Textual Analysis of a Film Poster

The film poster of my choice was After Earth.

This poster has several connotations to it which would suggest that it is an action movie. The words on the poster have an action related feel to it “Danger is real, Fear is a choice” this shows their may be some kind of big decision that needs to be made by the main character. The fact that there are the two men in the centre of the poster makes me think that they are the main characters, as well as there only being two names on the poster which are equivalent to the men in it, these two characters are also looking into the distance with a worried yet assertive look which is intriguing for the audience and makes the audience want to know who they may be running from and why they look beaten and run down. Their costumes also suggest a more un realistic setting which may attract sci-fi watchers, they could also suggest that they are some kind of trained fighters and the sword in the background suggests samurais or ninjas, this would int turn attract those who watch action movies that may be more like Karate Kid or Jacky Chan Movies. In this poster there is an interesting use of photoshop as there is a picture portrayed through their costumes about a place and an event that has occurred, yet it is evident that the picture is not actually part of their costumes because it has an imaginary feel to it, it looks faded and dreamy. The picture within their costumes shows the contrast between what they look like from the outside and what is actually happening. On the inside picture, we see a large green forest where there appears to be some kind of large metal machine that looks to have crashed, and the boy standing on top of it. This could relate to why this character has ended up in this area, there is also a lot of smoke and possibly fire around the machine which might add on to the idea that there was a crash. This sort of setting suggests more of an action-adventure film because there is a lot of forest space around which could potentially end up in some kind of chase through the trees. The poster is also particular with what it wants to stand out, as the two main characters, although they seem like they are involved in action at the moment, have been removed from whatever setting they were in and brought up to a plain background. This makes them stand out and hard to take your eyes off the two characters, this is a very effective way to make the audience watch the film. Although the image has been set to a plain background, the background is not a pure white colour, it looks dirty and charcoaled which sets the mood of the movie. Lastly, a good way to attract more viewers is to put a well known actor in the movie, Will Smith, and add his son in it for audience curiosity on their chemistry on screen. Jaden Smith, the other actor, is also a famous teen idol which would attract his fans and set off viewings.