Researching film posters

In this post, I will be researching a variety of film posters of the thriller genre in order to help me create a poster for my product that has all the conventions of a real one. The first thing I noticed about film posters of the thriller genre, is that they nearly always have a large central image of the main protagonists or main antagonist's face. Below are some examples of this:

The posters here are for: Black Swan; Red Lights; Shutter Island and Stoker

This is therefore evidence that a close up of key characters are a main convention of thriller film posters. The close ups add the element of mystery for the audience as it makes them interested in the film as they will try to understand who these characters are and what sort of role they would have in the film. The close ups also allow the audience to see the emotions of the characters, who are usually portrayed as being 'crazy' in psychological thrillers. In these four examples I have given, the characters are showing very little emotion which lets the audience create assumptions on what sort of character they think they will be.

Another key convention that I noticed on these film posters were the use of dark colours and low key lighting to make the image more chilling and mysterious.

 These two posters, for 'Awakening' and 'The Apparition' both are examples of how thriller film posters usually use very dark colours. The colours used consist of black, brown, dark blue and a lot of grey. These colours , because they are dark, connote the genre to the audience and it promotes the idea of a dark narrative and a dark story behind the images on the poster. These two posters also bring me onto my next point, that white text is frequently used on thriller posters. This is because of the dark images in the background, the white font is used so

so that the text will stand out, ahead of the dark images. This is so the audience will notice the title of the film and will therefore be influenced to research it a little further before deciding whether or not to view it. White text is also used on two of the examples previously given - Shutter Island and Red Lights. As well as white text, red text is also used frequently as red connotes danger and blood - which is something that is obviously frequently present in a thriller film, therefore they use it to connote the genre of the film to attract the right audience.

Another main convention of thriller film posters would be the use of tag lines that hint what will happen in the film. The tag lines are usually quite disturbing or chilling for the audience. For example, the tag line on the 'Awakening' film above is 'Sometimes dead does not mean gone' and the tag line on 'The Apparition' is 'Once you believe, you die'. These are two prime examples of how tag lines can be used as a strong effect to create a disturbing feel among the audience. This is something that will appeal to the audience as they will hint what the narrative contains - 'once you believe, you die' for example will create many assumptions from the audience and will convince them to watch the film to see if what they thought was right.

Another common convention of thriller film posters, like with most film posters would be the use of star power. One example would be the poster for Se7en:

Se7en poster

This poster features a close up of both Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, as well as their names in large print above their heads. This is a clear advertisement technique from the creators of the poster in order to try and reach a larger and more global audience. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are two very globally known Hollywood actors and therefore having a large close up of both of them, as well as their names in large font, and in colours that contrast from the background, they are trying to attract a bigger audience. This will also help them to attract their target audience as these are two actors that are commonly in thriller films or action / adventure films that target the same audience, and this is another convention of thriller film posters.

Other conventions that are present in nearly all thriller film posters would be:

• The release date of the film or the day it is released in cinema
• Credits - i.e. producers of the film etc
• Star ratings (sometimes) - only when the film is being released on DVD 
• Quotes from reviews - again only when it is being released on DVD
• Names of the actors - usually only when well known actors are used
• Age certificate of the film
• Website of the film 
• Awards the film has won / been nominated for

These conventions are the more commonly used ones that feature on nearly all posters, and therefore I won't b give specific examples. However these conventions all contribute to the recognition of the film - i.e. use of well known producers or actors will promote its recognition, as if a film has successful producers who have introduced high quality films in the past, then the audience will be more influenced to see it. Star ratings, awards won/ nominated for or quotes will also promote the film as they will present to the audience how successful or highly rated it is. The release date of date it is first being shown in cinema will be used to attract the audience and influence them to watch it. The age certificate it used to target the specific audience and inform the audience on who can watch it.

Researching film trailers

In this post I will be analysing two thriller trailers using a table that was designed in class, below is the analysis of the Safe Haven and The Sixth Sense trailers:

Safe Haven
Feature	Comments
Genre	Romance thriller
Narrative	Woman who ran away from someone who attacks her is followed and is attacked again, after she finds her ‘safe heaven’
Unique Selling Point	Different from the norm – romance thriller (which is a hybrid – combination of two genres) – and it’s also based on a famous book
Target Audience	I would say 18-25 year old females
Music	Female voice, starts quiet then builds up – lyrics contain “you can go your own way” – which relates to the film Starts very slow orchestral music, builds up as the trailer goes on, becoming louder and faster paced
Shot Types / Camera Angles	Handheld camera, long shots, mid shots, close ups, extreme close ups, pan shot, over the shoulder shot
Pace	Starts off quite sloe, then gets a lot quicker paced with the music
Dialogue	“She passed away a few years ago” “He’s here” – whispered “He’s going to find me” All typical of the thriller genre as they add suspense and a sense of danger
Voiceover	There isn't one
Special Effects	Non-continuity editing – doesn't follow the story chronologically Slow motion, flashbacks, fade
Credits and Intertitles	‘Creators of Dear John and The Notebook’ – relates to the target audience as they are more likely to appeal ‘It’s not what you’re running from, it’s what you’re running to’ – adds element of mystery and a sense of danger

The Sixth Sense
Feature	Comments
Genre	Thriller
Narrative	A boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a child psychologist.
Unique Selling Point	It’s different to films that have been made before – the idea of speaking to dead people, as well as being able to actually see them is very chilling and would sell this film
Target Audience	18-25 year old males
Music	Extremely low orchestral music – just the sound of a violin up until 1:52, with the music is much louder and the introduction of drums until 2:00 – then back to extremely low orchestral music again
Shot Types / Camera Angles	Handheld camera, long shots, mid shots, close ups, extreme close ups, pan shot, over the shoulder shot, POV
Pace	Very low pace and long cuts up until 1:52 when the cuts and pace are a lot quicker, in time with the music
Dialogue	“I see dead people” “Standing next to my window” “They’re everywhere” All of these are chilling quotes of the dialogue that will create a suspense and creepy feeling among the audience
Voiceover	There isn't one
Special Effects	Non-continuity editing – doesn't follow the story chronologically Slow motion, flashes, fade, gunshot whilst the gun is pointing at the camera
Credits and Intertitles	‘Hollywood pictures’ and ‘SpyGlass Entertainment’ are both well recognised and established film producers and therefore this would promote the film ‘Bruce Willis’ – a very well-known Hollywood actor which would attract a bigger audience

Below are the links for the Safe Haven and The Sixth Sense:

Safe Haven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4vhm3_-3VM 

The Sixth Sense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9AGf66tXM 

Reasearching film trailers - conventions

Collage of thriller films

To further my research on film trailers, I decided to watch lots of trailers on YouTube that were of some of the most popular thriller films to date, in order to help me gather information that will help me when I come to create a thriller trailer for my coursework. I created a collage of movie titles, front covers and scenes from these thriller films that represent a stereotypical thriller film, in order to help me when I create my trailer, so I know what to include. The collage shows me what title fonts and colours are most present, what props are effective, typical settings of a thriller film etc. In studying these trailers, I have learned a lot on what conventions are most consistently present in these trailers, and these are conventions that I will be sure to use in my product in order to make it successful. Below is a list  of the conventions that I found are most typical in trailers for this genre:

• Low key lighting
• Fast paced cuts
• Chilling music that creates suspense
• Black and white shots
• Protagonist in danger
• Antagonists appearing as a major threat
• Props usually consisted of weapons - guns, knifes, chainsaws, axes etc.
• Almost always starred young male and female actors to appeal to the audience
• Voiceover
• A wide range of camera angles - close-up most effective to present the emotions
• Titles are usually red or white coloured and usually bold
• Costumes are usually black or other dark colours
• Non-diegetic sound effects - e.g. the shot of a gun in the distance
• Amplified sound for chilling effect - e.g. the sound of footsteps or heavy breathing
• Slow motion
• Protagonist usually always a young and strong male you will try to solve the equilibrium
• Shots of the antagonist cut very quickly in order to hide their identity
• Cross cutting

There are many more conventions that can be noted, however these are the ones that I picked out from analysing thriller films on YouTube. A lot of them carry out the same person, and this is to try and scare the audience, or to keep them interested in the narrative. Low key lighting, use of dangerous props, chilling music, amplified sound etc are all conventions that are used to try and give the audience a chilling effect, which will appeal to the right type of audience and will convince them to watch the film. 

Conventions such as voiceovers, titles (that usually relate to the narrative), cross cutting and the representation of the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) are the exact conventions that will keep the audience so engaged. These types of conventions will keep the audience interested in the product and will convince them to see it. Particularly representations of the characters when the narrative is something that could potentially happen to them (the audience) - as it leaves them wanting to find out what happens and wanting to discover how the protagonist(s) solves the equilibrium.

All of the conventions are particularly useful in their own way, some are done very discretely and are hardly noticed by the audience yet they have a massive impact on the overall success of the trailer. For example; fast paced cuts, range of camera angles, amplified sound and red and white titles are all conventions that are very minimally recognised or taken much notice of by the audience, yet they will have an impact on the trailer. Fast cuts, range of camera angles and amplified sound will make the trailer more mysterious and chilling, whereas red and white titles will make a difference to the view of the trailer, and will connote the genre of the film more obviously. 


Below are the links of some of the thriller trailers I viewed:

Saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCZp5v8V-94 

The Silence of the Lambs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKs169Sl0I 

Would You Rather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5XICr93wU 

Se7en: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE

American Psycho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GIsExb5jJU

Girls Against Boys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRforhAoA3Y

Lucid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlGCdavzMNI

Awake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3eEauXSQIA

Researching film trailers - shot analysis

This post will demonstrate what one film trailer of my choice includes in every shot for the first 60 seconds of the trailer. I will use this as research for when I attempt to create a film trailer, and therefore I will look at a film that is of a similar genre to the one that I will attempt to create, which is a thriller. I will include the shot number, the number of seconds into the trailer and what the shot contains.The film trailer I will be looking at is for the film The Silence of the Lambs (1991).


1. 00:00: Production company logo fades onto the screen: 'An Orion Pictures Release'
2. 00:03: Close up of detective wearing glasses asks 'You spook easily Starling?'
3. 00:05: Close up of main character Starling shakes her head 'Not yet sir'
4. 00:07: Starling is in a jail, she is locked behind bars and the prison guard says 'He's past the others, the last cell'
5. 00:11: Mid shot on prison guard and he says: 'I'll be watching, you'll do fine'
6. 00:14: Mid shot of Starling behind bars and voice over says 'A killer is on the loose'
7. 00:18: Close up of Starling in a car and non-dietetic audio from the radio says: 'He keeps them alive for 3 days'
8. 00:19: Close up of newspaper strips talking about the killer, radio continues 'And then he shoots them'
9. 00:20: Extreme close up of girls lips, radio continues 'Skins them, skins them and then dumps them!' - this audio plays which flashes of the newspaper articles appear on and off the screen
10. 00:24: Starling walking through the jail cells, voice over continues: 'A rookie FBI agent is on his tail'
11. 00:27: Mid-shot of Starling in a car, she says: 'He's got, real physical strength'
12. 00:29: she continues: 'He's cautious, precise and he's never impulsive' as the shot changes to the image of the killer undressing a victim
13. 00:31: Mid-shot of Starling in the car again, she says: 'He'll never stop'
14. 00:35: A panning shot, through the jail
15. 00:37: Close up of Starling, voice over continues: 'But in order to close him down'
16. 00:39: Mid-shot of the killer in a jail cell, voice over continues: 'She'll have to match wits' Hannibal Hector in the jail cell says: 'I'll help you catch him, Clarie' to Starling
17. 00:42: Close up on Starling
18. 00:43: Close up on detective with glasses again saying: 'Believe me, you don't want Hannibal Hector inside your head'
19. 00:45: Shot of police car and policemen running, with the sound of sirens in the background
20. 00:48: Mid shot of Hector in a different jail cell, voice of detective in the background says: 'Just do your job, and never forget what he is'
21. 00:51: Close up of Hector
22. 00:52: Close up of a newspaper referring to the killer, and the voice over of the detective continues: 'He's a monster'
23. 00:54: Close up of Starling, voice over of detective continues: 'Pure psychopath'
24. 00:55: Close up of a different detective, he says: 'It's so rare to catch one alive'
25. 00:56: Close up of a victims body
26 00:57: Close up of Starling holding a picture of the victim
27. 1:00: Camera zooms in from a mid-shot to a close up of Hector in a jail cell as he speak to Starling


Notable conventions in this trailer:

Sound effects: chilling sound whenever there is a change in shot that relates to the killer, i.e. newspaper articles, body of victim or pictures of victims etc.
Transitions: fade is used on more than one occasion
Editing: quick cuts, a person is never on the screen more than a few seconds
Low key lighting
Lots of close ups of the characters is connote their emotions - usually worry / anxiety or fear
The production company logo at the start
The use of voice over throughout - both the voice over man and speech of characters
Variety of shots - usually low angle shots looking up at Hector and close ups or low angle shots on the detectives and Starling, pan shot, POV shot, handheld camera, mid shots, long shots, use of zooming in, over the shoulder shot, etc.
Digetic sound: chilling music, sound effects, sirens, radio and voice overs etc.

Here is the link for The Silence of the Lambs trailer I looked at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKs169Sl0I