Codes and Conventions for Film Posters

To find the codes and conventions of short film posters I first went on to the internet and found some existing examples that I could base mine upon. I used mostly posters that had real pictures on them as I aim to take the picture myself and do the editing myself for my poster.

This poster is cartoon-like rather than a real image. The actors and other people involved with creating the short film are credited on the poster. The title is placed in bold writing in a different font to catch an audiences attention attention. The use of black and white with strong contrast stands out, and the image if the two characters being covered with police tape creates a sense of visual tension and suspense.


This poster has the names on the actors and other people involved in the production, and again the title is in bold. There is use of continuity through the choice of colours, focusing on white and yellow. This is followed through with the lighting on the image, as it is lit with a yellowish tone. The image suggests some sort of emotional or physical relationship between the two characters, which intrigues the audience as to the narrative plot of the film.

This poster gives a slight insight into the film as you assume that the young girl in the picture will be a key part of it. Again the title of the film is a key part of the poster in capital letters and in larger font. The actress' name is also shown on this poster rather than the company logo. Unlike the previous posters, the credits of other people who contributed to producing the film are not included on the poster, which makes it much more simple and easy on the eye.

This poster gives the most insight into what the film may be about. The use of the smoke and dark background gives the impression its going to be a darker film. The title is the first thing you notice with the huge font size and bold capital letters. The comapnies logo is shown and some quotes from reviews are also shown. The poster also features a 'tag-line' which helps the audience gain an insight into the plot of the film.

From these posters the codes and conventions I have found and will follow are:

• To use bold capitals for the title of the film so that it stands out and will draw the most attention.
• To put a company Logo somewhere on the poster.
• To incorporate the names of the actors I will use in my film.
• To use an image that relates to my film but doesnt give away too much about it.
• I will use a colour scheme throughout the poster to show continuity.