Week One Writing: Movie Posters
Although they are constantly surrounding me, I have never taken a close look at movie posters. I usually glance at them to see the title and who are the actors or actresses that are in it. I leave it up to a preview on T.V. or in the movie theatre to tell me what the movie is about. However, now that I’ve been asked to look at things more closely, I noticed how interesting some movie posters can be. I’ve noticed what kind of advertising they use to make the viewer want to see that movie or at least go on Imdb.com and find a preview and a cast list.
For example the poster for the up coming movie “Vantage Point”(the poster can be found in my photos). The image they have used is a silhouette of a body and it is then broken down into different segments, with different images inside of them. Most of the segments have different people in them, each portraying a different emotion. The woman at the top has a look of concern on her face, while the man on her right looks like he has control. Then the man holding the camera seems almost in shock, as if hes witnessing something. After looking at this poster I noticed the eye in the middle of the body. The expression the eye gives off looks so powerful and you feel like you are being stared at, it becomes almost creepy. With each of these images in place, they all become pieces of a puzzle. I thought this poster was a different way to advertise a movie and it does catch the viewers attention, which is exactly it’s purpose.
As I was browsing other movie posters, another caught my attention. The picture, but more importantly the “blurb” that is seen on every movie poster, caught my eye and made it worth writing about. The movie is called “The Informers”. The blurb associated with the movie is “GREED IS GOOD. SEX IS EASY. YOUTH IS FOREVER.”. My first thought was that this blurb was brilliant and basically sums up the society we live in today. Speaking in general terms, these are three major parts of our society. This is especially apparent in the entertainment industry and is seen in the media.
First, to some extent, in order to be successful there has to be at least a minimal act of greed. It may be an act not even thinking twice about or an act of greed that ultimately leads to portrayal. Secondly, sex is a key element in media and advertising. Rather than just having sexual undertones, this blurb tells you what sex is in this movie, its easy. However, the viewer is still left wondering what is meant by easy. Thirdly, the entertainment business has recently had a growing obsession with youth. Celebrities go through procedures and rigorous training to keep their youthful body and youthful appearance. The person on the poster also caught my attention. The all white can be an expression of purity, which goes along with the idea of youth being forever. Greed being a good thing, easy sex, and having your youth forever…what more could you want?
I realize that movie posters have a great way of catching the viewers attention through powerful images and powerful words. While that is their purpose, after taking a closer look at the posters, I realized how much you can actually read from them. It was also by chance that I was able to look more into movie advertising more carefully. I was using the StumbleUpon application that takes me to random websites and one came up with a bunch of movie posters that are being released this year. I was able to use one new media outlet, to find my way to another form of media.
4 years ago • Notes