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.