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.