Film Poster Analysis 3

“Nightmare on Elm Street”

The 2010 remake of “Nightmare on Elm Street” is a clear and very effective example of a representation of slasher movies.

The main colours that feature in this poster appear to be black and different shades of red which are both significant in enticing the target audience. The use of the shades of red across the poster is very effective in creating a sense of graphic violence and danger which are common links to the colour. Black is also featured in the poster effectively adding a dark element of mystery and evil to the equation further enticing the target audience. The colours are conventional for a slasher movie film poster. The film title is placed at the bottom of the page which is a common technique used in horror movie posters to emphasise the visual image further. The font is old fashioned in a red font which combined with the films name with “nightmare” in it creates a more dangerous effect. The term “Nightmare” seems to be emphasised in the title so that the audience can clearly see and understand the evil nature of the poster and the film. There is another common technique used above the title with the comment; “Welcome to your new nightmare” strategically placed in white above the main title to provide a contrast to the evil and dangerous nature of the red font. White is visually noticeable on black, but is also ghostly looking. The way in which it contrasts the main title with white font gives off the impression that the title is more important and the tag line is put in white to maintain the audiences focus on the main title however the tag line does strike the target audience very effectively and raises questions about the film. It brings up elements of mortality and a way out which are very contradictive compared to the strong black nature of the poster.

The main character, the killer of the film “Freddy Kruger” features as the main visual image in the centre of the film poster giving the audience a clear representation of the creature that lurks in the film. The representation of the killer to the target audience is evil and dangerous. The pose of the killer makes him seem more mysterious because of his head down with the hat being used to cover part of his face which is effective in not giving to much away to the target audience and maintaining the audience’s attention and intrigue. It immediately strikes you from this poster of the nature of the killers’ face which appears burnt and very bony which add to the suspense and chilling nature of the character. His faces’ appearance seems more monstrous and less human because of the scars on his face. There are prominent uses of dark, black lighting on both the characters face and jumper which also combines with the use of white on the side of the figures face and outlining the characters jumper which add an element of supreme power to the character through how he is emphasised in the poster. The lighting coming from behind, being the backlighting is sinister and maintains mystery, especially as it looks smoky. It gives different impressions to the audience about the character, almost as if the character is evil and cruel and a danger to all yet there is an element of mortality and humanness which adds more tension and meaning to the character, further enticing the target audience. The distinctive use of red is also evident with the characters jumper which appears ripped up and scruffy and gives off the impression that the killer does not care about its appearance and does not want to fit into society. The scruffy effect of the character used is a conventional technique for a killer to have ripped clothes as it makes them seem ugly, abnormal or destructive. Strategically placed in the centre of the page are the killers’ hands which are effectively the most effective part of this poster in conveying meaning about the character showing his danger with his weapon as a source of destruction. The way in which the characters hands are together adds the impression that the killer has an element of plotting and adds further elements of mystery. Very distinctively you can see the weapon in which is used throughout the film being what appears to be a very sharp claw. There is a large emphasis on this claw as it is displayed in the centre of the page with white lining around the side to add emphasis to the weapon as well as a tint or spark which gives off the impression to the audience how sharp the claw is and it also signifies its power. The use of back lighting on the character is very effective in bringing him to the front of the cover and it’s exposing his dark nature through the light and further making him stand out to the target audience. The use of the killers’ fedora hat is very significant as it features as the killers’ iconic symbol along with his claw throughout the film. It gives the audience the impression that the character is ashamed of his true identity and wants to remain distant from society and elude himself from being clearly identified. It is conventional how the killer is ashamed as it is an effective technique for the characters personality to be hidden. It maintains their identity being mysterious and scary. Most slasher movies don’t want to give away too much about the killers’ identity in the film poster and therefore use techniques such as props to hide part of the killers’ identify so that it raises questions about the killer and entices the audience into wanting to find out more and consequently watch the film.

The design of the poster is very effective and used in many slasher movie posters. It features the killer, prominent in the centre of the page and shows what appears to be the murder weapon very effectively. Its use of lighting is very common with different shades of red and common uses of black and white. The design gives a medium close up shot of the killer which really engages the character with the audience so they can start to appreciate the creatures’ evil nature. The poster is clearly trying to make the audience aware of the title with the word “nightmare” being portrayed in a very clear fashion and therefore it is trying to reflect this in the poster by displaying a form of nightmarish creature in a close up that. The evil mood and setting is portrayed in this film poster very effectively. The slasher genre conventions are referred to very effectively as it features a killer with a weapon which is used in the film very clearly giving the representation of a slasher movie to the target audience. The use of the sharp claw is a distinctive trait used within slasher movies which lovers of the sub-genre can refer to and this will further entice them into wanting to know more about the movie. In this poster attention is gained through a more shocking, image with the killer appearing as a disfigured monster that clearly will entice the target audience into the movie wanting to know more about this mysterious character. There is an element of surprise as well for the audience as the figure looks abnormal and will therefore terrify some members of the audience and interest others into thinking what this creature is capable of doing.

I think the poster is very effective in persuading the target audience to want to watch this film as it portrays distinctive conventions of slasher movies to a great extent and is very persuasive in enticing the target audience. Straight away, from a first glance at the poster, you can identify the killer in a graphic, evil fashion that gives off a clear representation of the killers’ evil nature. The colours used in the poster are very traditional when analysing slasher movie poster as red, black and white are possibly the most common colours used. When slasher movie lovers see this front cover they can understand what they are getting from this movie and can relate to it as an interest as well as some others can relate back to the 80’s classic and see this remake as a very powerful piece and therefore are going to want to find out more and because of the chilling nature of this movie poster, it’s going to entice the target audience. 

Film Poster Analysis 2

“The Hills Have Eyes 2”

Immediately from looking at this poster for “The hills have eyes 2,” you can see that it’s set the scene effectively in the background which links very clearly to the title.

The setting of this poster is significant in conveying an opinion about the slasher movie with what seems to be a desert setting in what appears to be sunset. This impression is given off through the colours used in the poster with the sky being portrayed in what appears to be different shades of orange. This gives off a clear representation of the setting which appears mysterious and links very well with the title. The two characters featured in this poster appear very dark and it’s difficult to get a representation of them through this poster.  They must however appear dark for a reason which is most likely so that they appear more sinister, dangerous and so there character is hidden to some extent so that you cant unravel too much about the film from the poster. You can clearly see that the figure at the back of the poster is pulling what appears to be an innocent person away into the hills. The audience can understand that the creature in the background is a killer and the way in which it is dragging what appears to be innocent human shows how brutal and harsh this creature is. You can also see that there is no face displayed which gives off the impression that the corpse has lost its identity. The apparent killer appears to be dragging what looks like a corpse being lifeless and hopeless which immediately adds to the elements of danger about the killer. From the setting in the background you get the representation of a isolated place, situated far away from society and appears to be the wilderness in which is unknown. This is a common convention of slasher movies where the setting is isolated from society. This will intrigue the target audience as they will want to discover what lurks in this mysterious place and what goes on whereas as it is the second episode of “The Hills Have Eyes” fans from the first episode can clearly relate the poster with the previous film with the setting and the brutality of the killers. The killer in the poster uses what appears to be a rope attached to the victim who is covered in a material and just brutally dragged across the rocky, sandy floor. The way in which you cannot clearly identify the killer other than from its costume being what appears to be navy clothing indicating something of the creatures past indicates to the target audience that the creature is reserved and would rather remain unidentified. Killers’ identities conventionally remain hidden which adds elements of mystery and fear. The fact that both characters are unrecognisable adds more intrigue to the film, and it makes the film all the more attractive for the target audience wanting to find out more.

The film title is traditionally positioned at the bottom or more centrally on the page, significant for slasher movies so that the main image is very clear and gives off the predominant message about the film However in this poster the title is somewhat significant how it is illuminated and bursts out at the target audience in white font. Often in Slasher film movie poster the image over powers the poster more than usual to provoke fear. This is unusual because from first impressions of most slasher movies you hardly recognise the title whereas in this one it strikes out as one of the most significant parts of the poster. The two words “Hills” and “Eyes” appear to be emphasised and are clearly represented in the poster giving the audience the impression that ferocious figures are lurking in the hills looking down upon innocent victims who are simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Also in the title, the “2” is prominent as it shows that it is the second instalment of the movie which is going to appeal to fans of the first episode.

The design of the poster is very effective in setting the mood for the film in the way it appears to be dusk when these creatures appear and target their victims. Also the way in which the scene is set in an environment with the mysterious hills in which the killer in the poster appears to be taking its prey. This is very effective in giving the target audience a clear representation of where the film takes places and gives a brief insight into the nature of these evil creatures. The slasher conventions are referred to very effectively in this poster with the killer seemingly dragging an innocent victim away through the use of a rope which will obviously cause pain and it indicates that the killer is heartless and brutal in its approach to people. This kind of representation can clearly be related to slasher movies. Attention is maintained through the main visual image with the disturbing nature of a victim being dragged away into the unknown with no insight to what might occur in these hills which will further intrigue the target audience into wanting to watch this film. The setting is used very effectively in this poster as it really does set the scene for the film and also reminds viewers from the first episode very clearly of the setting which will further entice them into what will happen in this film.

In this poster you could argue that the messages are mainly portrayed both visually and verbally as the main image itself is significant as it takes up the large majority of the page however the title is prominent in how it is portrayed to the target audience through the use of the white font which strikes out at the target audience. The way in which the message for this film is portrayed in a verbal way might be to remind views of the first film of the series very clearly so they can identify the film immediately and subsequently draw them into this new film. Nevertheless the visual image in this poster is very powerful in the way it is presented through incorporating the setting with two characters very effectively whilst not giving much away about the film. It just provides small insights to the film which are exactly what are going to persuade the target audience to want to watch this film through displaying correct and powerful conventions of the slasher film type movie. From the brutal nature that the film poster is displayed you can identify that the target audience will consist of thrill seekers over the age of 18 because of the nature of a slasher movie. They will seemingly have a passion for graphic violence and a “cat and mouse” type of film where the killers pick of their victims one by one until there is normally one left which is a conventional method of slasher movies implemented.

Overall the poster is effective in persuading the target audience into wanting to watch the film through implementing very effective conventions of slasher films that will immediately appeal to slasher movie lovers. The way in which the poster is portrayed not giving too much away is a key factor as it raises questions for the target audience that they will want to know and therefore want to watch the film. Because it is the second episode of the sequence in the “The Hills Have Eyes” series, fans from the first episode can immediately relate to the setting of the film as well as the title which is featured prominently so you can conclude that the film poster does fulfil its purpose of enticing the target audience to want to watch the film effectively.

Film Poster Analysis 1

“Friday the 13^th”

The first impression of this film poster of the slasher movie “Friday the 13th” is the dark, evil nature about the setting. The main colours featured are black, red and white which are all significant in certain ways in enticing the target audience. Firstly the red font for the main title adds significance and gives off the distinctive traits of the colour, being danger and blood. This is an effective colour to use in horror movies because it has clear links to graphic violence and blood which are distinctive features when trying to entice the target audience. The use of the colour black in this poster is used to a large extent which gives off a clear impression to the audience. The colour black suggests mystery, darkness and uncertainty along with evil which are distinctive traits which are going to entice the target audience. The colour takes up the majority of the poster with it appearing around the outside of the figure along with the profile lighting used on what appears to be along killer. It makes the character appear dangerous and also very mysterious to some degree along with the mask on and the black colour of his costume. In contrast to the dark and mysterious illusion of the poster there is also a somewhat way out of the darkness with the use of the colour white. It appears distinctively above the figures head and through the trees and gives the target audience the illusion that there is a way out although you can clearly see the gap is small which again gives the audience the impression that there is little hope of freedom from this hell. Therefore you can conclude that the colour white is a very contradicting colour which gives off different impressions to the target audience effectively. There is also evidence of back lighting, which almost creates a silhouette, which makes the killer seem more sinister or suspicious.

The main figure is represented graphically in the centre of the page which adds significance to the character. From looking at the character you can’t get too much of an insight into the figure because of the dark, mysterious portrayal with the dark colours. The dark colours are conventional for killers as it gives off the representation that the killer has an element of mystery or something is hidden. The use of camera is used very effectively with a low angle shot looking up at the character which makes the figures representation appear more powerful, dangerous and important to the target audience. Whilst the camera is also used to add power to the figure, there is also the distinctive long shot used with the camera so that the audience can’t unravel too much about the killer. The way in which the killer is portrayed with it’s body language is classic in promoting the movie as it portrays a straight, serious pose which gives small details away such as ferociousness because of the pose with the weapon but conceals elements of personality about the character which is effective in enticing the target audience. The killer seems to be holding a weapon of some sort but yet again you cant be too sure what it is which adds more mystery to this killer and further entices the target audience. It appears still, sharp and deadly-looking which are all conventions of slasher weapons in which intrigue the target audience. His body language looks intimidating and suggests his strength as his chest if puffed out and his arms appear outstretched. In the background behind the figure, it appears misty and dark in what appears a forest which is strategic as this is the setting of the film as well. This use of a mysterious, dark background makes the representation of the figure appear more evil and devastating in the way it may lurk around in the darkness which is a common trait in slasher movies.

Although the main image in the poster is visual being the killer powerfully reflected to the audience in the centre of the page, there is a very effective use of verbal text that contrasts the representation of the killer. At the top of the poster there is the text displayed; “Welcome to Crystal Lake” in upper case white text. It is clearly presented and provides an important message to the target audience. It seems a welcoming message but it raises many questions and predominantly gives the target audience an insight to what might lurk around “crystal lake” being what is visually presented as the killer. Therefore you can say that the main messages in this poster are a combination of both visual image and verbal text. The text is also in white which contradicts the dark nature of the poster and provides a light which can be interpreted as a way out or maybe even indicate that the text is a lure into the unknown. It is however, very effective in raising questions for the target audience which further entices them.

I believe from the structure of the film poster and the way in which the film is represented the poster in intended for thrill seekers and individuals who have a genuine passion for classic slasher movies. The poster gives off clear traits that represent slasher movies with a mysterious killer with a weapon in the darkness that seemingly lurks around an apparent area which in this case appears to be Crystal Lake. I think the poster is most effective in attracting people in the late teens and early twenties because of the very distinctive traits of the slasher movies which genuinely predominantly interest people in this age bracket and its likely to be predominantly males.

Attention in this poster is clearly gained from the overpowering visual image of the killer in the centre of the page which is immediately going to appeal to viewers and successfully attract fans of the slasher genre However the tag line as mentioned before at the top of the page in the white font provides mystery and uncertainty but it provides a setting and answers quite a few questions as well as raising some. The poster accurately reflects the mood and tone of the film being dark and evil as the representation of the killer clearly is reflected as a dark and evil character. The fact that the film is to be released ironically on “Friday 13^th” adds elements of realism to the film where it can add horror for some viewers and appeal to them successfully.

Personally I think the poster is very persuasive in trying to attract the target audience as it provides a clear representation about the movie to the target audience and very clearly sticks to the traits of the slasher genre. The structure of the poster is very effective in that it provides mystery to the film and also a small insight through visual text and the combination are very effective in making the target audience want to find out more and watch the film. Some critics could say that it’s too straight forward with just a killer on the poster but the way in which the killer is portrayed graphically through colour, camera and composition is very effective in raising questions to the target audience and thereby creating a very effective film poster and creating a mood of fear and terror.

Focus Group

I intend to plan a focus group in which I can use to identify more about my target audience and also it will give me a better understanding of how to produce a quality movie trailer. The focus group will be made up on 6 members representative of my target audience and myself where I can ask them all a series of questions that will help me identify what to focus on in my “slasher” movie and what interests them. The benefit of getting feedback from a focus group is that you get more of an understanding of what the target audience enjoy and thrive upon in movies and therefore can implement these factors into the movie trailer. The group will be made up of 3 girls and 3 boys from the ages of 16-18 who are studying a-levels. These students will partially make up the target audience and therefore they will provide relevant and useful feedback about what to include In the “slasher” movie trailer.

Introduction To Sub-Genre

The sub-genre I will be exploring and using to create a movie trailer, magazine and poster is the “slasher” genre. The slasher sub genre is very distinctive in its style as it tends to produce a lot of graphic violence and gore which interests a large percentage of horror movie lovers. The slasher movies involve a psychopathic killer stalking, and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner often with a distinctive weapon. There are hundreds of slasher movies out there that have been very successful through implementing the correct conventions of the slasher genre such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes.” The target audience are predominantly male and sometimes female that has an interest in watching graphic murders as plots are constructed around giving the audience the experience of watching the killers’ murders take place. The deaths’ are therefore violent and graphic, which is an effective technique in “slasher” movies to hold the audiences’ interest.

It’s not only males that can relate to these “slasher” movies though because of the graphic violence, women also can show great interest because of the characters used. In slasher movies there is often a innocent, good looking female character which interests members of the female target audience as it intrigues them to what will happen to her and therefore you have a large number of the female target audience who can relate to these slasher movies. However you are obviously going to interest the male members of the target audience if there is a young, female, good looking character being used as a victim as it provides a sexual element for the male target audience.

Target Audience Profile

The gender of my target audience is predominantly going to be male because of the slasher theme instigating gore and graphic violence. This sub genre would interest the male audience because of the conventions involved and the horrific nature of the scenes whereas a high percentage of the female audience will not be as interested in this type of horror. However there are some females who will be interested in slasher movies and not bothered about the graphic nature of the film. There is however a strong male section of the target audience who make up the large majority. The target age for my horror film will be between 18-30 as the graphic nature of the film makes it unsuitable for anyone under the age of 18. The younger generation of the target audience are likely to be in full time education or possibly college or work whereas the 20+ section are likely to be in full time work such as an office job as a main example. As it is a slasher movie and not a psychological, the idea is pretty straight forward and does not require any unravelling which would occur in a psychological thriller therefore the target audience education does not really take much significance. Thrill seekers are therefore likely to feature in the target audience because of the young characters involved.

The target audience are likely to be thrill seekers who are interested in horror and its conventions. The male members of the audience are likely to be confident, have a good sense of humour and thrill seeking characters that have a good interest in horror.

The target audience’s interests will vary as you can have confident and reserved characters that enjoy horror movies. The target audience clearly share an interest in horror movies and therefore could be interested into mystery. Other interests for the male target audience might include video gaming, socialising and sports which are somewhat related to the characters in horror movies as they are often young people with these interests portrayed in the movies. Whereas female members of the target audience could be interested in fashion, beauty and socialising which are interests’ related to female characters in slasher movies as you sometimes have the “innocent” female character featured.

Original Brief



The task set for A2 Media Studies this year, is to produce three pieces of media within the same promotional package. I’ve been assigned to create a movie trailer using the genre of horror, as well as creating a poster advertising the film and a magazine front cover with the same purpose. All three pieces will be designed to follow the codes and conventions of the horror genre. I will also complete the planning for the project via the blogging method at blogger.com. This blog is where I will base all my research and will guide me through the project of design and creation.  

Importantly, I will firstly need to gain a greater understanding of the horror genre and therefore will watch trailers and films following the codes and conventions of the genre as well as researching into the different directors. By watching as many horror movie trailers as possible ill be able to distinguish between “slasher, psychological, gothic” movie trailers and look for particular traits in the different types of movie. In order to complete a film poster I will have to research into different film posters from the horror genre to again look for more traits and ideas. The same principles apply to the magazine front cover where I will need to research into movie magazines such as “Total Film” and “Empire” magazine.  Through good research I know that I will follow the codes and conventions of the horror genre and implement the correct traits in to my three pieces of media.

I believe through good, solid planning the task is a lot simpler and can be carried out to a much higher standard than without. The task set is exciting and is a window of opportunity for creativity and careful thought, I am very much looking forward to embarking on this. I believe the use of the blog will not be much of a hindrance as I used the same method in my AS practical project and therefore know the structure in which to set out the blog. I believe creating the media pieces will be the greatest challenge as it will be interesting however it requires great patience and thought in order to make it a success.