Baby Mama vs. The Day the Earth Stood Still

KEY ELEMENTS

In Baby Mama, the elements that are most emphasized are the actors and what kind of characters they are depicting in the movie. It seems by the look on their faces that this is going to be a funny movie. The poster also has a lot of bright colors, which gives off the comedic and lightheartedness of the movie. The poster for The Day the Earth Stood Still has a more serious feel to it. The main element that is shown is the intriguing imagery both with the big moon being over the city, and the people who are walking towards it. It uses a lot of dark colors with gives off the more dramatic, almost epic feel.


GENRE

Baby Mama is a comedy. The comedic genre seems very prevalent to selling the movie. The Day the Earth Stood Still seems to be more of an action/suspense genre. Obviously, the darkness of the poster gives off a more dramatic feeling with little or if any comedy. It does seem to be important in the way the movie is being sold.


AUDIENCE

Baby Mama seems to be targeting more women than men. From the poster, one can tell it is about a woman who has a surrogate mother to have her baby. So, it may even be targeted to mothers, expecting mothers, and even grandmothers. Since it is a comedy, it also seems to be targeting younger people as well. The Day the Earth Stood Still target audience comes off as just the general public. Other than the names of the two actors, there really is no way of seeing who directed it or what the rating is. It comes off as being sort of an "epic" film that could be geared towards everyone.


TAGLINE

Baby Mama's tagline is "Would you put your eggs...in this basket?" The tagline suggests that is a comedy and that it is about motherhood. It also tells of how the woman (Tina Fey) who wants the baby, is a little unsure about the woman (Amy Poehler) who is to be the surrogate, who comes off a little to silly and quirky. The Day the Earth Stood Still does not have a tagline, but because of the imagery in the poster, it seems to be relying on its dramatic/suspense feel.



Lauren, Chris, Tori

27 Dresses & Pineapple Express

Tracy Roquet, Lori Enriquez

KEY ELEMENTS:
Some key elements about 27 Dresses were that the dress that the main character on the poster is wearing is made out of words, it would mostly be considered a "chick flick", and the actress is smiling confidently in the picture. In Pineapple Express, the poster depicted violence, that it was more masculine, and the actors on the poster had various expressions on their faces.

GENRE:
The genre of both films is definitely shown in the posters. 27 Dresses would be considered a drama/comedy while Pineapple express would be an action/comedy. The actress in 27 Dresses is again smiling with confidence in what seems to be a formal dress. This shows that the movie could be funny, but still including drama being that the main focus is a girl. Girls love drama! The Pineapple Express poster has one guy laughing, one guy with a confused sort of look on his face, and one guy with a determined look. They are all carrying guns and they look pretty dirty so it is concluded that it would be a comedy/action movie.

AUDIENCE:
27 Dresses is targeting women and Pineapple Express is targeting men. This is because the 27 Dresses poster has a girl with a dress on. Women love dresses! Pineapple Express has guns and men that look filthy. This relates more with men because they love action.

TAGLINE:
The tagline of 27 Dresses is "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." It helps sell the movie because women tend to be more interested in watching emotional situations. The tagline of Pineapple Express is "Put this in your pipe and smoke it." It suggests something illegal that men would most likely consider entertaining.

The Chronicle of Narnia-Prince Caspian and Day of the Dead

Ashley Bridges, Bianca Morin, Becky Sanchez

Blog: Movie Posters

Key Elements:

The elements that were most emphasized on the “Day of the Dead” poster were the picture and title; they were shown to attract an audience who are interested in horror movies. The director is also added at the top with the mention of another movie he directed in the same genre: “Halloween H2O.” “The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian” poster shows the younger actors who are in the movie in a “fantasy” type picture to attract the younger audience who likes fantasy.

Genre:

“Day of the Dead” – Horror

“The Chronicle of Narnia – Prince Caspian” – Young Adult Fantasy

They can attract viewers.

Audience:

Both posters are targeting a particular audience. “The Day of the Dead” poster is to attract an audience who enjoy watching horror. “The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian” poster is targeting an audience who are younger, for example young adult and younger who are interested in fantasy.

Tagline:

“Day of the Dead” has the tagline “D-day is coming.” It helps by instilling fear. The other poster didn’t have a tagline.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Brideshead Revisited

Victoria, Niktay, Marcus

Key Elements:
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
The two chihuahuas are most emphasized on a stage, they have bling and admirers on the side. The dogs are being made to look like the center of attention. By Disney, looks like silly kid and family comedy. It also seems as if the dogs that are around the two main dogs in the center, seem ready to bow down to anything the other two dogs say. Almost like of since of getting ready for war.

Brideshead Revisited
The key elements are maybe some drama in a relationship, high society scandal, and focuses on the actors in a costume old fashioned era. The woman in the hat at the top of the poster seems to be emphasized since her picture is larger than any other picture on the poster. It seems that she is the main character in the story and that the story probably revolves around her.

Genre:
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
The genre seems to be a comedy that attracts to little children first because of all the dogs make it seem like dog heaven. It also could be action because in small print it saids "50% warrior" with two dogs in the front that seem to be the king and queen over all the dogs. In this instance, it doesn't seem that the genre is important in this post because the dogs themselves attract your attention right away. Also it saids it is a Walt Disney production who usually makes children type movies.

Brideshead Revisited
The genre in this poster seems to be a period drama movie. The reason for this is how the three characters at the bottom of the poster are close together and hugging each other as if they needed comfort. Also the woman at the type looks like a luxurios woman who may potential cause drama for the three characters below. Yes, the genre is important in this poster because it seem like the type of movie that is designed to touch you emotionally.

Audience:
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This poster is mainly targeting kids and families with kids. The reason being is that there are dogs talking. It is not necessarily a cartoon, but the fact that there is animals being animated adds the fanasty element to it.

Brideshead Revisited
This poster seem like it is targeting women because you can tell it is a drama and a romance movie thus, most women would be interested in this movie. It could also be targeting a general audience by showing the some action and medieval times plus the literacy element that can come into play.

Tagline:
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
The tagline is at the very top of this poster and reads "50% Warrior. 50% Lover. 100% Chihuahua." Based on the tagline, there is not much we can see or know about the movie, but when it is incorporated within the poster we can see more what it's about.

Brideshead Revisited
The tagline of this poster is "Privilege. Ambition. Desire. At Brideshead Everything Comes At A Price." From this tagline, we can see and get a good feeling at what the movie is going to be about. We can tell it will be a deceitful movie and that the characters will have many problems to deal with.

Posted by: Marcus H.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Stop-Loss

Key Elements

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
The main elements emphasized in the poster is the large blue broken heart. The heart is not only broken into two pieces, but it is also broken into multiples sections. There is even a small piece laying on the floor next to his feet. The color of the heart can also be taken into account. For instance, when a heart is typically viewed in a graphic form it is pink or red, but in this poster is it blue; which implies suffocation, loneliness and is a color in the cold section of the color wheel. Jason Segel is the only character that is pictured in the poster; he is even in the very center; which implies that the movie is fully centered around this one character. Another key elements would be would be the advertise method of using almost half of the heart to portray other popular movies the directors have previously done; this is done to entice hesitant movie watchers to watch this movie as well.

Stop Loss:
For the movie Stop Loss there is not one defining key element. There is a group of people lounging around an old rugged four door Lincoln town car. There is an American flag superimposed in the background with soldiers even intermingled throughout the transparent image. Without viewing the movie the audience can assume that the main character is most likely the man sitting on the edge of the car; he is the only one wearing white, and the only one with graphics boldly printed on his T-shirt “Army”. A cowboy hat on Ryan Phillipe’s lap implies that this movie is set in the southern section of the Country; in particular Texas. The characters are as worn as the vehicle they are centered around. The main colors used in the poster are that of the American flag (red, white and blue), plus black. Illustrating a patriotic darkness.

Genre:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
The poster of this film surely signifies a clear understanding of the movie as being categorized in the Romantic Comedy genre. There is a large blue broken heart illustrating that it is about romance and a goofy sad man holding the heart providing the comic aspect of the film to be visible through the poster. The genre definitely is used to advertise the movie. For instance, in a quick-stumbled date decision it would be easy for the couple, or audience to see that this would be a safe funny movie, non-controversial and entertaining.

Stop-Loss:
The genre of this movie seems to be slightly more ambiguous, but leading towards a first glance of action drama. This interpretation can be justified be the patriotic symbolism displayed consistently throughout the poster. The group of friends with the army scene imposed in the background implies the present action, and the young and modern adults signifies that it is a current issue. As we all know, the societal issues of today are very controversial and instigate dramatic tones.

Audience:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
The audience of the first movie would be closer to a dating scene or a group of casual friends. Since it deals with love, and (as most romantic comedies do) it will probably close with a happy ending. It has a pretty broad target audience because if it’s relationship nature, it allows for almost anyone to relate to the film’s characters.

Stop-Loss:
The audience of the second film is much more specific, since many people just by looking at the poster would rule it out in many movie watching situations. For instance, it is fairly obvious that it will be about a controversial issue involving young people and the military; thus, it will not be a chipper movie night with friends movie as well.


Tagline:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
There is a tagline in this poster. “The Ultimate Romantic Disaster Movie”, however it is not the main captured element, since it does not need to be. The poster itself is very straight forward, simple and clear to the audience. Plus, the general romantic comedy has a typical plot line that can only be twisted in so many ways. The tagline suggests it would be ridiculous fictional, and funny. It does not seem to be a leading advertisement for the film, since it is some of the only font in black on the blue heart. Making it almost difficult to read and easily overlooked.

Stop-Loss:
The tagline of this movie is much more visible, “The bravest place to stand is by each other’s side”. It suggests that the movie encompasses a conflict within a group of friends, or their environment and that they will have to learn how to use each other to make it through their dilemmas. It helps sell the film by showing the dramatic side of the movie, and reassuring the audience that there is a possibility for a happy ending.

-Kevin Peterson, Taren Shelton and Daphne Clement

Indiana Jones and Burn After Reading

Leanne
Tim
Deborah

Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Burn After Reading

KEY ELEMENTS
In the poster of Indian Jones, the elements that are most emphasized are historical adventure and ancient time. The actor Harrison Ford is emphasized because not only is the image of him the main focal point but the fact that he is a familiar film star makes him recognizable. The other elements that are portrayed are the age of the characters and the exotic element because of the demographics displayed.

In the poster of Burn After Reading there is an element of mystery and depicting crime and it also emphasizes name recognition because of the bold names being displayed.

GENRE
For the movie Indiana Jones, the genre would be adventure and it is important for the movie to be sold because it targets audiences that like action packed movies. The fact that one character is on a motorcycle, one is carrying a sword, and one is running from what looks like an army of people shows how much action will take place during the movie.

For the movie Burn After Reading, the genre would be mystery and it is important for the movie to be sold because it is portrayed in its simplicity and it creates curiosity which will draw viewers to want to watch the movie. There really is no certain clue that explains what the movie will be about except that there is a spy and a man holding a gun which shows that some time of crime will most likely occur during the movie. It leaves the viewers with a sense of curiosity.

AUDIENCE

The Indiana Jones movie targets the older audience due to it being a sequel. This is because the movie makers want to see if the hype of the expectation from its previous films live up to what is being portrayed. The movie also wants to catch the attention of all the people who have seen the previous Indiana Jones movie by showing all of the character on the poster whether they are new or old.

Burn After Reading is targeting an older audience as well and to those who are intrigued with organized crime and possible esponage. This is because the only picture shown is a spy and an arm holding a gun. This represents that the movie will probably be geared more toward a mature audience due to crime.

TAGLINE

There is no tagline for the movie Indiana Jones.

The tagline for Burn After Reading is "Intelligence is Relative". This suggests that high intellect is required to figure out the mystery being portrayed. It helps sell the film because those people who are curious about things will be drawn to watch this movie so that they can have a chance to figure out a mystery.

Sex and the City vs. August Movie Posters

Catherine
Toddrick

KEY ELEMENTS
Sex and the City
The elements most emphasized in this poster are the title and the main Character, Carrie. In fact, they are the only elements of the poster.
August
In this poster the actor is emphasis. Another element emphasized is the city setting.

GENRE
Sex and the City
The poster advertising the movie doesn't really clue the viewer into what genre the movie is. There is only one person on the poster, and the title consumes the majority of it. A person who has never seen the show wouldn't know what the movie was about, other than it has something to do with sex. However, the character on the poster is laughing, and the one color on the poster is a bright one, which could be associated with a lighthearted film.
August
This poster gives more away about the genre of the film. Judging by the intense look on the actor's face in the poster, the movie is suspenseful. The poster itself is rather dramatic, which is most likely done to coincide with the movie's dramatic tone.

AUDIENCE
Sex and the City
This poster is targeting women. The only color on the poster is a bright pink, the majority of which sparkles. The character on the poster is dressed in a fabulous pink dress, which is the only other thing emphasized in color, which is also bright pink.
August
This poster is for a more general audience. There is no clear distinction of specific audience it is meant to appeal to. The presence of the attractive actor may interest women, while the suspenseful tone may appeal more to men. However, the general mystery of the poster is intriguing anyone.

TAGLINE
Sex and the City
The tagline on the Sex and the City poster is "Get Carried Away". Fans of the show understand that this is a play on words with the name of the main character, and probably think its cute and clever. However, for people who have not seen the show the tagline is effective as well. It implies that the movie is fun, and something the viewer can escape or get lost in.
August
When we first looked at this we didn't see a tagline. However, after a second look we discovered there was one at the very bottom that read, "Comes Just Before The Fall". We thought that this was just describing when the movie was coming out, but it is actually the tagline. This adds to the overall mystery that the poster implies. It definitely adds to the effect of the poster...once you figure out what it means.

Rambo & Vantage Point

Key Elements

Rambo: Action is the key selling point of this and all Rambo movies. Little verbiage, other than the word Rambo, is used on the poster because everyone knows that Sylvester Stallone is Rambo. This poster conveys a sense of impending violence and the overall gray/brown color scheme gives the viewers a feeling of moral neutrality in the nature of the violence. In addition, Rambo is carrying a hand held weapon there by implying that the violence, this time, is going to be up front, bloody and personal.
Vantage Point: The movie poster is made up from a series of thumb nail pictures in the shape of a gun carrying man. It portrays a sense of confusion, mystery and suspense as well as doing a good job of forcing viewers to stop and stare at it for a bit to figure out what they are looking at. The thumb nail pictures are interestingly arranged in a manner that reveals Little about the story and cleverly mirrors the confusing nature of the film. Although there are a number of well known actors in the film, none of them are given prominence in the poster. The collage carries the mystery of the film and the poster is designed to purposefully leave out any single headliners.

Genre

Rambo: With out a doubt, the Rambo poster portrays an action movie all the way. A big muscle bound man hulking about carrying a weapon with lots of dark shadows covering up parts of him. You can't beat that for impending violence and it sells the genre well. However, one could argue that there is a small element of the adventure genre to it as well. Sly does, after all, go to a foreign country first before he starts killing thousands of people.
Vantage Point: This movie poster sells the suspense genre big-time. Nothing in he poster is clear cut. You have multiple thumb nail pictures from multiple angles in a collage setting in the outline of a man with a gun. The gun aspect gives the suspense genre its edge by implying an unknown level of danger. Because of the more ambiguous nature of suspense movies, and the more low key nature of their release, this poster was probably more important to its marketing success than the Rambo poster was to the Rambo movie.

Audience

Rambo: This is an interesting question because at first glance you would presume the poster was targeting the young male teenage audience. However, because of the long standing, and well known nature of this particular series, and because of the market draw of the main actor, who is inseparable from the main character, we believe the movie poster is actually targeting a much broader audience that has grown up with the Rambo character or who at least is familiar with Sylvester Stallone.
Vantage Point: Because the poster does not have any noticeable hooks for a particular demographic and because suspense moves in general are targeted towards large audiences we believe Vantage Point is also a general audience film. Little pre-publicity was generated for this movie so the poster was one of the main selling points. We suspect that the poster designers paid special attention into not biasing the movie towards any given audience and purposefully gave the poster a safe neutral feel.

Tagline

Rambo: There is no tagline as such; however, the word Stallone is printed in big lettering above the movie title. Because Sly is so inseparable from this role you could construe that this is the tagline. Being the last chapter in the Rambo series must have been seen as enough to sell the film so the poster makers simply put the actor's name, the movie title and the state date on the movie poster and that was it.
Vantage Point: This poster does have a tagline, and like the graphics, is designed to elicit a sense of suspense. It complements the confused collage nature of the graphics and helps draw the viewer into the "Vantage Point" world. The tagline sets the movie patrons up by telling them right off that there are "8 strangers, 8 points of view, 1 truth". Nice suspenseful pull in.
Erika, Rollie, William

Fool's Gold & Cloverfield

Key elements:

The actors in Fool's Gold are the only thing you see when you look at the poster, so they are what is meant to bring in the audience. People know that these two actors have made a funny love story before and that is what you expect by looking at the poster.

In the Cloverfield poster, an image of a decapitated Statue of Liberty and a smoking New York City says a lot about what the movie is about. The hook is the genre/storyline because actors are nowhere to be found on the poster. According to the poster, actors are not important, what matters is just the storyline.

Genre:

In the Fool's Gold poster, you can tell it is a romantic movie because the way the two actors are looking at each others eyes and their body language. The genre appeals to young adults looking for a romantic comedy.

In the Cloverfield poster, you can tell from the start that it is an action/suspense/sci-fi movie because the New York Buildings are burning in the background, the Statue of Liberty's head is blown off and also the tagline leads you to believe it might be a sci-fi thriller.

Audience:

The Fool's Gold poster appeals to young adults looking for a romantic comedy. Actors, Kate Hudson and Mattew McConaughey are known for making romantic comedies and it targets women, men and couples.

The Cloverfield poster looks like it could be a sci-fi thriller and it would appeal to a mature audience because it shows a picture of a destroyed city in chaos.

Tagline:

The Fool's Gold poster does have a tagline, "This February true love takes a dive." The reference to the month of February signifies Valentine's Day as a lure for a date movie.

The Cloverfield poster also has a tagline, "Something has found us." This tagline suggests that aliens or some type of being has taken over the city and it appeals to sci-fi as well as thriller fans.

Mike G, Bethany, and Erin