Movie Posters Codes and Conventions

What is a Movie Poster?• A movie poster can be seen in a number of lights: some see them

as a work of art but their primary purpose is as an advertisement• The challenge for the creators of these posters is to maintain the

artistic values of these pieces while ensuring they are successful persuasive texts.

• We the consumers of these texts can often tell the genre or have a good guess at what the movie is about at just a glance depending on the colour scheme and pose used for the main image but there are some conventions which are common to all genres:-Masthead –Credit Block –Main Image –Actors names -Directors names –Reviews –Taglines….

• There are a number of different types of movie posters: Teaser Posters, Official Cinema Release Posters and DVD Release posters and when analysing posters we need to address what the purpose of the particular poster is.

Romantic Film PostersMain Image of lead

male and female characters, their

relationship main focus of the movie.

Main Actors names featured under their

image.

Tagline based on a romantic theme,

“Nothing on earth could keep them apart.

Credit Block

Movie Title

Director

Soft/Pale colours with cloud like effect, gives impression of

heavenly like atmosphere or the

idea of the cliché “on cloud nine” is

suggested here.

Location plays big part of this movies

story.

Portrait

Romantic Film Posters

Main Image of lead male and female characters, their

relationship main focus of the movie.

Tagline based on a romantic/fantasy theme,

“When you can live forever what do you live for?” also suggestive of horror element of being

un-dead.

Movie Title

Release DateWebsite Tagged – appealing to the teenage target

audience

Black used for background and

actors in dark clothing to show the sub genre of horror

within the movie with the inclusion of

vampires in the story.

Portrait

Horror Film Posters

Credit Block

Mentioning director involved and tagging other movies he has

been involved with and this may also draw

fans of these movies towards this one.

Scars suggest bloody/gory trauma

happening to character and pale make up of

actor creating ghostly/un-dead like

image

Blades suggestive of a weapon character can use

therefore this character may be a danger

“Creation” gives impression of a

monster/Frankenstein like character

Black and white colour scheme

implies a sense of light and dark.

Main Actor

Movie Title

Portrait

Horror Film Posters

Movie Title

Credit Block

Image: skeleton like fingers with jack-o-lantern face adds to the title “Halloween” making movie seem even more creepy

Tagline quite creepy and

appropriate for horror genre of film.

Knife suggestive of a weapon a character can

use therefore this anonymous character may

be a danger

Black background creates a sense of darkness , evil and

death

Portrait

Sci-Fi Film Posters

Movie Title

Credit Block

Stars firmly establishing outer space

location and sci-fi genre

Montage of images including main and iconic characters of

series, montage creates a sense of excitement and fast

paced action

Dark background again establishing outer-

space location but also the sense of

overpowering/on looking evil

Portrait

Bright lighting effect showing there must be a battle scene of

some kind which generally appeals to male audience and

action fans

Saga Title

Sci-Fi Film Posters

Movie Title

Main Actor

Lines and rows of robots standing

together in army like formation giving sense that they are cause of

trouble rising up against human masters

and creators.

Metallic-like background colours establishes movies

sci-fi genre

Image: Main actor. Pose suggests ready for action, typical of an

action hero so shows to audience there will be exciting, fast paced

action.

Credit BlockTagline

suggests action “one man saw it

coming”Portrait

Main Features of the Genres

Romance:-Featuring the lead male and female actors and often in a

pose where they are close together, looking at each other or touching in some way.

Horror:-Use of black as main component in colour scheme and

object/words that would suggest danger or a monster like character e.g. a weapon (blade of some kind), scars, skeleton like features…

Sci-Fi:-The inclusion of action elements (a battle scene still,

action hero figure…) and most importantly something “out of the world” like an outer space setting or robots as the posters I analysed featured