Movie Posters : What Makes Them Effective?

One of the most crucial stages in advertising a movie is creating a successful poster campaign. It can not be under stated the sheer importance poster advertisements can make to the sales of a movie. Posters can entice a new audience and attract people who may not have other forms of popular technology such as the internet, in this context; a poster can make or brake a movie. Below I have chosen to analyse 3 posters which i feel are particularly impressive and effective.

This poster is for the fantastic demon/exorcism movie "The Rite" staring the Hannibal himself, Anthony Hopkins. What strikes me as interesting about this poster is that it shows the sheer impact Hopkins has had in previous cinema performances, to such an extent that 75% of the poster is just his menacing glare, showing that Hopkins is more important than the movie itself, he is the main star, his face alone will attract an audience. This is a clear example of Richard Dyer's Star Theory in practice, the star is simultaneously ordinary and extrodinary for the consumer. It is clear from just a single glance at this poster what the genre and themes of the movie are, if the cross shaped letter "T" doesn't make it obvious then the fact that Hopkins is peering through a cross shaped hole should immediately make viewers think "Catholicism , Demons, Exorcism", that paired with the movie title "The Rite" and it is immediately evident what this movie is about. I believe this is what makes a good movie poster, the ability to describe the movie to the audience with just one glance of the poster. The dark lighting on Hopkins face is particularly impressive, it gives a sinister "The shining" feel to the poster and will attract fans of other movies too, a clear example of correspondence between media in the genre. The fact that the poster has chosen to place "Academy Award Winner" above Anthony's name only furthers my opinion that the movie is playing on the fame of Anthony to achieve more sales. The tag line above the movie title is also a clearly target at horror fans, if the gothic/catholic theme of the entire poster was not enough, or the burning around the edges of the cross, then the tag line ensures that fans of the horror genre will not miss this movie.

This poster immediately grabs the viewers attention with the Nazi swastika, an instantly recognised symbol around the world, immediately the viewer knows this movie is set during WW2. This is again, perfect advertising, it establishes it's audience from one glance. The poster shows a knife with blood through the swastika, so the movie is clearly in favour of The Allies or from their perspective. This is an example of "Cohen's Moral Panic" theory in practice, the Nazi is represented as a repulsive beast in modern society, an instant alarm bell rings when people see the symbol, but then they are reminded that the beast has been slain as the knife is plunged through the symbol. The grey jumper of the man holding the knife suggests also that he is an American or British soldier as the jumper is representative of that style of uniform. The close up in general is a very interesting shot, it catches peoples attention, makes it stand out from other posters. The tag line then gives a contradicting light hearted approach to the image, suggesting the movie will not be just all action, appealing to a wider audience. The text for the actual movie title features the Nazi SS insignia eagle, again, adding to the theme of the movie, another instantly recognised Nazi symbol. The poster then appeals to an even wider audience quoting director Quentin Tarrantino's name to attract an audience of his work, who may not be fans of movies in the WW2 genre.

This poster is similar to "The Rite" poster although it does not have an A list star cast, it still manages to draw in audience attention. Having seen this movie i believe the poster is perfect in terms of reflecting the genre and content of the movie, in fact i can not think of a better way to advertise this movie! Although the movie has no memorable cast, it does have the director of blockbuster, gritty horror smash hit "The Hills Have Eyes" and uses this to it's advantage, placing the film title on top of the poster, the first thing viewers see, is the title of a movie they either love or hate, immediately achieving to grab the attention of it's desired audience. The terror in the woman’s face and the way the blackness of the background appears to absorb into her mouth is beautifully and terrifyingly put together, a very successful marketing ploy to horror fans, any horror fan viewing this image will think "This movie is scary, i have to see this!". The movie title "Mirrors" is written with a backwards "R",  a very clever way of symbolising the movie theme, it makes the audience feel like they are in the mirror, looking out into the real world.