Film Posters Research

Hitman crime thriller posters often use the large image as the focus therefore the photograph fills up the whole page so that the audience is attracted to the visual aspects of the film that is being advertised. It is evident that hitman films usually use a threatening protagonist with an intimidating, serious facial expression to define the genre. In the 'Hitman' movie poster the photograph is taken from a low angle to show his authority, the gun is in the foreground so it looks like it is pointing at the audience which is quite eye catching. He is wearing a dark costume which seems to be  a suit and black leather gloves to convey mystery.

 'Kill Bill' is slightly different as it uses the prop as the main focus which is a long sword with a woman's hand holding onto it, it has a symbol behind to suggest the cultural background. The colours used are orange and yellow which associates with warning and danger which is intriguing to the audience. The posters do not contain a lot of information except for the film title which is usually the largest text with a bold, clear font so that it is memorable and the first feature the audience looks at. Posters are quite minimal and simple as they just inform the audience about the genre and sometimes the names of actors involved or reviews from critics. The main purpose is to attract a wide audience by making the photography and images exciting to grab their attention to encourage people to look for it at the cinema, on DVD, in newspapers, magazines or online.

 Because these are hitman films it seems that the main protagonist who is the assassin appears on the poster on their own as they are the most important. On 'The Mechanic' poster Jason Statham is the hitman who is carrying a bag and dressed in dark, black clothing there is an explosion in the background to show chaos and drama which excites the potential viewer as they know the narrative will contain a lot of action. 

Sometimes film posters include a tag line which is catchy and unforgettable therefore it becomes associated with the film so the audience can recognise it. There is usually  an indication of when the film is going to be released, either a date or something less specific such as 'Coming Soon' to create some interest among potential   audience members. Information about the Directors and Production Company is often displayed in a billing block at the bottom of the poster to show credit.