Annotation of a film poster

Annotation of a film poster 

The main purpose of a film poster is to advertise a film that is due to be or has just been released in order to generate some interest. A film poster provides a range of information including the: title, actors / actresses, release date and the age certificate. These aspects may encourage a person to watch a film, for example if a famous actor such as Leonardo DiCaprio is advertised to be in a film then  people may be encourage to watch it due to it have a successful actor staring in it. Also the release date and the age rating are important as this will allow the viewers to see whether the film would be suitable for them. The images used usually give off a message of the genre of the film and can also give an insight into the storyline which will also help inform the audience on the suitability of the film for them individually.
Film posters are also aiming to reach specific audiences and aspects such as colours can be used to try to attract the target audiences attention. For example if a person is interested in horror films and they walk past a poster that features red they will be more likely to take notice of it due to red having the connotations of a horror / thriller film. The film poster below has the connotations of a horror/ thriller due to the red writing and dark background and this means that it will appeal to the target audience. Leonardo DiCaprio we see is central to the film as he is the main image on the poster and his name is also written above the main titles. This may attract a large audience as he is a well known actor and people may just watch the film because he stars in it. The words 'someone is missing' that is positioned near his eye gives away a part of the storyline as it suggests that DiCaprio is searching for a missing person and this is central to the storyline. Another main feature of the poster is the word 'October' that is in bold and red writing at the bottom of the poster. This clearly informs the audience when the film is due to be released and this is important as the audience will be more likely to watch the film if they know about it previous to its release.