Poster Detailed Analysis

In order to get a better idea of how to create our final film poster, we looked at a poster very similar to the idea we plan to use and decided to analyse it so we were better prepared in how to make our poster appeal to our target audience. 

POSTER - 'A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET'  

Target Audience: 18+ (however, younger teenagers (15+) will most likely watch it too as this age group is typically interested in horror, so it may appeal to them as well.

Genre: Horror/Slasher, Psychological Thriller

Release Date: 2010

Nightmare On Elm Street 2010 Poster

1. The main colour scheme for the poster is black, with shades of red and orange (almost 'fire-like' colours). These are typically associated with horror as they invoke connotations of blood and violence, as well as red symbolising danger - which leads the audience to believe that there will be danger in the film. As well as this, red is also a colour that attracts the eye, so using it in a poster will almost guarantee an audience to be drawn to it, this could attract viewers that otherwise may not consider watching the film. 
2. The mise-en-scene of the poster is dark and 'haunted' and this further conveys the horror genre to the target audience. The lighting has been done through editing with a high contrast, so there are harsh shadows/silhouettes formed which make it difficult to see the characters clearly, which adds a sense of anonymity which is usually a key part of the horror genre - attracting the audience so they want to know who the killer is, and who ultimately dies. 
3. The photo itself used in the poster is set on a hallway with two characters centred in the poster. The use of a hallway adds a sense of verisimilitude, as everyone has been down a hallway so it makes the scenario relatable and believable - therefore drawing an audience easily into the world of the film. By using a narrow hallway, it gives the feeling of 'no going back' and a sense of being trapped, and that the person viewing the poster can see the fate of the girl (the man stood behind her) but the girl cannot, which creates dramatic irony - meaning the audience may be curious to see if the girl can 'escape her fate'. The girl in the foreground is lower down than the antagonist to show she is a victim and that the antagonist is in power/dominating over her, which creates a sense of fear and again shows violence, and gives a sense of danger to the poster. 
4. By using many shadows, it creates the dark and spooky effect icon used in most horror genre movies.

right; close up of the antagonist in the poster | left; promo photographs of the 80's freddy krueger

1. The poster also utilises a well known iconography of the film, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' being a remake of the 1980's movie series of the same name, the poster emphasizes the finger blades on the antagonist/Freddy Krueger's hand, as well as leaving enough lighting on him to show his striped jumper whilst leaving his signature had silhouetted. For older audiences who may have seen the original, it will easily remind them of who the character is as well as the story, and for younger/newer audiences it will add intrigue due to the unusual 'murder weapon'.  
2. The use of bright lighting behind the character and a high contrast creates a silhouette of the antagonist, which creates a sense of mystery as the audience can not see his face therefore he has no identity. This will make an audience curious as to who he is and why he is there. 
3. The bright light also draws an audience's eye straight to this character rather than anything else in the poster, as he is placed directly centred in the poster and the hallway lines all point to him, the composition drawing the eye back to this character no matter where you look - showing an audience this character is important. This picture has arrows added to show the composition and 'directing the eye'.  HERE IS A POST ABOUT 'PULLING THE EYE' & VISUAL COMPOSITION. 

Arrows to show poster composition or 'pulling the eye', showing how the poster is designed in order to guide an audience's eyes back to the main character, Freddy Krueger.

Tagline.

1. A tagline is shown above the film title that states 'he knows where you sleep'. This is used to give more intensity of danger in the poster and build interest in possible audiences. The use of a tagline is to give a few words that somewhat describe the plot of the film in basic terms in order to hook and audience. By using this line 'he knows where you sleep' it makes the audience wonder more about what this could mean, questioning does he murder them while they sleep? However unless an audience is knowledgeable of the film, they would not know the fact he murders them in their dreams - but this tagline is ambiguous enough for an audience to be curious about it's meaning.
2. The tagline has been written in a plain, capitalised font in the colour white. Capitalising the text adds importance to it, meaning an audience will notice and pay attention to it. The colour white stands out against this very dark and moody poster, as it is a bright clear colour and this is used to attract an audience as it stands out against the black and red. 

Title.

1. The title of this poster is the title of the film, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'. The typography is very effective due to it being a solid font and a mature font which is related to the horror genre, it is also neat which makes it easy for an audience to read. The use of a plain, formal font adds to the realism the poster creates, which could make readers thing it could be a reality and real happening events, which the creators want the audience to think. 
2. The word 'Nightmare' is the largest word on the entire poster, which is used to draw attention to that word rather than any other, this is because the word nightmare automatically tells the audience that it's a horror film, and they will make links to nightmares being a bad thing - therefore bad things will happen in the film. 
3. The typography is also very similar to the typography from the 1980's version of the film, which will remind older/more familiar audiences of the movie: 

Original 1980's text.

Release date & company logos.

1. The release date has also been written in a large white font, similar to the tagline, so it stands out against the red font used on the title as well as the  black background. This has been done so that the audience will easily see the release date and will encourage them to see the film in the cinema upon its release.
2. It has been placed in the centre of the poster directly at the bottom which makes it in the audience's direct line of vision, making it easier to see, and the target audience will almost always look here for a release date as this is where it is stereotypically placed on a poster. 
3. At the side of the release date are the licensing logos as well as copyright logos for the companies involved, meaning they get brand awareness from the public. It also may create faith in the audience as they will see respected names such as New Line Cinema, whom movie aficionados will know distributes many popular horror films, and this may let the audience know that the horror film will be good as they are a part of it (as well as this, older audiences who want this remake to stay faithful to the original will know that New Line Cinema distributed the original version as well).
4. There is also a website link, WHICH IS HERE, which may get the audience to visit it in order to gather more information about the film. It's date (2010) may explain a lack of social media links, as social media was not as popular amongst as wide an audience as it is now. Most posters now include social media links as well as website links. The website itself links well with the poster, creating a brand for the film.

Website screenshot with analysis.

There were many posters used in marketing for this movie, and this particular one does not include information at the bottom of the poster about the cast and crew. However, another poster for this movie does, so I will look at this section from another poster.

The second poster for the film, where I will look at the bottom section of film information. 

Film information.

1. Most posters include a block of text at the bottom containing basic information about the film's cast, crew, and related companies; for an audience to read if they wish to know more about it. This also promotes the people involved if they are not mentioned anywhere else on the poster.
2. These typically include: the production company & parent company, distribution company, film title, main cast members, director & co-director, script & screenplay writer, music company, costume designer, casting director and possibly other roles, depending on the film.