CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A FILM POSTER.

To create a film poster to catch your audiences eye you need to consider many codes and conventions to do so. There are many which are placed and positioned on a film poster for particular reasons for the attraction of the target audience. 

Title

The title is usually placed within the bottom or top third of the poster as it doesn't wish to clash with the main image. The title is also usually written in a clear font and of a suitable size so that the audience is able to read and recognise possible film franchises. To the right is the film poster for "Star Trek: The Future Begins" and this is a great example to show how film posters can position their titles.  

Main Image

The main image is the most important convention on a film poster, as it automatically attracts the audience with a captivating image/images. The main image also represents the genre, using conventions such as revealing characters and possible scenes from the film. The Star Trek poster uses this convention greatly as the 

characters are using direct mode of address, automatically connecting with the audience and enticing them to know more about the film. 

Slogans
The purpose of a slogan allows the audience to gather information of a small incite to what the films context is. Allowing the audience to recognise a certain genre or revealing storyline. To the right is an image of a poster for the film  "Perfume", below the title is a visible slogan "The story of a murderer", this is a great example of a slogan as it simply states the storyline of the film, without giving away too much. 

Billing Block
The billing block is usually found within the bottom third of the film poster, written in very small print, the print consists of information such as cast and crew members, for example: main actors, director, producers, distribution and production companies etc. A billing block can also be seen on  both examples of film posters. 

Release Date
The purpose of the release date allows the audience to know when to visit the cinema to view the film they are interested in without having to carry out research themselves to find out when the film is released. The date is written in a clear font and can be written (MAY 4) or in a numerical format (04/05/14). To the right is the film poster for the Avengers and in the bottom third there is a release date visible. 

Awards and Reviews

Awards and reviews can also be found on a film poster. If a film has won awards and has been given outstanding reviews (newspaper reviews are common)  it can enhance the attraction of the film to the audience. Below is the film poster for "The Reader" which consists of many examples of reviews being used on a film poster and current awards to attract the audience even further, for example: 4 Golden Globe Nominations, Best Picture of the Year etc.

ANNOTATED FILM POSTERS

To gain more understanding on the conventions of film posters I annotated the posters for Silence of the Lambs, Dead Silence and Jurassic Park and answered a few questions explaining my views and opinions on them. 

1.    What film poster is the most effective and why?
The film poster I feel is the most effective is The Silence of the Lambs.  The colours are very cold and eerie to the eye, whereas hints of red and yellow (warm colours) are shown.  This gives the impression of a film poster that needs an audience to process thoughts to understand the film, which is why I am attracted to this film poster. 

2.    What is the most outstanding feature of each film poster and why?
Silence of the Lambs – The most interesting feature of this film poster is the butterfly, using a peaceful/beautiful animal to represent the horrors of the film by using the skull image layered on top.
Dead Silence – The most interesting feature on this film poster is the use of the overly large green eyes the character has. The use of this feature automatically attracts the audience and completely draws them in, representing them being taken over and controlled, representing the puppet in the story.
Jurassic Park – The most interesting feature on this film poster is the main font for Jurassic Park. The font is written in a pre-historic style, using sharp corners and jagged edges. The use of the red strip within the font also represents the pre-historic time, portraying the colours of the earth (red/orange dirt or ground), the red also represents danger to the audience. 

3.    Is there anything you would change about any of the film posters and why?
The one thing I should change from any of the film posters is the finger making a “shh” gesture is the main third of the poster. I believe the finger gesture isn’t very necessary as I am completely drawn to the characters face due to the eyes, therefore I feel that the poster could still be effective without the finger gesture. 

4. How does the colour scheme for one of the posters aid the viewers understanding about the film?
The colours for Silence of the Lambs helps the audience to understand the genre and that the film will require some thinking as the use of mixed colours, both warm and cold is confusing to the eye. 

CRIME/DRAMA/SPORT

My film is "One Way Road - Freshers" is a crime/drama/sport. Films similar to this are; 

The Blind Side - "The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family". - IMDb


Stomp The Yard- "After the death of his brother, An expert street dancer goes to Georgia to attend Truth University. But his efforts to get an education and woo the girl he likes are sidelined when he joins in his fraternity's effort to win a step dancing competition". - IMDb

One Way Road - "is of a 19 year old who had a more than perfect upbringing however got himself into the wrong crowd throughout high school, destroying his opportunities of getting into college/university. Being apart of a gang got himself and his family into a lot of grief, leading to a death of a family member, inspiring himself to take on his parents dream of joining college to fulfil his talents at football/soccer. He finds a true passion for his sport, life long friends and a love story".

FILM TITLES

Above is a screenshot taken of my mind map of possible film titles. 

After analysing and discussing them I decided to go with "One Way Road" my main reason for this is that I felt I could be more creative with this title for my film poster and I have many ideas I wish to try which would work extremely well with the title "One Way Road". My ideas include the use of train tracks, bridges etc. So a train station location. 

ONE WAY ROAD SUMMARY

My film is a sports/drama following the life of 18 year old "Bruno Pissarreira". The teen allows you to follow through his last teenage years showing you the struggles he faces being brought up on an urban housing estate. The ambitious teenager is a very talented footballer and gains himself a full scholarship to attend one of the top university's on the outskirts of London to study Sports Education. The story shows Bruno fail to fit in and be accepted by teens from another area but because of his talents he tries out for the football team, does the talented teen bring the team to victory?

TARGET AUDIENCE -
My target audience will be teenagers to young adults (13-28), this is because they can relate to the story line as teenagers can relate to the schooling lifestyle and the troubles the main character will face during his school life, for example (bullying, acceptance, exam stress etc) and young adults can also relate to the storyline as it is fresh in their memory from when they attended school/college/university. I have also targeted my film mainly at the male gender as stereotypically they are generally more interested in football and sport as a whole. 

CRIME/SPORT/DRAMA - GENRE

Above is a picture of a spider diagram I created with all the conventions you would find in a crime/drama/sport genre.

GENRE RESEARCH

LIST OF GENRES - 
Action - Majority of the scenes contain destruction and active, fast paced movement, for example if a movie has ONE plane crash it does not classify into the action category. 
Adventure - Scenes consisting of characters going through hazardous and and exciting experiences for a specific goal which is usually achieved by the end.
Comedy - Films which contain a range of funny and humorous jokes and scenes.  
Drama - Characters portraying realism, scenes are usually of every day life with life struggles and dilemmas. 
Fantasy - Mystical and/or magical characters are developed for a fantasy film which are portrayed throughout. 
Horror - The film should contain terrifying images that effect the audience. 
Sci-Fi - Consisting of narrative which is of scientific development or discoveries, environmental changes, space travel or life on any other planet. 
Top 5 of each genre over the last 3 decades:

• Action; Braveheart, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas, Training Day and The Matrix.
• Adventure; Children of Heaven, Inception, Gladiator, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Matrix.
• Comedy; Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Airplane!, Young Frankenstein, Caddyshack,Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. 
• Drama; Imitation of Life, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, Penny Serenade, Separate Tables. 
• Fantasy; Imaginaerum, Pan's Labyrinth, The Wizard of OZ, Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of the Ring.
• Horror; The Shining, Alien, Shaun of the Dead, Psycho, Cloverfield.
• Sci-Fi; Westworld, Fahrenheit 451, Stalker, Sleep Dealer, Dreamscape.

Results found from IMDb.