Having analysed 3 posters in significant detail and established some stylistic similarities between them, I think the logical progression point is to look at posters which I feel have influenced my thought process for making the poster of my own film. Because of the largely dramatic tone of my film, I didn't want to make a poster which captured the protagonist in a heroic or idolised pose, instead I needed a subtle and less epic poster which was still captivating and visually engaging. Below are examples of posters that I feel capture a similar tone and enticement to what I want to achieve.
The first two are from The Drop (a film I took inspiration from) and as much as I like the one with the characters, it was the absence of them in the second poster which appealed to me more. The way it incorporated the Brooklyn Bridge to express the significance of the setting and gangster underground, symbolised through how the gun is positioned to structurally hold up the bridge, emphasises how implication successfully conveys the genre of the film. The bleak and largely dull colour scheme also hints at the tone and pace, quite slow and unfolding. This poster seems to break genre conventions by not including characters on it, and while this may damage a film's familiarity and profile, it contributes more to the deeper understanding of the film itself. Plus like with the Hell or High Water poster I deconstructed, I don't like how there are two separate images being fused together in the first poster.
These two posters promote one of my all time favourite films, both of which use the same character and tagline, just in different positions. The background is largely insignificant, but the character's suit seems to be cohesive with the blandness of colour, not trying to be imposing. I feel that this links in with one of the themes of the film, where the character above is a hitman and blends in effortlessly with the hectic and unobservant masses of people. He feels like a chameleon even though he detests the loss of identity found in daily routines, so I think that the poster emphasises his ability to fit in. There is a stylish simplicity to the poster and the font, like how the tagline is small and insignificant but still imposing due to the emptiness on the rest of the poster.
It's important to remember that the Bourne films are in fact a franchise, and so this poster is so effective due to its simplicity but instant recognition among fans. Matt Damon's face, couple with the emboldened 'Bourne' title and tagline 'You Know His Name' (referencing the film's primary plot about struggling to find your identity) is a recognisable combination that adopts the less is more approach. What I like about the poster is the noir colour scheme, using the lighting to hint that the protagonist is lurking in the shadows but stepping into the light. I don't like the credits along the bottom, and although I don't think that I could just use the protagonist's face in my own poster, almost like a portrait, I would like to incorporate the use of lighting to allude to the themes in my film.
Black Mass is another simple but effective poster. The gangster undertones of the film are implied through the mise en scene of the gun and corpse as well as the background setting, hinting at urban and low key criminal enterprises. The setting itself looks bland and the clothes of the corpse appear irrelevant, but the more colourful clothes of the protagonist suggest his significance.
When a film receives critical acclaim from a variety of critics the rating and a short quote tend to be included on the film's poster as an acknowledgement of prestigious value and worth spending your money to go and see. The white star rating are the same colour as the quote and the title, drawing audience's eyes to all of these features unanimously. The poster of the film itself is unrevealing, but still engaging as a result of the ambiguity and the deliberate lack of engagement with characters.
There is something eerie but compelling in this poster, and I think its due to how empty it is, singularly focusing on the intensity of the actor's performance. 'Macbeth' is a well known story and so the simple tagline 'All Hail' summarises the themes of ambition and control. I love the clarity of the image and how the lack of vibrant colours is substituted for the harsh but penetrating darkness of the war paint and armour, juxtaposing the purity of the white title. The notable lack of text is also an appealing quality, maintaining a sparse but elegant display of information that doesn't overwhelm the poster.
Again, Fast and Furious is a franchise and this poster had a lot of context contributing to its success and purpose. Knowing that the actor Paul Walker had died justifies the straightforward approach to the poster. Vin Diesel's head bowed evokes respect and mourning the loss of a partner, while the focus on Paul Walker's face shows how he is being honoured and that the poster is intended as a tribute to the actor and character. Along with the tagline 'One Last Ride' it acknowledges how this will be the last time the two career-defining roles share the screen together. However what I think makes this poster so successful is again the noir black and white colour scheme and the positioning of the characters. If I applied this to my own short film, Vin Diesel's character could represent the Father's guilt, while Paul Walker's thoughtful face could reflect Dylan's inner conflict. I love the juxtaposition of the two.
The following posters are all for television shows, and so their conventions are slightly different, but I have included ones that are particularly striking because they contain elements that I would like to talk about. Notably there is less text, and this is something which I find works in the favour of the posters.
The appeal of the Taboo poster is not only the crisp effect of the black and white, but also the textured look of the character to reflect how he has been damaged and hardened by his time serving the East India Company. Furthermore the font of the handwriting for 'Tom Hardy' along with the character's clothes hint at the time period the narrative will be set in.
The Justified poster also uses the obscurity of the lighting to reflect the moral conflict of the protagonist and the possibility of darker threats. The reddish tinge on the poster is a convention of the series' promotion, and has been applied to all of the posters across the series' six seasons, showing continuity. Also, the tainted texture of the poster gives it the impression of an old western photograph, and this may be symbolising the western feel to the series but also the urbanisation of Western America.
The overwhelming blackness of the character posters for Sons of Anarchy reflect the dark places the characters enter, with little hope for redemption, symbolised through the minimal lighting. The almost skeletal appearance of the characters is effective as it shows ambiguity and uncertainty, and I love how the stark contrast of black and white can make an image resonate with clarity and captivation.
The ray of light shining down on the character creates a feeling of entrapment, and this reflects the point in the series The Walking Dead where Rick and his group were imprisoned by a cannibalistic community, emphasising the theme of isolation and claustrophobia, emphasised with the ongoing objective 'Survive'. The lighting once more illuminates the ray of hope available to the character whilst simultaneously exposing a darker exploration.
In summary I would say that all of the posters I have looked at for inspiration have similarities in how they are not heavy on colour, but use lighting to reflect the mood and the moral ambiguity of the plot. These are very simple but very enticing techniques that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but allude to the greater consideration of promotion with the subtle references to the story. When planning my own poster this is definitely something I want to consider.
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