Colette's Poster Analysis **UNFINISHED**

Kidulthood

Kidulthood is a short film directed by Menhaj Huda which was released in 2006. The 89 minute long social realist film portrays the gritty reality of the lives of teenagers struggling to grow up in the streets of West London. There are several variations of the film poster however they all contain the same imagery- a group of youths posing on the top of a skyscraper overlooking the city.

It is not very common for a short film to have any film posters at all as they are not usually made to make money but to entertain online audiences. This shows that the film was very successful.

Representation: The poster seems to represent both genders as equal as they are all sitting together in the foreground however two out of the three females have male characters looming over them in a protective way which represents the females as more vulnerable. The baseball bat suggests that the characters are violent and often get into trouble. The characters represent the young generation growing up in London.

Genre: Short films are usually hybrids. Social realism/drama hybrid conventions are evident throughout the poster. The imagery seems like something you would expect to see in the city. The tag line suggests the theme of growing up and the seriousness of the character's faces suggests the film will be full of real life scenes of loss and violence which are common conventions of  a social realist film.

Audience: The film's primary audience are teenagers and young adults of both genders. The violence connotations (baseball bat) will attract a male audience. The characters show that the film will be relatable to an audience of a similar age and the way that both genders are featured equally in the film will attract a female audience.

Film Language: - The colour and lighting used in the poster helps to capture the real-life feeling of the film. The imagery has been desaturated and strong lighting used on the character's faces to connote their struggle and the 'darkness' in their lives.

- The medium long shot allows the all of the main characters into the poster. We are at eye-level with the characters which connotes that all the people in the film are seen as equals.

-The costumes of the characters help us to build a stronger idea about their lives. Their clothes are simple and they haven't been over sexualised or dressed up (something that usually happens in film posters.) Their clothes look old and worn suggesting that they are normal people from a lower class background.

 - The main image is made up of photographic imagery although it has been heavily edited to give the image a threatening feeling. The foreground is made up of the main characters in the film which establishes character. The characters are looking straight down the camera lens making them seem menacing and aggressive. 

-The title overlays the image and the colour contrasts with the dark imagery behind to draw our eye to it. The font is bold and stands out and the un-capitalisation of the letter 'i' hints at the childlike meaning to the film and symbolises the characters; children trapped in an adult world as is the letter 'i' in the title 'KiDULTHOOD.' It may also be a play on the idea that the children of today are illiterate. 

- The tag line 'before adulthood comes' tells the audience that the film is about the teenagers struggle to grow up in an adult environment. 

- The character holding a baseball bat connotes violence and destructiveness whereas the boy sat on the floor looks defenceless and suggests that the film also has themes of vulnerability and inferiority. 

-The actors names are featured on the poster but only in the tiny print at the bottom. This is probably because the film was low budget meaning the actors will be unknown and relatively new to the film world. 

- The rating at the top of the page is bold which make sure the reader notices it. The phrase "kicks the door off it's hinges." connotes the violence and genuineness of the film. 

- There is a website at the bottom of the poster which allows the audience to find out more. The fact the film has it's own website suggests that it is very successful for a short film.

- The credit block at the bottom of the poster is the same length of the title and rating which makes it sit nicely underneath. Under this is a sentence informing about the soundtrack which features artists such as Dizzy Rascal and The Streets. This artists appeal to the young audience.

- The age rating is situated to the right of the title. In this poster it is small and hard to see at first which may be because the designers didn't want to disturb the layout of the poster

Brighton Rock

Brighton Rock is a feature length film Thriller directed by Rowan Joffe. I found 4 different posters for the film. 

All of the posters feature the same imagery- the main character/s of the film. The poster above is the "main poster." This would have been shown in cinemas to promote the film.

Representation:  From the poster I can see that the film is set in the 1960s. Signifiers of this are the setting and the character's clothing. The female on the left seems very upper class as she is wearing rich colours and is heavily made up which signifies she has time to spend on her appearance. The male seems very powerful; his pose suggests threat.

Genre: The film is a thriller/crime hybrid. We can tell this from the pose of the characters; and the dark colour scheme. Also the statement 'From the Producer of Eastern Promises,' hints at the genre of the film as it is a thriller/ crime film which is well regarded. The review which labels the film as "Thrilling" also signifies the thriller genre.

Audience: The film's audience will be people who enjoy Thriller films; predominantly young males aged 18-25. Audiences who enjoyed 'Atonement' and 'Eastern Promises' may see the film because of the stated similarities between them and Brighton Rock.

Film Language: -The colours and lighting of the poster depict that the film will be interesting. The rich colour scheme suggests an intense, exciting plot.

- The hair,makeup and costume of the characters help to portray their personalities. The male is wearing dark colours and his facial expression suggests that he is dangerous. The female on the left's red coat suggests that she is not to be trusted whereas the other character's white costume suggests purity and innocence.





- The actor's names appear on the poster above the title. They aren't very big which may be because two out of the three actors in the film aren't very well known.

- The main image is made up of two images; the three main characters and an extreme long shot of Brighton Pier. Both the background and foreground photographs are at a canted angle which signifies unease. The main character is in the foreground with the other two characters in behind him- this establishes his dominant character. The background depicts the setting, althouigh this already evident in the film name 'Brighton Rock.'

- Ratings and reviews from well recognised critics and companies at the top such as 'The Times' and 'The Daily Mail.' The audience is more likely to trust reviews from people they have heard of. These are in a large, bold font so that they stand out and are noticeable.

- The statement "From the producer of Atonement and Eastern Promises," backs up how good the film is that they are trying to portray. It also helps to attract people who have enjoyed the films and want to watch something similar.

- The same can be said for the statement "Based on the classic novel by Graham Greene." People who have enjoyed the book will be curious to see how it has been changed to fit the film platform. Also, films that have been based on books are usually very successful (e.g. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings) which will be a selling point for this film.

- The film has a website 'www.brightonrockmovie.com' which allows the audience to find out more.



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