I have chosen to analyse this film poster of ‘Paranormal Activity’ to learn more about how different pieces of media that promote the same product contain symbiotic elements. Having already analysed a supernatural horror from the early 2000’s, I chose to then study one that is more contemporary and is a fairly recent release to discover the ways in which this genre has grown.
The target audience would glance at this film poster and firstly observe the couple sitting up in their bed, this signals the location, that they are in their bedroom and that the supernatural horror film has conventionally been set in their home. The characters are pointing towards the shadow on their bedroom door, this hints towards some sort of ghostly presence in the room, indicating that this is a horror movie involving some kind of spirit. The audience’s attention would then be diverted to the top centre of the poster, where they would read a film critic quote, describing ‘Paranormal Activity’ as ‘scary’ and that ‘nightmares are guaranteed’, these words confirm to audiences that this is a horror film. The eyes of the audience would then automatically look to the bottom of the page, where the tagline and title of the movie is revealed. From the audience glimpsing briefly at the poster, they would learn the genre of the film, the film title and an expert opinion.
Let us begin by analysing uses of camera, mise-en-scene and lighting of the image; it appears to be a long shot which establishes that this couple are in their bedroom at night time. The fact that the lighting is dark establishes the time frame and that something has just woken them up. The cause of the disruption is evident as we follow the direction of the women’s pointing hand; across the room, on the left hand side of the image we see a black silhouette of the unknown reflected on their bedroom door. The long shot is used so that audiences gather knowledge of the film setting and genre. The mise-en-scene clearly establishes that the film is set in the home of the protagonist, as we can see a bed and bedside tables accompanied by lamps and a vase of flowers.
Let us begin by analysing uses of camera, mise-en-scene and lighting of the image; it appears to be a long shot which establishes that this couple are in their bedroom at night time. The fact that the lighting is dark establishes the time frame and that something has just woken them up. The cause of the disruption is evident as we follow the direction of the women’s pointing hand; across the room, on the left hand side of the image we see a black silhouette of the unknown reflected on their bedroom door. The long shot is used so that audiences gather knowledge of the film setting and genre. The mise-en-scene clearly establishes that the film is set in the home of the protagonist, as we can see a bed and bedside tables accompanied by lamps and a vase of flowers.
Moving on to the analysis of colour; the entire image contains blue tones and so the main colours consist of dark and light shades of blue. The light hits areas such as the door, the bed-sheets and the lampshade so that the audience look at these parts first, therefore the setting is communicated to audience. The areas of the room that contain more darkness are the bed, the floor, the shadow and the outside of the bedroom door, presenting a more sinister view of the domesticated, homely setting whilst also expressing the dismal obscurity of the narrative. Other uses of colour include the red, white and blue font over the black background. It is conventional of horror movie posters to use the colour black as the background because it complements the theme of mortality, the hour of darkness, evil spirits and demons, torture and menacing pain. The shade of red used within the font symbolises blood, humanity and life. The uses of blue contrasts with the red, which distinguishes between the living and the dead, further suggesting the genre and narrative. The colour white has also been utilized within the text to reflect the idea of a ghostly presence, reflecting the idea of a spirit being caught in limbo, stuck in the middle between life and death.
A type-writer font has been used for the critic quotes, the tagline and the remaining information at the bottom of the page. This specific font type has been used to match the theme of video-camera filming as it has a technological feel to it.
A type-writer font has been used for the critic quotes, the tagline and the remaining information at the bottom of the page. This specific font type has been used to match the theme of video-camera filming as it has a technological feel to it.
Use of symbolism within the text includes the black silhouette on the bedroom door; this signifies that this is a supernatural horror. The main image has been presented photographically, as it mimics the style of a film-still of a video recorder. This suits the ‘found-footage’ style of the movie and this particular image gives the impression that the video has just been paused. Audiences are tempted by this, as they long to press the ‘play’ button to find out what happens next!
Through the image a visual message is communicated to the audience, for instance, we can see a shadow on the door and therefore discover the genre of the film. The verbal messages such as the text inform audiences that this is one of the scariest films of all time and that ‘nightmares are guaranteed”
Through the image a visual message is communicated to the audience, for instance, we can see a shadow on the door and therefore discover the genre of the film. The verbal messages such as the text inform audiences that this is one of the scariest films of all time and that ‘nightmares are guaranteed”
The target audience of this film I believe are both male and female, aged eighteen to late twenties. This film is aimed at an audience who are young, fun and can appreciate the blood pumping, spine tingling experience of watching a good horror movie. I would say that they are perhaps in college/university. Seeing as ‘Paranormal Activity’ started off as this small budget indie-horror movie, it was unknown and only previewing in very few theatres, I’d say that this film is aimed at hardcore horror fans.
It is conventional for supernatural horror movies to contain a blue tinge to the film as the colour represents the concept of death; we see this in the films ‘What Lies Beneath’ and ‘Gothika’. The texture of the image suggests that this is a still image from a video recorder as it takes the format of a ‘found footage’ style. It has been filmed in the same fashion as the films “The Blair Witch Project” and “Quarantine”.
Expert witnesses are used to provide audiences with gratification, for instance the critic quotes state this isn’t just terrifying, but it is one of the scariest movies of the year and that audiences will suffer nightmares after watching. This is what audiences want to hear; avid horror fans seek sense of escapism, entertainment and fear and only want to experience the best. Attention is gained though fear as we acknowledge the shadow against the door; we become frightened for the couple, longing to know what happens next.
The tagline of this film poster reads “What happens when you sleep” and below the film title it says: “Don’t go alone”. Uses of rhetorical questions are conventional with taglines, as direct address is used to communicate to audiences and successfully grabs their attention. It provokes thought within the minds of the audience and allows them to linger on the matter, ultimately urging them to watch the film. The second tagline stands as a warning to audiences, stressing the fact that the film is genuinely horrifying.
To conclude, the combination of text and image successfully communicates to audiences the film genre, it tickles and teases audiences and persuades them that the film is definitely worth seeing. The inclusion of expert witnesses and effective taglines build a terrifying picture and persuades them that ‘Paranormal Activity’ is not to be missed.
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