Analysing Film Posters - Conclusion and Conventions

Looking at a range of posters from a variety of genres was really useful as I can now see that they share the majority of conventions even though the films are generically different. I will include many of these conventions in my poster when I create it, tailoring certain elements to fit my chosen genre.

The conventions that are common include:

Tagline

Title of the film - largest copy on poster

Name of director(s)/writer(s)

Names of key stars

Names of supporting actors

Billing block/credits

Reviews or star ratings - often indicate genre

Reference to awards or nominations

Certificate or rating

Production company logos - generally near to the bottom/billing

Sound logos - near billing

Release date - often at the bottom of the poster

Social media or website links

Reference to merchandise

Reference to source material

A dominant central image, occasionally additional images

Genre iconography

Reference to format

Reference to other films made by the director, producer or studio