For my first ancillary task I am going to make a film poster. Film posters are used to promote and advertise a film. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. I decided to research and look into real media products’ film posters. Below are examples of films with different genres film posters so but I am specifically looking at dramas, as my own short film is comes under that genre.
Film posters are vital for the promotion of a film and for creating the first impression of the film. Here are examples of where they are seen.
The first film poster I am going to look at for inspiration is from the film called Martha Marcy May Marlene- a drama thriller film. The movie title here interestingly isn't prominently featured and is quite subtle as it's in the bottom left corner. However despite this, despite the fact the title isn't large it is still effective as the font is in capitals and is thick rimmed. Also, the first word of the title 'Martha' is in a bold purple which stands out against the great background which draws your eyes immediately to the title. This shows how the title doesn't necessarily need to be huge and in the centre of a film poster to be effective. It also highlights that the name 'Martha' is of The main character of this film is a large part of the film poster which is a common theme among film posters generally. You can also see on the far right a male figure who has been deliberately blurred with a shallow focus. This tells us as the audience that he will be an important character making him intriguing but also mysterious as he is barley visible. The framing of the main character here is interesting as we have a close up and also a mid shot purposefully merged together portraying how the film is about her mind and perhaps her body and how she has maybe got mixed emotions. In addition, on the poster you are also told the name of the actress playing the main character and how may stars the film got. This is another technique to draw people in to watch the film. Also, it is unusual to put all the text in the corner implying that this is an unconventional film. This idea is further depicted due the earthy colours used again implying an indie and unconventional film as it makes it seem very dream like. Lastly the use of the double exposure for the images of the girl make her look even more vacant in her expression which explains the premise of the film in one simple visual image.