Looking at different media used to advertise films

I began by looking at different media used to advertise films within the genres of thriller and horror. A vast array of media is used to advertise and present the final product to the intended audience. They aim to capture the viewer’s attention and to intrigue them enough that they are willing to part with money to see the finished article.

First I focused on the posters. I found the main idea was to give the viewer a stimulating glimpse at the film. The posters’ dark atmospheric nature aimed to inspire some sort of emotion in the viewer, be it fear, suspense, shock or disgust. There is usually a statement about the film to stimulate the viewer leaving them wanting to know more. This statement usually contrasts the colour scheme of the page so it stands out. These posters usually implement a bold striking title that captures the viewer’s attention.

Here is an example of a typical poster for a thriller. The ghostly nature of the film is created through the darkness and use of monotone. The tag line “Before you die, you see [the ring]” grabs the viewers attention, it sticks it the viewer’s head as they wonder what is the ring? And what is the eerie circle of light? The unsophisticated handwriting used for “the ring” make the viewer think of a child. They ask what is an innocent child’s writing doing on a horror film poster . The ambiguity of the poster leaves the viewer in the dark in that the poster doesn’t give anything away in terms of the plot. The viewer understands the film will either be a horror/thriller as all the parts come together.

These are some more posters that I looked at: