The Hobbit Magazine Cover Analysis

Saturday, 30 August 2014

Before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey came out Empire magazine did a series of 5 collectable covers to promote it, this is one of them. It features one of the main characters from the previous Lord of The Rings films which would help to establish the branding of the franchise and assure old fans of what they would be getting out of the new film. As Galadriel is played by the actress Cate Blanchett, a well established and popular actor, it is important that she is positioned centrally, taking up pretty much the entirety of the page.

 As the image itself is overwhelmingly white the text of both the magazine title and the film title stand out very clearly as an example of the synergy of this venture. In her hand is an important item from the previous trilogy, again establishing the link between the films for those who were fans of them. However for those who weren't fans of the previous films it serves to anchor the magical, fantasy element of the action/adventure genre to this film.

Because the film is being featured in such a prominent film magazine like Empire it establishes it as an important release, especially as it has a whole issue devoted to it. This kind of publicity is important as it spreads the word that a film is worth seeing to both the casual film-going community and critics.

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Kill Bill Poster

Sunday, 24 August 2014

The yellow and black colouring of this poster screams danger which hints toward the graphic violence of the film. A second hint to the film's violence is the large katana sword which is very clearly placed on the poster alongside the occasional burst of blood red lettering.The bright yellow also suggests that this is an unusual film thus giving it a USP in its own quirkiness. 
It is stated very clearly that this is a Quentin Tarantino film just bellow the title which  is important because Tarantino films are effectively a brand in their own right and the fact that he directed it would on its own draw in an audience. The title is relatively ambiguous in the sense that it doesn't give away much of the film aside from the fact that a man named Bill has it coming. 
Uma Thurman's "The Bride" is positioned centrally showing that she is the main protagonist of the film, this is a drawing point for the film as you don't get that many female protagonists within the action genre. It also shows off that Uma Thurman, a well known actress, is in the film and would attract her fans.

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The Bourne Identity Poster

In this poster for The Bourne Identity Jason Bourne is very large and central showing him to be the main character and implying that his is the identity in question which hint to the plot of the film. The only other images in the poster portray both action and a romantic plot line which suggests that the film will adhere to those conventional elements of the action genre.
In terms of colours there are two key ones that dominate the poster: orange and blue. The blue suggests a logical and collected theme hinting towards the technological aspect of the film while the orange portrays the danger and passion of the film.
All the text is in a bold, simplistic, white font which is often used in the action genre to show the brash nature of these films while still lending an air of sophistication the will appeal to the target age group of 14+. At the bottom of the poster yet still clear is a positive review from a prominent american publication which would help to sway those on the fence about watching the film.

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Goldfinger Poster

Thursday, 10 July 2014

 This is one of the earlier Bond posters for the 3rd film Goldfinger, there is a reacuuring theme of gold and yellow colouring which stands out against the black for a high impact effect which captures the dynamic element of Bond's personality. A variety of font sizes are used to draw the veiwers attention in a certain order, specifically to the phrase "Everything he touches" which could be veiwed both as a reference to king Midas and as an innuendo about his well know status as a womanizer. Red alludes to danger which is a convention of the genre.
 The naked woman covered in gold symbolises sex, death, wealth and the link between the three. these themes are often addressed in Bond films and as a result are now considered to be a standard of the genre. The franchise's 007 logo is tactically placed between Sean Connery's name and the film's title showing that even at this early stage they were keen to establish the franchise's branding.

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Goldeneye Poster

 The largest element of this poster are the three central characters looking out at the onlooker, it presents James Bond in the centre between two women which hints at the romance, something the appears in every film. It also bring to mind the image of an angel and a devil on his shoulders as one of the women wears black and the other white, this suggests at him having to make a decision between good and evil. By positioning them like this it plays up the sex appeal of the film, a key element of the franchise, and appeals to a wide audience by including both genders. Behind the two women's heads are some extracts from a map which is ambiguous and draws the audiences attention, this is emphasised by the contrast of the blue and the orange colours.
 
This poster very clearly defines the action genre with the large image of Bond aiming a gun out of the poster and the smaller image below presenting a long shot of him running from fire and an air strike. By having these genre indicators it will draw in the typical action film audience of males from around 12+.The font is large and bold and reflects the colour of the fire emphasising the danger element of the film and thus conforming to the action genre.
 
 The institutional information of very clear at the bottom of the poster and blends in less than on a large amount of posters, this shows that they are keen to show of the film's credentials and bring in a large audience that way. The tag line is also very clear and central saying "No limits. No fears. No substitutes" which is punchy and uses the rule of three to increase the impact of the tag line and be more memorable to audiences.
 
 In a way the unique selling point of this film is that it is a Bond film and therefore, at currently 23 films, part of the second longest running film series of all time, second only to Godzilla at 29 films. Audiences will a large amount of the time go and watch a James Bond fiolm simply because it is a Jame Bond film.
 
 

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Skyfall Poster

Monday, 7 July 2014

This poster stands out because of it's colour choice, these days almost all posters are in colour so this one is especially noticable. This signifies that the film is going to be more serious than some of the past bond films, it also plays up the sauve, sophisticated element of the character. However there is one small bit of colour on the poster as the 007 logo is in gold suggesting at the rich heritage of the series, and branding it almost as and institution in its own right. The font also is very simplistic and bold, which continues this theme of sophistication.
 
 It is a long shot which gives the poster the abilty to show of two core element of the film: it's heritage and its Britishness. Big Ben is clearly seen in the background establishing a british location which is key element of the film because while over the past few decades bond films have spent increasingly little time in Britain this one spends almost more time in the country than out of it. As a result it can attract both a British audience through reminding them of home and an American audience becasue oftheir love of British culture. A second important element shown off is the classic Aston Martin, the ultimate bond car. This shows that while the film is modern and doing new things with the franchise it still has its roots firmly in the traditions that have been established over the course of around 50 years. This is important because one of the reasons this films predecessor, Quantum Of Solace, didn't perform so well was because people felt it didn't really capture the spirit of the franchise.
 
 At the center of this poster is Daniel Craig as James Bond, his positioning makes it so an onlooker's eyes are drawn to him. This is because not only is her at the center of the franchise but this film focuses very heavily on him as a character. Daniel Craig is also a big name star who will draw in viewers simply to watch him. He is wearing as well fitted suit as is expected of the character and is holding a small gun. While the gun does suggest at the action of the genre, that its so subtle and understated however shows that this film is trying to be less melodramatic and more gritty than some of the previous films, this is a theme that has been carried over all of the Daniel Craig films.
 
 
 






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If I Stay Trailer Analysis

Friday, 4 July 2014



 If I stay comes out in summer 2014 and is an adaption of a book. It starts with an establishing shot of a theatre which presents our main character to us on centre stage. We then hear the cello music she's playing which creates a sound bridge for roughly half the trailer. The equilibrium is set by showing us the romance between the main character and Adam, at this stage it sticks to romance conventions with the narrative of the Chloe Grace Moretz's character explaining her feelings for him alongside a montage of romantic moments. As the cello music gets quicker so does the pacing and the line "Why do I get this feeling I'm about to mess up my entire life?" acts as foreshadowing, these combined elements ramp up the tension. The music shifts again as the characters kiss, marking the moment as is common in the romance genre. The music builds to crescendo and then we see her and her family in the car about to collide with another one on a snowy road for a brief moment before the screen goes black and the music suddenly cuts out and switches to a much more slow paced, somber tune. we establish she is having an outer body experience while in a coma and the following shot of her in the hospital explains the key point of the film, that whether or not she wakes up is her choice. After this the simple white text on a black background tells us it's based on a novel, her situation is further complicated when we find out both her parents died and her conflict about what to choose becomes more clear. Following this we see many flashbacks sandwiched between statements beginning with "If". In conjunction with the music there are several quick flashes of shots leading up to Chloe Grace Moretz's name and a shot of her walking down a corridor with her back to us towards a window, presumably symbolically. After this we have a final shot of Adam begging her to stay followed by the title of the film which is in a much softer title than the previous title cards, showing the delicate nature of the film's content, and a coming soon card.
 The female protagonist and romance element will greatly appeal to female viewers and the perspective of a teenager will apply to younger viewers, however the strong family theme showed with the various flashbacks with her parents will appeal to almost anybody but especially those with children themselves.
 That the trailer suddenly shifts in tone halfway through is effective as it makes it stand out and anybody who would have tuned out watching it in the cinema because of the romance genre will have been prompted to take notice of it. The change in music also helps with this as it breaks it up and keeps the audience's attention.
 The trailer makes a point of making Chloe Grace Moretz's name very clear as she is a well known actress with a wide fan base, which can act as a pulling point for the film. Also there are no title cards in the first half of the trailer allowing the audience to relax into the trailer and come to grips with the relationships they're seeing, this makes the change far more poignant than it would otherwise be.

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