The bye bye man was released on the 13th January 2017 and directed by Stacy Title. The movie is about three college students who release a supernatural entity known as the bye bye man when they move into an old house off campus, the fiends have to try to to save each other while keeping the bye bye man a secret to keep others from the same deadly fate. This poster is a teaser poster as it doesn't have much information about the movie on it. The poster shows the name of the movie, the slogan "don't think it, don't say it" as it's the rule in the movie as the bye bye man is brought to life by someone bringing up his existence, the poster also says how the movie is coming soon showing again how it's a teaser poster due to keeping the audience waiting for the day it will be released. This poster is a bit different from some movie posters as it doesn't have the names of any of the actors staring in the movie on it. The poster makes the bye bye man stand out due to the bright colours behind him while his covered in different tones of black. The poster fades from sunset colours to black which allows the title to stand out and catch the viewers attention. This movie is aimed at people who like horror and thriller movies which is shown through the colours on the poster.
Sound and music are used in films
to create an atmosphere around the audience. Some sounds can make the scene
feel happy and full of joy while others can make the viewer nervous and scared
for what’s about to come. Thriller films include
sounds and soundtracks into their films in order to build the audiences
understanding of what is happening in the film. Differnetr sounds are associated wiht different movie gnres, for example, comedyes use lght and happy sounds while horror films use dark, gloomy and puls raising sounds. There are different types of sounds used in movies for example, diegetic and non-diegeticsound.Silence is also widely used within thriller films, for creating a tense and nervous enviorment, for example in a scene where someone is hiding from someone else there will be no sound to show that any smallest of breath taken could show off the persons hiding palce. This is uaully followe by a floor board creeking or a bang of music debending on if the person will get away from the one chasing them.
Diegetic sounds: Sound that the characters in the movie can hear. For example, actors talking or news report.
Diegetic sound allows the caracters in the movie to also know what is happening. Speech allows two charcaters to share information and also inform the viewer of what is happening. In thirller films the most used diegetic sounds are things like creeking doors, wind howling and footsteps. These create tenison in both the character and viewer.
This is an example of diegetic sound of the actor talking. It's from on of the batman movies showing the joker talking to somoen else and Batman. This is a digetic sound as the actors in the scen can hear what is being said.
Non-diegetic sounds:Sound only the viewer can hear. For example, music in the back gorund or voiceover.
Non-diegetic sound is used to create an emotion in the viewer. It can also warn the viewer of something being about to happen whithout the character on screen knowing, this is mostly used in horror films. Voiceovers allow the viewer to know certain aspects about another character that others may not, for example their motives or relationship between charcaters in the film.
This video has multyple different examples of non digetic sound ranging from voice overs to music.
The poster is teaser poster as it only has the face of the main character and the name of the movie due to this it's also a character poster. The movie is about a student who is willing to do anything for straight A's.The movie is in the thriller genre due to the fact that the main character is shown to be psychopathic due to his cold blooded killing of his best friend and the killing of his English teachers wife after the English teacher gives him an F. The main character is played by Dylan Sprouse who's face is on the poster, he has an large fan base due to his past movies and TV shows.
The poster does use a bit of foreshadowing due to the fact of how half of his face is darkened and the other is in the light. This is foreshadowing through the fact that at the beginning of the movie he is seen as this perfect student and a good person, however small pieces start showing through the movie that begin to show how he is really a dark person with a twisted mind and no empathy to others.
The writing is eye catching due to the light colour on the dark background and because of how big it is.
The most important colour in the poster is black as it takes up most of the poster this is conventional to the thriller genre. It's used to show how dark the movie actually is, while the viewer of the poster can't tell at the time of looking at the poster once they watch the movie they will see how in many cases the dark colour is used throughout. Also the clean look of the poster is part of the movie it self as its shown multiple times how the main character likes to keep everything neat and organised.
Cinematography is often used throughout all films but particularly in crime thriller films the most frequently used tends to be close up shots. A close up shot up is used to create a focus either up a character from the shoulders upwards to often show facial expressions or emotions of how the character is feeling in which the viewer can relate to although, a close up shot could also be used to reveal objects and other props which can identify personalities for each characters. A close up shot is symbolic as it helps to signify a sense of urgency to reveal hidden secrets about personalities. An example of a close up shot from The Dark Knight rises directed by Christopher Nolan in 2008 reveals the antagonists facial expressions to suggest the character is plotting something or showing a sense of grief therefore, it creates suspense.
However, long establishing shots are also used within thriller films to reveal a certain scene in order for the audience to distinguish a sense of setting as opposed to the narrative of the film. An establishing shot used allows the audience specific information about where the scene is taking place although, this could be significant as it could symbolise ideas to reflect the characters identity and personalities. Whereas, an example of a long establishing shot is within Insidious Chapter 3 directed by Leigh Whannel in 2015 to reveal one the characters on a terrifying journey to stop the spirits from capturing the teenage girl. The setting shown within the image is identified as a hallway in which this could be within an abandoned house. The light reflected within the image reveals a sense of mise-en-scene to show hope and a focus of the character juxtaposed to the setting.
Another conventional shot used within thriller films is high and low angle shots. A high angle shot is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject or specific object. It is often used in order to make the character appear to be small or vulnerable. Whilst, a low angle shot is a camera angle that looks up at a character or subject. This angle shot contrasts to a high angle shot as it is often used to make the character appear to have a sense of dominance and higher power.
An example of a high angle shot would be viewed within the film, 'Matilda' directed by Danny DeVito during 1996.
An example of a low angle shot would be revealed within the movie is 'The Dark Knight' directed by Christopher Nolan in 2008.
Conventional Editing
Editing is used within the stage of producing the film in order to make sure everything is fitted together to sound accurate therefore, sound and images are organised into an overall narrative. Editing is used to let the director either draw attention to something in the shot or to allow to jump cut therefore, unnecessary shots are deleted from the film. Although, cross cutting is a key element within the editing process of making a film. This editing technique is essential for a thriller as this edit of alternation, interweaving or interspersing usually suggests parallel action therefore, it dramatically builds up tension and suspense. In thriller films it often uses fast paced editing alongside quick cutting techniques to create pace therefore, the audience feels excitement through the manipulation of the tension portrayed within the film allowing the audience to believe specific information within the film. Although, cutting interrupts the continuous action by briefly inserting another related action scene however, it allows the audience to feel a sense of urgency and worry.
An example of fast paced editing would be when they are creating a pan within 'The Shaun of the Dead' directed by Edgar Wright in 2004.
Another conventional editing technique which is used within the genre of thriller films would be elliptical editing. Elliptical editing is a technique that is used within film to allow a long duration of shots to be reduced or not required in comparison to the narrative so the audience are less likely to become bored and distracted. Therefore, this reflects that this editing technique is used to form a shorter and more reliable shot so it will be more effective as well as creative in order to further draw the attention from the audience. This technique is beneficial as it allows the pace of the narrative to be controlled better in order to make it more realistic and interesting. This effect used is reliable and provides extra tension and suspense within the thriller film.
Another useful editing technique which is used within the construction of film making is graphic match. Graphic match is an edit effect used in thrillers to reflect two different objects of the same shape are dissolved from one into the other therefore, this can be very effective as they emphasise upon the transition in order to create a focus upon the actions made within the relevant scene. The famous shower scene in the film 'Psycho' directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960 typically represents conventions of a graphic match especially when the characters eyes create a match with the drain.
Jump cuts are vital editing techniques which are used within film making. Jump cuts are an abrupt, disorientating transition between two shots where continuity is broken. This technique can sometimes detect a sense of weakness and less dominance in a character after a violent scene. Jump cuts are useful conventions of thriller genres as it makes the scene more interesting, realistic and intense therefore, creates excitement towards the viewers. An example of a jump cut edit within a film is, 'Shutter Island' directed by M.Scorsese in 2010. Near the beginning of the film jump cuts are relevant to reflect a feeling of disturbance and discomfort.
On the other hand, thriller films usually use shot reverse shots which tend to be used when two characters are conducting a conversation it alternates between one another. In conjunction to this uses over the shoulder shots to view the character facing the subject 1/3 of the frame. Therefore, this reveals shot reverse shots are used to create emotion and to keep the audience interested and attached to the film. Due to the fact that, if the camera is framed in one place for a long duration of time then this will forbid the audience to become bored and easily distracted from the movie. An example of a shot reverse shot using withing the film construction of media would be within 'The Hunger Games' directed by Gary Ross in 2012.
The film which is being promoted in this particular poster is called 'The Snowman' (Dir. Tomas Alfredson, 2017) which is part of the crime thriller genre. The Snowman is about a crime squads lead detective, Harry Hole, investigating the disappearance of a victim on the first day of snow. As the film progresses, the protagonist, Harry, starts to believe an elusive serial killer is active again due to the fact that the victims pink scarf was discovered to be wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. With the help of his partner, Harry must connect old-cases to the new ones in order to outwit the antagonist before the next snowfall. This poster is conventional for a thriller film poster due to the fact that it shares the same colour co-ordination for what is symbolic for a thriller film.
The Snowman poster main attraction is the character, which we suspect to be Harry Hole, which implies to the audience that the film is based around this character. The background of the thriller poster is mainly the colour white, due to the snow, which is unconventional for thriller films as white represents innocence and purity, but thrillers usually have dark and mysterious backgrounds to represent death and evil. However, the white surrounding Harry implies to the audience that the snow represents the victims: the more snow that falls, the more the antagonist kills. The background also shows an isolated environment which is conventional for thriller posters as it shows the characters to be vulnerable. Additionally, Harry, is holding a gun which is iconographic prop for thriller films. The title on the poster is located at the bottom of the page in black writing with a unique font which connotes that the storyline to the film is not the typical thriller storyline. This will intrigue the audience to go to watch the film. This particular poster includes a tagline which is 'soon the first snow will fall and the hunt for the killer begins' which is significant as the audience will begin to think of a possible plot for the story, and will encourage them to go watch the film.
The colours used in The Snowman poster are significant to the whole creation of the poster as they signify to the audience what type of film it is. The conventional colours used in thrillers include red, black, white and grey. The colour red represents blood and danger to the audience. The colour black implies death, mystery and evil. The colour grey appears dull and a depressive colour which could represent how a character is feeling or an environment. White however is used to represent the innocence of characters, but some posters show less white than black which implies to the audience that the evil is taking over. In The Snowman poster, all these significant colours re used. The colour white is used most commonly and could be a metaphor for all the innocent victims as the more snow that falls, the more the killer strikes. The colour red also stands out which gives the audience an idea of the storyline as blood represents blood, death and possibly murder.
In conclusion, this teaser poster is extremely effective in promoting 'The Snowman' film as it gives the audience a sense of what the film is about and may attract the audience to go watch the film. The use of the conventional colours clearly identifies the genre of the film to the audience. Additionally, the setting of the poster is in a isolated environment, but an unusual location for a thriller film to be taken. For example, thriller films usually take place at isolated houses, not in the mountains. The unique selling point for the 'The Snowman' poster which makes it different from the other thriller film posters would be the title. I think that the title would intrigue the audience to go to watch the film as thriller films don't usually contain unconventional antagonist characters, such as a snowman, as snowmen are usually perceived to be happy and cheerful characters.
The film which is being promoted in this particular poster is Jigsaw (Dir. Micheal Spierig and Peter Spieri, 2017). This film belongs to the crime thriller genre and is the seventh film of the Saw franchise. The Jigsaw film is based in a city where bodies keep being found in a uniquely gruesome demise. John Kramer, the man known as Jigsaw, who has been dead for ten years, however, investigators search for clues and all evidence links back to him. The antagonist, Jigsaw, plays dangerous mind games with his victims who have to decide how much they are willing to give to stay alive. This poster is conventional for the representation of the Saw franchise as most of the posters have disturbing images on them. Additionally, the Jigsaw film poster was conventional to other thriller film posters because it shares the same colour co-ordination for what is symbolic for a thriller.
The Jigsaw poster is a man with face paint on that resembles 'Billy The Puppet' which is iconographic for the Saw films. The background of the poster is dark which is conventional fro thriller film posters as the colour black represents death, evil and mystery. This poster is for the sequel to Saw films, therefore, the audience do not need any further information about the man in the poster, covered in the iconic Saw paint, to make sense of the poster or make assumptions about the narrative. The symbiosis of 'Billy The Puppet' face paint is important, as it increases recognisability to the Saw films. Fans who have watched the previous Saw films will identify very quickly that the Jigsaw poster is part of the franchise for the Saw films.
The poster contains the title 'Jigsaw' in small, red writing at the bottom right hand corner of the poster, which implies that the poster designers didn't need the audience to see the title, as the iconic Saw face paint will imply that Jigsaw is part of the Saw franchise and because the films are so well known. Therefore, the audience have an idea about the kind of narrative that will feature in the film. The red writing connotes blood and death which foreshadows the narrative as it's very gruesome. The colours which tend to donate to the Jigsaw poster is, white, black and red. The use of the white and black colours reflect the battle between life and death which the characters within the film face. All of these elements combine to create a sense of fear, disgust and
curiosity for the audience and encourage them further to go and see the
film.
In conclusion, this teaser poster is extremely effective in promoting the jigsaw film; it creates the right amount of intrigue to lure in its target audience through its simple use of image and mise-en-scene. The audience will already know the basic narrative of the film is they have watched other Saw film, but, nevertheless, the use of the 'Billy The Puppet' face paint is recognisable and iconographic for the Saw franchise. The unique selling point for the 'Jigsaw' poster which makes it different from other thriller films would be the plot of the storyline.
All these movies belong to the thriller genre, this is shown through the use of dark colours wich is usual for the thriller genre. The use of bright colours contrasts with the dark ones to pull in the attention of people. They use minimalistic writing to engage the audience by puttiing on things like the name of the movie, when it's relised, name of the lead actor/actrerss and sometimes a catcphrase that might spark the intrest of the target audience. The movie posters also often use an element of forshadowing to something in the movie.
One convention of thriller film posters is the use of dark colours. Thriller film posters typically use dull colours as they connote mystery, suspense and death. For example, colours like black, grey and red are conventionally used in thriller film posters. Alternatively, thriller film posters will also use bright colours to contrast with the darker colours. For example, colours like white will be used to represent the innocence of characters on the poster.
Another convention of thriller film poster is to have interesting images which appeal to the audience. This could include having the main characters on the poster to persuade the audience to go see the film. The poster usually includes the protagonist,
which is the main focus of the
poster and takes up most of the space as they are typically central. Therefore, this clearly identifies to the audience who the protagonist is. However, thriller film posters could also include pictures which reveal more about the storyline. For example, a thriller film poster could include locations of the film and a screenshot of a scene from the film.
A further aspect of thriller film posters which should be considered is the text. A conventional aspect of a thriller film poster texts would be a tagline. The tagline of a film is used on a poster to create excitement as it gives the audience a feel to what the film is about and creates mystery, which allows the audience to remember the film easily. A tagline could become iconography for a film which would allow anyone to associated in with a particular film or character. The text in thriller film posters are usually bold, clear and sometimes presented in capital letters, in order to draw the audiences attention and allow the text to stand out. Bold text in thriller film posters will usually be used for the title of the film or an actors name. Its important that the text is emphasised because if the audience like the sound of the title or recognise the actor they may be influenced to go and see the film. Alternatively, the font of a thriller film poster could be scratchy, small and rough looking, in order to relate with the genre and themes of that specific film. Typically, in thriller film posters the main text is presented in white, black, yellow or orange writing as they are convention colours for thriller films.
Other significant information will be shown on thriller film posters which could attract or influence the audience to go and see the film. For example, its conventional for thriller film posters to contain director and producer names as people may have particular interest in certain individual who fulfil this role. Also, thriller film posters could obtain reviews of the film. Reviews support the advertisement and selling of the film due to the fact that if well known companies have recommended the film then the audience may be influenced to go see it themselves. Furthermore, a thriller film poster will conventionally contain the release date of the film on the poster. Having the date o a thriller film poster is significant because it tells the audience know when the film is coming out.
