Film Poster Ideas

EXHIBIT J POSTER!

I have researched some film posters to give me an idea of what I need to create and how it will entice the audience to watch our short film.  There are many similarities within these posters on the left and I can incorporate some of these ideas into my poster. Firstly, these thriller posters all use dark lighting to create a mysterious and fearful atmosphere which will make the demographic audience want to watch the film. Low level lighting is used to illuminate the main characters such as the villain and hero. The hardness or softness of light effects mood dramatically. The more diffused the light is, the softer and smoother it will look. I can use this technique in our film poster and we can grab some footage from our actual short film as we used many different lighting techniques.
Next, I noticed the positioning of the characters. In "Relentless" you can see how the protagonist is positioned at the front of the frame, leaning towards the audience to create a connection. The other two are behind her, in the shadows which creates a sense of secrecy. I have also noticed that some short film posters use close up's of the character's or even extreme close ups such as the one below. I believe that close up shots in a film poster are really effective as they draw the audience in and create a personal atmosphere. Also, I have seen some poster where characters in the poster are looking at the audience directly which is quite frightening and unnerving. Another technique used in short film posters is the position of the title and other information that is vital for a poster. This includes the title, producers, directors, editors and cast. The lettering needs to fit on top of the image correctly as all the aspects of the poster must work together and compliment one another. For example, the "Relentless" poster's red lettering links to the colour of their clothing and the slight red tint to their lighting, this is a typical convention of the genre.