Different options in terms of types of film posters

There are different film posters advertised in either different areas in the country or different posters for different countries. The reason behind this is that in different areas/countries their are more majorities of people that are attracted to the same genre whether that be a link in their lifestyles or life in general.

A famous film poster that was known to have several different types is Elizabeth it had one for the USA which had more of a romantic theme to the poster and one for britain which represented the thriller genre through the artwork.

As you can see the USA one is to the left and the british one to the right and this is mainly to attract different target audiences. they make the film poster suited around the consumer they give them what they want to see to make profit at the end. I think making more than one film poster to suit a wider genre of people is a great idea as it publicises a different aspect of the film to suit the audience.

Another example is the film Watchmen this produced several different posters for a different reason, they produced a poster foreach main star to show a iconic powerful picture that would attract consumers who enjoy watching these a-list characters. I also think this is intelligent as it is still broadening the target audience but in a different way to Elizabeth.

Finally the last film poster that i researched that has different film posters is one of my personal favourite films called 'The Fighter' a traditional boxing movie that was re-created with A-list actors however yet again this attracts different target audiences in a different way because they show the same characters however in a different captivating position that sends strong awareness to the consumers as they were made for different country's so different audience to attract.

Classic example of a film poster:

This film poster tells us a lot about the film without using words. This film poster has fire in the background which denotes war; this tells us that a potential theme could be death. The fire gives the film seriousness and therefore we would rule it out as having a comedy or romance genre. The tropical setting highlights the contrast, it is usually a place people go on holiday or to relax in a quiet place whereas this setting has a lot going on in the background which shows the fire is not supposed to be there and it has been purposefully done. The figure of the man in the poster is positioned on his knees, this could be like he is praying for peace or giving up. Just from the film poster, a person can tell whether they will be interested in watching as audiences quickly process a lot of information just from the visual imagery.

This film poster is very simple and may not look like much but when you look into the imagery it tells us a lot. For example, the highlighted word of beauty in bold illustrates the American’s importance on the way you look. There's something innocent about the film poster however the rose gives it a more sinister look, the thorns and the colour red both give the idea that possible themes are danger and romance, which looks at the dark side of American life. The small writing underneath the title says '...look closer' which tells the audience there’s more to the innocence in the photo. The poster gives me the idea that this film could possibly touch on the horror/ thriller genre as there seems mysterious.

What is the purpose of a film poster

There are many purposes of a film poster and the main one is to clearly produce a 'hype' over the film and by giving its release date, the audience are able to establish when it is and to make time to see it. The sole purpose of a film poster is used to attract viewers interest of the film before it is released to draw more profit; for when the film is released the viewers would hit its optimum as it has been advertised a month before and has give people awareness that it will bereleased on a specific date. The conventions of a film poster which makes it highly attractive is the obvious characters present in the poster because if 'A-list' characters are present it would attract a wider audience range. Then the title and tag line of the movie would have to appeal to the audience to get there consideration to watch the film. Furthermore the graphics of the film may suggest what the film would be about and the genre it is fitted in would appeal to people who enjoy watching the genre. Finally it would have the 'BBFC' age certificate to showthe consumers of the age restrictions and guidelines of the film which is very useful as it informs all ages who can view the film and who cannot and if they research the 'BBFC' guidelines they would be able to see what is present in the film.

To the right you can see the film poster for 'The Business'

this film poster can target a specific audience as it seems like a typical british gangster film targeted for male audiences. This is such a male targeted film poster as it shows the typical gangster lifestyle ( guns, money, helicopters and beautiful women) which is ideal to attract a typical male to a british identity film such as The Business. The tagline line is very enticing as it compares classic gangster films to this one which could attract any gangster genre lover.

• Film posters appear everywhere and anywhere that is generally viewed by the majority of the public, a prime example is film posters are seen on the platforms on many train stations as when the public are waiting for their train the majority seem to look around and observe the posters while there waiting for the train to come. As shown in the example below:

• Furthermore the next place where film posters may be shown in a different way would be on a train. A great example of this is the film poster for 'Limitless' as it did not seem like a film poster but the concept was to attract the reader into reading and visualizing it then it becomes apparent it is a film. I Think this is very clever because the first thing many people do as they enter a train and wait for their destination to be reached is either read a newspaper or read posters advertised around. An example of a very grasping film poster:

• Another place where film posters are commonly seen are on the side of buses which is a good concept as pedestrians and bus users can view it wherever and whenever a bus passes alongside them drawing film awareness.

• Furthermore film posters are also advertised on the advertisement board of bus stops so as people wait for their bus they can be aware of the upcoming film and may be interested by the style of the poster which could draw them to go watch the movie as it is released.

• Finally film posters are seen on billboards while driving to bring awareness to both pedestrians and drivers.

Film Posters (research):

The purpose of a film poster is to advertise the film, it is meant to give a positive representation and information about the film. It usually highlights the 'stars' in the film, if it was for a short film however which is likely to have amateur then this is not the case. Key producers such as the director will also be on a film poster. Film posters inform the audience about the themes and genre, and lastly it is to show the distribution information, when and where the film will be released.

A series of poster can be used to target different audiences. The posters made for Romeo and Juliet for example had one poster highlighting the romantic side of Romeo and Juliet for the women, and the other highlighted the gangster element of the film to make it more appealing to the men. Film Posters have written codes, these have to be clever in order to catch the audience’s attention in such a short time. There are ‘classic’ film taglines which consist of repetition, the rule of three, contrast, hints and information about the film. These are most of the ways used to draw the audience’s attention onto the film and to see if they will like it.

Themes and Genre

Short films allow both small and big time directors to produce more unconventional films, with diverse themes and unpopular genre's. There are many themes that are possible; class and status is an issue in today's society which can be a good theme idea that talks about the gap between the two and how it affects the people of today. Looking into the idea of class and status, we could go into the wealth divide and touch on how this is affecting young people getting into university and instead choosing to opt out. Another theme could be British stereotypes, back in the day the British were stereotyped as being posh and then we can show the dramatic change in that perception.

Celebrity and Fame is a big topic in everyone's lives in Britain. Society has become obsessed with becoming famous through shows such as the x-factor. Last year the x-factor's average UK viewing figures were 14.13 million viewers for the final show which highlights the growing number of interest and a short film could demonstrate the negative side of this new found interest in fame and celebrity. Community and neighbourhoods are known for being closed off and everyone getting on with their everyday life, an idea for the film could be about how one neighbourhood are put into the position where they all need each other to survive, this ties in with the theme of hope and desperation.

Themes and Genre

Either small or big time directors that produce short films have the chance to do unconventional themes that challenge society for example:

• Class and status- some short films tend to show the divide between the rich and poor the employed and the unemployed. This express's there own opinions through film to show a message about the issue they are stating and want to get it across.
• British Stereotype- is another theme that is portrayed in some short films to show the 'lazy' unemployed dull british society with the rubbish weather.
• Multiculturalism, diversity, immigration, racism and discrimination- in most short british film they show the diversity that the country has but also shows the themes of discrimination and racism which is very popular.
• The 'big society'- The idea the communities should come together I.e David Cameroon's idea that we should be closer with our neighbors is portrayed again in short films like in 'Sold' by Nadia Attia. 

After much research in to short films i have a couple of potential ideas of themes and genres, i'm looking to find a clear issue in society and make it into a educational short film. I'm certain on doing a educational short film rather than a conventional short film as i see it more efficient with time and my potential audience. Our short film is a trigger film and links back to british society as the internet can be associated with british culture or the western area's.

As our short film has a educational purpose our target audience is appropriate because we are educating kids aged 12 and over that use social networking sites to be aware of people that are not what they seem to be.

Potential Audiences for short films:

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) limits the audience depending on what age is on the BBFC certificate. If for example the BBFC was 18 then the new generation of young people using the internet will not be able to watch it, which will cut viewing a lot. This means our short film will have to stick to content allowed below the 18 certificate. I think the most appropriate age is a 12a, this is because we will still be able to touch on a deeper topic which is one of the purposes of a short film and they are old enough to give the important message to without cutting views a great deal.

The most practical distribution method as a student would be via the internet. Given the low budget the internet allows anything to be put up without being judged whereas the footage we will get isn’t good enough for mainstream TV or cinema viewings. Also, as a student it is very accessible and will be available for loads of other teenagers, which is what we could possibly target as our audience. In addition, the internet is very easy to use which will make the whole process easier and not time consuming.