Conventions of Film Posters

Image

• The image is the main focus of any film poster• It is the first thing that will attract attention,

therefore it has to be eye catching• It will relate to the genre of the film, for

example if it is an action film then the image will most likely be either a shot from the film or the actor/actors doing an action pose

• It will always be of either the main character or the most famous actor in the film

Title

• The title of the film will always be present, except in rare cases in which the film or saga is so well known that it is simply not necessary to include the title

• The title will be big, and will be the most important part of the poster after the image

Date

• Film posters will always either have the date of the film’s release, or ‘Coming Soon’

Other Information

• Rating – film posters rarely have the ratings of the film. They are usually found in the trailer instead.

• Production companies are usually indicated somewhere on the poster. This can add credibility to the film or make people want to see it depending on the fame of the company

• Actors – most posters also have famous actors detailed

Quote or tagline

• Film posters will usually have a memorable quote relating to the movie or a tagline to draw people’s attention.

• It is usually in small font located either top or bottom centre

Harry Potter• Production company logo is located in

the bottom right hand corner• The action shot is some indication of

genre• The image shows all three main

characters. Harry is shown to having more importance as he is in the foreground

• The title is the biggest font on the poster in order to stand out

• The tagline is located underneath the title in a smaller font, but is clearly visible and catches attention

• The release date and important information is in bold and brighter font so it can be read quickly and easily

• Details of actors and producers are faint but still readable so as not to distract attention from the image and text

Black Swan• The image dominates the poster, and the

actress is looking straight into the camera. Both attracts attention. The image is edited to make the person appear as though her face is cracked, which relates to the genre of psychological horror

• The title contrasts to the background, as does the quote from ‘Empire’ magazine against its background

• There is no tagline, but many things to indicate the credibility of the movie and its production, for example the line at the bottom which illustrates information about the director

• Like the Harry Potter poster, there is information about the cast and crew, but this one also includes the most famous actors’/main characters’ names above the title to further advertise the movie

• Unlike most posters, this one does not appear to have a release date

Avengers Assemble• Image is digitally constructed and

shows each of the main characters, with the most well known located in the foreground. It indicates the genre through the characters and the inclusion of fire and action shots

• The title is in the centre and stands out against the background

• Information of the cast and crew are detailed in faint writing below the title, but like the ‘Black Swan’ poster the main characters’ names are also advertised clearly

• The cinema release date is in bold, clear font so that people cannot miss it

• Like the other posters, the production company logo is also found on the poster