Poster Research and Analysis

Here is my poster research and analysis theThree posters I have chosen to analyze and

research are Paranormal Activity , TheExorcist , Sinister and Insidious.

Paranormal Activity Poster

Layout: The poster is created in blocks as the main image does not cover the whole poster. The use of the quote at the top is also uncommon to see on modern posters. This layout of the poster creates mystery for the audience. The layout of the whole poster overall does look like the poster is unprofessional and hasten been produced by a professional company and didn't’t take very long to make because it is not very organized.

Lighting: The use of lighting in this poster is the very stereotypical horror genre colors probably so that it appears to be scarier. The low key lighting makes the room in the picture look really dark and scary. The use of lighting is really effective because there is also a shadow of a figure on the door which the actors are pointing at in distress, the lighting means that no one can work out what the shadow is. The use of this could suggest that the film is jumpy and mysterious. The whole lighting of the poster is dark and sinister looking which is really effective.

Direct Address: On this Poster there is no direct address this is because the couple who are in the Image are not looking directly at the camera. This suggests to the audience that they are looking at the Couple through a cctv still Image because of the angle Of the shot. This hints to the audience that the film may be about some thing to do with cctv footage.

Film Companies: The film companies that are involved with making the film are featured at the bottom of the poster. These company logo’s could draw in a larger audience because if someone see’s the logo of a film company that they really like because of previous films they like , this may make them go see this film.

Text: The font used for the text is a basic sans they are also called icons. I feel that these icons have been used and designed in a specific way to show that the film is a horror. The color of the title suggests that it could signal danger , blood and pain. The title also matches the static digital look which also relates to the films style and story line. I feel that the font used gives a sharp look and is very effective because it gives us as the audience a cold feeling. The title also looks as though it has been smudged this relates to the cctv still of the main feature image.

Color Scheme: The poster has a simplistic color scheme which includes the colors black , white, blue and red. All the colors are all dark and gloomy and do all represent the horror genre. The red and black could maybe signalize danger or death. The use of the black back ground and because the whole poster and main image is really dark it could suggest that the film is mainly set at night. This adds to the fear factor because you just think you don’t know what can happen to you when your in the dark.

Layout: The layout at the bottom of the poster is that everything has been formatted in straight lines. This is really effective because it does stop the poster from looking too overcrowded and messy.

Direct Address: Above the title there is another featured direct address this is because the personal pro noun on ‘you’ has been used. This is effective and adds to the fear factor and will really draw in people that like horror films as if someone looks at it , it seems like it is directly talking to them.

Main feature image: I feel that the main image of this poster is really effective because it is only covers up the middle block of the poster and is unique because not many modern posters are represented like this. The image used is really effective because it gives a hint of what the films going to be like and what its about as the image used is a cctv still and it shows the two characters and from this you can realize that they may be the main characters . The characters look distressed and this is effective because it will make the audience want to know what they are scared of so will gather the film a larger watching audience.

Review: The review at the top of the poster adds a fear factor and is effective because would make horror film lovers want to go and see it.

The Exorcist poster

This shows that the film is a remake of a original film and if the viewers have seen the first one they will want to see the remake. The text that reads ‘version you have never seen’ suggests to the audience that this film has been dramatically improved and is defiantly worth seeing

The name which features above the main title shows how the film was once a novel or a original film , so the audience may already know the story and this will make them want to go and see it. The title is in a simple and basic font but is really effective as it is bold and really stands out to the audience. The use of the color of the text which is really effective is red , this could represent a hint of danger or blood so matches and fits in with the horror genre of the film.

The company logo is situated at the bottom of the poster. This is effective because it shows the official information and shows the audience who sees it which film company owns it and the audience may of seen a previous film they have made and really liked it so it may persuade them to go and see it. This is also good because it does not distract the audience from the main image.

I feel that the use of the white bright light shining shows that something is going on in the room where it is coming from. The light is also shining on the man so this could highlight how he is a main character and is important within the film. The setting of the main image comes across as really creepy and scary and shows that the setting of the film is scary. It also makes the audience wonder who the mysterious man is and what is going to happen to him and what's happening because of the shining in the house.

The color scheme that is used over the whole poster is very dark and gloomy. The white and red text on the black back ground looks really effective because they are contrasting colors . This makes you read it because they stand out to you.

The name of the actors on the poster that are involved in the film . This is effective because it has been placed at the bottom of the poster so they see the main image first also at the bottom of the poster there are shadows and it could symbolize evil.

Insidious posterMain Image: The posters main image features a young boy which a medium shot who we presume is the main character. In the background of the image you can see the house which I believe he lives in or has something happen to him there. The main image sets the scene and reveals that the whole film may be set in that house.

Layout: The poster has a simple layout as it is just one image with the text on top of it. The simplistic layout of the poster makes it look really professional because of the way all the writing is in straight lines so it doesn't look messy or over crowded. The basic font and colors also make the poster seem really professional.

Text: The posters title is really effective as it bold and stands out when you look at the poster. The font color is light compared to the dark background and lighting within the poster. This is effective because it creates a contrast so that the text can be seen from far away. The date the film is relapsed is the boldest piece of writing on the poster as it is in white on a black ground and is very bold.

Color scheme: The color scheme of the overall poster works really well. The main colors are all dark and dull and helps to create a very sinister tone to the poster. The sky can come across as very dull and grey and the also the costume the boy is wearing which is pajamas are also very dark and dull. The boys skin tone has a sense of death towards it as it is so dark and not the normal flesh color his face is also expressionless which could represent that he is lost somewhere or something has taken over him. The only bright colors within the poster is the white text and the red text , this could really highlight to the audience how sinister this film is.

Lighting: The lighting used on this poster is all very dark and gloomy and really helps to convey the sinister tone. The audience can tell from the use of color that this film is not going to be funny or happy, but from the use of lighting it could be scary. The use of the dark lighting also makes it harder for the audience to see every detail of the poster so it could make them want to go and see it more to see what actually happens to the boy and why everything is so dark because the lighting makes the film seem very mysterious.

Direct address: The poster uses really direct address with the main character in the centered staring straight into the camera. This use of direct address along with all the other elements of the poster like all the dark colors create a much more sinister and I believe that it can really create I sense of fear for the person looking at the poster as it looks like the boy is looking at them.