Before producing my own film poster I have researched and analysed three existing movie posters in order to gain an understanding of the different codes and conventions used to make the production of my own more successful.
Pulp Fiction
Pulp magazines (often referred to as "the pulps") are inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 through to the 1950s. The term pulp derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines where printed; in contrast, magazines printed on higher quality paper were called "glossies" or "slicks".
The movie of Pulp Fiction has a very deliberate cover as it has been created to look like one of these magazines. This is shown by:
-the pricing of the poster (10 Cents)
-the use of a masthead (title of the film)
-the main characters of the film are listed down the left hand side of the poster just as articles within a magazine would be
Another way the poster has been made to look like the front cover of a magazine is that all the edges around the right hand side are crinkled, creased and torn giving the impression of an old, worn magazine.
American Psycho
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Posters such as the one used for 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' hold a lot of information on them and a potentially complex background, which can be seen as very distracting for the audience. It can be said that more simplistic posters create more intrigue for the viewer and are therefore more effective.
For example the 'Skyfall' poster gives nothing away about that particular film, rather it uses the traditional Bond background with the caption 'coming soon' at the bottom. This is effective as it excites fans and makes them want to know more about the film.
