Textual Analysis: Posters

In order to create an effective poster for my original film i will have to conduct research on various film posters in order to decide what sort of layout, style and color that i will use in my final product.

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse

The layout of this poster is quite different to normal movie posters, instead of the title being the focal point, the characters are. this is because the League of Gentlemen was originally a comedy sketch show where the humor is derived from the characters themselves, and the positioning of the characters shows that like the original television show the characters will be the main attraction. This means that the actual title of the film is quite small in comparison. There is also a tag line underneath the title which is third in positioning in the poster so it's font is smaller. It reads:
"To save our world... they're coming to ours"
The use of ellipses creates a sense of anticipation and tension for the viewer and the tag line itself gives a slight indication of the plot but it doesn't give a lot away so we are now curious as to what happens in the film and what happens to the characters.

The colors used in this poster reflect the title and the original television show. The title "apocalypse" is being emphasized by the colors of red and orange and fire can clearly be seen in the background which reflects the theme of hell. The colors of the title itself are also associated with fire and underneath the main title, the tag line is colored in white which makes it easier to be seen over the lower part of the poster which is darker than the upper part.

This poster's success relies very much on the appeal and popularity of the characters. Which is not only shown through it's large image of the characters but also the use of the word "they're" in the tag line which shows their confidence that the viewers will know exactly who "they" are. Since "The league of gentlemen" is very popular and it's characters are what gives it it's dark and edgy humor, the poster seems to be quite successful in fulfilling it's purpose of advertisement.

Shaun of the Dead


The layout of this poster is quite basic, with the main characters at the top and below is the title. Unlike the League of Gentlemen there is more emphasis on the title than the characters and there is also more emphasis on the tag line of the film which is:

" A romantic comedy with zombies"

This tag line reflects the objective of this film which is to spoof the horror genre implying that this is not a horror film but a romantic comedy. This point is also emphasized by the title which spoofs the popular horror flick "Dawn of the dead" but replacing dawn with "Shaun", this simple word play is very effective since it creates humor for the people who are a fan of horror flicks and who have seen "Dawn of the dead". The positioning of the zombies also contributes to the spoofing aspect of the poster since they are not the focal point of the poster and are around the characters which implies that this film is more character and plot driven which is more typical of a romantic comedy than a horror film.

The way in which the characters are posing implies that they're dominant in comparison to the zombies who are trying to grab them but are quite out of reach. They are also carrying everyday objects which could be used as weapons which implies action.

The colors used in the poster (mostly red and black which are colors that are associated with death) are more reflective of a horror film than a romantic comedy. However this film is also a spoof of zombie horror films which shows in the choice of colors. The color of the main title is white which makes it easier to see over the dark background of the poster plus the tag line is colored red over a white background which not only makes it stand out but it also contradicts itself because of death orientated color which is associated with horror films and not romantic comedies.

This poster's success relies mainly on the context of the title which is supposed to create humor through word play, and this humor is evocative for the viewer because this is supposed to be a comedy. It is also very eye catching due it's dark and striking colors, and the images of zombies around the edge of the poster which would evoke the attention of viewers who enjoy zombie horror movies as well as comedies. Also the fact that the characters are carrying "weapons" catches the attention of those who like action and the idea of fight sequences with zombies is an exciting concept for a fan of both horror and action movie fans. I believe that this poster is successful in it's purpose of advertisement because it appeals to most demographics, including fans of horror, action and romantic comedy which maximizes the amount of people who are likely to see the film.

The Dark Knight

This poster's layout is very similar to Shaun of the dead, with the tag line at the top, a central character being depicted and the main title at the bottom. However unlike Shaun of the Dead there is an emphasis on the cast list, this is because the Dark Knight has a cast of famous Hollywood actors who are more likely to attract viewers
than the cast of Shaun of the Dead.This poster is like a parody of the original poster:






















Like the Batman poster, In the Joker poster there is the use of a low angle shot on the joker to show his power as the main antagonist, also the shot is taken behind the joker which adds a sense of mystery since you can not see his face. While Batman on the other hand is facing the camera which shows the fact that he is the hero and the dominant character. This use of positioning in the Joker poster is something i wish to apply to my poster since the identity of the main character in my film is remained a secret.

This poster's use of color is very effective, the dark cloudy background not only combines with the dark context of the film and it's characters but it also creates a sense of foreshadowing, creating the idea that a storm is coming. Plus the striking image of an explosion in the shape of a bat not only catches the reader's eye with it's strong reference to the franchise but it also emphasizes the sense of anarchy and destruction which is one of the crucial themes in "The Dark Knight".