Film poster research - Mia Foden

Submarine

Audience

Submarine is a British comedy. This is clearly emphasized in bold red writing at the top of the page after the actor's names. It is the second largest font size after the title - this implies the importance of this comment. The words 'British' and 'comedy' suggests that they want to stress the fact that it is for a British audience and the genre is comedy.

The ratings also give away their target audience - as you can see, Little White Lies (a British magazine which consists of mainly, film reviews, interviews, and game reviews) has rated their film 4 stars. This is important as this will encourage film enthusiasts to watch it. In addition, through research I have found that 63% of Little White Lie's readership are male but there are also ratings from Marie Claire and Glamour magazine. This implies that the film aimed at both males and females. It also tells us that the film aims to entertain both young audiences and middle-aged audiences as Glamour magazine is read by young women and Marie Claire is more aimed at middle-aged women and 51% of Little White Lies readership are between 25-35 and 34% are between 18-24 years old.

This poster has 7 ratings for their film and 4 awards - this has been emphasized in order to convey the success of the film and to sell it. 

The certificate is 15 which obviously implies that it aimed for people over the age of 15.

The colours coincide with the colours in the trailer. They will have done this in order to create a trade mark for their film. This technique is often used in order to persuade people to watch a film.

The Title

The title in itself tells us about the film as the main character fronting the poster is odd and quirky and seen as an outsider by the other characters within the film therefore is secluded. He is also, throughout the film, in his own world and caught up within his own thoughts - much like a submarine which is in the ocean without much contact from the rest of the world.

The font is also spaced out. This again reflects the main character's personality as he is very awkward and strange in the way that he thinks about things.

Representation

• Through the characters hair style and clothing we are able to infer that the film is set in the 1980's.
• We can also see a school tie - this implies that he is probably in secondary school.
• Through the use of a clear shot of the boy's face we are able to infer that he is a teenager through lack of facial hair and his facial expression implies naivety which suggests his age and is also stereotypical of a teenage boy.
• The simple block of translucent blue colour just underneath the boy's eyes is used to create the effect that he is underneath the water. This also tells the audience a bit about his character as he seems disorientated and confused, and again, in his own world. Also, maybe that he's slightly below the surface and not quite 'with it' like other people are which implies that he is secluded which ties in with the title 'Submarine'.

This is England

Like Submarine, the importance of This is England being a British film is high. The amount of room for ratings is much tighter however due to the image involving multiple characters.

The comments written in bold black writing have been made by The Observer, Total Film and Empire. These are all respected newspapers and magazines which give us an idea of what audience their film is aimed at - a mature audience. Another element of the poster which gives us this idea is the age restriction underneath the title which tells us you have to be 18 or over to watch this film.

The Title

The title is colour coded in correspondence to The Union Jack. This is significant as it emphasizes the that the the film is set in England. The title itself is a message which means this is the 'real' England. The font is large and bold with a 'scratchy worn down' effect which may have been used to look like graffiti. This reinforces the urban environment. The director's name is in a graffiti like font beneath the title. This font is the second largest after the title which implies the importance of the director. 

The use of the graffiti like font also coincides with the trailer where they are sitting down against a graffitied wall and later one of the characters is writing graffiti on a wall.

Characters

Unlike the poster for Submarine, this poster involves multiple characters. This has been implemented purposefully as the story is not essentially from just one character's point of view. It involves far more characters than Submarine which is narrated by the main character throughout.

Representation

• When it is set is significant and obvious due to not only the character's clothing but the writing above the title saying 'Summer 1983. A time to stand out from the crowd'
• Females are represented through choice of clothing to an extent as two out of five of the women are wearing skirts. The other three, however, are wearing clothing similar to the men's clothing. They are wearing baggy jeans and large jackets - this will be due to the style of the time.
• All of the males have very short hair - again reflecting the fashion in the 1980's
• The representation of the women is interesting as they do not fit the stereotypical female by wearing baggy clothes and wearing their hair up, or having short hair, which again reflects both the style and attitudes of the time.
• The image has a large dirty garage and has council flats in the background. This corresponds with the title as it portrays the 'real' England as an unpleasant and miserable place to live in. Interestingly, however, they have decided to make the sky blue rather than grey. This may have been done in order to keep the poster looking appealing rather than too miserable.

Colour

The main colours used in the poster are - White, Red, Blue, and Black. This involves both their clothes, writing and background surroundings. - For our poster we would also like to ensure that our colours are well coordinated in order to stand out and create a certain impression.