Entertainment Magazine Analysis: Ancillary Product Research

Total Film Magazine Analysis: Ancillary Product Research

Empire Magazine Analysis: Ancillary Product Research

Genre Specific Poster Analysis 2: The Vow

• It is easy to identify the poster as a romance poster as soon as you see the poster, this is intended to immediately attract the audiences attention and play on their desires if they are known to enjoy romance films.
• The positioning of the characters and the way they are stood holding each other shows the relationship and love between them. They are hugging each other and looking into each others eyes, hugging is conventional of the romance genre as it gives codes of love and affection and is also a greeting when people meet or leave each other, and therefore is symbolic of emotion and being pleased to see someone/missing them. 
• The image of the characters hugging is in the foreground of the poster and is very large proving its importance in the film's narrative. The characters are leaning in very close to each other and look like they are going to kiss. This further emphasises their romantic relationship and hints at the idea that they will be the main male and female protagonists in the film and that their relationship will be key to the film's plot. These character types are conventional of films of the romance genre, the majority of romance films will include a stock male and female as the love interests, because over the decades these have been the key character types that the audience have liked, and the most popular romance films include these protagonists. There are a few exceptions such as Brokeback Mountain in which the main love interests are two males, however this is rarer. 
• This poster is likely to be the main theatrical poster as it contains information about the personnel and the distributors. However, it could also only be a teaser poster as it doesn't give too much away in terms of the films narrative and only whets the audiences appetite. This is also a character poster as it features both of the main characters in the foreground. 
• The poster uses the star system very prominently to promote the film as it includes the image and the names of two successful actors boldly in the foreground. This is because the distributors want the audience to associate the well-known and talented actors with the film and therefore be more likely to watch the film because if they know that there are good actors in it, then they will think that the film itself will be good as a result of this. 
• One of the actors in the poster is Rachel McAdams, she has been in a lot of romance films and is associated and iconic of the genre. Therefore, she has been included to attract and interest a pre-existing audience of people who like romance films as they will see her and think of the genre. 
• The way the two characters are positioned makes their outline look slightly heart shaped from the way their heads are positioned closely to each other. Hearts are icons of love and love is stereotypical and symbolic of romance films, therefore this has been subtly used to emphasise the genre to the target audience even further. 
• In the background of the poster there are some plants and buildings slightly hinting at the films location, maybe a city as the building looks quite office like. Films of the romance genre are often located in cities as this is where many of the typical stock characters live, also this is where many of the female teenage/adult target audience would live and therefore they will be able to connect with the characters and the narrative more, which will make them more interested in the film. 
• The background of the location is slightly blurred, and this blurred effect is used deliberately to make the image of the two characters in the foreground stand out even more, so that nothing distracts from them and so that their importance to the film's storyline is continually shown to the audience when they view the poster.
• The title of the film is "The Vow" which hints at the narrative and the idea that there will be some sort of promise between the characters and the film will be about this promise and whether the characters can keep it. The title is simple but effective in playing on the audiences curiosity as they will want to find out more about this 'vow' and what it involves. 
• The colour scheme for this poster is fairly bright and pastel-like. The yellow colour of the typography is a pastel shade and is used because pastel colours like this are conventional of romance posters, blues and pinks can also be common. The green used in the background for the trees is meant to represent nature and beauty which are both iconic of happiness and offer the idea of equilibrium within the film. The rest of the poster uses fairly white shades, white is common in all posters as it is neutral and can be used for a romantic effect as it has been in the poster above, or a scary effect, as many horror posters prove. 
• The line "inspired by a true story" will instantly grab many people's attention as they will be curious and want to know how this film links to real life. Also, many people will find hope and happiness in this as this romance film where the two characters are in love is based on a true story which proves that romance stories can really happen. This will excite them and make them happy as many of them could relate to the stock characters in the film.
• The protagonists are looking each other straight in the eye and have happy/smiling expressions on their faces. Smiling has connotations of happiness and excitement and therefore this will attract the target audience as it has been found that many young female teenagers/adults who watch romance films, like it when the film has an equilibrium and the characters are together and happy at the end. 

Genre Specific Poster Analysis: The Notebook

• This poster may be the main theatrical poster as it contains information about the production personnel, the stars and most importantly the films title as the audience remember it and know what to look out for. 
• As soon as the audience look at the poster they will be able to identify that the film is of the romance genre. This is due to the main image of the two protagonists in the centre. Having a male and a female as the stock characters is stereotypical of most romance films as this is is iconic of romance and relationships therefore this is why they have been chosen in the casting of the film.
• The image of the characters is the biggest and most central thing on the poster emphasising that they will be important in the narrative of the film and that their relationship will be explained. The position the characters are in is very intimate and they are about to kiss. Kissing is iconic of the romance genre and will almost always appear in part of the films narrative, this is because it has conventions of love and happiness and it is a way of showing affection. 
• Using this particular image of the characters about to kiss on the poster will attract and interest the target audience of people who like romance films as they will immediately associate this image with the genre due to its numerous conventions such as character types and stance/positioning of characters. 
• The male character is picking the female character up off the ground and holding her tightly. This conforms to the stereotype of males being masculine and strong and protective over females as the muscles on his arm are emphasised and she looks very petite compared to him. The idea that he is holding her and she looks smaller than him also conforms to the stereotype of female characters being less strong and shorter/skinnier than males. However she is higher up and looking down at him showing that she is not less dominant and doesn't need defending and they are both equal to each other, which might play a key role in the narrative. 
• The title of the film is "The Notebook" which indicates something to do with writing messages or keeping a diary etc, maybe one of the main characters keeps a diary for example. The typography is written in the style of a persons handwritten which again emphasises the idea that letters/diaries will play a key part in the films narrative. Behind the main title are faint outlines of handwritten words, this links to the title and the main characters in the idea that these letters/notes will most likely have something to do with them. 
• The quotation "from the best-selling novel" is included on the front of the poster. This is because the producers want a clear link between the film and the book to be made as the novel had proven to be very successful and therefore people who were aware of the book and enjoyed it may be more likely to want to watch the film as they will be anticipating its success and this will therefore excite them.
• The slogan "behind every great love is a great story" is included at the top of the film poster. This emphasises even further the idea of the film being of the romance genre as it talks about love which is the common narrative theme in all romance films. Also, this slightly links to the idea of the film being a book first and ties in with the best-selling novel title that I've mentioned above. This is to further interest an audience who are aware of the book, a target audience who enjoy  romance books are likely to enjoy romance films too and therefore this is another reason why constant links are made. 
• The poster includes heavy rain and the love interests are both soaking wet as a result of this. However, often heavy rain in films gives conventions and codes of sadness and tragedy but in this instance it subverts this stereotype. The sky behind is fairly blue indicating happiness and hope, the rain is included to make the poster more dramatic. Often kissing in the rain is seen as a romantic gesture and in this case it is used to show that the characters don't care that they are getting soaked in the rain as long as they are together. So this shows their dedication and is meant to be perceived as sweet and romantic by the audience and make them happy. 
• The image of the two characters is lit up from behind in a white outline, this is in the sky and so is intended to look slightly cloud-like but it's main aim is to make the characters stand out to the audience and play on their desires. 
• The main target audience for this film will be female teenagers and adults probably about 15+ as these are the demographic that have been proven to enjoy romance films in the past. This poster includes lots of clear conventions that emphasise the genre in order to specifically appeal to this female target audience. The target audience are likely to be in higher education or work of some sort and some will probably enjoy current films, music and television programs. Many might stereotypically enjoy going out to the cinema, going shopping, meeting friends etc. Therefore these stereotypical hobbies of females of the specific age range mentioned above will all be taken into account by the distributors. 
• The main image of the characters hugging hints at the narrative slightly because the hug is very dramatic and the characters both look excited and relieved to see each other, like they have been apart and are reunited. This offers the idea of a disequilibrium in the storyline but then an equilibrium when they are reunited at the end. This narrative structure is very stereotypical of films, romance films especially, where the two characters cannot be together because of something or someone getting in the way e.g. one of them moving away or the parents not wanting them to be together. However, they solve the problem and are reunited at the end to tie in with the "happily ever after" ending that is conventional in many films.

Poster Analysis 5: House at the End of the Street

• The layout of this poster is very interesting as it is almost split in half with two completely separate images. The handle/knob at the bottom indicates that a door is used to split the poster into two halves. The inclusion of the two different images instead of just one is interesting and allows more insight into different aspects of the narrative, characters and location. 
• The audience can clearly see that the poster is a poster for a horror film because it includes many icons associates with this specific genre. Firstly, we see the prop of a knife used in the poster, held by the female character. Knives are stereotypical of horror films as they give connotations of danger and violence and sometimes death, therefore they are used regularly as props or weapons, often carried by the antagonist to make them look more threatening. 
• The second icon of the horror genre in the poster is the old, scary looking abandoned house. Houses can be used in all films as they can be very different and are conventional of everyday life, however the image of this specific house is iconic of conventional locations or narrative features in horror films with its broken windows and it's falling apart wood. Broken windows and other similar features are representative of the house being abandoned. This attracts the target audience as it encourages them to question why the house would be abandoned, did something happen there, is it haunted, is it even abandoned at all or is something still inside? 
• The house is surrounded by trees implying that it may be located in the middle of a woods or somewhere quiet in the middle of nowhere. This again links to the genre as stereotypically horror films are set in secluded locations because then if violence or killing happens, nobody will know or be able to help. This makes the whole idea more scary as the characters are meant to seem alone and helpless against the antagonist. Audiences who have proven to like horror films in the past will recognise locations/houses similar to this from previous films they've watched and will therefore be interested in the film as aspects of it already appeal to their desire for fear when watching scary films. 
• Star system is used as a way of promoting the film and attracting a more tent-pole audience. Jennifer Lawrence is a successful and well known actress and she is included as the biggest and most prominent image on the poster, her name is also the only actors name included at the top of the poster and covers the whole width of it. Her importance is emphasised by the image and her name both being included so prominently in the poster, this is because the film producers/distributors want the actress to be associated with this film as she is recognised for being talented and so hopefully if people see her on the poster they will associate her talent with the film and anticipate that the film will be entertaining.
• The female characters stance gives away quite a lot about her role in the film. Often, if a character is holding a knife we stereotypically and subconsciously assume that they are the antagonist. However, the way this character is stood hiding behind the door, with her back against the wall and the knife down by her side doesn't conform to the stereotype of the antagonist holding the weapon. The female looks scared and isn't holding the knife out in an aggressive way, but down by her side to use in case she has too. The idea that she is hiding offers the suggestion that she is the protagonist and is holding the knife, but only to defend herself if she really needs to, her body positioning and worried facial expression back up this idea. 
• The colour scheme for the poster uses black and yellow as it's main colours. Black is often associated with the horror genre as it gives codes of darkness and mystery and also, many horror films are set at night-time so this is another reason that black is stereotypically a colour included on horror posters. 
• The yellow coloured typography is intended to look sharp and blade-like and is representative of the knife the female character is holding. The thin lines underneath some of the words in the Title are intended to look like slices or cuts, further supporting and symbolising the idea of the knife being used as a weapon for violence. 

Poster Analysis 4: Sinister

• This poster could be the main theatrical poster for the film as it includes information on the personnel and distributors etc at the bottom. However, despite all this information being included, the poster is still very simplistic and the actual information about the film's production/release is only displayed in very small font so it doesn't distract from the elements of the poster relating to the film's narrative.
• This poster is clearly a poster for a film of the horror genre. The title itself is the first aspect that tells us this. The word 'Sinister' gives the impression that something is harmful or evil and these are both conventional of the horror genre therefore the title symbolises the horror genre and immediately attracts and entices a target audience that enjoy horror films. 
• The colour scheme is very stereotypical of the horror genre, the red colour used for the image of the face is very conventional as red is symbolic of danger and also of blood and blood is a very conventional icon of the horror genre and is used widely in horror films as is symbolises violence and death (which are stereotypically used to form the narrative of many horror films.)
• The black used for the typography is also conventional of the horror genre as it gives connotations of darkness and of danger as the dark is seen as mysterious as often you don't know what's hiding in it and this idea is used a lot in horror films as a way to make the audience feel uneasy and keep them interested. 
• The poster uses a child character as the main image on the poster. More contemporary horror films often use children as the stock characters in their films, sometimes the children can even be the antagonists as they have been possessed or something similar. This idea is meant to make people scared and uneasy, especially as horror films often target an adult audience due to their scary and inappropriate content and many of these adults might have children therefore this narrative idea will scare them and make them uncomfortable. Some people get pleasure from feeling these emotions and they watch horror films to feel fear and adrenaline. 
• The child's positioning and stance are deliberately intended to be unsettling and provoke fear but attract the audience at the same time, because the character is facing away from the camera we cannot see her face and this therefore plays on the idea of mystery and the unknown creating fear once again. The child is scraping her hand along the wall and a trail of blood is following from it, this hints at the narrative and the idea that the child may be evil, but also is used to further symbolise the genre. Trails of blood are conventional of horror films, especially in the lead up to a killing or an attack, therefore the audience will see this on the poster and associate it with other horror films that they have enjoyed and therefore they will be more likely to watch. 
• The mis en scene of this poster is fairly representative of the horror genre. The costume the female character is wearing looks to be some type of nightwear (pyjamas). Pyjamas give codes and conventions of night time and horror films are often set at night as it is dark and therefore scarier, therefore the costume links closely to the genre. Also, the costume is not a conventional costume you would see on a film poster and therefore it might persuade the audience to ask questions about the film and grab their interest, hopefully making them want to watch the film to find out more. 
• In the red there is an evil and "sinister" face shape in the blood marks on the wall. This stands out and is intended to immediately grab the audiences attention. The eyebrows are pointed and look angry and evil, the face is oddly shaped and very sharp this is used to scare the audience as it is unusual and looks paranormal instead of human. This could indicate a possible paranormal horror sub-genre, if the film involves ghosts etc, therefore we get a slight insight into a possible narrative of the film but looking closely at this facial shape. 
• The tagline "Once you see him, nothing can save you." gives an insight into the plot and the idea that the antagonist is male, either a human or creature. The second half of the tagline indicates that death will play a key role in the narrative and that it will be difficult for the protagonists to survive the threat the antagonist provides. 
• The poster has not used the star system to promote the film as no well known/acclaimed actors have been included. However, it has used a technique similar by including the "From the Producer of" quote at the top of the poster followed by previous successful films of the same genre. This will attract a similar audience to those who watched the other films and will excite them as they will theoretically take the view that if they enjoyed the other films by the same producers, then they will be likely to enjoy this one.