'Fish Tank' Poster Research - Charlotte Hudson

 

Posters being hollywood blockbusters or uk independent films, all follow similar features when making their posters to advertise their films. 

This poster for 'Fish Tank' also follows some of these key features:

• The last names of Actors are written in bold on the poster- this means the actors have more authority and is also shorter, so there is more room on the poster.
• The main text of the poster is kept away from the image of the actor, and is only shown in the 'dead space' around the poster, but it is placed on the setting (her bedroom) this help to highlight what her life is like by having drawings on her wall, so fits in with the setting. 
• The main text is also much larger than the other font on the page and this helps to grab the audience and is a necessary feature on a film poster as you have to attract your audience fully. They use a san serif font and therefore it is clear to read and doesn't go against the type of film (doesn't change the age or idea e.g. not being more higher class then the film) it also is the same shape text as in the film. The title 'Fish Tank' suggests that there is no escape from her life. The audience can see her life and what she could have but the character can't move out of the life around her. The font is a bright blue and contrasts well with the pink (this may also be a stereotypical idea as light pinks and blues are liked by females more than boys and therefore want to make sure they are fully attracting the right audience).
• I also thought the blue of the writing goes with the idea of being in a 'fish tank' as it is representing water perhaps, this is then enhanced by having the main image of the main character looking through a glass window which suggests entrapment like a fish in a tank. 
• The main image as well as the text and the backdrop is also the main actor being on the poster, this is to help the audience have an idea about what age the actors are and therefore the age the film is about. So the image of the main actor helps to attract the audience they want- this is also helped by having the age certification on the poster as well- this makes sure the audience type is captured. 
• The poster also has to have ratings and comments- this poster has praise from 'Elle' magazine and this is useful as it makes the film appealing to female's as 'Elle' is a female fashion magazine and therefore ties in with the audience type. 
• All film poster have to have the 'billing' or 'production' block, so this poster also has one as it is illegal to have a poster without it. However it is not the same font or colour as the rest of the text and therefore shows that it isn't there to help attract the audience but is just there for legal requirements.
• The setting being used in the poster is very helpful as it helps to give an insight or an idea about the film as it is very run down and graffiti on the walls shows the characters class within society.

Genre and Representation: 

• I think the genre of the film is social realism- this is shown by the females costume, her jewellery suggests of someone being more working class and she is a teenager.
• As the setting is of a house is a realist setting the genre of the film is more enhanced, and is different from the 'Violet and Daisy' poster as it doesn't suggest crime and being hidden. This poster is more about suggesting real life. 
• The social group in the film is working class female gangs, and so females will be interested, i would say females that are interested in learning about different ways of life and not ones that are in 'gangs' themselves. 
• The film and poster represents the type of life of people living in the same area and how deprived they are. 

Media Language:

• The shot is a MS as you can see the character from head to chest and this is so you can see the jewellery she is wearing to show what type of film and character she is. It also means you can see the setting and this also helps to tell you more about the characters. Therefore this type of shot is very effective.