Film and TV Language: Poster Analysis

Blade Runner

1) The top right of this film poster has the line "man has made his match... now it's his problem" and this could allow the audience to make the assumption that the man positioned in the centre of the poster who is surrounded by light, is a hero- this is based on Propp's character theory. The character placement matched with the text at the top could indicate that the main character made a mistake that led to the creation of a new character that he must defeat: this new character is likely to be the villain of the film. There is only one other character on the poster which is a woman who is positioned at the centre right- in the shadow of the man. This could be in order to allow her to seem smaller but doesn't entirely diminish her presence as the darkness surrounding her is the opposite to the hero. She also has a cigarette in her hand which was unconventional for women to have done in that time. This character's ominous presence could lead the audience to believe that she is a villain/enemy which could explain the gun in his hand.

2) The colour scheme of the poster combined with the skyscrapers and guns (in the presumed hero's hand), the audience is lead to believe that the genre of the film is science-fiction. The woman surrounded by darkness with a cigarette in her hand may suggest an example of a film noir. The combination of a film noir matched with science-fiction is an ideal example of a hybrid genre.

3) I believe that the target audience for this film poster is likely towards a male audience- mainly above the age of 25 as science-fiction is generally enjoyed by men rather than women. The woman in this poster doesn't seem to be a damsel in distress so she is portrayed as a strong character which is opposed to what she is expected to be. This could also reinforce the idea that this film could be directed towards older males because they seem to have an image in their minds that women are supposed to be inferior to men so this could give a new perspective to the older generations of men. 

Scary Movie 2

1) I believe that this movie is likely to be about a group of friends who experience something frightening together but it has a comedic aspect to it. The font of the tagline and the title allows the audience to infer that this is more likely a funny and lighthearted movie than a truly scary one. This is further emphasised by the review shown on the poster that says "Absolutely Hilarious!". The clothing of the characters on the poster could lead to the assumption that they are young characters and their facial expressions suggest a more comedic reaction than true fear which would live up to the review shown on the poster. Despite the brightly coloured clothing they are wearing, they are surrounded by darkness which gives a direct contrast between horror and comedy: low-key lighting. 

2) The title of "Scary Movie 2" is given bluntly and blatantly in order to give away one of the genres of the movie (horror). However, when combined with the comedic facial expressions and clothing, the poster also reveals the comedic genre. This creates a hybrid genre between comedy and horror which is an interesting combination which could attract the attention of many people. 

3) I strongly believe that this movie is likely directed towards teenagers because of the young people shown on the poster. The hybrid genre of horror and comedy makes this movie enjoyable for a group of friends to enjoy, especially because of the lighthearted nature. The clothing and actors are likely to be relatable for teenagers which would attract them to the film more. Regarding gender, I believe it is not more attractive for a certain gender more than the order due to the combination of males and females in the poster- this movie is likely aimed for males and females. 

Uzak

1) I believe this movie is likely to be about a lonely man and his journey. In this poster, we are able to see him watching the sea and looking at boats while he is standing by himself- this suggests that he has a plan to leave where he is or he left somewhere behind and the boats are causing him to reminisce on his journey. The colour scheme of the poster is quite dull and grey which alludes to the fact that his story is sad and lonely and will have a reoccurring theme of sadness. However, there is a review calling the movie "a joy" which could indicate a happy ending for this man- perhaps he finds happiness in the place he is going/has travelled to. 

2) This movie is likely to be a drama- the emphasis on this lonely man in the poster surrounded by a dull and grey environment leads to the belief that this character has had to overcome something sad and he is alone now because of it. This movie will likely focus on the sad things that have happened to this one man and what else will happen to him.

3) The target audience for this movie is likely to be young adults who are seeking to gain more knowledge about the character in this poster. The audience of this movie is likely to be one that is sympathetic and able to understand what the protagonist is experiencing. 

I'm Not Scared

1) Through this poster, I am led to believe that the young boy in the centre of the poster is likely to be the protagonist of the story. The story line of this movie is likely to be about a boy learning to overcome his fears and learn to be courageous and determined no matter how scared he gets. The choice of the colour gold for the title and reviews leads to the idea of a victory and how the boy will be successful. The poster seems to show the protagonist climbing something high and the sky being visible in the background of this boy indicates his fearlessness despite how high up he seems to be. As an audience, we are able to see the focused and determined facial expressions on the boy which allows us to see how he overcame his fears.

2) I believe that the genre of this film could be a drama because we are anticipating whether or not this boy will be successful but it could also be thriller because the movie will depict things that are scary for the protagonist but could also be scary for the audience. This leads me to believe that this movie is a hybrid genre as well. 

3) I believe that this film could be targeted towards teenagers and children as it sets an example for children and teaches them a lesson about determination and anything is possible if you don't give up. The fact that the character on the poster is a young boy also leads to identification from the audience to the child and allows them to see themselves in the shoes of the protagonist and act like him and become more fearless.

Sin City

1) This film poster allows the audience to make the assumption that this is quite a dark story- this can be inferred from the facial expressions of the actors and the use of weapons as props as well as the dark clothing combined with the gloomy setting. The contrast that is made between the dark setting and the bright coloured title suggests that although this movie will be dark, there will still be the colour of red present due to blood shed- which is further emphasised by the use of weapons in the poster. Due to each character holding a weapon, the assumption that there will be lots of enemies present can be made. However, the use of "sin" in the title indicated that these aren't necessarily heroes but they could just be criminals.

2) I believe it is likely that this film will be mystery mixed with action- this is due to the low-key lighting combined with the use of weapons. This movie is likely to be a hybrid genre due to the use of a combination of two genres. 

3) I believe that a suitable target audience for this film would be young adults- males in particular. This is because there may be gory fight scenes that will scare teenagers and children. Males tend to be more interested in fight scenes than women so it may not appeal to a female audience to the extent that it will to a male audience. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

1) From the title of the movie alone, we are able to assume that this movie is about pirates- this is also further emphasised by the clothing of the characters and the use of weapons as props. The use of "chest" in the title is ambiguous and open to interpretation as it could be a literal dead man's chest or it could be a treasure chest that the pirates are seeking. However, there seems to be a tentacle of some sort of creature attacking their ship which allows us to infer that whatever the pirates are seeking will not be obtained easily and there will be obstacles that the pirates must face and overcome.

2) I believe that this movie will be a combination of action and adventure to make it a hybrid genre. The creature attacking their ship suggests that there will be a fight perhaps or some battle where the pirates attempt to defeat the creature but also there will be an adventure of the pirates before they encounter the creature and their journey afterwards. 

3) The target audience for this movie is likely to be teenagers because The Pirates of the Caribbean is a popular franchise which would likely be spoken about amongst friends and would cause younger people to watch it more. I don't believe there is a certain gender this movie is directed towards more. 

Bride & Prejudice

1) From the title and couple on the front of the poster, it looks like this movie could be about finding the right person to marry without being prejudiced and trying to keep an open mind. The man and woman on the centre of the poster seem to represent falling in love despite being from two different backgrounds. Perhaps this movie is based on trying to change stereotypes that older generations may have about love in certain cultures. However, due to the happy facial expressions of the couple, it is likely that they will have a happy ending.

2) I strongly believe that this movie is mainly a romance movie- the man and woman leaning against each other can represent the dependency they have on each other and the fact that they don't care about what everyone else thinks about their relationship. However, all the people in the background are much smaller than the main couple which allows us to assume that no one else in the movie is as significant as the couple and their relationship is the most significant part of the movie. 

3) I believe that this film is mainly targeted towards female adults because that is the main group of people that tend to enjoy romantic films. Adults in particular would enjoy this movie more because they can relate to the theme of marriage and love in a way that a younger audience wouldn't understand. 

Million Dollar Baby

1) The woman on the film poster is placed right at the centre and is the biggest character displayed which makes it very likely that she will be the protagonist of the film. However, due to the low-key lighting used, a dark and gloomy atmosphere is created and by having her back to us, there are connotations of death involved. The clothing and hair seem to fit in with the way a boxer or fighter would dress so it is likely that this protagonist will struggle in the boxing ring . There are two other characters on the poster facing her which could indicate that they are supporting her because they are looking out for her. There is a serious facial expression on each character on the poster which leads me to believe that this is not a lighthearted film and is likely to have a tragic end or have tragic events take part throughout the film.

2) The genre of this movie is most likely action due to the boxing and fighting but could also contain drama due to the other characters in the poster and our lack of knowledge of the relationship between the protagonist and these characters. 

3) I believe that this movie is likely targeted towards adults due to the dark themes that may not be suitable for a younger audience.