MEDIA COURSEWORK AS

LAUREN EDENSOR

In the poster I can see a woman trying to protect her head in the centre of the poster, suggesting she is the main character and we are following her storyline. The poster designer has made the woman look frightened to show that the birds are a threat to her, and that she is vulnerable to them. The woman is surrounded by birds, and there is a shadow of a bird falling across her, showing that those birds are the ones causing her to scream – that they are the threat to the protagonist. The woman in the centre is wearing makeup and her hair is curled in a classic style, suggesting that the film is set during the time it was made.The background of the film is white, suggesting that the birds are attacking innocent people and causing them harm, which adds to the thriller aspects of the film as it shows these birds aren’t normal birds, but have become animalistic and predatory. There is nothing else in the background apart from the birds, showing viewers that they are the sole threat and there are no other enemies in the film.The borders of the poster are yellow, which is interesting to see as the film is the antithesis of what the colour represents. Yellow usually represents positivity and happiness, which when put together with the white background, leads viewers into thinking that the film will be a light-hearted one. There is also black along the borders, suggesting that the film is light to begin with, but there are darker undertones, which make the film a thriller.

From this movie poster, I can see Ben Affleck in the background staring off the poster, most likely checking his surroundings as he looks nervous or stressed. His overlay is blue, suggesting he is being watched via CCTV. This could mean that he is working with the government, or against them and they have him as a figure of note. Affleck on the poster has an unkempt beard, suggesting he is hiding from someone and obscuring his identity. There is a red strip across the poster in the foreground, which has been designed to look like it’s a roll of film, supporting the idea they are being watched by some higher power. The people in the strip are running away from something, however they look as though they are trying to do it subtly – suggesting they are wanted by someone and want to remain anonymous as they get away. Two of the people in the strip are holding hands, suggesting there is a relationship between the two, which builds the suspense as there is more at stake for them.The people are wearing dated clothes, suggesting to viewers that this movie is set a couple of decades in the past.The tagline, “The movie was fake. The mission was real” tells viewers these people are undercover and are trying to stay under the radar. It also supports the fact that these people are carrying out a task.

Thriller Poster Codes and Conventions

The main colours on thriller posters are usually red, black and white. Colour symbolism is important in thrillers, as red may represent blood, violence and danger, black may represent dark characters or themes, whereas white may represent the innocence of the characters involved or the peace they may feel at the end of a thriller if its plot is a classic ‘good defeats evil’.

Low-key lighting or chiaroscuro is common on the poster, which surrounds the character in mystery instantly and the chiaroscuro may reference a character with some moral ambiguity or with a dark side.

Thriller Poster Codes and Conventions

Most thriller posters have the title towards the bottom, and the title is often in red or a contrasting colour to make it stand out in the viewer’s minds.

The fonts are mostly condensed and clean, so they don’t distract away from the main image or look too childish, which may attract the wrong type of audience the thriller is trying to reach.

Any famous actors in the film are usually credited at the top of the poster, as that’s where the eye of the viewer is drawn to first, meaning they can instantly see how high-budget the film is, as they would associate a name with a certain standard of film. For example, viewers may see Daniel Radcliffe’s name on ‘The Woman in Black’ posters and understand he would never be in a badly made film as he is a high-profile actor.

If the thriller contains a cast of low-profile actors, the title may go at the top in some cases, as promoting the title rather than the cast means that viewers would focus on the title rather than the fact they don’t know any of the cast in the thriller.

Thriller Poster Codes and Conventions

Before being released to the general public, there are often critic screenings of a film so reviews can be realised and more advertising can be achieved this way if the thriller is well received. Promoters often re-release a poster to include any quotes that present the thriller well. For example, quotes such as “chilling” or “nerve-wracking” are printed on the trailer, which instantly attracts the audience to the film, especially if the quote is from a highly regarded source. This will attract an audience to a film as they will know this film is what they’re looking for and will be immersive and will effect their emotions. Any awards the film may have been awarded will also be included, to give audiences the information they need – such as it having good CGI or a great performance by a lead role or a good screenplay, meaning they will see that the film is high quality and will want to see it.

Thriller Poster Codes and Conventions

Taglines are usually featured towards the end or the top of the poster, depending on where the title is – to create effect and become memorable. For example, in Argo, the tagline in underneath the title. “The movie was fake. The mission was real.” is written in two short vague sentences, which make viewers curious about the film and the shortness of the sentences creates suspense and has a dramatic effect.

The tagline on the ‘The Birds’ poster is “...and remember, the next scream you hear could be your own!” which instantly creates tension as the film promises to make viewers feel something and influence their emotions – possibly fear. The tagline also creates a sense of realism about the film, suggesting that the screams could come from people finding themselves in similar situations.

Taglines don’t often appear too large or are designed too dynamically, as not to take away from the title, the main image or any credited actors on the poster.

Own Poster Analysis

‘Wanted’ is the title of the movie, and let’s viewers know that this is a crime thriller.

Because the film features no notable actors, the title is at the top and is written in white to contrast the black and red. The white may also suggest that innocent people have been hurt or that the ‘wanted’ person themselves is innocent.

The title has spaced lettering, to make it appear as though it’s an actual police document as well as drawing the eye to the title. As it’s only one word, it’s more memorable and leaves more to the imagination, which increases the intrigue.

Own Poster Analysis

The red and blue effect on the girl’s face reflects the lights of police sirens, however the lights only touch certain parts of her face, suggesting she is hiding. Viewers will be curious as they will wish to know who she is and why she’s wanted by the police.

The red over her face may also represent the fact that she’s a danger to others, or that she herself may be in danger.

The blue of the police light represents justice, which may be an important theme in the film.

Own Poster Analysis

On the right side of her face, the girl in the image is smiling slightly, and her eyebrows are lowered – suggesting she is calm, content and the fact that the blue light is on that side of her face may tell readers that she is a believer in justice.

The other half of her face looks more sinister, and paired with the red lighting, suggests to viewers that the girl is also dangerous and has violent tendencies, or that violence surrounds her. It may also show that she has a dangerous side, or a split personality.