Analysing Movie Posters by Niamh Sygrove

The Great Gatsby

What are the main colours used in the poster? What do they connote? The main colours used in the poster are gold and silver. This suggests that this ilm is very upper class as gold and silver are al!ays "no!n as very rich colours that associate !ith things li"e e#pensive $e!ellery and clothing rom rich people that are sho!n on the main part o the poster. %t also includes a lot o blac" !hich sho!s the dar"ness !ithin the movie !ithout even !atching it. %t also re ers bac" to the act about rich people as blac" is a common colour or a very success ul man to be !earing as a suit option. What symbols are used in the poster? &o you need audience ore"no!ledge to decode the symbols?

The symbol ideally used in this poster o The 'reat 'atsby comes along li"e this( This symbol represents a stamp o 'atsby)s glam !ith the letters *+', in the middle o it -meaning his name +ay 'atsby. in the orm o a monogram. %t)s sho!n through a pair o shiny letters and a desired old ashioned classic ancy shape surrounding *+',. What are the main igures/ob$ects/bac"ground o the poster? Are they represented photographically0 graphically0 or illustratively? The main igures( +ay 'atsby -1eonardo &i2aprio. massive movie star rom ilms li"e 3omeo and +uliet0 very amous0 !ill attract more vie!ers to the movie0 sho!n photographically and po!er ul as a large image in the middle o the poster. Nic" 2arra!ay -Tobey Maguire. big movie star rom past ilms li"e Spiderman0 !ill attract vie!ers !ho may have seen him in Spiderman and !ant to see i he still has that reputation o a good actor0 sho!n very sophisticated and po!er ul as a medium image in the middle o the poster. &aisy 4uchanan -2arey Mulligan. big movie star rom past ilms li"e &rive0 !ill attract vie!ers !ho may !ant to see ho! her relationship connects !ith 1eonardo &i2aprio and +oel 5dgerton compared to 3yan 'osling in &rive. Sho!n very glamorous and elegant as a medium image in the middle o the poster. Tom 4uchanan -+oel 5dgerton. massive movie star rom past ilms li"e Star Wars %%0 !ill attract many vie!ers rom the sci6 i category and give them a bit o a t!ist !ith a classic romance ilm0 possibly see another side o him as an actor0 sho!n very po!er ul0 not one to be messed !ith0 a big up character as a medium image in the middle o the poster. +ordan 4a"er -5li7abeth &ebic"i. airly ne! movie star0 may have been seen A 8e! 4est Men be ore this movie0 brings a ne! t!ist to the ilm0 possibly a ne! ma$or movie star bre!ing0 sho!n very glamorous and sophisticated as a medium image in the middle o the poster.

Myrtle Wilson -%sla 8isher. big movie star rom past ilms li"e 2on essions o a Shopaholic0 brings a ne! t!ist to the ilm as she)s in a di erent styled genre movie. Sho!n very old ashioned and glamorous as a medium image in the middle o the poster.

The characters are surrounded by masses o e#pensive $e!ellery and ancy clothing based on the 9:;<)s ashion style ollo!ing on the 9:;<)s style !ith the classy bac"ground and ont type. Are the messages in the poster primarily visual0 verbal0 or both? The messages in the poster are visual0 sho!n through images o the characters and their personalities !ithin based on ho! they are dressed and !ith the ancy gold and silver border/bac"ground itting it all together. Who do you thin" is the intended audience or the poster? % thin" the intended audience is or male and emale teenagers rom the ages o 9=/9> to male and emale adults up to around ?</=< !ho en$oy a classic/romance or a ilm that includes simply 1eonardo &i2aprio in it. What persuasive techni@ues are used by the poster? Persuasive techni@ues(

1arge image o a ma$or actor in the media 2redits o big movie stars to attract more vie!ers Ma$or movies are labelled on the top o the poster to encourage people !ho may have li"ed those ilms to !atch this ilm

Which genre conventions are re erred to? 3omance/classic/drama %s a star used as a ASP? A star can be used as a ASP to attract more vie!ers. This !ill give the movie a big bu77 in the industry0 itBll get more revie!s -hope ully good ones i the movie is genuinely good. and it !ill get more money and overall be a success ul ilm or everyone. Are Ce#pert !itnessesC -ie critics. @uoted? %n some movie posters critics and other e#pert !itnesses are @uoted0 but it isnBt al!ays the case. Some ilms have it to encourage more o the public to go !atch the movie and some do it because it is genuinely a good ilm and they !ant to sho! o the good revie!s that people have given them. Some donBt do it because it ta"es up space on the

poster and some believe that it is not needed to even be there because it lac"s o importance. %n this poster they are not @uoted because it has the !ords C8rom 4a7 1urhman0 The &irector o 3omeo and +uliet and Moulin 3ougeC0 this already bigs up the movie because those t!o movies !ere highly success ul and so that already gives this movie a good image be ore itBs even been !atched. What pleasures -grati ications. are promised by the poster? %tBs promised that itBs a ma$or motion picture so itBs guarenteed to be good. 8rom the director o Moulin 3ouge and 3omeo and +uliet so is guarenteed to be a big ilm because those t!o ilms !ere. Do! is attention gained -humour0 shoc"0 surprise amiliar ace o a star.? &ramatic appeal to!ards the characters aces0 sho!n as very big0 po!er ul and rich characters !hich attracts the attention o possibly people !ho en$oy a dramatic movie. Do! does the tagline !or"? -humour0 pun0 alliteration etc?. There isnBt a tagline !ithin this poster because it is not needed. %nstitution 4a7 1urhman/2raig Pearce/ 8. Scott 8it7gerald/Warner 4ros./Warner Dome Eideo The poster can also give you important in ormation about the production conte#t o the movie( Do! much does the poster tell you about the institutional conte#t o the movieBs production? %t tells us that itBs CNo! a ma$or motion pictureC so itBs success ul and is done by a massive company hence the !ords Cma$or motion pictureC. The act that there are our actors/actresses listed at the top instead o either $ust one or none at all suggests $ust ho! big this ilm is and that it has very success ul people !ithin it. T!o success ul movies have been credited at the top o the poster as !ell to attract more vie!s and hint the act that this ilm is bound to be $ust as good as them and that itBs !orth seeing because itBs made by the same director. The entire poster itsel is sho!n !ithin itBs elements that it has been ta"en a lot o time on to ma"e and because itBs made by Warner 4ros. one o the big > companies in ilm0 itBs been made really e#travagant to it the theme o ho! success ul the company is. Do! important is this in ormation on the poster -thin" about in ormation hierarchies.? Straight a!ay0 you instantly loo" directly at the middle o the poster !here 1eonardo is standing because they !ant you to notice him above all to attract you in0 because o ho! success ul he is !ithin the media. They then ma"e the characters ne#t to him gradually smaller in si7e depending on ho! important a character they are !ithin the ilm. Then

right at the very top ? o the actors are listed0 this once again is done in a particular order0 you have 1eonardo irst because heBs the most important character and then going along they get less important. Anderneath that 4a7 1urhman is mentioned because he isnBt as important as 1eonardo or e#ample0 but heBs a big hit himsel so heBs placed to attract people !ho may have come across him rom 3omeo and +uliet and Moulin 3ouge. Then at the very bottom it says 8. Scott 8it7gerald !ho !rote the boo" The 'reat 'atsby. DeBs deliberately placed at the bottom in large ont because i anyone has read the boo" and en$oyed it0 they !ill !anna see it i his name is struc" on the poster because itBs almost recommending you to understand the story !ithin a di erent media. Do! important a part o the !hole mar"eting campaign is the poster? Where is the poster placed? The poster or The 'reat 'atsby is a very important part o the !hole mar"eting campaign. The poster is placed outside the cinema0 on the side o buses0 in maga7ines/ne!spapers0 in public places on !alls e.t.c. This sort o media is the most easiest to see because you donBt need any sort o technology to see it !hereas or e#ample i it !as a trailer0 youBd need to have access to some sort o television or social technology. Do! e#pensive !as this poster to produce? N/A 2ritical 5valuation 8inally0 you have to pass $udgement on the poster. %s it a good poster? % believe that it is a good poster because o the all the eatures it e#presses !ithin the poster. 8or e#ample0 % believe itBs good because o the main characters being placed in the middle o the poster to attract the eye and ho! their names are listed at the top to sho! that they have respect ully earned their names there. % also li"e ho! the colour scheme sho!s o the contrast o the ilm as being dramatic and dar" and then altogether the ont brings it together as one to it it all in !ith the 9:;<Bs 6 ;<9F retro uturistic theme. &oes it communicate e ectively !ith the audience? % thin" it does communicate e ectively !ith the audience in ho! everything is layed out. 8or e#ample0 the characters are deliberately placed in the middle and 1eonardo is put there largely because o ho! big a role he is in the media today and they "no! that i heBs spread all across the poster0 people are going to attract it and !ant to go see the ilm. Are there any alternative readings !hich might harm the message o the mar"eting

campaign? There is one thing that could harm the message o the mar"eting campaign and thatBs the other ilms that are listed at the top o the poster. %t says that the ilms directed by 4a7 1urhman0 the man !ho directed 3omeo and +uliet and Moulin 3ouge. Those t!o movies have been put in the poster because the ideal message is 6 t!o success ul ilms0 !ill attract them to !atch this and ma"e this ilm a third success or 4a7. Do!ever0 i someone sees this poster and doesnBt li"e one o the t!o ilms or none o them at all0 they !onBt necessarily !ant to see this ilm because they eel itBll be e#actly the same and they !onBt en$oy the movie. %s the poster o ensive in any !ay? e.g. representation The poster is not o ensive in any !ay because it is "ept classy0 it has an absence in o ensive ob$ects li"e guns0 drugs0 alcohol e.t.c.