History of Film trailers

Genre in Film Trailers

The Shining: Traditional Poster

In this traditional film poster I've established the genre of horror/thriller, which is demonstrated by the expressions of some of the characters on the poster. The conventions of a credit block and title are utilised, and I used a dark colour scheme to further enforce the horror genre. The child in the film is positioned below the others, showing he is a victim especially as he is a child and is vulnerable

The Shining: Minimalist Poster

I developed one of my initial poster ideas to create the design below. I kept the silhouette of jack with the axe as it instantly connotes danger and a sinister feel. The spotlight on the notable carpet design again generates an ominous feel as it would be expected for someone or something to step out from the dark. The fact that there is no light behind the figure to cast the shadow makes the design confusing and relates to the strange and supernatural element in the film.

Stanley Kubrick Posters

The Shining: Poster Ideas

Traditional Vs. Minimalistic Poster

Why are Posters Used to Advertise?

• Cheaper to print than electronic billboards

• Can be made any size and more visible than other forms e.g. billboards and vehicle wrapping are often used as they are seen by a large number of people daily and indicate that the film has a large budget, therefore it must be worth watching. Film posters are also displayed in train stations and at bus stops as these areas are visited by thousands a day.

• The colours and styles used of the design show the genre and demographic of the film, and are made to be eye catching.

• Can be used as merchandise, thus increasing the profit the studio gains and connecting the film to the audience. Also having posters to be purchased and displayed in people's homes gives more visibility to the demographic e.g. if fan's of the films friends see the poster, they could be enticed to watch the film also.

• Despite posters being meant to be thrown away, certain film posters have gained a large value of money, such as the Casablanca poster, which has an estimated value of £7000/£10,000. The french King Kong poster also has the value of £20,000/£25,000.