CARRIE:
This is my first film poster that i will be deconstructing; Carrie (2013). I talk through the different conventions used within this poster in order to get a better understanding of the layout etc.
Main image: I'm really fond of the main image on this movie poster. It shows the outline/a white silhouette of a girl (who the viewer automatically assumes to be Carrie, judging by the title of the film) against a black background. There is drips and splats of blood draining down from the top of the girl, which connotes the idea of death and suffering. This instantly sets the idea of 'horror' into the audience's minds, as it's clear that people will probably die/get murdered in this film. The silhouette is slightly broken up, as if it has been shattered. As someone who has never seen this film, i am just judging by the cover as a first impression what this film could be about, and this shattered effect to me represents the idea of a broken mind (in other words, it makes me think that someone has been emotionally or mentally, or even physically damaged in some way, as it creates an eerie tone to the poster). At the bottom of the poster, a black hand is reaching up to the female, as if it is begging for help. This to me, resembles the idea of an innocent person begging for mercy, while someone else is trying to take their life or torture them etc.
Colour Scheme: There are only 3 colours used in the entirety of this poster; red, black and white. The black and white together symbolises the concept of 'good and bad' to me, as they are polar opposites of both the lightest and darkest of colours. The red connotes death immediately, and this is emphasized even more so with the fact that it is used in the shape of blood drips down the girl's body. These three colours together, i think, are the perfect combination for a horror poster, as it ties together three of the major concepts of a horror film; the good (symbolised by white - representing the innocent victim in the movie), the bad (symbolised by black - Representing the dark tones of horror films, and the fear of the unknown) and the danger (red - the general 'scary' selling point of the film, usually the villain which is causing the most distress)
Title: the title of the movie (Carrie) is wrote just below the middle of the poster. It is positioned in across the female's body, and is connected to a particularly long drip of blood draining from the top of the image. This causes the word itself to look like it has been made out of blood, which helps emphasize the fact that this film is a horror. It is wrote in uppercase lettering, in a very bold font, this causes the viewer to immediately notice it when they look at this poster, which is essential considering it is the most important piece of information on the page.
Slogan: "if you've got a taste for terror, take Carrie to the prom". This is written just above the main title in the same font but smaller and in black. Since black is not as bold as the colour red, it is apparent that it was set out this way in order to show that 'Carrie' was the most important information out of the two. The phrase itself, to me, indicates that Carrie is the terror, and she is the villain of the plot. I think this because it is essentially saying that 'if you like to be scared, spend some time with Carrie'. This contradicts the main image's portrayal of Carrie, as the main image of the girl is what the viewer assumes to be Carrie; shattered and bleeding. When looking at the image, you'd assume that Carrie was the victim, however reading the slogan, you'd think she was the villain. This leaves the viewer wondering 'who is Carrie? what role does she play?'. This is the sense of mystery that draws viewers in to watch the film and find out for themselves.
Credits: the film credits (e.g. the directors, producers etc) are shown in a narrow font towards the bottom of the poster. They are placed on almost all film posters in order to give the film makers credit for actually making and producing the film, however since it's a long list, it tends to be placed in a small font, out of the way of the main conventions. A crack from the shatter effect separates the credits from the image of the hand on this image, which i think is quite effective and convenient.
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THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT:
This is the second film poster that i will be deconstructing; The Blair Witch Project (1999). I will talk through the different conventions used within this poster in order to get a better understanding of the layout etc.
Main Image: I really like the main image of this magazine. Starting from the top, it shows the stops of trees which appear to be silhouettes from the back light behind them, and as you look down nearer to the base of these trees, they all merge together together to create a black darkness which continues all the way down the page. I think the concept of blending the trees into darkness is very effective, as it enforces the idea of mystery and the unknown. In the fore ground of this darkness, half of a human face is shown, from the forehead to the nose. This face is lit in a very eerie way, and looks as though the source of light is coming from below, as it only highlights the person's eyes. By highlighting the eyes alone, it causes them to become the main focal point of the poster. The eyebrows are slightly raised, which to me looks as though the person is slightly worried. This is appropriate because it is telling the viewer that they should be worried too.
Colour Scheme: Similar to the first movie poster i analysed, the colour scheme for this poster is again, black white and red. However on this poster, there is a lot less red used, as it is only used for the small symbol (most likely relating to the movie, and being understandable once you have seen the film) and the website at the bottom of the page. I think it was effective using red font for the website, as it causes it to stand out from the credits, which would be useful if they wanted the website to get publicity. These three colours together, i think, are the perfect combination for a horror poster, as it ties together three of the major concepts of a horror film; the good (symbolised by white - representing the innocent victim in the movie), the bad (symbolised by black - Representing the dark tones of horror films, and the fear of the unknown) and the danger (red - the general 'scary' selling point of the film, usually the villain which is causing the most distress)
Title: Unlike most movie posters, where the title would be the focal point of the poster, the title of this one in particular is not so obvious. It is placed toward the bottom of the page, right above the credits, in a simple, white font. Although the title is very plain and standard, it does not disinterest me, to me it just suggests that the film doesnt need fancy features on the posters for advertising in order to attract viewers; the quality of the film itself is enough. By using a white font, it stands out well against the black background.
Text: "In October of 1994, three student film makers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary. A year later, their footage was found." - This text is basically summing up the plot of the film, in order to give an idea to the viewers of what it is about. By using specifics of where it happened and realistic concepts, (i.e. the fact that film makers creating documentaries isnt uncommon) it makes the reader think the story is very believable, which is effective as people will post likely be more frightened by likely scenarios or true events. The fact that it says that its their footage also emphasizes the sense of credibility of this film. This text is what drew me to using this film poster, as it is a film which is set in a mysterious forest where teenagers go missing, which is what i want my film to capture.
Credits: the film credits (e.g. the directors, producers etc) are shown in a narrow font towards the bottom of the poster. They are placed on almost all film posters in order to give the film makers credit for actually making and producing the film, however since it's a long list, it tends to be placed in a small font, out of the way of the main conventions. A crack from the shatter effect separates the credits from the image of the hand on this image, which i think is quite effective and convenient.
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THE GRUDGE:
This is the third film poster that i will be deconstructing; The Grudge (2006). I will talk through the different conventions used within this poster in order to get a better understanding of the layout etc.
Main Image: The main image of this horror movie poster is a girl's face; half covered with her dark hair. The fact that half her face is covered makes the reader feel slightly uneasy, as it is masking her identity, making her seem suspicious and fearful. After realising this, the viewer will then guess that she is the villain of the film, aka 'the grudge'. The uncertainty and mysterious effect that the image creates is very appealing as it keeps the viewer wondering what she will bring to the film, as although she has the obvious scary nature about her, she is just a physically normal girl, which makes it even scarier. I chose this poster to analyse next because i may choose my main villain as the main image of my ancillary task, and this is an example of an existing poster which follows the same idea.
Colour scheme: Once again, the same as the previous two posters, the colour scheme for this poster is Red, White and Black. Since all three posters i've looked at has stuck to this colour scheme, i will most likely use the same colour scheme in my own poster, as i want it to resemble an existing, professional product as closely as possible.
Title: The title on this movie poster ''the grudge'' is written in a red and orange font, and it looks as though within the letters, is a texture which resembles flames/fire. This could represent that the film includes a fire scene in the film, or it could just connote that fire represents destruction and is to be feared, much like the concept of this film. It is wrote in a bold, upper case font (Impact), and is placed next to the eye of the girl in the main image. This positioning makes it one of the first things that the viewer immediately looks at, as it is not only bold but it is also at eye level.
Slogan: "it never forgives. it never forgets" is written at the bottom above the credits in a plain white font. it is simple however it is fearful because it makes the viewer get the impression that they can not escape "it", whatever "it" may be. the fact that the villain is given the pronoun of ''it'' adds a sense of uncertainty and mysery, and makes the audience want to know what it is. i decided to look at this, because i also have a slogan for my movie; ''Running won't save you.'', so this gives me an idea on the positioning of it etc.
Credits: the film credits (e.g. the directors, producers etc) are shown in a narrow font towards the bottom of the poster. They are placed on almost all film posters in order to give the film makers credit for actually making and producing the film, however since it's a long list, it tends to be placed in a small font, out of the way of the main conventions. A crack from the shatter effect separates the credits from the image of the hand on this image, which i think is quite effective and convenient.
