Gamer (2009) poster deconstruction

·         This film poster would be great inspiration for our film.

·         The background image of one man (the main protagonist) is shown which builds tension amongst the viewers.

·         The protagonist is looking directly at the audience, giving eye contact. This involves the audience and brings them into the film themselves, making them want to watch it.

·         The protagonists face is shown being distorted as the middle of his face is seen to have been smashed in the centre, forming a vertical jagged line down his face. This could represent two sides to this characters’ personality or that this character is on the verge of breaking down, or is being ‘broken’ by someone or something else. This could also indicate that the outside of his face represents one personality, whereas the small face that is ‘trying to get out’ of the black and white face is his contrasting personality. He could be trying to be someone else on the outside, whilst hiding his true personality underneath.

·         The colour scheme of the background is shown in black and white

·         The typography of the title is shown in block capitals and in the colour red. The colour red has negative connotations of blood, danger, death and destruction. This gives an ideal representation of the film itself, relating back to its genre of thriller.

·         The title is shown near the bottom of the poster, centred. This allows the audience to move their eyes around the poster, whilst also looking at other things shown on the poster, which also allows the viewer to get the image of the poster in their head, making it more memorable.

·         The tagline is shown directly underneath the title which also allows the audience to manoeuvre their eyes to find it, whilst looking closely at the whole poster.

·         The tagline is shown also in block capitals, mirroring the font of the title above. The colour is white which juxtaposes the genre of thriller to give a sense of innocence that this character and film might also represent – we have to watch it to find out how the innocence is portrayed.

·         The tagline is also shown as a question. This question is directed to the audience that is looking at the poster. It involves the audience so that they feel like they are part of the film themselves, therefore, making the audience want to watch the film.

·         At the very top of the poster, centred, is the main protagonists name shown in block capitals and also in red, which suits the scheme of the poster and relates to the thriller genre. This would also stand out and grab this actor’s fans’ attention, giving the film more popularity.

Woman In Black (2012) Poster deconstruction

• The typography is very ghostly which relates to its horror genre. It is like chalk-esque fading white font which is immediately noticeable to the eye and provides a sense of eeriness and supernatural being to it.
• The tagline asks ‘Do you believe in Ghosts?’ This gives a clear idea that the film is based on the supernatural and addresses the audience directly and makes the audience feel involved.
• Well known actors name, Daniel Radcliff, is shown on the poster contrasting to the black background which makes the text stand out and attracts the actor’s fans.
• The text has an eerie feel which suits the genre of the film. It is shown in white who is also ghostly. It is also shown in a light blue tint which insinuates negative connotations of cold and ice.
• The same colours blue and white are merged into the colours of the main protagonists eye in the poster, which insinuates that this character may have some ghostly past in him too.
• An obscure image of an eerie face is subliminally hidden and distorted in grainy monochrome colours. This adds a sense of enigma/mystery within the film. The face has dark circles in replace of eyes so we cannot see who or what this is which also adds to the enigma of the film.
• Image of Daniel Radcliff shows direct eye contact with audience making them feel involved and shows he is a dominant character in the film. 

Terminator Salvation (2009) poster deconstruction

• Plays on the conventions of the golden rule. The main image of the skull is in the middle, but upside down. This allows the audiences eyes to move and manoeuvre around the poster in order to come to grips with what the image actually is, whilst looking around at the whole poster taking in all the information such as the release date, the title and the actors in it.
• The eyes of the skull are the main focus. The colour red is illuminated and lit up which is suggesting that the skull is ‘still alive’.
• The red has negative connotations of danger, pain, death and destruction. The red contrasts to the overall background colour scheme of brown, black and cream – natural. This makes the red stand out and eye-catching to the audience, relating to the horror thriller genre.
• The background illustrates a fight, destruction scene which gives away that the film is about action.  This imagery links to tagline ‘We fight back’ which also relates back to the genre of the film.
• The typography is very metallic, robotic, futuristic and artificial. We can take this as inspiration as it would be a great look on our typography.
• We can see thick, dark grey/brown smoke emerging from the mechanical works of the skull body, which relates back to the metallic/futuristic feel and industrialisation. This adds to the action of the film relating back to its genre. 

The Dark Knight (2008) Poster

• Typography – sort of catch phrase/tag line. Looks like it’s written in blood and distilled into the glass in front of the joker.
• The title is shown at the bottom of the poster which makes the viewer look around at the whole poster to find it, giving a sense of mystery, relating to the film.
• The title is shown with the films logo directly behind it which makes the title stand out and less boring than if it was just plain, white, capital text.
• The white text has positive connotations of angelic and innocence, which juxtaposes with the whole meaning of the poster and the character shown on it. It, therefore, gets the audience thinking about how the character is portrayed in the film and how his personality may change.
• The Jokers smile takes it up a level to be freakier and unsettling. It plays with the conventions of the bad guy. This could insinuate killing with a smile which gives a psychotic feel to it.
• There is a subliminal image in the background of a City (New York City) which show the establishing shot and gives the audience an idea of where the film is set, while having an eerie feel to it.
• Painted onto window by the joker is what looks like blood that is bleeding and clotted. This tells the audience that this film does include blood and gore and relates to the films genre of action, thriller superhero movie.
• The Joker is gesturing towards audience which involves the audience and is slightly unnerving. He is addressing us yet we can’t clearly see him. This adds to the eeriness feel and sense of enigma.
• The whole poster is shown in an icy, fogged blue/white which suggests that this character is very cold and dangerous. The use of red contrasting to the blue shows the depth in danger to which the character would go to. Clearly showing this is a fatal character not to be trusted.

Poster Deconstructions: The Hole (2001)

The Hole (2001) - Film Poster

• Typography- “THE” Is in small font within the letter H creating emphasis on the word “HOLE” drawing the viewer’s attention to the word. Which is bold to contrast against the dark background.

• They use the colour white, inverting the typical connotations of the colour being a symbolism for light, purity and good. But, is instead being used to highlight the noun “HOLE” which is both literally associated with the idea of darkness, and also is being suggested to be a place of evil and disturbance.

• The title could also being playing of the phrase “you’ve dug yourself a hole” which refers to a person being in trouble or something wrong.  And normal uses of the word “HOLE” would suggest something underground- underground places being stereotypically menacing settings within the thriller genre. 

• Layout- In each corner there is a different focus for the audience. The main focus being the title, there is a large closeup of the main protagonist to the centre left and then directly above the title to the left there are three more closeups of the other main protagonists to the right almost in parallel to the girl- as though they are mirroring her.
•  It is typically conventional in film posters to include close up shots of the protagonists that will feature in the film, this works to make the audience identify with both the characters of the film and the film itself. 
• The use of lighting- the three protagonists are less exposed leaving there faces more in shadow and creating shade under their eyes, giving them a weary and eerie look possibly mirroring the darkness of the plot the characters will become involved in? This contrasts to  the lone close up of the other girls image, which is highly exposed and larger than the others, making her face clearer to see, and possibly suggesting she plays a more prominent part in the storyline of the film. 
• The separation of the three other protagonists, too the close up of the girl in the foreground, creates an idea of division is their tension between these characters?

• The effect of this lighting makes it appear to the viewer that the characters in the top right corner may be the antagonists in the film as they appear more eerie and dark. And that the character of the girl in the bottom may be the innocent, victim as her face appears concerned ad she looks up towards them- but it also hints that they may be in fear of her as she gazes at them in the poster and they seem to have retreated into the shadows- suggesting two possible means.

• Also centred on the bottom is another obscured image, it appears to be a long shot of an unknown item and is possibly the thing 'dying' to get out? Or simply other elements that will be involved in the plot? 

• At the very bottom of the poster is cinema information- informative to the viewer.

•  “Something is dying to get out”- Tag line in smaller font encouraging the viewer to take longer viewing the poster.
•  The use of the word “something”- has an enigmatic effect as it doesn’t reveal very much to the audience, and “dying” creates a sense of desperation. It can also be taken for its literal meaning- does something need to escape.

Poster Deconstruction: Saw (2004)

Saw (2004) - Film Poster

· Tag line- “How much blood would you shed to stay alive?” a  rhetorical question is used to engage the audience, as it provokes them and asks them to think, rather than passively observing the poster. It could also be used as a device to make the audience look at the poster for longer, giving the film more chance of being remembered.

· The tag line is also stereotypical of the horror/thriller genre. It suggests to the audience that the film will contain gore and violent scenes, giving a hint to the plot of the film, and using the idea of the 'shedding' of “blood” to exploit the typical conventions of a slasher movie.

· Typography- Is bold, “SAW” is written in capital letters giving emphasis to the name of the film. The use of the vibrant colour red has the clichéd connotations of blood, death, anger, revenge and again is in keeping within the conventional format for the horror/thriller genre.

· The use of the bright colour against the dark black background creates an extreme contrast, catching the attention of any one viewing the poster.

· Text used- The word “saw” gives little description of the plot of the film, so it is enigmatic to the viewer, but it does also give the idea of a weapon being used; possibly a chainsaw or hacksaw? This makes the relatively minimalistic use of the word appear more menacing.

· Layout- A close up shot of the main protagonist is centred to the left of the poster, with her face half encased in shadow, giving a creepy feel stereotypical of a horror. 

· The close up shows a woman's head encased in a mechanical type head brace suggesting an idea the film may contain torture of this character and also giving a sense that she cannot escape and is trapped.

· The facial expression worn by the main protagonist suggests fear and agitation giving a hint to the unnerving plot the audience can expect from this film and already creating an enigma.

· The title “SAW” is placed to the bottom right drawing the audience’s attention around the poster.

Poster Deconstruction: The Hunger Games (2011)

The Hunger Games (2012) - Film Poster

• Tag line- “The world will be watching” creates idea of pressure, enormity of the ‘games’, hints at the plot.
• Typography- Reflection of the colour of the flames in the pictures- it uses gold the connotations being of a prize, competition, winning. The connotations reflecting the idea f the “games” as within a game there is normally a winner and a loser.  It also ties in with the colour scheme of the rest of the poster which uses warm, fiery colours- possibly implying “the heat is on”, and the colours amber holding connotations of danger, warning conventional of the thriller genre.
• Use of the word “hunger” seems primitive, as hunger is something anyone can feel- it suggests the games play on the basic needs of human life, suggesting a cruel twisted theme.
• Layout- A close up shot of the main protagonist is used to fil the background- a close up on her face, and hand wielding a bow- gives hint at the storyline (as this is her chosen weapon in the film).  Half her face is illuminated whilst the other is in shadow possibly showing two sides to her personality?
• The lighting of the picture is warm and the tones on Katniss (the protagonists) face are illuminated and golden playing on the connotations of victory and glory, and giving the poster a glamorous finish.
• They have used as typical actress-  she is attractive, with flawless skin and makeup; however the weapon she is holding juxtaposes this innocent image of a typical teenage girl and suggests the edgy nature of the film as she holds a bow and arrow- a weapon of death. This subversion of common media images, is a technique used a lot in the film industry as it suggests the film is new and innovative making it appeal to a wider audience.
• Also her facial expression directly gazes at the viewer following along the line of the arrow- as though it’s pointing directly at the audience giving the poster a slight feel of threat and making the protagonist appear imposing despite her gender and age.

• At the bottom of the page is information about the film- and the release date; conventional for any film poster and (informative to the reader).

The Blair Witch Project (1999) Poster

The Blair Witch Project

Poster Analysis

Graphic design

• The poster relies on very traditional ways of evoking fear from the viewer, linking back to childhood fears such as the darkness, the darker side of fairy stories and the image of the girls face lit from below similar to when scary stories are told when you are young, a torch was held below the narrators face to light it from below.  Using these techniques in a serious way makes this poster extremely effective in being frightening for the audience. 

• The colour scheme of this post is predominantly black, showing that the film has a very dark tone, but also connotes fear and creates an enigma as there is limited visibility in the setting.  The darkness of the background and high contrast also helps to highlight the key features of the poster either in red or white. This colour scheme follows the conventions of supernatural horror films and gives a real sense of danger.

• Title is at bottom because keeping main aspects of the poster out of the central triangle to make the viewer look for longer as they have to scan the poster to take the information in. The image of the girls face and the detail of the woods is also positioned in the upper and lower sections for the same reason.

• The text “In October...” is all that is left in the centre triangle of the poster as it keeps it away from the title and the film information to make it seem more real, and this realism is a main intention of the film.

• Other main features on the poster are highlighted in red, such as the symbol which has links to witchcraft and voodoo. The fact that this symbol is so unusual creates and enigma for the audience making it frightening. The red colour of the Blair Witch symbol has connotations with danger, blood and death and shows that it is linked to the danger within the film.

• The image of the girl in this poster is taken with a point of view camera at a low angle, extreme close up of her eyes, which hides most of her facial features adding to the enigma. The girl is looking into the camera showing that it is her point of address. This shows the audience that the style of the film is hand held which was a revolution at the time that the film was first released, and so was a big selling point for the film which is why it is a huge feature in the poster. Her face is predominantly shadowed showing she is in the dark and it also symbolises how this character is surrounded by danger and engulfed by fear. In this image the girl’s eyes are shown quite clearly and this emphasises the fear she is feeling and as it is personal address to the audience it brings them into this sense of fear and desperation that is clear from her expression

Setting

• In the upper sector of the poster, you can see a silhouette style tree outline, clearly indicating to the audience where the film is set in the woods, a stereotypical setting for horror stories, linking all the way back to fairy tales such red riding hood and Hansel and Gretel, where the innocent victims are taking into this territory which is where the danger is.  The woods used as a setting has connotations of darkness, isolation and danger and this is reflected in the dark tone of this image used in the background of the poster.

Poster deconstruction - Untraceable and Battle Royale

Untraceable (2008)

·         Typography – title is faded, looks similar to flickering wording on a computer screen – relates to the computer aspect of the film. Blue writing hits that the film may have some sort of sci-fi or futuristic themes – these glowing fonts are often used in futuristic thrillers.

·         Image – main character shown in the middle of the poster, promotional as she is a well know actress.  She is looking directly at the audience – grabs audience’s attention and draws you into the upper part of the poster. Her hair is messy – makes her look distressed and shows that she is the protagonist. Computer mouse symbol over her mouth – relates to theme of the film and shows that she will be a victim.  Image is slightly hazy as if on a computer screen – pixelated mouse icon and lines across image of the woman.

·          ‘Diane lane’ written above the title – promotional, main character.  Red and spaced out font makes audience focus and shows that this is a thriller film – red has connotations of distress, blood, anger and danger.

·         Tag line ‘The FBI cyber crimes division hunts down vicious criminals online... but the most dangerous one is hunting them’ reveals main plot theme. Written in small font and capitals – makes audience get closer to the poster.

·         ‘This January’- release date is shown at the bottom in white – contrasts to the dark background and stands out.

·         Layout – title is at the bottom so we have to look for it. The title at the bottom, the eyes at the top and the mouse symbol in the middle make the audience look three different places on the poster.

·         Colours – mainly greys to show image as from a CCTV camera perhaps. White of the mouse, her eyes and the first half of the title draw the audience’s eyes.

Battle Royale (2000)

·         Colours – shades of grey and red – looks like a cross over of a war poster and a school class photo to show that the school children are going to be fighting. Resembles a war poster – will attract audience’s attention as people do not expect to see old war posters – unusual and different from stereotype horror film poster.

·         Images – school photo shows the main characters are students – innocence? The red stamp saying ‘BR survival program’ shows that this film is based around an army operation including the students in the photo. The juxtaposition between the school photo, innocence and youth, and the army/government stamp, violence and loss of innocence, shows that this film is going to be a psychological thriller/horror.  The man in the middle of the photo at the bottom is older and dressed differently – in the photo we can assume he is their teacher but we question this due to the army and survival reference in the stamp.

·         Tagline ‘could you kill your best friend?’ questions the audience and shows that this is going to be a psychological horror- question makes the audience continue to think about the poster and give it more thought and time than other posters.

·         Award shown up in corner for ‘best picture’ - promotional, shows that this is an award winning film and is worth going to see.

·         Review – refers to two psychological horror classics to promote the film to the correct audience – people who liked those will like this – ‘undisputed hot ticket’ shows it is already a popular film, makes you feel you are missing out by not going.

·         ‘With Beat Takeshi’ – promotion - well known Japanese actor – will attract target audience and fans.