Analysis of 3 Film Posters

Shot angle/Positioning

This is a mid-shot of the three main antagonists. It cuts out the arms of the two women to give the effect that the focus is entirely on them. The killer that appears to be male is the focal point of the poster giving him the majority of the power and almost making the other two masked people side kick characters

Lighting/Shadowing

It is apparent at the top of the poster, the lighting in the shot is designed to bring out the heads/masks of the killers, this makes them more prominent and menacing in the poster. The two protagonists are partially in shadows showing they have no power or influence in the shot.

Theme

The theme for this poster seems to be fear within simplicity. The poster is not in any way abstract or separate from normality, however, I think this goes well with the movie itself as the killers are not extravagant or outrageous etc. so I think the poster outlines the type of horror film The Strangers will be. The colour theme does not particularly stand out perhaps to set a dark and dreary tone.

Text/Font

The layout of the text is at the top and bottom of the poster. The reason for this is that the main image is the five people in the middle of the poster. The tag line is above the characters and the title of the film is at the bottom just below the top actors' names. The font used is relatively simple. More so for the tag line, the font used in the title is a little more eerie, with the use of a slight glare on each letter giving the text a mysterious edge.

Shot Angle/Positioning
This is quite a low angle shot and a long/extreme long shot, reason being that the whole bodies and surrounding of the people are shown. The fact that the shot is low angle gives us a small insight into what the man and boy are seeing as we see them but also see what they are seeing as we are facing the same way. From the positioning of the shot and frame it is clear that the man and the boy are the protagonists as they are the focal point of the poster. Even though they are partially shadowed, the light from the background makes them stand out a little bit more, making them more prominent.

Lighting/Shadowing
The lighting and shadowing are very effectively used in this poster, the man and boy are shown looking at a very bright and slightly eerie light coming from outside in the mist. This light from outside penetrates the windows and almost transforms the man and boy into silhouettes. This is excusable to some extent however, as the characters are not facing the camera, they are facing away showing that what they are looking at is of considerable importance.

Theme
The theme for this poster appears to be mystery and concealed information. The reason i think this is because the identities of the man and boy are kept a secret and the mysterious light and mist outside has no clarity as to what it is. In addition, the mystery seems to be of supernatural nature as the building the man and boy are inside appears to be a shop as there are shopping trollies to the lft and right meaning they are on earth. This then means that the mystery behind the mist is something unknown and could be alien or supernatural.

Text/Font
The title on this poster is a clever one as the words 'The Mist' are partly seeping away as they appear to be partially made of mist, which goes with the theme of mist and mystery. The text at the bottom of the poster is a quotation saying that it is a very shocking ending. This gives that extra bit of mystery and anticipation for the audience seeing this poster.

Shot Angle/Positioning
This poster's focal point shows a low angle long shot of the main character of the film: Jason Vorhees with his famous murder weapon and mask. This shot instantly gives Jason all the power in the movie, the audience who see this knows that Jason will be a powerful figure and judging by the large knife in his hand that he will be killing/trying to kill someone. Jason is standing dead centre of the poster because the film revolves around his character.

Lighting/Shadowing
There is a very specific setup of lighting and shadowing in this poster. As most horror fans will know, Friday the 13th is typically a very dark movie set mostly at night time and in very dark locations. Here we can see Jason standing in the middle of a dark wood as most of he himself is in shadows showing that he relishes in areas and conditions such as these, almost like he belongs there. There is one vital part of lighting in this image: the moonlight, illuminating The top-right side of Jason's mask. Moonlight in horror movies is a classic scary tool and this reflects that Friday the 13th is a classic horror movie and conventions can be expected to be met. As for the mask, there has to be some indication of the mask as it is the centrepiece of Jason as a character, meaning they are really showing off a horror franchise in this poster.

Theme
There seems to be a theme of darkness in this poster. Relating to the movie, the shots tend to be that similar of the poster: dark, looming and isolating shots and the occassional creeping of moonlight to show perhaps Jason's mask. In this poster that is exactly what happens - minimal light is used to create a sense of unsureness and uneasyness and when light is required, to make it fit in with the night time theme, a perfect example of this being moonlight.

Text/Font
The text and font in this poster are very typical of a classical horror such as Friday the 13th. The dark tones of the main image underneath a threatening, bloodthirsty shade of red in the title, clearly displaying that the audience can expect blood, death and other acts of violence. The text at the top of the poster confirms that this will be a classic horror that the audience will anticipate, the words 'welcome to crystal lake' at the top resemble the iconic sign at camp crystal lake in the film. This is a symbol of what is to come, and even perhaps a pointer or teaser to the audience.