Poster codes and conventions

There are set conventions to a film poster which can be spotted on already existing media products. These can either be conformed to or challenged by institutions. In order to produce my own film poster, it is important to revise these in order to create a product close to real media products as well as allowing it to be recognised by audiences.

These are:

Image: this tends to be eye catching to attract an audience to view the production or someone’s eye as the past. This often tend to be main characters or a still from the film itself.  The image should portray the narrative of the film and revel the genre in some way.
Title: film posters tend to also have the film’s title on it and usually in a bold font to draw attention to the name. The title tends to be located at the bottom of the poster under the main focal image. In some cases, for well known films, titles won't be included on the poster. For example for the end of the Harry Potter series of film, on a couple of the posters, only a date was released as to an audience the character have become so recognisable.

Directors, producers: In most cases, the director and producer of the film is displayed on the poster. This tends to be done especially if the director and producer is well known as it can be the main selling point to certain audiences. Some people may be drawn to the directors and producers, rather than the film’s genre or actors.

Actors: Actors can either be displayed at the top or bottom of the poster depending on the arrangement of the type of genre. If the production has a smaller cast, sometimes only the main characters are listed, however in some cases, if the cast is well known, most of their names will appear on the poster as another way to attract the film’s target audience.
Quotes, recommendations and ratings: when a film has be reviewed by critics, posters often get re-designed to illustrate their feedback. For example, star ratings are often seen or quotes made regarding the film. A ‘Winter's Bone’ poster includes quotes such as ‘An absolute knockout’. - awards are also often displayed.

Taglines: taglines are used to emphasis a point about a film as well as hint to audiences what may happen. These should be memorable to an audience, and therefore when they see these taglines, they will think of the film.

Dates and extra info: film posters also commonly have dates on them to inform the audience of when the film is being released, in both cinemas or on DVD, depending on the time/period of the film being out. Not all posters include an exact date. Some will only say ‘coming soon’ which leaves audiences guessing and add a form of suspense. The extra info includes the small print provided right at the bottom of the poster which contains things such as actors, soundtrack, production company etc.
Ratings: most posters will include an age rating to their film as this is a legal requirement in order to warn viewers of certain content.




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