Posters chosen for use in the classroom can be used as a source of discussion regarding the essential elements of film posters and their purpose. Some discussion points here might be:
- Raiders of the Lost Ark uses the iconography of the action adventure film with the iconic hat of the main character and the stereotypical character roles.
- Alien uses colour to convey the genre but here and does not give too much away about the film’s narrative but it is the tagline In space no one can here you scream that has captured audiences’ imaginations.
- Titanic [which was the highest grossing film of all time from its 1997 cinema release until director James Cameron broke his own record with Avatar] is clearly packaged and sold here as a romance/tragedy – at the time its potential for commercial success was unknown as the stars were not huge, and the target market was specifically adults.
Can you identify the films from their posters? Discuss with your class and then click on the thumbnail to view the full poster. Were you correct?
Source 1
Source 2
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- Film posters are often iconic – achieved through the use of a key image, memorable tag line or iconic typography
- Film posters capture the essence of a film
- Posters establish the genre of a film
- Posters trigger narrative interest
- A poster should tell the story in 30 seconds
- Posters form a connection with the audience
- Successful posters capture the audience’s imagination and encourage viewers to see the film
© Source 1: Alien - Alamy.
© Source 2: Captain America - Alamy.
© Source 3: E.T. - Alamy.
© Source 4: Godzilla - Warner Bros.
© Source 5: Indiana Jones - Alamy.
© Source 6: Jaws - Alamy.
© Source 7: Star Wars - Walt Disney Studios.
Every effort has been made to seek copyright permission for this image, however if you would like this image to be removed please contact us on resources@wjec.co.uk.
© Source 8: Titanic - Alamy.