Secondary Research (short film poster analysis)

I will be analysing the five short film posters, i will specifically at the similar and different codes and conventions that make up a short film poster, I will subsequently conduct a general analysis of all the posters looking at the differences between them i.e., what makes them unique and different from each other and the similarities between them, i.e. what codes and conventions are present in all of the posters.

The short film poster is a teaser poster as well as a character poster, because it contains basic information, to whet our appetites, no information in regards to the plot of the film and it has a picture of the main character it also has the name of the film. The genre of the film is unclear, but because there are no weapons present in the poster, this enables me to rule out the action/adventure genre, the main character present in the poster is a female and stereotypically females are mostly present in romances, thrillers, comedies etc. The emotion on the females face, indicates to us she is upset, from this i can safely rule out the comedy genre. The most likely genre for this film is thriller, because of the general look and feel of it. Neutral colours are visible in this poster, this gives it a natural and realistic look which is appealing, because colour generally indicates moods and themes inbedded within the film. The intended target audience for this poster is females, i have derived this from the prominent female in the poster, the gender of the chracter usually, dictates the audience, ie if the film was aimed at males, there would be a male character present in the poster, the intended audience is also dictated through the use of color, the colours that have been used are soft and natural, this gives the poster a feminine look.
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The short film poster you see above is similar to the one analysed before, because it is a teaser poster as well as a character poster. I can tell this, because there is no virtually no information concerning the plot of the film, but enough to whet our appetites  The only information included in this poster is the title and information about cast, crew etc. It is also a character poster, because it includes the main character and two other characters who are faded in the background. The genre of the film is unclear once again, but more hints have been dropped in the poster in comparison with the first one. I can safely rule out the action and adventure genre, simply because there are no weapons included in the poster, this leaves, comedy romance, thriller. I can rule out romance and comedy, because of the facial expressions on the main characters face, she does not seem in the mood to be romanced or woo someone, neither does she seem in the mood for a laugh. This leaves one possible genre, the poster seems to suggest the genre of the film is thriller, i have come to this conclusion after ruling out the other genres based on their conventions, this seems to be the best fitting genre for the film.

 

The poster above unlike the other two posters which were a combination of two different genres ie, teaser/character poster, is a main theatrical poster, this is because it does the not have a main character in the centre or any information in regards to the, plot, characters, cast production etc. The poster has the title of the film, taking centre stage, were we would usually see a main character. This is creates curiosity which intrigues the audience, because they have no idea, what the film is about, let alone trying to identify a genre. The title 'Alexandria, everything must go' The main colour we see in the poster is blue, we can tell it is water, because we can see ripples and light being reflected in the water, at the bottom of the poster we can see wooden steps this suggests, it is a swimming pool, which adds to the mystery of the poster.The poster is accompanied by different shades of blue, this is interesting, because it suggests water plays an important part in the film, or it could of been used as an expression, to express subtle themes that run through the film, ie freedom, because water runs freely.

This, poster is a main theatrical, similar to the one above, although it doesnt include any information in regards to the plot, it does, however have information on the production personnel, the stars, and the distributors. There are two chracters, present in the poster, one in the foreground, the other in the background, facing the opposite direction. The genre is unclear, i can immediately rule out romance or comedy, this is because these type of posters generally have bright colours, in particular, romance themed posters have the two main chracters a male and female with thier backs against each other. This poster has dark and bland colours, i can rule out action and adventure, because weapons are usually present aswell as well as urban and rural locations. The main colour present in this poster is in black, black reprensents, evil, darkness, the unkown, these things combined leads me to the assumption that this film, could be a horror, or mystery thriller.

 



This poster is a main theatrical poster, this is because we have a picture of the main character, who is accompanied by the title of the film, aswell as information on the production personel and distributors. The genre of this poster is apparent earlier on, this is due to the general look of the poster, the genre is thriller, because we see what appears to be the main character in the centre of the poster, running of in to the distance, this is common in a thriller film where the main chracter is being pursued or is persuing someone, in this case he seems to be running away from something or someone, this creates engages the audience by creating curiosity, because the audience have  questions in their mind as to why he is running away. Natural colours have been used, the main colours we see is white and blue. The white colour being used has been enhanced to make it stand out and look more brighter, the white has been used in a interesting way, because it illumintates the buildings to his left and right. this poster evokes pure enigma and passion. i have found this very useful in terms of understanding poster conventions. the main colours present in poster is a dark blue and white. the white in the centre of the poster represents purity.