1. Film poster analysis
The Woman In Black teaser poster.

3. Conventions
• This film poster is full of many typical conventions which you would
expect a horror film poster to include which all add to the genre of
the film. Things such as catch lines are typical conventions, which
this poster includes. The tag line ‘fear her cruise’ is used to signify
that something is going to happen and there is going to be a scary
narrative which adds the tension and shows it is going to be a
typical horror film. A credit block is also on the bottom of the
poster showing things such as producers names, promotion names
and marketing names. As this is a block buster film it means that
some of the names on the credit block are going to be well known,
possibly edging people towards watching this film such as
‘HAMMER’ and ‘cross creek’. These are here to show organisations
which produced the film. Horror films such as The Woman In Black
appeals to a certain target audience.

4. • There is also a website just under the credit block,
‘www.thewomaninblack-movie.co.uk’ this is a way of marketing the film
and is a use of viral marketing.
• This film poster however has no release date. This isn’t a typical
convention of a film poster however it could have been done to create a
hype and buzz for the audience making them want to find out more about
the film. This poster also has no certificate rating.
• The film ‘the woman in black’ which this poster is advertising, has a well
known actor as the main character, Daniel Radcliff. This uses Gledhills
theory where having a famous person in a film will attract more
audiences. On this film poster, Daniel Radcliff is the only member of the
cast, therefor showing he is the main character and possibly implying that
the story revolves around what he does in the film. Daniel Radcliff is an a
list celebrity which also means people will know him and would want to
watch this film partly because of the fact he’s the lead character and has
been made the key image of this poster and the unique selling point of the
film. Harry potter fans have now grown up which means that they may
want to see him grown up too in a film for an older audience.

5. • The background image for this poster involves many conventions of a
horror film. Dull colours such as dark greens and blacks are used a
connotations of fear which automatically shows the genre, this is also a
good example of pathetic fallacy.
• The background image is set in a forest with nothing and no one else
around which symbolises emptiness. This derelict forest is exaggerated by
having the image as landscape showing it is empty for a large distance.
• The weather in the poster is also a typical convention of a horror film. In
the background the audience can see that it is bad and foggy which
represents something bad is happening. The weather in a film can make
the audience feel a certain way and interpellates them into the film.
• Daniel Radcliff’s eyes have a special effect on them which makes them
stand out from his face. This would have been done by using computer
software which also shows that this is a big budget film which enables the
film company to afford to do this for a poster. Serious facial expressions
such as Daniel Radcliff’s also that something bad is happening.

6. • The mise en scene in this poster is important in making sure that it seems
real life and matches the genre of film. The costume is a formal outfit
showing he is a professional character and also has a high status. The
location and setting is also a very important aspect of mise en scene. With
the setting being in a derelict location with nothing but trees around it is a
typical convention of a horror film showing that the protagonist is alone
with the antagonist. There are no props used in this poster which is
unusual however it could also be used as a teaser where the audience
have lots of unanswered questions which could be answered through the
use of props. Props are iconic images which means you can see something
and it automatically lets the audience know what it is representing, for
example, a cross. Creepy lighting with green and blue effects are used to
show coldness and fear. The colour green and blue for atmospheric
lighting is unusual which also makes this poster seem more interesting.

7. • The title is in a bold font and capital letters which makes it stand out. The
fact that the writing is white and is on a black background makes it more
eye catching through the contrasting colours. As soon as you look at the
poster, one of the first things that the audience would see is the title.
Underneath the title is a tagline saying ‘fear her curse’. The word fear
automatically shows the genre of this film and symbolises a threat. This is
a denotation of a horror film. Short sentences which adds to the aspect of
horror films on their posters are commonly used. All of the font on this
poster is in white, this may have been done because of all of the dark
colours used on the background image.