New Moon film poster.

Before distributing a film in a mainstream way, the film will need a lot of advertising/promoting in order to gain awareness. This is where film posters play a big role. It is the primary medium for advertising a film and will generally have a number of different versions; this is usually and deliberately done to target different audiences. The aim of a poster is to find a 'narrative image' that near enough sums up the film, and tells the audience what genre it is. Most posters will have the title, tag line, name of stars/directors and any other additional information (e.g. billing block). Film posters are also produced for another reason; competition. Not only are posters used for promotion, it is also made to compete with other films which will be released around the same time. The aim is to make the poster as unique, effective and striking as possible so the audience would want to watch your film instead of the others. This could be done due to the constant improvement of technology, this means that they can use CGI for example and do something that has not been done before. If the film has done well, it shows that the amount of advertising/promoting has been paid off.

I have chosen to throughly analyse the 'New Moon' film poster mainly because I think it is well thought out and effective. I will be focusing on the images, narrative, colours, layout, texts and the unique selling points. I will also show how and why they are used to relate to the target audience. The genre is a hybrid of romance, horror and action and the poster clearly confirms it.

Immediately, we recognise the title 'new moon' as it is the only text deliberately enlarged to grab the audience's attention. The title of the film is in a yellowy golden colour which makes it bold and stands out from everything else in the poster. The use of gritty decaying colours can also suggest what the film has to offer; action, therefore it conforms to the genre of the film. The style is simplistic yet effective, mainly because it is easy to read and has an old, rustic feel to it. However, although the title stands out, it is positioned at the bottom of the poster so it does not lose focus of the characters. 'New moon' is quite mystical sounding and when a moon is associated in a horror film, we as an audience would instantly think that there will be an introduction to werewolves. Above the title, 'the twilight saga' is portrayed to show that this is a sequel so if the viewers who enjoyed the first film then it would be likely that they would watch the second one. By having a sequel, the audience would want to see how the directors can take the basic thread of the first movie and take it to new heights. The first movies are always the starting point; the ending is ambiguous so the following films would be refined and expanded. This is how films have a wide loyal fan base like Harry Potter for example. Below the title, we have the date of when the film will be released. This is just a gentle reminder to the audience so they are aware when it will be out. The lack of information makes the poster seem as if it is teasing the audience, making them want to find out more.

Stereotypically, from looking at this poster, it appeals to a male audience because it is clear that the film is going to be hard-hitting and serious based on the facial expressions etched on all their faces. However, if you look at the poster in more depth, you can see that it also targets a female audience and mainly them. The female audience is the typical film consumers so targeting mainly females due to the romantic elements of the film is a clever way of money making. Not only are we more emotionally attached so we can relate to the female character, you can say it is also like an escape from reality, like Sci Fi. It gives us hope and belief that one day 'Mr Right' will come along and sweep us off our feet. It could also be interpreted that we want the life that the characters have, it is like boys watching action films – they want to be strong and powerful, drive fast cars, and be surrounded by money and attractive women.

The images used and colour combination intrigue an audience into the wider connotations and subliminal messages it sends to an audience. Unlike the majority of mainstream film posters, this poster uses multiple actors to promote the film. This could be interpreted in many ways. It could come down to the fact that Twilight is still relatively new and that the actors were not as big at the time so the use of multiple actors of both sexes could cover a wider audience. By using attractive looking actors to promote, film consumers are more likely to watch the film because even if the storyline is good, the actors' looks give it that little bit more and therefore the film will have a bigger fanbase.

The actor that I am analysing first is what seems to be the antagonist, Edward Cullen (on the left). The positioning of the character signifes that he is pushed out of the picture and the other two seem to have some sort of chemistry. However, he is placed at the front of the cover which emphasises his significance of the film. This is also done deliberately because he is particularly known for his looks and by using him as a tool, a lot of viewers will be attracted and would be willing to pay and watch him act. He is dressed in black which is very symbolic. The colour black creates a sense of sinfulness and immorality. Despite his undeniable good looks which challenges the conventions of the stereotypical monster; unsightly and/or deformed, the audience are reminded that he still has that evil connotation inside him even though he labels himself as a 'vegetarian', this is mainly because the nature of a vampire is a blood sucking relentless creature. If we pay more attention to Edward's body language, it is clear that his face looks tense whilst looking at Jacob; the other male character. We are reminded that he is not that evil as he has his fist half clenched which does not foreshadow a brutal fight between them. The tension between the two male actors create enigma; why do they hate each other? Is Bella the reason for this?

Moving on from Edward, the positioning of Jacob and Bella gives the impression that they have some sort of connection with each other. This also creates enigma for the audience who have already watched the first movie or know about it; why is Bella holding onto Jacob and not Edward? Why is Jacob protecting her from Edward? Does Edward want to attack Bella in this film? The way that Bella is holding onto Jacob's arm and looking directly at us with an expressionless face, it reinforces the fact that she is vulnerable and confused and it conforms to the traditional female traits; dependent on men. However it could also be interpreted as if she is almost being restrained by Jacob to show how much he cares for her and wants to protect her away from Edward as much as he can. The contrast between Edward's pale skin tone and Jacob's creates a sense of binary opposition. The way in which they are standing back to back shows their great hate for each other and it also shows the contrast of their characters. However, the audience needs to remember that although Edward has an evil side to him, so has Jacob. The image of the moon symbolises Jacob's werewolf side and based on general knowledge, werewolves are not very good either as their instinct is to also kill. The way in which the moon appears very bright in comparison to the grimy colour palette, it indicates that the moon is significant and it holds revelance within the feature. The title of the film also reinforces that.

The clouded and obscured mist in the background with a sepia tone creates a sense of discomfort and adds to the overall mystery of the poster, symbolising that the characters have something to hide like a secret. It also exaggerates the theme of the film being enigmatic. The way they are surrounded by uninviting trees also create a sense of entrapment and threat as the trees lose clarity the further back they get which also adds to the indistinctness and gves the audience a sense of uncertainty.

Overall, I think this film poster is well thought through in terms of targeting their potential audience. I like how there are many connotations and denotations with subtle references to the narrative which gives us a little taster of the film. The lack of information given to us is very beneficial to the film as it is a common and successful way of luring us into watching the film in order to find out what we want to know so the answers to our questions and expectations will be satisfyingly confirmed.