Textual Analysis: Film Poster 10

The poster for the 'Catfish' documentary is very atypical of the normal codes and conventions of a film poster; this means that the layout does not follow the same set of rules/expectations as more traditional forms of advertisement. For example, although the features of a title, credits and tagline are present, the placement and typography of such elements differ from those of the posters I have analysed previously.

The image presents a female character lacking in facial features and therefore identity; this implies a sense of anonymity. As well as this, the unnatural/alien like image creates an eerie and suspicious atmosphere, therefore engaging with the audience and causing them to question the nature/intentions of the unidentifiable character.

The colour scheme is very plain/simplistic and does not stand out in any way, e.g. no bold colours or iconic symbols are used; it can be argued that this is done in order to reinforce the idea that the character is unrecognisable/indistinct and therefore blends in with the background.

Much like the other film posters I have reviewed, the title is centrally located and set to scale at the same size as the face. The typography is very clever in effect as the font almost alludes to facial features, e.g. the tail of the 't' creates the imagery of a nose; this is also seen through the positioning of the tagline as it is in place of the mouth. Although the font of the title reflects that of somebody's handwriting (somewhat more personal), the tagline is very typical to the font associated with typewriter print, e.g. typically seen in newspapers, magazines, books etc. This font is also used heavily through the social media as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, implying that our online identities can sometimes replace the reality of who a person is.

The credits are very unusually positioned which I found to be very effective; the concept of a text box appearing from the females mouth area reinforces that when online, you can say anything and be anyone- especially if your true identity becomes anonymous to other users. Unlike previous credits which state the lighting and editing acknowledgements, the text appears more unprofessional/amateur in approach; this may be because the documentary itself was a low budget film which is often the case with films categorised within this genre.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 9

When analysing the 'Blackfish' documentary film poster, the feature that stood out to me the most was the choice of image; this caused me to question why the image was chosen and what was the intended purpose/desired effect on the audience. The image appears very symmetrical through the white markings of the Orca; this creates an eerie undertone as the markings allude to an expression of anger and intimidation, therefore suggesting that the content will be shocking and at some points distressing to view. At first, the image of the Orca was unidentifiable to me- it seemed like a black shape with white eyes and a white frown; it can be argued that this is symbolic of the idea that the mammals are stripped of their identity within the featured footage. There is a very evident use of low-key lighting in order to emphasise the dark narrative and moral message, however, it can also be said that this is used in order to reflect the nature of the ocean- mysterious, unknown and yet to be entirely explored.

The mise-en-scene, typography, positioning and framing of the sequence comes across as very simplistic in layout, somewhat highlighting the seriousness of the topic. The tagline 'friend. outcast. killer.' is very effective in arousing the emotional responses of the audience- the contrasting language juxtaposes itself, therefore causing us to sympathise with the mammal despite it possessing the title of a 'killer'. The title 'Blackfish' is centrally located and appears in the same font as the tagline- this is uncommon in relation to the other posters I have analysed as normally different fonts/colours are used. The black and white theme is maintained throughout as the text appears in a tone of off-white on top of a black background; the consistency of the typography and the lack of sans-serif further alludes to the genre of a documentary as the poster appears rather harsh and realistic.

There are very few credits featured, but those that are present appear in very small font size and are practically unreadable- there is also a strong use of intertextual advertisement as there is reference to a website, twitter and Facebook page in relation to the film.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 8

This documentary film poster consists of many postmodern qualities; for example, the combination of both real-life and animation qualities. By combining the two, the poster creates an 'almost too good to be true' atmosphere; the three characters portray a happy family located in a setting where the grass is vivid green and the sky is clear blue- without a grey cloud or waft of pollution to be seen. The characters have been placed in a non-existent cartoon environment in order to represent the impact that going 'green' can have on your life. The effect of this is that there is an aspect of purity and happiness being presented, therefore drawing in the audience and creating the allusion of a perfect lifestyle/environment; this goes on to interlink with the moral of the film and the idea that climate change will be inevitable unless we take action in order to save the planet.

The tagline -"Can you save the planet without driving your family crazy?"- illustrates an aspect of humour, somewhat suggesting that the documentary will consist of a comedic element. As well as this, the idea that one man/one family can 'save the planet' appears impossible and somewhat exaggerated; the term 'crazy' implies to the audience that the documentary will be following an individuals extremist actions in attempts of going 'green'.  The positioning of the tagline is effective due to it being the first piece of text to be read chronologically as it appears at the top of the poster; the central placement of the tagline reinforces the idea of structure and perfection as it would appear unbalanced if placed elsewhere, which would therefore juxtapose the sense of consistency displayed. This sense of consistency is also seen through the positioning of the characters, as the two taller characters (the mother and father) are on the outside with the young child placed in the middle; this appears almost symmetrical and further reinforces the 'too good to be true' atmosphere.

The title is presented in the same shade of blue as the sky against a white background- the typography is very rounded in shape and appears bubble-like, much associated with the cartoon layout. Three acknowledgements appear in white under each character; this furthers the sense of symmetrical placement and stands out to the audience due to the contrast of the white on top of the green. The credits appear in a darker shade of green on top of that of the grass; this somewhat blends in with the background and is almost too subtle to be effective. Personally, I feel that a darker colour (maybe even just a darker shade of green) should have been used in order to make the credits more legible and eye-catching.