Film Poster Draft Ideas

To begin the process of creating my very own film poster, it was essential that I began drafting ideas to decide on exactly what I wanted an figure out what sort of photographs I needed to take during my photoshoot. Here are some of the first ideas I came up with:

1) The idea behind this draft was to shoot the photos in the car a this was used within the action of the short film so I wanted to utilise this. Also in my research questionnaire I discovered that my target audience did not think it was necessary to have the film poster in the main locations used as this could give away too much of the plot so by using part of the transport it would leave an air of mystery for this. The questionnaire also told me that in a film poster, the target audience are often more drawn to one main actor as opposed to multiple. Baring this in mind I decided that it would be a good idea to use the victimised character- although the audience would not know that about him until watching the short film. To create the mysterious tone on the poster I decided that I would make his character be featured in the colour red on a black and white backdrop to emphasise the danger.

2) In terms of ideas, this was similar to my first draft with the use of one of the actors as opposed to multiple. The backdrop of a brick wall is simple yet effective as it is not too plain and boring as the texture is interesting, however it is not too distracting from the main focus of the photograph. For this film poster I thought I would differentiate the pose and change it from direct eye contact with the camera to looking away into another direction. I wanted the title to be in a specific colour i.e orange or red to create continuity with the magazine review page and fit in with the thriller genre itself. Making the title and actor in colour and the backdrop in black and white I thought this would be effective in engaging the target audience with the most important element of the poster.

3) For this draft I went for a different approach entirely. With the use of more actors I wanted to experiment with those seen on the film poster. I decided I would ensure that they were both making direct eye contact with the camera in order to welcome the audience. Also, it is significant that I have chosen one male actor and one female actor because I wanted to appeal to a wider audience. By using one actor from each gender I thought that this would most effectively appeal to everyone in the audience, rather than using a male and only appealing to one sub group or vice versa. Having them positioned in front of the car implements the idea that the car has some involvement in the film, yet this also bodes with the teenage stereotype of hanging around in cars, potentially causing trouble.

After drawing up these drafts I went out and had a photoshoot with my actors in order to see which photos would work best for a film poster. Following on from the photo shoot I looked through the shots that I had and decided that I would use the first poster draft as the base of my final film poster design.

Film Poster Deconstructions

This is an example of a thriller film poster for a film called 'Orphan'. It is important to deconstruct other thriller film posters to discover the codes and conventions that they use. Looking at more than one example of this is also useful because you can make comparisons between posters and research into which was more successful, and which one fits the criteria for your short film best. In this particular film poster, there is use of the colours red and white. Along with the colour of the girls clothes which are blue. The colour red connotes danger, anger and passion. These connotations create images in the target audiences mind of foreshadowing danger in the film, before they watch it. The colour white has connotations of innocence and purity which links to how it is a young girl featured on the film poster. Young children are not typically associated with danger thus the film poster is more engaging for the target audience; it is not what the audience expect to see and it is intriguing. The image of the girl has been highlighted in specific places in order to create a more sinister look. For instance the dark shadow under her eyes and along her cheekbone gives her a skeletal look. In other versions of the film poster the backdrop is green as opposed to red. The colour green can relate to envy or paranormal which, again, could be revealing parts of the film. The font of the title can be interpreted in various different ways. For example the scrawled handwriting could be that of a child, along with the colour white making it have an innocent look. However it could also be interpreted that the title looks as if it has been created by scratches, thus indicating horror and violence. The two tag-lines on this poster are: "There's something wrong with Esther" and "You'll never guess her secret". Another poster also has the tag-line "can you keep a secret?" The secret of what is wrong with the girl is not revealed on the poster, therefore this is more intriguing for the target audience who want to know the rest of the plot. On this film poster the girl is making direct eye contact with the camera which creates a connection with the person being photographed and the person viewing it. The relationship is defined by the expression held- it could be angry, terrified or even happy. In this case the girl is not expressing a particular facial expression leaving it ambiguous.

This is another example of a thriller film poster for a film called 'The Purge'. Immediately we can see that the dominant image of the poster is presumably the antagonist of the film. He appears to be wearing a mask over his face, connoting that it is a 'Slasher' horror genre. This is due to the stereotype that the antagonist wears a mask- similar to 'Friday 13th' and 'Halloween'. The reason for this is unclear but it could be because some of the audience may find masks scary or unsettling. Masks also connote further mystery as it is unclear as to what is hiding underneath. The mask is the signature in the film which is why it has been expressed on the poster for promotion. It could be symbolising the disguise of people when committing crimes and how they feel free when their identity is hidden beneath a mask. The header at the top of the poster includes "from the producer of Paranormal Activity". This immediately creates a following for this film; those who enjoyed previous films by this producer will immediately be drawn to their new work. The subheading "one night a year, all crime is legal" gives the audience the basic storyline of the film but it doesn't give away too much information. It is a catchy tagline as most people would be open to the concept of being able to do anything they wanted, finding it appealing. The title is in a simple font but it is still effective because of the large image used on the poster. The release date of the film has been embedded under the title which is clever because it is useful information, but it doesn't overpower the poster. Other versions of the poster have also included different elements such as hashtags on the film poster like '#survivethenight' which is a good technique to use in order to get people to talk about the film on social media and get it trending to a wider audience.


This poster is also rather simplistic in terms of its dynamics however I think that it still successfully shows the horror genre of the film. The main image is a close up of a face in pain which looks more like a skull as the skin has been stretched and the bones are more prominent around the eyes and mouth. This creates connotations of death, violence and pain within the film. The eyes of the poster have also been blackened which indicates that the victim is either unknown or will die. Overlaying the main image is another image of a smashed mirror which is clever because of its deeper connotations. Superstitiously, breaking a mirror is supposed to bring bad luck- further implying that bad things are going to happen in the film. The pieces of glass also look as if they are piercing the persons face telling the audience that this character has been victimised. Reflecting this idea is the tagline "Rest in Pieces". This is a play on words of "rest in peace" which is a phrase typically put onto headstones when people die. By changing the word 'peace' to 'pieces' indicates that rather than a natural, 'peaceful' death, the deaths in the film are brutal and disturbing. Whilst the dark backdrop is black to emphasise darkness and evil, the face, mirror, and title are in lighter colours to contrast and highlight them, in order to draw attention to significant parts of the poster. The title is in a bold, rigid font to emphasise that the end is inevitable, however the blur is used to how that it is unclear as to how the end will be reached and create suspension. Beneath the title is the word 'August' to make it clear when the film is coming out. It is the only part of the poster with use of a bright colour meaning it stands out. The colour red fits into the horror/thriller genre well as it has connotations of danger and violence.

Film Poster- Research and Planning

Film Poster Questionnaire

Which film poster do you like the most?

• Drive
• Pulp Fiction
• Secret Window

Which colours do you think are most effective on a film poster?

____________________________________________________________________________

Should the actors be making direct eye contact with the camera?

• Yes
• No

Should it be one main actor on the poster or all of the main roles? If neither, what would be most effective?

____________________________________________________________________________

Should the poster include the background of the setting or just focus on the actors?

• Setting
• Actors
• Other ____________________________________________________________________

This is the questionnaire I created for my primary research on my ancillary task. For the creation of my film poster I wanted to ensure that the ideas stemmed from what my target audience liked the most. By doing this it would mean that it was most effective in terms of what they want to see from my product. I would like my film poster and magazine page featuring my short film advertisement to link up well with my short film so that they complement one another overall.

Film Poster Codes and Conventions

When creating a film poster, it is essential to learn the codes and conventions of that particular genre to understand what product the target audience will want. In order to create a film poster for my short film I had to begin with learning the codes and conventions of a thriller poster, in order to further pursue my research. I would then have to make the decision as to whether I should conform or subvert to these codes and conventions.

After looking online I have discovered the typical codes and conventions of a thriller film poster:

• Protagonist- the lead actor of each film stands in the foreground and in the centre of the poster. Typically, their character takes up the most amount of space which draws the attention of the target audience indicating who the protagonist of the film will be.
• Tagline- many posters include a tagline which are used to increase excitement. Advertisers also aim to create a memorable tagline so that whenever the target audience think of the phrase, they think of the movie.
• Text- the lead actors names are typically printed in bold, particularly if they are well recognised in order to sell the movie. Also the text used for the title's font is typically copied to print the actors name in the same one. 
• Colour- lots of thriller films use black to create a dark mood, whilst others use it to emphasise the brighter parts of the poster. The title of the poster is generally created in a colour opposite to the colour of the background as it is essential to make a title stand out on a film poster.
• Image- the most important aspect of a film poster is the main image used to advertise the film. the image will be taking up most of, if not all, the space on the poster so it is important that it is interesting in order to capture the eye of the target audience. Some posters incorporated the theme of the film into their image.
• Lighting- the lighting is typically low key to create a mysterious and tense atmosphere. The lighting makes the characters puzzling and sometimes it creates shadows which hide their identity and make the audience want to know more about their personality or how they will act in the film.
• Directors/ Producer/ Actors- if the director and producer of the film is well known then they will likely be shown on a poster for the film as the following they have prior to the film will immediately engage the audience. The main actor/s are shown on the majority of all film posters to give the audience an idea of who will be starring in the film, and again to engage audience members already familiar with the actors. As well as them being on the poster, the actors names are also generally shown at the top/bottom of the poster.
• Reviews- thriller posters often have at least one review on them if there is a well known company recommending people to watch the film. 
• Date- the date on a poster is generally to inform the audience as to when the film will be released. Sometimes the poster has the exact date and month of the release, while others may have phrases such as 'Coming soon'.

Blackout- Edited Version

After looking again at my short film with feedback, I came to the conclusion that it was too long and it did not add to the effect of the genre. I went back on to Final Cut Pro and looked into where I could cut down the footage. Looking at the longer sections of the short film, I decided I would cut down the car scene and the dancing footage.

Here is the edited cut:

https://youtu.be/KhE9f6thm90