Film and Neo Noir Poster Analysis

FILM NOIR ANALYSIS

MGM- Film Company

Lana Turner & John Garfield- names of the stars of the film in large bold print, similar size to the film company name however in a different colour.

The Image- This depicts the two main characters (Cora and Frank). Their body language is typical of a film noir poster. The femme fatale Cora is dressed in a seductive low cut dress, with blonde hair and red lips. She is turned away from Frank, who is dressed in black and blends in with the background of the poster. He is grabbing her arm, at first one may assume this is protective, however he may be trying to hold on to her. Cora's hands are also placed behind her back, as if she may have something to hide, hinting at what is to come in the film. The image is also not centred in the poster, suggesting they are backed into a corner or hiding. However, the physical contact suggests they are romantically linked.

FILM NOIR ANALYSIS

Colour scheme- The colour scheme ties in with the tag line, as it is orange, yellow and black. Orange and yellow symbolise a flame, which may suggest the two characters are romantically involved. However it may also connote danger to the audience, as well as forbidden love. Black may symbolise death and the use of it in the poster may foreshadow events of the film.

Supporting characters- The supporting characters are also mentioned, however in a smaller font to show they are not as important as the starring characters.

The book- In the left hand corner of the poster, there is a small novel entitled 'A Postman Rings Twice', which suggests that the film is an adaptation, and that those who enjoyed the novel should watch the film.

Tag Line- The Tag Line reads: 'Their love was a flame that destroyed'. This helps to set the tone of the film, however its small font means it doesn't give too much away. 

NEO NOIR FILM ANALYSIS This poster again is mainly

black, making it dark and mysterious, it also employs the use of a common feature of film noir which is rain, this makes it more atmospheric and moody. Similar to ‘Shutter Island’ the main title is in a blood red that contrasts with the darkness of the rest of the poster. However, unlike original Noir posters, this, being a neo-noir uses a comic book style font for the title, date and billing box. The main image of this poster also employs the use of a film noir technique that is called a ‘dutch angle’ which is when the image of centre of focus is slanted so that it is not vertical and is at an angle.

There is a colour correction on the main image that has desaturated it so that it is almost black and white, like original noir, but it still contains some exaggerated blues and greys, this complements the moodiness of it.

Additionally the poster uses an overlay to place another image on top of the main one, it is blended so that it doesn't stand out and instead fades into the other image smoothly.

NEO NOIR ANALYSIS This poster is very typical of film

noir, it is firstly an artwork based off images from the film. The majority of the poster is black, connoting dark and mysterious themes. The poster’s text is symmetrically aligned, making it professional and tidy. All of the colours in the poster are very subtle, they are not loud or brash primary colours, this makes it sophisticated. The informational text in this poster (i.e the billing box, director, producer etc.) are all in tall sans serif fonts, while the main actors and film title is in a more elaborate serif font that was used on many film noir films, these fonts might now be recognised as one of the following: 'Outlander Nova Bold', 'Outlander Bold', 'Outlander Black', 'Outlander Nova Black', 'Boldoni Gray', 'Ambex Heavy', 'Zygo SE', 'XXII Black Block Serifa Norm' or 'Outlander Binary'.

The central image also allows the audience an overview into what kind of feel the film might have, it connotes that it will be smokey, contain violence and murder and also hints at who the main character might be.    

In summary, this poster, like most Noir connotes the darkness and mystery behind the film, however, it keeps it simple and minimal.