ANCILLARY TASK (FILM POSTER) -

RESEARCHA2 Media Studies

SHIFTY - 2008

The main image consists of two males dressed in jeans and a hoodie. They are sat down slightly slouched, which connotes that they are lazy or perhaps careless. This allows the audience to make assumptions about the two men in the poster. This character is very apparent in social realist films.

The use of the elongated ‘I’ separates the two men, suggesting that they may have an argument or even problems from the past. It may also be suggesting a split in personality, which could be the cause of their disputes.

The tag line ’24 hours to deal yourself out’ suggests a theme of danger and may leave the audience wondering what situation the protagonists are in/got themselves in.

The choice of colours is also interesting, as yellow and black together normally have the connotations of danger. This suggests that the film may include violence.

At the top of the poster are two positive quotes from film critics, this may encourage people to watch the film. As well as the two quotes, there are also star ratings, both giving the film four out of five stars suggesting that the film is worth watching. This is all written in black, so it stands out against the yellow background making it more eye-catching.

The poster as a whole is very simplistic, this minimal writing or images. This suggests that it may be aiming to attract an older audience, instead of a younger one who may be more attracted to bright images and text.This goes against what I want for my film poster. I want mine to appeal to a

younger audience and will do this by using more than one image, having exciting typology and catchy slogans.

FISH TANK - 2009

The main image consists one female, who we can guess by this is the central protagonist. The fact that there is only one character, who is looking out the window, suggests loneliness and maybe isolation of this character from others.

The font is written in capital letters which creates a bold feel, maybe suggesting a controversial subject area.

The minimalistic background helps draw attention to the main character,. However, a small detail of unpainted walls may suggest financial problems for the girl, or her family. The choice of colours is also

minimal, like the background. The colour pink often has connotations of femininity, and this is the colour showing through the background maybe suggesting she is finding it her to accept herself. At the top of the poster there are two quotes from film critics, both giving the film four out of five stars. This suggests to us that the film is of a good quality and worth watching. The quotes are both in French, the first one says ‘Our Favourite’ and the second one says ‘funny, shattering and deep, an exceptional film’. Both these quotes are written in white to stand out from the grey, dull background.

Just like the first poster, as a whole it is very simplistic, with minimal writing or images. This again suggests that it may be aiming to attract an older audience, instead of a younger one who may be more attracted to bright images and text.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT… From researching into these two different film posters, I have learnt that posters normally include a quote and star rating from one or two critics, which mostly appears at the very top of the poster. I have also learnt that most posters try and keep the attention on the main image, by using subtle fonts and colours else where and that the main image in nearly always centred. The choice of font is also very important as it can tell a potential viewer a lot about the film before they read into it more.