C1 Film Posters

 

Wednesday 4th June

Film Poster Introduction

Do Now

1. Universal Pictures

2. Universal Pictures

3. Universal Pictures EON

4. Universal Pictures

5. Universal Pictures Amazon

LO: To explore the aims and conventions of film posters.

1. Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures are the big 5 major Hollywood studios.

2. The main aim of a film marketing campaign is to create awareness, generate excitement, and ultimately, drive ticket sales for the film.

3.Common marketing strategies include content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, PPC advertising, influencer marketing, and event marketing.

4. A film poster needs to include: the film title, a tagline, and sometimes the names of key actors or the director.

5.A teaser poster is an early promotional poster for a film, released before the main theatrical poster, to generate initial buzz and intrigue. It typically features a basic design or image with limited plot details, aiming to spark interest without revealing too much. Theatrical posters, on the other hand, are the primary promotional materials for a film, released closer to the theatrical release, and offer a more comprehensive view of the film, including plot details, characters, and the overall tone. 

6. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a recent film franchise.

Main image - The main image includes the majority of side characters inside the outline of Bond's body. This could connote his control over them, or how they each helped to build his character, and justify how he acts in the film; this also could link to the size of each character. The flaming car connotes that this is an action movie. Since that car is placed at the bottom of the silhouette, it could suggest that this line of work is in his roots, and emphasises his skill and authority. The main image uses recognisable actors (e.g. Daniel Craig, Rami Malek) in order to build anticipation for their performance in an espionage setting. The women are wearing more revealing clothing than the men, suggesting sexual objectification. 

Colour palette - The colour palette mainly uses blue, which may connote sadness or emotional scenes in the film, or may relate to Bond's confident demeanour. However, the blazing orange at the bottom, juxtaposes against the blue, suggesting that the task at hand is troubling, and is beginning to take a toll on Bond (relating to the images in the silhouette).

Typography - A serif font is used, which connotes sophistication and maturity, relating to Bond's wisdom and experience as a spy; which is backed up by the amount of suits, ties and dresses throughout the poster. However, the cut out lines in the text suggests that Bond is still fit for the job, despite the rise of the next generation, which is featured in the film. They also might suggest that there are imperfections in Bond's life.

Narrative - The size of the characters, may suggest the order in which the appear in the narrative, and their position and importance in the story. Guns, explosions and cool cars are featured, to suggest a variety of different action scenes throughout the film. 

Credit block - 007 - the fame of the character spanning over 60 years over the fame of the actor. Mentions the production, distribution companies.

Mise-en-scene - actors - sophisticated dress, smart, mature. Facial expressions - serious film. Setting - Neon lights of a city. Outside rural setting mountain. Car - setting - fire/action, car chase

Release date - The release date is April 2nd, which may be due to Easter approaching, and it being a time where families meet up, and may want to do activities together, such as watching the film in the cinema. Delayed a year and a half

Logo - 007 - Known brand, existing audience, expectations audience

Genre - action based on the mise-en-scene. Props, guns - gun fights. Images of the characters show protagonist and antagonist.

Wednesday 11th June

Film Posters

Do Now

1. A large company that owns smaller companies for different purposes.

2. When multiple things come together to make a new whole (e.g. cross-platform gaming)

3. When multiple media products collaborate to gain a wider audience.

4. A person uses the media for one of 4 purposes: Personal Identity, Information, Entertainment and Social Interaction.

5. When a film tries to bring attention to a film through a variety of means (e.g. posters, trailers, collaborations).

LO: To analyse the film poster set texts effectively.

Sophisticated.

Released 30th September 2021

Release delayed by COVID-19 pandemic.

Produced by EON Productions

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Budget was 250-301 million

Grossed over 774 million dollars

Poster designed by Empire Designs, a British film promotion agency. 

The typographical logo of the film title, No Time to Die is in Futura Black.

Intertextuality

Intertextuality, references to other existing texts.

The montage design, where separate images are laid over each other, references previous Bond films, providing a sense of familiarity.

Propp's character types:

Bond - Hero

Safin - Villain

Q - Donor

Madeline - Princess

Wednesday 18th June

Film Poster and Representation

Do Now

1. References in a text to other existing texts.

2. A storyline.

3. The props, makeup, costumes and lighting that make up a scene.

4. The way text is represented.

5. A type of film with certain codes and conventions

LO: To analyse the film poster for key representations.

Typical male hero in spy action film:

• Suit
• Muscly
• Handsome
• Guns
• Stealthy

The film poster uses media language to create meaning through images. The image of James Bond is the largest, which clearly shows his importance in the franchise, and provides new audiences information about the protagonist. Inside this silhouette, contains all of the other characters, suggesting his control over them, or their influence on his character. His facial expression connotes that he is calm and collected, emphasising his skill at espionage. His formal suit suggests that he is traditional, and still contains values that the previous Bonds before his also had. He is looking to the side, suggesting that his focusses lie elsewhere, rather than the characters within him, which may suggest him trying to escape some former aspects of his life in the film.

Representation Context:

• Several Aston Martins
• Dr Madeline Swann pictured twice on poster
• Nomi being 007 reported prior to film's release
• Minority of racists trolled Lashana Lynch online
• Lynch stated, "We (Black Women) know how it feels to be mis and underrepresented and we know how it feels to yearn for someone, anyone is the world to speak our truth for us when we feel like we don't have a voice. And I'm hoping that my career and my choice in roles and me just being me, authentically, is shining a light on our power."
• 3 guns, not threatening in the poster, ASA states violence shouldn't be glamourised.

Stereotypes:

Bond follows the stereotypes of a spy, action film. Bond is a male, wears a suit, an older and experienced man and is a womaniser. On the poster, Paloma is wearing a dress that seems to be sexualised, which tends to be a stereotype in Bond films. The representations of action on the cover (e.g. flaming car, guns) tend to coincide with an espionage film. Bond also follows the masculine stereotypes of seriousness and formality. However, the character of Nomi completely juxtaposes this stereotypes, with the new 007 being a black woman. This makes Nomi the first black and woman 007, which also does not follow the spy genre. Every character displayed follows Propp's character types, suggesting an simple concept for a storyline.

Representations of gender:

The representations of gender are very varied on the poster. All of the men on the poster seem to have formal attire, with a serious expression. The women on the poster are very contrasted from each other. Nomi has full spy attire on, wielding a gun, defying stereotypes. Paloma has a sexualised dress, but also with a gun, following Bond stereotypes. Swann seems to be a balance of the two, creating a large variety of female role models in the film.

Representations of ethnicity:

Nomi gives a positive representation of ethnicity on the poster, as the first female, black 007. The cast seems to be predominantly despite this.

Representations of age:

Bond is an older man (57), suggesting wisdom and experience

Representations of sexuality:

Wednesday 2nd July

MWTGG Film Poster and Media Language analysis

Do Now

1. Masculine, sophisticated, skilled

2. Contrasted, some sexualised, some experienced and skilled and a balance of the both.

3. Ethnicity is varied, especially with Nomi as the new 007 who is black.

4. The older people on the poster look more experienced and stern, whereas the younger people are the opposite.

5. Propp's theory.

L/O: to analyse the film poster for key elements of Media Language

Patriarchal behaviour

Sexualised 'bond girls' with little purpose or character

Insensitive comments

Tragedy on a smaller scale, as there was less special effects at their disposal.

Predominantly white actors.

• Released 1974, this was only Moore's second appearance as the fictional MI6 agent.
• Based on a book by Ian Fleming, it was produced by Eon (Everything or Nothing) Productions and distributed by United Artists.
• The film was created with an estimated $7 million budget and grossed over $97 million at the world wide box office
• To reflect the popularity of the Martial Arts film genre, there were several Kung Fu scenes and the film was predominantly filmed in Asia.
• The artwork for the poster by artist and illustrator Robert McGinnis. Prior to the 1990s, illustrations were much more commonly used on film posters due to the technology
• 1973 energy crisis, causing an oil crisis. This is hinted at through the poster's iconography of the power plant and the energy beam directed at Bond.

Women sexualised.

The small man being used as a servant/comedy character

Lots of action, despite it being older.

1. They have used a montage of images in order to show the events that unfold in the film, and the iconic moments which would not spoil too much about it's content.

2. His gun pointing upwards and away from the man with the golden gun, suggests that he does not need to utilise violence to complete a task unless absolutely necessary. His suit suggests sophistication and masculinity, linking back to the patriarchal beliefs of this time. His facial expression is stern, suggesting that he is skilled and experienced. The direct address reels us to him immediately, showing that he is the most important character on the poster.

3. The golden gun links to the man's skill, and almost suggests that they are the best with guns and their style of fighting/work. The golden gun also suggests materialism, suggesting the greed and therefore sinful nature of the villain.

4. The majority of the text is in sans serif, which is more comical and youthful, appealing to younger audiences. The thin, black text is more traditional and appropriate, appealing to an older audience.

5. The purpose of the golden gun, the relevance of the characters and the events taking place around Bond on the poster.

6. Guns, explosions, car chases, a range of scenes.

Propp Characters in the Poster

• Hero - James Bond
• Villain - Man With The Golden Gun's hands
• Princess - The two bikini women

The film poster uses mise-en-scene to create meaning through the use of costumes. Bond's suit has connotations of sophistication and masculinity, suggesting his role in the patriarchy and in the film as the protagonist. Most of his body is also covered, which opposes any suggestion of him being sexualised. Whereas the women on the poster are completely juxtaposed. The women on the poster are wearing bikinis, which presents them as sexual objects, who Bond can use throughout his story. Their role is also diminished through their costumes, placing them below Bond in this hierarchy created. 

Wednesday 9th July

MWTGG Film Poster and Representation analysis

Do Now

1. Confident, sophisticated, passive

2. Sexualised objects

3. Stereotypical, comic relief

4. Older with more experience, younger with less experience, usually a less important character

5. Hero, Villain, Princess.

LO: To analyse the representation in a historical film poster effectively. 

What are the connotations of the following:

A black suit:

• Sophisticated
• Stealthy
• Wealthy
• Mature

The colour gold:

• Winner
• Wealth
• Importance
• Power
• Royalty

A power plant:

• Dangerous
• Tense
• Energy

Who regulates film?

BBFC

Who regulates radio?

OFCOM

Who regulates games?

PEGI

Who regulates newspapers?

IPSO

Stereotypes of ethnic minorities:

1. To be pitied
2. To be laughed at
3. Exotic/Dangerous

Life in the 70s:

• Progressing towards racial equality
• Racial stereotypes evidenced in mainstream films
• Move towards gender equality and women's rights

Stereotypes:

James Bond is very masculine, with a suit and a gun, along with a serious expression, following stereotypes. The women to his side have been sexualised, as they are wearing bikinis seem to be extensions of Bond's character (as the one in the black bikini is pointing and has full attention towards him). The golden gun has stereotypes of importance, which is relevant, as the villain uses it. 

Representations of gender:

Bond is presented as sophisticated, skilled and masculine; whereas the women are presented as 'damsels in distress' without much other reason for their characters. The women are represented to appeal to Bond through their slim bodies, make-up and accessories.

Representations of ethnicity:

The white people in the poster seem to have a purpose within the story, whereas those who are not seem to be used stereotypically for comic relief or small roles. The woman in the karate uniform appears to follow ethnic stereotypes. The Mexican man is used as comic relief, showing a lack of progression and equality in this society.

Representation issues & events:

The lack of racial and gender is equality is presented here through the representation of the characters. The woman in the karate uniform appears to follow ethnic stereotypes. The Mexican man is used as comic relief, showing a lack of progression and equality in this society. The women in the poster are sexualised, with very little clothing in order to appeal to the male gaze.

Feminist perspective - male gaze theory:

The women in the poster are sexualised, with very little clothing in order to appeal to the male gaze. However the woman doing martial arts may oppose this as she is presented as dangerous and progressive. The women are wearing make-up in order to appeal to the men, and suggest that they are only there to serve Bond.

The MWTGG film poster represents gender through clothing. In the MWTGG, the women on the poster are, for the most part, sexualised. They are wearing revealing clothing (bikinis) with no clear reason why this should be the case. This presents them as 'damsels in distress' who appeal to Bond, in order to emphasise his influence and confidence. This creates a hierarchy, with the women below Bond, therefore presenting gender equality are extremely unbalanced. Whereas Bond shows very little skin, with a suit which highlights his masculinity and authority throughout the film. However, SPY's women characters seem to be wearing more clothing, which presents them as more equal to the men. The main character in SPY is presented to be a woman, wearing an authoritative black dress. However, there are sexualised elements to her outfit which may suggest that gender equality has not yet been fully attained. Her characterisation in comparison to the men beside her, paints her as their 'leader' with power over their actions, therefore switching the dynamics in the two posters.