'Kill List' Film Poster Research - Mae Webb

Conventions 
Title - The title, as on most posters, is the biggest font on the page. This title has been placed in the centre at the bottom of the poster. I feel that this is quite effective as your eyes read down the reviews at the top and are then brought to the title which you already have some idea about from the reviews. The white font is effective as it stands out on the dark background and the lack of colour creates a dark feel to the poster.

Production Block - the production block has been placed at the bottom of the poster which shows the names of the people who were involved in creating the film (a legal requirement).This has been placed in a border around the main image of the poster. I feel this works well as it does not get in the way of the image and is separate which looks visually neat and makes it easier to see on the white background.

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• Main Character -  The poster shows a large close up of a character taking up a third of the poster. This suggests that he is of importance in the film and is a main character. Most film posters will include an image of the main character so that the audience become familiar with them and can learn a little something about them before watching the film.

• Review/ratings - There are 6 ratings at the top of the poster all of which are either 4 or 5 stars giving the film a good first impression. There is also 3 review "One of the best British thrillers in years" this tells people straight away that it is a British film and of a thriller genre making people prepare for this genre.
• Website - There is also a website at the bottom of the screen which allows people to go and find out more about the film, the fact that they have their own website shows that the film has been quite successful. (www.kill-list.com). 

• Tagline - 'THEY ARE BAD PEOPLE. THEY SHOULD SUFFER.' This gives the audience an insight into the plot of the film and may intrigue them to find out more. 

Representation

• Although the poster doesn't give much away about the film and the representation of characters we can assume that the film has used the stereotype of male antagonists as the image on the poster shows a close up of a man's face showing his facial expression is stern and not fearful making him look in control. In addition the low key lighting on his face makes him look like a dark character and although he has something to hide as we can only see half of his face. These aspects make us feel like he is the antagonist in the film as he does not look heroic but rather quite dark and sinister.
• This is very common in thrillers as males are seen as more controlling and threatening than women and are therefore most likely to be antagonists because they are scarier. This film appears to be about hitmen, therefore it shows again a stereotypical representation that this is a male orientated business and men are more able to do this because of their strength etc.

for example here is the poster for the film hitman, which also follows the stereotype of having a male as the antagonist and in this case, also a hitman. This poster also shows a female character in the stereotypical role of his 'sexy sidekick' we can see this from her revealing costume and the composition of the image where she is a lot smaller in the frame showing she is of less importance.

However here is the poster of film 'wanted' where they go against this stereotypical representation and show a female character as the main 'hitman' and antagonist as her image is a lot bigger in the frame and she looks in control holding the gun. We also do not see any of her body showing that her job comes first.

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  Genre
• This film is clearly a thriller and we can tell this from the conventions of the poster and also the semantic codes that are laid out for us such as iconography, characters, props etc.
• The main image shows the setting of a forest, this is very common for a thriller genre as it is seen as a dark and scary place because it is easy to hide/get lost in them.  A lot of thrillers take place in forests where people are killed etc. This tells the audience instantly that this will be a thriller because of how iconic it is.
• In addition, the low key lighting on the poster tells the audience this will be a thriller as it gives a dark atmosphere as the sky has been edited to look dark with no light and the shadows of the trees make them look eerie.
• Finally the reviews tell the audience straight away that the film is a thriller 'best thriller in years'. The director has chosen to have these reviews so that the audience know before watching the film that it is a thriller.