Research - Film Posters

Posters, are an important advertising tool for a film. Posters are used to intrigue the audience, by representing a key concept of the narrative. They also supply important information such as the cast and crew and the release date and occasionally the location. These conventions are commonly found in both Short and full length films. For Short films, that will not have the budget or marketing that full length films will have put into them, so the poster has to represent the concepts behind the film. Examples of this in the short film sector are the creative aspects as well as the theme of the film. It helps signify its content to the audience of these productions.

The poster for the short film "Unstoppable". It is creative and visually attractive. The use of the vivid blues and the imagery contained and layered within in it are unique and appealing to an audience. The use of this creativity is representative of the perspective that short films contain. The focus of the poster is the central image. The layering of images, colours and textures make it unique and stand out to the audience. The use of it against black background, conveys a large contrast. The names of the cast and director are at the top of the poster are traits shared with posters of full length feature films. The information underneath the title, means that attention is not removed from the representational image but details to the perspective audience the films key information. These features are found in both a short film as well as feature length film posters. The use of these conventions allows the audience to understand and retain information about it.

The 2008 short film "Purge"; winner of a variety of awards such as Best dramatic short film, AOF festival is featured around the struggle of a young women named Joy, and the sexual abuse she has come under and her escape from it. The use of the image of the young girl is representative to the audience that she is the main focus and character of the film. The fact that only half of her face is shown, can signify the portrayal of her hiding, wearing a mask and therefore trying to protect herself. It is open to a variety of interpretations. The creativity and difference of opinion this offers is crucial to the audience type as well as the category of short film itself. The typography on this piece is feminine due to the shape and curve of the font. Again connoting the link to the young women which the narrative focuses upon. The fact that the font is simple, can also represent the importance of theme and creativity of the film. The simplicity can also convey the title of the film "Purge". Again, like the majority of film posters, details about the cast, crew and other information are detail at the bottom in order not to detract from the main focal point. The choice of background is plain, conveying the importance of the young female character, but the choice of green, can represent nature and freedom, linking to the theme of the title. Green is also representative of modern existence, as it is a calm and focused colour.The background on the original picture is blurred, creating a focal point of the young girl, instead of her location. By keeping it out of focus it can suggest the changes and development of the main character that are needed to make her life clearer. This is a tool used in order to successfully convey the theme and focus of the film to its audience.

Although, this film poster is not one from the category of short films, I feel that it offers a wide range of important conventions that could be used within my product in order for it represent and market a short film successfully. This is the film poster from Tim Burton's, Alice in Wonderland. The choice of background and imagery are important as it is a strong connection with the film. The iconic imagery is bright, and the key focal point of the poster. This feature would be important in a short film poster, due to the common conventions found in them. This poster, although for a feature film, is creative and artistic in its style and approach to the narrative and imagery, an important link to short films. This poster, does change the perception of film posters, as the name of the film is at the bottom in the right hand corner. This feature would be used to make sure attention is drawn first by the image, and that the audience is forced to take in the entire poster in order to receive this information. The font and colours used throughout this poster, are crucial in portraying the theme of the film. One trait this poster does share with other film posters is that important information is once again shown at the bottom of the poster, keeping the attention of the perspective audience.

Each of the posters above, uses a variety of different conventions in order to successfully demonstrate to a perspective audience, the theme of the film. Iconic images of the film, are used as the main focal point and attraction of the poster. This helps to market the film clearly, without the need for a large quantity of text. The positioning of the title and the typography are also important in representing the content of the film. Films in which creativity and the unique content they posses such as "The Alice in Wonderland" poster are represented by the lack of conventions shown on it. Colours and tones are also an important aspect to be considered when producing a successful poster. In order to make the poster for my short film successful, I will have to apply the conventions of posters in the genre of my piece, such as dark colours, unusual fonts and dark imagery. The conventions of varying short film and feature length films posters will also be used within my work. Images that represent the film, typography and the choice of colours are all important in making sure that the poster can represent my film accurately and successfully to its audience.