’ This can be seen as a warning for those thinking of watching the film but also as a type of dare towards the potential viewers, other types of this type of dare are like ‘Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’ which is in the same vein. The messages given through this poster are both visual and verbal as a lot can be taken from both the picture and also the quotations on the page. I believe that the intended audience towards this poster are late teens onwards, especially thrill seekers who will be able to take a lot from this film. The film is a second remake with the same title, the original was released in 1978 whilst this poster was for the film released in 2010, this means that the film will already have a fan base who many will be interested in seeing if the remake matches up to the original. The extra 3D element suggests that it will be towards real life where it will make the film even more exciting.

The persuasive techniques that are used on this poster are shock and worry; it works like a cliff hanger, showing the audience enough to get them interested in the film without ruining the whole plot. From this they will want to see the outcome and the reasons why this person is in the situation they have found themselves in. Horror conventions are referred to in the poster via the standing position of the woman in the water which we are led to believe an ocean/sea rather than a swimming pool because of the murky/dark colour that is seen as she is in a way of shock that the is standing still with every part of her body stretched out as if she cannot believe what is happening, this is also how the attention is gained by the poster. The unique selling point is the piranha’s even though not shown we know from the title that this film will contain them in a horrific way, as a result of this they are the ‘star’ of the film. No expert witnesses are quoted in the film, just more persuasion from the producers of the poster. There are no specific pleasures promised by this poster, yet through the imagery used entertainment and action is implied. The tagline is a play on words ‘This summer 3D shows its teeth’ this will entice many possible viewers towards the film as it implies even more action.

The information on this poster I believe shows information on the hierarchies as we see the world from below the water, this can connote that the seas are in charge in what happens in this film and that any human in them will not have an easy ride. I think that the poster is vital towards this marketing campaign as it gives the audience a great idea of what themes will be used and the excitement that will take place in the film. The poster will not have been extremely expensive to produce as it could have been taken from a screen shot of the film itself.

The poster itself is very effective as it gives the main messages across very well, therefore it communicates with the audience. The poster can be seen as provocative or offensive as the use of sexual themes and alcohol but I believe that this is supposed to be seen in that way so it will not be able to harm the message of the campaign.



Horrible Bosses

The main colours used in this specific poster for ‘Horrible Bosses’ consists of the red that we had also found in ‘Piranha 3D’ which promotes the danger that is found in the films, we also know about the danger from the tagline ‘Meet your new murder consultant.’ This furthers the point towards the death. The green on the poster is of a snot type of shade, this is meant to be seen as disgusting or distasteful which will shock the audience. The symbols such as the main character on the poster’s belt has what looks to be a snake is another pointer of danger which is shown to be the most prominent theme. As a result of this I do not believe you need any audience foreknowledge because the characters seem to be playing to stereotypes. The main person on the poster is shown to be a hard man/gangsta, having plenty of tattoos on show, an extreme hairstyle, showing his money and having a menacing look on his all add to this. The other three men towards the back of the poster look intimidated and weary of what may happen in the near future.

The main figures and objects in the poster are all represented photographically. Messages are visual as you can take the stereotypes of the pictures to let the audience make up their own mind on how the characters will act. The producers use the tagline as a persuasive technique as it helps to shock and engage a potential audience in making them want to know what happens in the rest of the film. I think that audience for this poster is one of a thrill seeker nature, as again with ‘Piranha 3D’, the poster could been to seen to have comedic value as well as a result of the tagline; as it is so absurd it and the way that the background characters are standing, in an intimidated yet with elements of their facial expressions seem to show a sense of cheekiness which will endear that watching public towards these characters, wishing them well in the story.

Lots of stars are used as unique selling points, with the names printed on the poster of Jason Bateman who is well known for such films as ‘Starsky and Hutch’, ‘Juno’ and more recently ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’. As well as him other famous actors include Colin Farrell, Jennifer Anniston and Kevin Spacey; this builds up a steady fan base from the popularity of those actors which will add to the excitement and build up around ‘Horrible Bosses’. Another unique selling point of a star is Jamie Foxx, not just for his acting skills and filmography as with the others but as he is a rapper the film will start to open up into the urban or more youthful market as he in his own right is a popular recording artist but has also featured within songs within one of Kanye West’s commercially successful tracks to date. I believe that because of the many unique selling points that this is the reason for no expert witnesses. The pleasures that are promised by the poster are not written down but with the red colour and the tagline shows that it will be action filled.

The poster shows hierarchies of the characters much like the ‘Toy Story 3’ poster does, it has the main or strongest character at the front whilst the ones who aren’t as important or are weaker towards the back. I believe that the poster is an important part of the marketing campaign as it is to the point and gives the audience a good idea as to what will unfold whilst watching the film, the poster would not have been very expensive to produce as it is on the set of the film with all the main cast members, no extra effects were needed in the making of it.

I believe that this poster is extremely effective as it uses stereotypes to give the public a good sight into what the film will be about, therefore it communicates well with its targeted audience. There are not any alternative readings which would harm the marketing campaign as it is obviously supposed to show them in good humour, as a result of this and the obvious use of stereotypes I do not think that the poster is offensive in any way.