A Textual analysis of A film Poster
17:11
In this “Batman- A Dark Knight” film poster there are many things in which you can analyse just by looking at it. First of all, I am going to highlight the obvious; likewise to most movie posters, this poster has the title of the film in the larger font- this just makes It clear on what the name of the film is so that the audience is aware of its title. The fact that the character is called a “dark knight” tells us that he is a hero yet has a villainous side to him. In this poster also, behind the title there is the iconic and bold symbol of the batman logo, demonstrating that it belongs within the series of batman movies. This ultimately will bring excitement to DC or superhero fans because they know that there is going to be a new film out with the same characters in and will suit their interests. There is also large emphasis on the main actors as they are a key aspect needed to urge people to want to see this film. When looking at this poster, another thing which stood out to me was the release date. This is largely needed on a film poster, in my opinion, because it informs the audience on the day in which the film is available to watch. Within the writing at the bottom of the poster, things like the studio (the key institution), the legal info, and names the main roles of the production team. It is very important that this information is included because then the audience are aware of the main people involved in the making of the film and I imagine things like that are needed for legal and copyright reasons.
The mise-en-scene helps us build expectations, gives us character information and conveys the emotions of the scene. Firstly, the costume in the poster already tells me that is is going to be a film involving superhero or villains and it is going to be supernatural; I know this by the amour and cape he is wearing. The black suit which is shaped to his body shape shows this characters strength because this dark colour shows power and also the can tell he has an extremely muscular figure- portraying his strength. The belt that he is wearing implies class and that he's though of highly. You cant really tell his social expressions or eyeliner because over half of his face is concealed by a dark mask. Although this may be, you can sense a seriousness from the emotionless mouth positioning. This is effective because it proves that this character is serious about his role and may also imply that he gets through a lot of harsh situations- again proving his strength. The character is positioned in the missile of the film poster with his head completely centered- this showing us that he is the main focus of movie. Its as though he is in the middle of all the disturbance yet he remains strong and focused. You can also tell this by his posture and the clenching of his fists, he is ready for anything.
The lighting overall forms a dark, gloomy feeling giving the sense of the unknown and it is somewhat intimidating. The blue wash could portray sadness, the coldness of a character (the cruelty) and could also imply that this movie is set in the future. This use of blue and white suggests this because they're usually the colours that are commonly associated with future and new technology. The surges of light throughout this poster could portray the brightness (cleverness) of the characters mind or you could involve it with the portrayal of power. The use of these colours and the lighting can have many implications which could all be valid, this leaving the target audience questioning (which is good because it interests them and could urge them to watch it). When looking at the setting, you can tell that the scenery is very modern this has a link to the futuristic implications given in the colour. To me, this suggests that the film is set in the near future therefore may seem more realistic in a way. The colours red and orange suggest passion, fury, danger, fire; they could also be hinting that there is going to be a feature of romance within the film, adding complications or a twist to the storyline. The black vs white in the poster is a smart way of representing the good vs evil.
When looking at the camera angles, you can immediately see the low angle shot which makes the audience already feel inferior to the character. It is a great way of showing the strength of the character and its importance in the film. It is a long shot yet the title and the writing covers the characters lower body, this shows that the character is very unexpected when it comes to appearances, It’s almost as if he is emerging from the darkness. The fact that he is central, higher than the audience and on his own but still looking strong already tells us that he has a large significance in this movie. This poster is using three sections of focus, the top, the middle and the bottom. The top focusing on the burning building and the quote, the middle one with the main focus of the character and the bottom one with the main focus of the title and the other film information. I think this is used effectively because it adds interest (there is more than one thing happening at once). I love the quote at the top of the poster because it makes the audience question what this sentence might mean and it creates an excitement.
Based on the mise-en-scene I can tell that this films main genre is action. However, the use of dark colours and fire implies that there might be a combination of horror and thriller included. Overall, you can see the obvious importance of the character and his power alongside his strength. In my opinion, I would say that the film is focused on age 12+ this mainly because the use of colours give me the impression that there might be some weird twists in the story line and usually action films are rated 12+ due to the large use of violence throughout. This poster is done in a very clever way which intrigues th audience, therefore has fulfilled its purpose.
