Poster Analysis 3: The Wolverine

• This poster is a combination of a trailer poster and a character poster. It features the main character of the film in the centre at the front so the image is the most prominent feature and stands out to the audience. 
• The star system is used particularly in this poster as the actor Hugh Jackman, who is well-known and associated with these type of fantasy/adventure films, is clearly included in a large image in the foreground to attract an audience who may know the actor and therefore associate his talent with the film. His name is the only name that appears on the poster, proving that his inclusion in the film is important and that the institution wants to clearly link him with this film. The better the cast of a film seems to people, the more interested and persuaded to watch it they will be. Also this actor appeared in the X-Men films which link into the Wolverine films and therefore the target audience will be likely to recognise this actor and associate him with the genre they are interested in and therefore this will interest and appeal to them and grab their attention. 
• The position the main character is knelt in along with other mis en scene features such as his hair and the fact that he is topless and muscular all add the representation that the poster is trying to get across of him being animal-like. The hair and beard are symbolic of fur to make him look more wolf/canine-like which links strongly to the film title "The Wolverine". The animal-like ness gives connotations of danger and being out of control which hints slightly at the narrative. 
• The metal claws are an icon of the film and are shown clearly here to attract an audience and play on their desires. They will be interested to know why the character has these metal claws. These claws again give codes of being an animal/dangerous creature as claws are often stereotyped as sharp and dangerous. The character is holding the claws out and spreading his arms out widely, this stance makes him look powerful and quite dominant and his muscles are clearly shown as he is topless, this emphasises his strength. 
• The typography is in a silver, metallic font and the shape is sharply cut like a blade. This font is meant to link with and symbolise the metal claws and therefore it ties in with the genre and continually hints at the narrative. There are several small narrative hints but none big enough to give away any of the films key elements or any key part of the storyline, which is not what a poster aims to do. 
• There is a city location appearing in the background of the poster, we can tell it is a city from how busy it is and the number of tall glass buildings it features. Buildings like these are stereotypical of city locations. Often fantasy or disaster films are set in city locations as there is always a lot going on and therefore this means more action scenes such as buildings exploding or transport/buildings collapsing. Therefore this location is stereotypical of the films genre and it will interest a target audience who enjoy films set in locations like this, or an audience that live in locations like this as they can relate to many of the characters/places included and therefore the film will appeal to them. 
• Rubble and bits of rock flying are flying around in the background of the poster. This links to the action/adventure genre as explosions or eruptions are often included to excite the audience and keep them on the edge of their seat. It also hints at the plot and the idea that parts of the city may be blown up or destroyed as the result of some sort of action scene, a fight scene maybe.
•  There are cracks in the ground where the main character is knelt showing his strength and emphasising his masculinity. This will appeal to both a female and male audience. It will appeal to females as the male is portrayed as muscular and masculine and therefore many might find him attractive, however it will also appeal to a male audience as he is shown to be strong and powerful and therefore many male teenagers could see him as an idol. 
• The weather is rainy and cloudy which adds to the tone of the poster and makes it seem more dangerous and scary, the colour scheme ties in with this effect as many of the colours used are dark shades such as black or blue to link to the action genre and the idea that something bad or scary will happen and the protagonist will have to resolve it. Black gives connotations of darkness and mystery which are both associated with certain action/adventure and even some fantasy films.
• The poster uses low-key lighting to create an eerie tone however the main character is lit up and outlined from behind to make him stand out. The idea that he has been included in the foreground also helps him stand out and makes him seem important as he is the largest image on the poster and he is the furthest forward indicating that he will play the main part in the narrative. 
• The film title is in the middle of the screen and appears at the bottom which is conventional of a lot of film posters. It is bold and the silver font stands out well on a darker background so that the audience are attracted to the title and know what to look out for. The release date appears on the poster which is conventional of almost all posters that are released before the film appears in cinemas as a way of promoting and persuading the target audience to watch the film when it is released in theatres. 
• I think the audience would be fairly tent-pole for this film. Teenagers to adults, predominantly male as they are the group that are stereotyped to enjoy action films the most. However, many females could also be interested in this as the narrative and location aren't gender specific and therefore the film could appeal to any gender, just depending on the individual and their interests.