Ancillary Task : Codes and Coventions of a Film Poster...

In order to fulfil the ancillary task of creating a film poster to market my short film I felt that I needed to firstly understand the common conventions of a film poster. The word convention is defined as "a way in which something is usually done especially within a particular area or activity". By taking into account these conventions I will in turn be able to create my own film poster, whether I confined or contrast to these conventions. I have created an in-depth analysis of 5 film posters, two of which are a older style (1958 and 1960 film poster) and three being modern. I have however also looked at a wider range of film posters, in order to create a brief analysis of a variety of genres and eras and therefore also below created a summary of some of the key conventions of each main component to a film poster, from the size of the font to the colour of the image.

 

 

 

 

Main Image :

Object : The visual image on the majority of posters is either main actor or actress or a key object which reveals to the audience the films genre and in turns reflects the narrative of the film in which it is promoting

Representation : Modern day posters are represented photographically however more older posters are represented  illustratively

Position : The image creates a background to the poster and therefore take up the entire poster with the text being overlaid on top, however it is important to ensure that the main image is clearly visible. When looking at a poster our eyes are attracted to the centre then to the top and bottom and then from side to side therefore the central positing of the image draws the audience instantly in

Film Title :
Position : Either central lower third or upper third of the page. This being due to the fact that this is the second place that are our eyes goes and therefore after the initial image the first piece of key information which will attract the audiences eye is the film name

Font : Conventionally the font in one which reflects the genre of the film, for example the font 'Comic Sans MS' is linked to a font used with a primary school font typing therefore would not be reflective of a horror genre so not an appropriate for example for the film poster for 'Se7en'

Size : Largest text on the poster as many film posters are read from about 8ft away therefore it is crucial to ensure that the text is legible from a distance. Therefore it is conventionally in upper case, bold letters

Colour : Contrasting to the back ground colour, as it must be able to standout as the most dominate written part of the poster

Tagline or Slogan :

Position : The convention position for the tag line is a central position on the upper third of the poster Text : They are designed with the aim to grab attention and therefore promote the film. Studies had shows that you only have 11 seconds to grab the attention of your audience from a poster, therefore it is essential that the tag line is short, catchy, enticing and memorable. The tag line must either relate to the film or suggest its genre or tone. Although some film posters incorporate a tag line it is not a neccessarity and some do not feature one

Size : Apart from the cast and crew text, the slogan is the smallest size font on the poster in order to ensure it does not take other. The font is simple, and can be either lower or upper case letters

Colour : Usually in a matching colour to the title or in a simple white or black

 

Actors Name :

Position : Either around the top of the poster or above or below the title of the film. However a less conventional position is to the side of the poster such as for the poster for Hitchcock's film 'Psycho' Font : Conventionally the font matches the title font, with the surname in bold in order to stand out

Size : It is the second largest font on the poster, as it is a key element which draws potential views who wish to see a certain actress or actor. The surname is typically larger than the first name, and the names are in upper case letters

Colour : Usually in in a matching colour to the title or in a simple black or white

Cast and Crew :
Position : This is at the bottom on all posters
Text : It is important that the poster is not overcrowded with information as it is hard for the audience to read and digest therefore only the key elements are included
Colour : It is in a great or dark colour that doesn't not distract from the main content of the poster