Research and
planning the film poster and magazine review page
The outlined blue circle on the
right hand side of the page denotes the English boy band “McFly” this instantly
captures the audience’s attention as of the colour co-ordination of blue and
white which is also worn by the band. Also, the poster including another
enjoyable element to the movie makes it more endearing and exciting for fans of
the boy band to watch the film. The use of blue is displayed in different tones
for example: the caption “Featuring McFLY” utilises the scheme of light blue on
white this tone conveys tranquillity and peace which is juxtaposed with the
musicians as they produce loud music. Furthermore, the band wearing a darker
shade of blue which symbolises seriousness, integrity and power; however, this
goes against the prosodic feature of the band as they are portrayed: Crazy, fun
and disorientated.
The title “Just My Luck” is
displayed in three different colours which is shared between the two
predominant characters: Lindsay embodies pink, Chris represents blue and both
colours are merged together to produce a light shade of purple which signifies
the first person singular object pronoun
“My” representing both characters sharing the same luck combined. In addition, the bold elephant specifically
targets a broad female audience of teenagers as of the styling of the font.
Below, in a rectangular box the age rating stated “PG” to display what age is
allowed to watch this which also accompanies adults to be present as it may
contain either sexual or flashing scenes which is not suitable for children, this
is conventional as the age certificate states that PG movies should be
televised with an adult. The film credits has been placed underneath the film
title, this informs the audience who has participated in the making of the
film. This film poster intrigues the audience because of its exclusivity which
is also aided by the music artists being featured adds more curiosity of what
the film will be in regards to and what role they will play. The “COMING SOON”
caption is very ambiguous but also acts as a teaser and leaves the audience in
awe as they would want to be keen to know when the film will be distributed in
cinemas. The sponsors above represents what association are participating with
the film and can also imply they are advertising their brand to the public and
other media sources in order to gain profit in a niche market. Seeing how the film has a similar storyline it
has aspects which are the same for example: the predominant male actor is
extremely unlucky in achieving the desires he wants, in order to have a
successful future. Also there is an element of fantasy which makes it endearing
for the audience as in our short film we have a scene which denotes the boy
picking up a lucky penny, believing he will be able to achieve luck; however he
is not aware that picking up the coin gained him more misfortune. Hence, it is
in contrast, to the male character in ‘Just My Luck’ who randomly kisses
Lindsay Lohan, as he retrieves good luck.
The typical conventions of the romance genre relates to my short as it
coincides with the idea of the man and woman being opposite of luck and
struggle to maintain a relationship, which is similar to my short as I the boy
is depicted unlucky and struggles to gain a girlfriend.
‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’ is
a hybrid of romance and comedy which is also similar to my short film as of it
consisting a male and female character which instantly flourishes into a
relationship. The poster is a long shot of both characters leaning against each
other which can convey to the audience how dependent they are with each other
and has the illustration of having a dominant central image of the romantic
leads. The small captions above both of the actor and actress’ denotes their
name in red and a dark gold “Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey” which can be
implicate royalty as both colours are very dominant and reflects prosperity and
wealth and has an emphasis on their star quality which is a selling point. Kate
is depicted slanting on one side of Matthew portraying a fearless impression as
she glances at Matthew from the corner of her eye which suggests she is not
afraid of anything. This is also accompanied by posture of her folding her arms
which shows she does not tolerate nonsense and is a significant, classy woman.
Kate is seen wearing a gold, silk dress which compliments her petite figure as
she appears gracious and beautiful as the colours of her blonde locks mirrors
her dress which gives her an outer glow. The angle of her right leg pointing
out attracting the reader’s eye demonstrates how she is classy; yet has the
qualities of being an amorous person. Her formal attire of a: sophisticated, luxurious
dress can assume to the audience that she comes from a wealthy background;
however her hair being just tied up and looking simplistic and her being bare
without any accessories of jewellery can suggest she is wanting to live the
aristocratic life and is trying to blend
in. In similitude Matthew is also captured slightly lounging on Kate, wearing a
navy silk suit and polished black leather shoes which represents him looking
prominent and handsome as it generates him being a dominant, authoritative
figure that is well groomed; thus may connote he can be a ladies man as he has
the perfect attributes of appearance to appeal to sophisticated women. The
attention from his eyes and face position is aimed at Kate’s which can imply he
is trying to gain her attention. Matthew body language of both of his hands
bring in each of his pockets can reflects how relaxed and composed he is about
things; whereas the creases seen in his blazer and trouser can possibly convey
he may have some blemishes of being this significant figure. In addition his
right foot is positioned on its side which emphasises how calm and collective
his character is. Both characters are featured in front of a city background
accompanied with natural surroundings which may be assumed as being Central
Park in America as it is near New York, an urbanised area full of luxuries and
well-paid jobs; hence it associates can implicate that both characters were
introduced with each other in a location where they both have familiarities
with.
The masthead/caption stated in
between both characters is the title of the film “How to lose a guy in 10 days”
utilises a bold colour scheme of: Red, gold and black. All of these colours are
predominant and portray power as it has a combined mixture of: luxury, passion
and superiority. The title of the font is very simplistic, as it is similar to
the ‘Times New Roman’ font, this adds to how uncomplicated the film will be to
the audience. Moreover, the interrogative pronoun ‘How’ followed with the
remaining tile almost seems as if, it is an instructional film of how to
dispose of a males, which entices a predominant female audience of teenagers
and mature women. The layout of the text is unconventional as it is ambiguously
placed in between the characters which can connote the possibility of something
occurring with the two main characters. Also it seems as if they are both
saying the film title together for example: In unison they both express
‘HOW/GUY’ as both of their first names are denoted in a red font, then Matthew
says ‘TO/ A/IN/DAYS’ as the colour matches his suit and Kate says ‘LOSE/10’ as
it coincides with her the colour of her dress. This is aided by their facial
expressions which create an illusion for the audience that makes them imagine
both characters saying the title to each other.
The credits below state who has
had involvement of constructing the film, which can be a reliable source for
film fanatics who only watch films by certain directors or producers ect. This
goes alongside with the sound logos, production companies who has primarily participated
an input towards the film and the film’s website is inputted so audience can
have access of wanting to know more about the film or can watch the trailer.
Beneath everything, is the tag line which denotes “One of them is lying so is
the other” this is highlighted in a red small font which automatically attracts
the reader’s eye as it is a simple but curious tagline which intrigues the
audience to want to know more. The tagline may appear typical to the audience
due to the tagline associating well, with how both actors facial expressions
are aligned towards each other; it suddenly begins to piece a puzzle for the
audience. Also the red title symbolises how both characters are not innocent
and hold a dangerous aspect, this makes it more entertaining for viewers to
want to proceed of viewing the film. I will apply similar characteristics from
the movie “This Means War” to my short using scenes of when both men helplessly
battle and deal with the hardship of trying to maintain their lives without
being watched by each other. This specific technique will be used in order to
show my predominant male character in the struggle trying to wake up on time,
not being clumsy, which will be an entertainment bonus for the audience.
‘THIS MEANS WAR’ is a combined
hybrid of romance, comedy and action which elevates an enticing thrill for the
audience to want to regard the film as it contains a vulnerable woman and two
men who seem as if they are competing for her. The black and grey medium wide shot of all
three actors gives a serious impression of something occurring. The masthead is
denoted in a embolden, capitalised red and white font that instantly catches
the audiences eye. All three actors are wearing black or dark coloured formal
attire which implicate professionalism and seriousness. Both men are holding
gun pointing at the actress: Reese Witherspoon which suggests that she is the
target, they are also dressed similarly wearing a: dark striped blazer
alongside formal striped trousers; however Chris Pine is wearing a shirt that
does not have the top button done up which can implicate he is not as serious
as Tom Hardy who has his top button done all the way up and is wearing a shirt
with a matching striped tie. Chris has a hard eye look whilst giving direct eye
contact to the audience this can reflect his personality of being well-polished
and a ladies man; unlike Tom who seems bewildered and confused in his gaze
towards the viewers although both men in parallel have their arms folded which
implicate ‘Serious business’. Whereas, Reese Witherspoon is wearing a
seductive, long black dress which compliments the outline of her physique. This
attracts attention to her beauty as the direct contact from her eyes with the
small application of eye make-up having a smoky effect gives her an alluring
look; thus, gaining the attention from the audience. Reese’s posture of her
hands being placed on her hips can convey how she is advertising herself as a
model being photographed. The caption “means” depicted in a white font, in
front of her portrays how significant and vital she is towards the other men as
she stands out. On the other hand, both men have red bold caption which can
convey that they may be dangerous undercover spies as of the emphasis of the
colour which gives them a sinister impression this forms direct address as the
audience are attracted with the colour due to it bringing the masthead to the
foreground and may stimulate the audience to watch the movie as red insists
people to make quick decisions. This is aided with the date being also in the
same shade which connotes the ultimate, exclusive day of danger, love and war
which cannot be disregarded by the audience –it is a must see.
The sell line “It’s SPY Against
SPY” is denoted in a small white font that represents and makes the audience
comprehend that both males are spies who are solving a mystery which is Reese
Witherspoon. This advertises what the film may be in regards to as it might
have combative scenes of both men trying to win their prize i.e. Reese. The distribution date denoting “23 FEBRUARY
2012” which is captured in a red font shows how significant and vital the
information is to the viewers. The website is featured on the right to allow
audience to know more information about this film online.
Moreover, there is little text denoted on the movie poster, which can implicate how the movie distributor does not want to display more clues for the audience therefore leaving a mystery as a teaser for them. It only shows the vital information of where you can go to watch it and where. This is utilised as well with the actors’ names making them appear as anonymous victims of a crime scene. This will eventually encapsulate the audience to tempt them to watch the film.
Annotated Reviews:
'Unstoppable' Review
'Watchmen' Review
