Functions and conventions of a film poster

In lesson we were asked by sir to annotate a non-horror film poster and write about the functions and conventions that every film poster had. Some examples are: a film title, credit, actors names, release date and many more. I chose the film 'Limitless' which is an hybrid-genre film made up of action and romance. I saved the film poster onto Microsoft Word, printed it and annotated around the image in pen.

Limitless

I then went on to annotate film posters that were included  in the film horror genre. I chose 5 different variations that showed different conventions of a horror film and how successfully they promoted the film and how well the poster supported the film. 

I looked out for conventions included in 3 groups. Symbolic, Written and Technical.

The Roomate | Orphan




Link to Uses and Gratification:


(Roomate) From the film poster we see a woman who looks like a student who is attending university. The title of the film also gives this away.  In addition, the location behind her shows that the genre is set for young audiences, giving them something to relate to with similar experiences


(Orphan) The film posters title is in childs handwriting which compliments the picture. Suggesting that the genre gives the audience information. 

Drag Me To Hell | The Crazies


Links to Uses and Gratification:


(Drag me to hell) The genre of this is obvious, we see a fire with a woman who has a hand on her neck. From this we can immediately see that the film focused around horror, and possibly comedy, because it has all the conventions shown together at once. 


(The Crazies) In the film poster you see an empty location with a girl in the middle. This suggests that the film has something to with a town be attacked and becomes extinct. 

No Vacancy

Links to Uses and Gratification:


(No Vacancy) There is a couple staring out the window with scared expression. This could suggest that the genre of the filmis a hybrid one. A mix of horror and romance. 

When annotating these film posters I used a table that labelled points I should look out for when picking my posters. This is the piece of paper that I used to help me. 

Conventions of Horror Genre Table