Film poster review: Side Effects The title of the short film ‘Side Effects’ suggest to the audience that the plot of the film will be based around the use of drugs. The title hints towards the narrative and implies that the protagonist of the film could be suffering from the side effects of drugs or could be going through and illness and suffering side effects of the medicines, this suggest that the genre of the film is drama as the protagonist of the film will be experiencing different side effects.

The mise-en-scene also hints towards the narrative, a close up shot has been used to show a woman lying in a hospital bed, this suggests that she may have an injury or illness and is suffering from the side effects of the medicine. In the bottom half of the poster a long shot has been used to show a couple hugging, this implies that that they could be upset and comforting each other. By splitting the poster in half it is effective as it implies that the close up of the woman is also the woman in the bottom half of the poster hugging. The characters hugging are positioned in the distant, this is effective as it allows the audience to see the surroundings. In the background is a hill and the characters are seen standing at the top of a slight hill, this could imply that the narrative will include the injured/ill woman fighting to get to the top of the hill, it could also suggest that she was once at the top but is now at the bottom and could be fighting for her life. The two characters that are hugging are seen looking out into the distance, this is effective as it suggests that they are looking forward to the future, implying that the woman may be getting healthier. The close up of the woman shows that she has her eyes shut, this implies that she could be asleep or unconscious, this is effective as it could be seen as the bottom half of the poster is a dream that she is having, this impression is created through the use of editing by creating the two images fade into one another.

In this poster, green is the main colour that is used this is effective as the colour green symbolises growth and therefore suggest that during the film the woman will improve/overcome her injury/illness. The colour green is used at the top of the film poster, it’s used as a background for the close up of the woman, this is successful as green is the most restful colour for the human eye and therefore implies that the woman is at peace or in less pain, implying that she could be in a coma.

At the bottom of the poster are the credits, the credits consist of the actors, writer, producer and director, although these aren’t well-known people and therefore won’t be a selling point for the film, the credits are presented in block capitals which makes the poster look professional. Due to the suggested narrative of the film being based around drugs, it implies that the target group is for the older generation as drugs is a serious issue and the film may include emotional scenes.