Still Alice

  

Comparisons to Still Alice

For 'The Resolution', I aim to feature a woman in her 30s/40s as the main character. On the portrait poster, I'm going to position her to look like she's thinking about something, while staring into the distance, away from the camera. To show the genre of the film, she wouldn't be smiling, but appear more serious, in order to show the film isn't a comedy, but a drama instead. The shot will be a mid-shot, similar to the one on the Still Alice portrait film poster.

On the banner poster to recreate the layout, I will use a close up shot of the main character looking directly into the camera. However, she probably won't be smiling. I'm not sure why the lady on the banner poster for Still Alice is, considering the film's genre. In order to replicate this poster, I will utilise photoshop to blur the woman and title out of the background and replace her with my actor and the film's title instead.

On my dvd cover, the four thumbnail images on the back will show locations (bedroom, maybe a restaurant) as well as interaction between two or more of the characters (friends or an ex maybe) If I can take a photo of fireworks that would be pretty good as either the main image for the back of the cover, or as a thumbnail image.
                                                                   

Skyfall (Columbia)

Skyfall

Media Language

The banner poster for Skyfall is predominantly monochromatic, utilising only black and white for the background and clothes. This gives the effect of appearing striking as a poster, making it eye-catching without the need for it to be colourful. The white background allows for the things in front of it to appear bolder, such as the iconography of the 007, as well as the main cast themselves due to being dressed in mostly black, and this therefore creates contrast, heightening visibility. Furthermore, while almost half of the 007 is obscured by the cast standing in front of it, it remains recognisable to the audience due to the specific positioning of the actors and the general iconicity of the logo itself. Also, arguably the most recognisable part of the logo, the add-on that forms the gun with the 7, isn't obscured at all and fills the empty space above the film title. Therefore this means that even at a glance Skyfall can be recognised as a Bond film.

Representation


Three out of the four actors that appear on this poster are white, with Naomie Harris being the only person of colour featured. However, it does have an equal amount of men to women, with their positioning on the poster not connoting any obvious hierarchy of significance. Craig is dressed in a suit, portraying Bond the way he does in every movie, smart and professional. His posture indicates a certain readiness, further exemplified by the gun in his right hand. Severine, played by Marlohe is posed in a confident and purposefully alluring way, with the dress she is wearing accentuating her figure. This can be seen through the semi transparent material used on the sides of her legs and torso, as well as the absence of material at all on her upper chest. Through this, Severine is constructed to be a target of the male gaze, especially due to her role in the movie being the Bond girl. Conversely, Harris is dressed in a shirt, jacket and black trousers, which doesn't sexualise her the way Marlohe has been. Her stance is similar to that of Bond's, suggesting she could act as a counterpart to him within the film. Bardem plays Raoul Silva, the primary antagonist of the movie, and is dressed more casually than Bond, with black trousers, a jumper and a leather trench coat. Because he is faced directly towards the camera, a direct mode of address is utilised in order to make him appear more menacing. It is also important to note that all the characters carry a gun save for Severine, which could paint her as a stereotypical weaker female character, or one that needs to be saved by others. 

Audience

As the film's main genre is spy/thriller, its target audience would consist of predominantly men. This is due to the main character, Bond, encompassing stereotypically ideal male traits such as seriousness, bravery and athleticism. This audience is also targeted through the inclusion of the Bond girl. While her role usually varies from film to film, the Bond girl is always conventionally attractive and usually about 10 years younger to Bond. This can be attributed to the uses and gratifications theory, as men will seek out Bond films to attempt to project onto Bond, while viewing the Bond girl, Severine in this case, as simply eye candy.

Industry

Skyfall was produced by Columbia, Eon, B23 and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions, and was distributed by Sony Pictures. It was directed by Sam Mendes, who has received multiple significant awards for his work in the film industry. He was also ranked as one of the most influential people on British culture, and therefore this reputation could encourage more people to view the film.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Universal)

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - Banner Poster Analysis

The main feature of this poster is that it makes good use of the space it has as a result of its banner format, and is able to fit all of the main cast without seeming too crowded. On the left is the main cast from the first movie, with Meryl Streep closest to the centre. Because of this, the poster appears more eye-catching to people viewing it, as she is arguably the audiences fan favourite due to being the main character of the last movie. On the right is the new cast for this movie, the younger counterparts of the original main cast. Reflecting this, they are positioned so that they mirror each other, so that even with the differing poses, clothes and appearances it is easy for the audience to understand the roles the new actors are meant to be playing. While this isn't the case towards each end of the line up, it could be excused with the fact that Donna's friends within the movie are too iconic, meaning they don't need the assistance of certain positioning to be recognised. It could also be argued that their posing does this instead, as both Tanyas and Rosies appear in similar poses, making them more recognisable. To the far ends are the new cast members for this sequel with no equivalents from the last movie. While the position of these characters suggest their significance in the movie, the addition of Cher to the cast is likely to draw in a bigger audience, especially those of an older age group. 

In the background the sky is seen to be bright accompanied by a calm, blue ocean. This reflects the general atmosphere of the film, as it's main genre is comedy/romcom, while also being a musical. The deck the main cast is positioned on is also a light colour, adding to the initial point of reflecting the film's mood, while also creating contrast with the darker colour clothes the actors are dressed in. This contrast causes the actors to appear more vibrant. Furthermore, with her smile, pose and positioning with the Sun behind her, Seyfried herself is presented to be radiant both literally and personality-wise, with the bright rays highlighting her status as the main character. The same could be said for James to a lesser extent, as her pose and the way the rays are set up in the background also cause her to be highlighted by the Sun, indicating her status in the movie as joint protagonist. 

The tagline, 'THE FEEL-GOOD CINEMA EVENT RETURNS' makes it clear that even with the absence of the film's title in the poster, the sheer popularity of the original movie makes it immediately recognisable as a sequel to 'Mamma Mia!'. Using the words 'feel-good' draws links to the genre of the film, while also being a way of drawing in an audience with the promise of an enjoyable experience. This can also be seen through the use of the word 'event', as it paints 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' as something of importance, making it unmissable in the eyes of the audience.