FILM PO

STER: CODES AND

CONVENTIONS

B Y NA T H A N B

R O W N

When using a film teaser trailer to advertise your film you are limiting it to the potential exposure of the internet through social media and YouTube. However, If I were to use methods like a poster as well they can be posted almost anywhere. As a result film posters need to be simplistic, whilst also creating an interesting vibe that’ll make people want to find out more (internet and teaser trailers).

MAIN IMAGEPossibly the most vital part of any posters success in drawing audiences attention to the film is the main image. This is the first thing that anyone walking past will notice and so it must be eye catching and make an impression on the viewer. The image is often a still taken from the film itself, a photograph of the key actors in the film or something iconic to represent the films genre. The image can also be a manipulation, or combination of what takes place in the film to leave the viewer guessing the plot enveloping them in the world before they’ve even seen the film. Film distributors are also opting more and more to go with images from photoshoots that are edited to show a message.

TITLE

A film title on a poster is an essential part of drawing in the audience and making them remember the films name. Without a film title people wouldn’t know how to find out more about the film through things like trailers. By having the name of the film poster it means people can generate talk about the film before its even released. The title needs to be easily readable from a distance and it needs to have an interesting and eye catching font to match the genre.

DIRECTORS, PRODUCERS AND ACTORSIn almost every film poster that has been made in the 21st century the

directors name is included, especially if the director is well known for famous. This is done to 1) advertise the director and give them credit for their work, 2) encourage fans of said director to come and view their work.

Actors names are also very apparent on film posters, but it’s only really the main characters or big actors names that appear. They are placed at the bottom of the poster next to the directors. If the cast is small then all of their names will be displayed.

Producers are in the same boat as directors and are put on the film poster to attract their fans and to give them credit for their work. Actors attract the avid cinema/film fan but directors and producers attract film viewers that take it more seriously and are their for the visuals, storyline and character development.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND RATINGSAlmost every film is screened to a whole host of critics, magazines

and seemingly important people before it is released to the public, this is done so the film can gain ratings and reviews that they can include on advertisements and just get general feedback on the film.

The studios will use the reviews and star ratings on posters to attract the attention of potential viewers. They will be drawn in by seeing a large amount of stars and positive quotes by respected film reviewers and magazine article writers.

TAG LINESOften a film poster will include a tag line to entice the viewer into researching

more about the film and to get them thinking about how it could relate to the storyline of the film. Tag lines also make the user think of the film when the word, or phrase is used in daily life. It can get into the audiences head subconsciously.

RELEASE DATEWhilst the interesting main image and catchy tag line do the work of enticing

the audience into wanting to go and see the film, the release date lets the audience know when to look out for it in cinemas and when to make a booking for the film. It does the some of the research for the audience so they don’t have to. Most posters display the month and date, however some just put 'coming soon' if it's not been confirmed yet.