Analysis of film posters

(click to read annotations on each of the posters on Flickr)

What I have noticed about the common conventions of film posters:

Mise-en-scene From researching other horror film posters I can see that the mise-en-scene is usually quite simple with little going on.  Make-up and props appear to be the most overt parts of the mise-en-scene to draw attention on them.  And few use a location unless it is instrumental to the plot.

Image It appears that close-ups are the most popular shots perhaps to allow the audience to relate to the character and to make the shot appear more interesting and detailed.

Lighting most of the posters use low key lighting to make the images appear more natural.  There is limited lighting obviously to create a dark and sinister tone meaning that there is a lot of            

   shadows and dark space which are key to show the horror genre.

   Composition The composition is quite simple and the classical            

   conventions are clear.  Usually the title is in the centre of the 

   poster in a large bold font, the billing block is the bottom centre in        

   a contrasting colour to the background with the release date 

   underneath along side the company logos, actors names are 

   usually at the top centre, and a tag line on top of the image.

   Billing Block is usually centred in the middle in a small, long thin 

   font contrasting against the background colour.  It usually   

   mentions the main companies first, then the cast and then the 

   crew.

  Colour Scheme the colour schemes are relatively simple 

  mainly using either black or white as the main colour and 

  having a contrasting colour to draw the audience in.  Usually 

  this colour is a red colour, mainly as this is iconography of the   

  horror genre as a whole and also as it connotes danger, 

  death, blood and passion which are themes in most horrors.

  Tag line is usually used.  It is a memorable phrase which is 

  attributed to the plot of the film to give a clue about the 

  narrative and can be very effective.

  Quotes sometimes on the poster is a short review of the film usually from a newspaper or magazine which occasionally has a rating in stars (***** 5 stars) to show their audience what others opinions have been of the film.

 Overall this has helped me to design my film poster as I can see what works well.  For my poster I will use a close up of the victim or killer with simple mise-en-scene (but enough to make it clear it is a horror).  I will use high key lighting to contrast with the darkness and create interesting shadows, use a simple and balanced composition  using the usual conventions and have the billing box at the bottom.  The colour scheme will be simple and use a lot of empty black space to make it more mysterious and I will use a memorable tag line.

   

Analysis of film magazine cover

(click to read annotations of magazine covers on Flickr)

What I have noticed about the common conventions of film posters:

 

Mise-en-scene From my research I can see that usually the actor on the front cover is the main character, or most popular ot attract the audience and they are usually in costume of their character.  Usually the background is edited in rather than an action shot or freeze frame from the film, they are usually done in a studio.

Image in either a long shot or a close up, while the long shots work better with the composition as the coverlines go around them, close ups are more effective in my opinion as you can see more clearly the actor.

Lighting most of the covers use studio lighting but try to make it appear like natural lighting, although sometimes high key lighting is used to create a more interesting image.

   Composition The composition in most of the covers is similar with the mast head at the top centred in bold, capitals and in a contrasting colour to the rest of the magazine.  Coverlines are on either side of the image and are aligned to either side.  The date and issue number is usually at the top of the cover and the barcode nearer the bottom.  The image is usually centered and overlaps the masthead so sometimes you can't read the title, making the image the most important thing on the page.  The main exclusive coverline is usually at the bottom of the cover.

   Coverlines use hyperbolic language with exclamations to attract an audience and make them want to know more.  The colour scheme usually alternates between cover lines so that they all stand out.  The coverlines are usually in capital letters to draw attention, and the information about the story is in smalls to give extra information.  Using 'PLUS' and 'EXCLUSIVE' draws attention to all of the coverlines and makes them appear more exciting.

  

Colour Scheme the colour scheme is usually quite simple with either a white or black background being common, red and white also are popular colours are they draw attention and contrast against the background.  Another convention is to take colours out of the main image to replicate them in the colour scheme so that it has compositional harmony.

  Selling Point some of the magazines which I have seen have     

  free things inside so that people want to buy it, usually posters, free tickets, merchandise and similar things.  Or exclusive coverlines are also selling points like interviews with upcoming stars or big stars and director.  They exaggerate this with hyperbolic language and exclamations

ConventionsThe main conventions of covers which I have noticed are that the masthead is centred at the top and in a bold font in capitals, the image is in the centre with coverlines aroun on either side.  There is one exclusive story on the front, and other articles which attract people are either at the bottom or on the side.  There are usually 3 colours with black white and red being the most popular.  The main image on the front is usually only of one character and they are in costume of their character so to draw the fans in.  The fonts are usually plain bold fonts so not to make the cover appear too busy and hectic.  Other images of films are also used to show what other stories and articles are inside.

 Overall this has helped me to design my magazine cover as I know the conventions which I should follow in order to make it look like a professional magazine.  The main conventions which I will follow are the main image being a close up of an actor in costume, masthead, issue number, price and date at the top, coverlines surround the image on either side.  I will also use other images (freeze frames) of films on the front so that the composition isn't just text, and I will use a simple colour scheme with three colours which appears to be another convention so that the cover    

   isn't too busy and in your face.