Poster Analysis - Shutter Island

The layout/composition of the poster is effective as half of DiCaprio's face is hidden by darkness, this poses the question is he concealing something? This links to the thriller genre as a mystery is identified.
This is also suggested through the use of mise en scene, Dicaprios facil expression is puzzled, unsure and concerned, again suggesting that there is a mystery evident.
Through DiCaprio holding the match which shows light this suggests that DiCaprio is trying to shed light on something, it is artificial light so this suggests that a secret is to be uncovered. This is reiterated by the use of typography, the simple sentence 'Someone is missing.' and the composition of the flame being directly under this typography suggests that Dicaprio is trying to solve this mystery. But, it is interesting as this typography is directly across his face, portraying that DiCaprio has more involvement with the mysterious narrative than perhaps firstly percieved.
The colours on the poster fit in with the thriller/psychological horror. The colours are predominantly black and very dark blue and dark red. The associations an audience has with these colours reiterates the genre. Black connotes fright and mystery. The red of 'SHUTTER ISLAND' connotes danger, suggesting that this place is dangerous and the minimal use of white used for the typography of 'LEONARDO DICAPRIO' could suggest that he is a victim within the narrative and perhaps within his own mind as we associate white with innocence.
The layout/composition of the poster is very interesting as DiCaprio's face is over the island, slightly hidden suggesting that he has a significant role regarding the island and he has possible past ties to it, suggesting through the half hidden face. The fact that Dicaprio is placed over the island and the island is surrounded by dark waters suggest that DiCaprio is trapped on the island and he is trapped by events making him stay on the island. The layout/composition is very successful in portraying complex narrative as well as showing the genre of the film.

This poster is successful as a form of advertising as it doesn't give too much away but gives away enough to intruige the audience. The use of the darkness attracts the audience as it connotes mystery regarding Dicaprio's character and the island itself. It is successful in advertising the film as the colours evident potray the genre of the film: thriller. The facial expression of Dicaprio is a successful advertising tool as firstly, he is a very well known and respected actor so people would automatically be attracted to the poster therefore the film. Secondly, his facial expression reveals that there is a complex narrative and this is reiterated by the simple typography 'someone is missing' this is successful in attracting the audience as the mystery intruiges them.

Poster Analysis - Sin City

There is a clear audience established through the image of Jessica Alba appearing sexual and desirable, so we can assume that the target audience is male. We can also establish the certificate of the film as it appears to have sexual references, and the caption reiterates this 'Skinny little Nancy Callahan. She grew up, she filled out.' This would attract the target audience as they are attracted by the sexual elements to the poster.
The layout of the poster is very significant as Jessica Alba is the only image and there is a slight contortion to her body for visual interest, attracting the target male audience. Alba appears as a fantasy figure as she is being objectified and she appears to be moving for the benefit of the 'male gaze' linking back to target audience and genre. Alba's femininity appears purely sexual and she appears as a sex object. This links to Jon Berger's idea that 'men act and women appear' which links to the target audience of men, being attracted to this poster to objectify Alba.
The captions on the poster appear to be comic book style, linking to the genre/style of the film. The poster appears stylistic as it looks like a comic book, sustaining the original comic book audience and it also looks mainstream, connoting the 'action' side to the film. So the comic book audience would be attracted by the comic book style typography.
The colours on the poster are very effective as the poster is monochrome which links back to the comic book style. The genre of the film is being constantly reinforced. The white on the poster connotes purity and innocence. This contrasts with the bold red colour of 'Sin City' which connotes passion, desire, danger and lust. The red title stands out which reinforces different aspects of the film (danger/lust) and the red colour on top of the white background stands out connoting a devil v angel theme.
The typography on the poster is interesting as the lexis used such as adjectives 'skinny' and 'little' deminish Alba's character and furthermore make her more objectified. There are two simple sentences 'Skinny little Nancy Callahan. She grew up, she filled out.' These are euphemisms for becoming sexually active which again links back to the male target audience.
Juxtaposition is evident as Alba appears innocent through the light shining on her but she then appears sinful through her canted body angle.
All of these elements combine and successfully attract the target audience by ensuring they are enticed by this poster through, the canted body angle of Alba appearing sexual, the stylistic comic book features attracting the already established comic book audience and the mainstream look of the poster attracting potential newer male fans, as they are enticed by Alba's sexuality and the sleazy/dangerous look to the poster, conveyed by the colours.
This poster successfulluy advertises the film as it shows that it is going to be action orientated through the body angle of Alba and the monochrome colours used. It advertises the comic book style of the film through the effective typography in strips (similar to that in comic books) and it has the iconic title 'Sin City' in red advertising the film to be in some ways sexual.

Magazine Cover Analysis

The design of this magazine cover is based on the genre of the film - action thriller.
The 'Empire' logo is large and stands out and it fits in with the genre of the film also, as it is cracking in the middle, it is bulky, connoting force and action.
The graphology on the cover is extremely large, the image takes up the whole of the poster, this emphasizes a trust in the brand as the creators of the poster know that only this image is needed to attract and establish an audience - male teenagers.
The layering of the images is very effective as the Hulk appears to be breaking through the actual magazine, giving the cover a 'wow' factor, this also connotes the action aspect of the genre of the film. The verb 'UNLEASHED!' is very effective as it could have two meanings, the first is that the actual Hulk character is being unleashed physically through the magazine and secondly, that the new film 'The Hulk' is being unleashed and shown to us as an audience. 'Unleashed' is a very effective verb as it has connotations of the unstoppable and to let loose which would attract the target audience of teenage males. The bold red colour of 'EMPIRE' stands out against the dark background attracting the viewer's eye to the magazine cover.




A unique selling point is established 'world exclusive!' as the magazine presents itself to be the only magazine interviewing 'the joker' who is one of the main characters in the film 'The Dark Knight,' this therefore attracts the audience from the film to read the magazine.
The text 'EMPIRE' has a strong red colour standing out against the dark background of the magazine cover, it appears bulky and dominant on the magazine so that we can establish a sense of branding.
The typography 'he's a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown!' This text is small but effective as it is in the style of graffiti, reiterating the fact that the joker is the antagonist in 'The Dark Knight' narrative, which again attracts the audience and establishes the thriller genre.
The colours used are predominantly dark portraying the genre and character traits of the joker character. The dark colours give the front cover a menacing tone which links to the thriller genre.
The composition of the image is very effective as the joker is the main image and he stands out instantly, there is juxtaposition evident as his body language is calm as his hands are placed delicately on his knees but his facial expression is mysterious and menacing attracting the audience as they want to read more about this mysterious character. An audience is already established because those who have watched the film will want to experience a personal setting (the interview) with the joker.

Common trends on both magazine covers:
- They both have a barcode on the front which is a common feature on the front of a magazine.
- They both have the bold, strong coloured 'empire' logo so the audience have trust in the brand as they know what to expect from it.
- The typography links to the genre and narrative of the film 'the hulk' title is strong, bold and domineering as the hulk character is and 'the joker' title is playful yet menacing with different case letters which potray the joker to be a menacing, mysterious, childlike character.
- There is a dominant image linking to the narrative of the film. They are both dominant images of main characters showing that the 'empire' brand have trust in the popularity of both characters to make them the main image on the magazine cover

The only difference is on 'the dark knight' empire magazine cover there are different features included 'PLUS! SWEENEY TODD...' to furthur attract the audience to purchase the magazine and read all features.

Analysis of The Last Exorcism trailer

A chronological analysis of the last exorcism trailer, including aspects of camera work, editing, sound and mise en scene as well as typography.

From the very beginning of 'the last exorcism' trailer we are able to establish that this is a film of the horror genre. This is obvious because: The extablishing shot camera work is fuzzy then goes into focus, allowing us to establish that this is a documentary type of film which suggests that this isn't the norm so we automatically feel slightly uncomfortable and intruigued.
As the camera pans, it allows us to see the isolated setting of an old cabin like house which is on it's own, so we immediately assume that the people associated with this house are vulnerable. Non diegetic etheral music immediately begins accompnied with fades of the man, so we assume that death/memory/loss are themes to this narrative. The muisc is also quite creepy making the audience feel slightly on edge. The horror genre is also established through the fades on the peices of paper and pictures of devils, we instantly know that 'the devil' and 'exorcism' are obviuous aspects of the narrative.
Similar to 'the strangers' the typography is white lettering on top of a black background, suggesting that a vulnerable, innocent character is being engulfed, trapped by a darker spirit (represented by the negative black colour, which carries these connotations). The typography almost explains the notion of an exorcism. As the man is in his car and is driving away after being warned, there are sharp blasts of non deigetic music, setting the tense atmousphere and allowing the audience to know that something is wrong. The editing is very interesting at cetain points, when the reverend introduces himself the transition to the next shot fades to red and connotations of red are danger, so we assume that this man is in instant danger and we are being warned of this, which makes us feel uncomfortable.
As the exorcism begins the editing begins to quicken pace which builds up the tension of the trailer and transitions begin to have more effects, for example, there is a close up of the girl's face which then, through editing, is distorted by black and white effect, allowing us to establish that this film is of the horror genre. The non diegetic music also increases in volume as the girl is standing in the corridoor which builds up the tension and frightened emotions the viewer is now feeling. There is very effective camerawork also, there is a POV shot used when the girl's boots are in frame and she is heavily breathing, this is a good camera shot and diegetic sound (breathing) to use to really increase the tension and make the audience feel a part of the trailer, increasing their intruige. Before 1 minute 44 the camera work and editing changed from slow paced to fast paced to let us establish a narrative and also make us jump with certain random, scary mid/long shots.
From 1 minute 44 onwards the camera work and editing transitions speed up as well as the non diegetic music, allowing the tension to increase and the apprehension. The lighting is very low key for the majority of the trailer, naturalistic at times so that we can establish a narrative and become more involved as the situation appears real but it is low key in order to make the trailer appear more mysterious and frightening.
Props include, a gun, a cruxifix and an axe. The gun and the axe represent danger, they are used to elliminate things that are a threat suggesting that this film is of the horror genre because there is something evident (a devil) that needs getting rid of. It is interesting that the other set/location/props are very naturalistic, the house/barn look normal which is in a way more scary for the viewer as the situations evident in the film appear real/naturalistic which is disturbing, but using naturalistic/minimal props/location it gives the trailer a different feel to normal horror films. It is very naturalistic. By doing this, it makes the viewer focus on the characters more and this disturbs them further.

Conclusion

Some ideas that I am going to utilise in the construction of my teaser trailer are:
The use of the POV shot combined with the diegetic breathing, this puts the audience on edge and allows us to realize how effected the female character is. This is going to be part of my camerawork development throughout the trailer, there will be alot of long shots, mid shots to a lot of close ups and POV shots to convey how the female character is being effected. Another idea that I plan to develop is the naturalistic set and props. I plan to use a naturalistic home setting as well as naturalistic props so that when events do start to occur it will effectively scare the audience more as the setting appears so normal.

Analysis of The Strangers trailer

A chronological analysis of the trailer, including aspects of camera work, editing, sound and mise en scene as well as typography.

The Strangers is an interesting trailer as it initially appears to be of the romantic genre due to the soft non diegetic piano chords and the establishing shots of the lake view and the old fashioned cabin. This makes the audience feel that this is a peaceful place not a vulnerable, isolated place. The fades accompnied with the close ups of the rose petals on the bed, the candle lit dinner and the mid shot of the two characters embracing, as well as the close up of the engagement ring box entices the audience into a false sense of security, but these elements combined makes the audience feel slightly uneasy as the seconds continue, as if we are expecting something to happen.
Our false sense of security is ruined when as there is a close up of the female's back and hands, the camera shifts slightly to the right as if something is supposed to be there and there is a loud bang, this suggests that this peaceful ambiance created is about to be ruined and causes fright and intruige for the audience which is what successful trailers should do, make the audience wonder why things have happened etc.
There is an extremely obvious change in genre/ambiance to what was percieved, to what is now evident, the non diegetic sound of the swing creaking sets up a very creepy atmousphere making the audience feel uneasy and the constant long shots of, the garden and the house, which in some cases feel like POV shots, suggests to the audience that somebody should be there, is there, but we cannot see them which creates mystery and fright. The diegetic dialouge is very effective and realistic 'i'ts okay there's nothing here' suggests that the characters are trying to fool themselves and this makes the audience feel even more on edge, which is what a good trailer does, we as the audience feel like we know more sometimes than the characters do, which allows us to have active emotional involvement, again, building up on the fright experienced.
There is a series of mid/long shots of the woman looking around the house, ending with a CU of her locking the door, this suggests that there is an uneasy/uncomfortable atmousphere being created. This is a very effective long shot of the woman standing in the kitchen and the size of her compared to the kitchen makes her feel very vulnerable and as this shot continues for a few seconds with no movement, the audience feel very apprehensive and uncomfortable as the masked figure appears in the back ground of the long shot. This is again, allowing the audience to know more than the characters, increasing our emotional involvement in the narrative.
The lighting is very minimal throughout the trailer, it is night time and alot of dim lighting and candles are used to add to the uncomfortable feeling that something is there. This is an important aspect to the horror genre, minimal lighting is very effective in making the audience feel frightened. Diegetic sound is used from the record player which adds to the creepy atmousphere and as the trailer ocntinues, elements combine and the pace quickens, making us feel even more frightened. For example, a section of the song from the record is effectively repeated along and quickened accompnied with the fast paced straight cuts from LS of the masked people chasing the owners from the CU of certain character's facial expressions.
What is effective in this trailer, as well as others of a similar genre is that the pace of the editing/music is normal and very minimal at the beginning allowing us to grasp the narrative of the storyline but then as the trailer continues the music/pace of editing quickens, heightening our appropriate emotions of fright/intruige/worry which is what a successful trailer should do.
In the strangers also, the typography used is effective in setting the mood for the film and allowing us to have emotional involvement, the words 'inspired by true events' makes the audience feel very uneasy. Also the typography is white font on top of a black background, this could suggest that the characters inside the cabin are the vicims (white is associated with vulnerability) and the 'strangers' are represented by the black background surrounding the white. The situation they are in is inescapable.

Conclusion

Some techniques that I plan to use in my trailer are long shots accompnied with minimal lighting to give the impression that nobody is there but a prescense it, something should be there. This will enhance apprehension. Another camera shot that I am going to develop in my teaser trailer is the CU of the woman locking the door, I am going to use this idea in my film to focus on security and make the audience feel uneasy. I am going to adpot the pace technique used in 'the strangers' trailer, in my teaser trailer I plan for the pace to begin very slowly but then do develop and the pace of the editing combined with the increase in volume and quickening pace of sound will increase tension and adrenaline for the viewer.