2. The Boat That Rocked (2009)
The striking element about this poster is primarily the colour. As the film is set in
the 1960’s, where colour and fashion was dominant, the poster’s appearance
therefore connotes a positive image of high spirits and joyful moods.
The four figures walking across the centre of the poster, on the diving board, is
a take on The Beatles Abbey Road shot of them walking across the road. The
reason this has been done as a gag is because the film is centred around the
rock and roll era of 1966, an era particularly famous for rock bands such as The
Beatles. The effect this also has is one of a humorous nature, to enlighten us
about the genre of the film.
The title of the film really gives away a majority of what the film is going to be
set around. The figures and objects seen in the poster then reinforce the
viewers initial idea of the film.
Judging by the era that the film has been set in, I can only imagine that the
intended audience is that of an older generation however this could also appeal
to those who favour rock music from the 60’s.
A major boost for this movie is that on the cover of the poster, we have the
main characters featuring in the film, which happen to be played by well known
actors. Not only this but they can be seen as the best in the business for
comedy movies, for example, Nick Frost and Bill Nighy are well respected
actors in the field of comedy films and so for them to be both be featured in this
film, can be seen as a major USP. Not only this but the line at the top of the
poster reading “A new comedy from Richard Curtis” will also aid in the
audiences opinion of the film, as Richard Curtis has a strong reputation for
producing good comedy programmes and films such as the Blackadder series,
Mr Bean, Love Actually, Bridget Jones Diary and many more.

3. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
This poster clearly depicts an atmosphere fitting for a horror movie. You don’t
even have to look at the title of the film, or any other pieces of text dotted
around the poster to know that the film presented is a horror film, purely
because the forest surrounding connotes ideas of being lost, being danger and
potentially hunted.
The use of the text which says “In October of 1994…”, gives the movie a sense
of reality as oppose to script, in other words, it makes the film seem as though
the events that unfold are real, the shots and recordings in the film are real and
the “actors” really encountered paranormal activity. In think that the fact that no
famous/a list celebrities are displayed/cast in the film also gives the film a
sense of realness as well, and could reinforce audiences initial thoughts that
these could be real events that have happened to real people.
The simple use of the negative filter on the forest adds to the creepy effect that
the forest alone would create, and therefore adds to the horror genre it is
conveying
I think horror fanatics will be drawn mostly to the fact that this has a “real”
element to it – they feel that the film will sell them a full length paranormal file of
terrifying events.

4. Black Swan (2010)
The crystal white background blending with the actress’ face, has connotations
of purity and elegance. This represents the storyline of the film as she portrays
a ballet dancer. However, the harsh tiara, black eye-makeup and red eyes
quickly juxtapose this idea and has the power to alter anyone's first initial
thought about the film. The title of the film is a binary opposite as well, as swans
are associated with purity, love and fidelity, but ‘black swan’ creates the
opposite.
The list of actors above the title of the film may also have an impact on the
audiences decision to watch it or not, purely due to how well they view their
acting career and reputation of films they have done.
The list of awards the film has won on the sides of the poster will have an
impact as it shows that the film has had some good press from expert critics
and has been nominated as an award winning film, twice.
Looking at the poster, the genre that could be initially established would be one
of horror, judging by the facial appearance (makeup).

5. World War Z (2013)
The main focal point of this movie poster, is the abnormal structure of humans
striving to attack a helicopter. What strikes me most is the way the bodies near
the helicopter are being flung away, which ultimately shocks you – it gives it a
‘horror’ feel to the poster.
The large red ‘Z’ on the title of the film has used a staggered font to symbolise
decay and destruction which gives us as the audience an insight into the films
plot. One can only assume that the ‘Z’ in the title can stand for zombie, and that
the bodies we see in the centre are zombies trying to attack vulnerable human
life. This therefore shows us that the imagery in the poster reveals clearly what
the film will be about and the genre of the film – horror/thriller. Moreover, the
title ‘World War Z’ will prepare us anyway for a blockbuster-ride of a film as
‘world war’ has large connotations of mass destruction, devastation and global
outcry.
At the top of the poster we can see the name of the main actor (and director) of
the film, Brad Pitt. A large majority of the population will know that Brad Pitt is
renown for great performances in each film that he has starred in and so for him
to be in a movie like this will strike audiences as an exciting prospect.
This movie communicates well with those who are fans of movies that have an
apocalyptic feel to them; films that portray a world coming to an end, featuring
fictitious events and beings that conquer the world.

6. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The main focus of the poster is on the prominent baseball bat with the hanging
army helmet. The dark connotations of the poster stem from the unsaturated
background colour blending gloomily with the fog to create a haunting
atmosphere. This is reinforced by the blood stains on the bat and the helmet.
The text above the bat reading “once upon a time in Nazi occupied France...”
then reveals to us the whereabouts of the movie setting and the time period,
this then gives us an idea as to the history of that time period to get an
indication of how the movie will play out and what the majority of the film will
feature (blood, gore, violence, gunfire etc...).
Below the movie title, we have the directors name Quentin Tarantino and for
those who don’t know who this director is, he specialises in explosive action
films featuring a lot of violence, blood, gore and general ‘awesomeness’ if you
like. This therefore is likely to entice the audience into watching the film as most
people will have an idea of the reputation he has for making mostly good films
like Kill Bill and Django Unchained. This is therefore seen as the USP of the
poster.
Genre conventions of this film are conveyed through the image of the bat and
the helmet alone. These objects connote ideas of a war film, mainly featuring a
lot of blood, violence, destruction etc.; things you would in a war/action film
such as Saving Private Ryan.

7. Ted (2012)
Immediately, us as the audience are drawn to the strangely comedic imagery of
the man and his teddy-bear using a urinal. This main focus draws our attention
away from the title of the film as well as all of the other actors and producers
names seen on the right hand side of the poster.
Genre conventions are connoted through the use of the two figures using the
urinal alone, as we can therefore establish the film as a comedy, because the
shock factor lies within the fact that there is a real life teddy bear doing human
things.
Furthermore, above the title of the film, we are told that the film has been
produced by the creators of Family Guy and so we therefore are enlightened to
the fact that there are likely to be some controversial gags, but most of all, the
idea of a comedy film with a comedy nature is reinforced. Fans of Family Guy
are likely to know what sort of humour this film will carry.
Actors Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis can be seen as a USP as they are
popular features in comedies such as The Other Guys and That 70’s show.
This can also be seen as a persuasive technique as, again, it is likely that fans
of these actors will want to see how they perform together in a comedy movie.
I think the poster communicates well with its audience. The audience for this
film may be somewhat between the ages of 16-21, and so they may find the
content of the poster funny and will therefore establish a communication
between them and the film. Those who do not appreciate Seth Macfarlane’s
humour will otherwise find this offensive and this will in turn, destroy their
appetite to what this film.