Analysis of Final Destination Poster

Colour and Meaning: Most of the colour used is black. This could be because black usually reflects darkness, anonymity and has generally negative connotation. This colour is used as the background behind the image of some sort of skull. This is so that the obvious convention of horror is portrayed to the audience, simply through the use of black. White is used on the writing, this could be because the white contrasts with the black background and stands out more against it. This is vital for the audience to see what the writing says clearly. Also red is right at the bottom. Red is a strong colour that suggests powerful emotions of passion and anger. This is used to alert the significance of the information written right at the bottom. Even though the information is right at the bottom, the use of the colour allows the audience to understand the importance of this colour.

Media Language:The writing on the poster is formal; this is done so that the movie can appeal to an older generation as well as a younger one. It could also be formal because it wants to demonstrate the clarity of what’s the movie is about. Although right at the top it says ‘rest in pieces’ which is grammatically incorrect. However the reason for this is because it symbolises what happens in the movie and how people end up dead. Also it can be used to represent the picture of what looks like a skull in pieces.

Layout: The layout of the poster includes the title at the bottom. This is so that the audience can see the image as the first attraction. Once the audience is drawn in then they will notice the title that is written more boldly at the bottom in white. The main image of what looks like a skull takes up the centre of the page. This is because the audience will be mainly attracted to images that are meaningful. This image is distorted; therefore attention to detail is very important. This could be another reason why it’s in the centre, why the image is large and is the only image put on the poster. There’s a little bit of writing at the top, which suggests that it is significant to the poster.

Target audience: The target audience is 18 year olds and above. This is due to the fact that scenes maybe unsuitable for those who are underage.ie violence. Also it appeals to an older generation due to the fact that the writing across the poster is all formal and doesn’t use slang that would be more appropriate for a younger audience.

Typeface: The typeface is small right at the top where it says ‘rest in pieces’ and it’s the same size at the bottom where it says ‘August’. This is because it’s less significant as the rest of the features on the poster .i.e. the image and the title. The title is a much bigger font to symbolise its importance. The title is written in white so that it contrasts with the black background. This is so that the audience can see the writing clearly, again representing its importance. ‘August’ is written in red, which indicates danger and alertness. This is so that the audience can see which month the film is released.

Denotation And Connotation: At the top, it says ‘rest in pieces’. This could be, because it resembles the image below which is in pieces and also what happens in the movie.ie people dieing and how they die. Also the writing is written in white. White usually indicates purity and cleanliness. This is important as this is completely different from the meaning of what is actually written i.e. ‘rest in pieces’ is an actual metaphor for death (people dieing and their body is left in pieces). The image below the writing is what looks like someone’s face shattered in to pieces which also look like glass and the face appears to look like a skeleton. The face is in white and the teeth are coming out of its face which also helps resemble a skeleton. This is done so that it illustrates the theme of death within the movie. The white face is contrasted with the black background. Black indicates signs of anonymity and the unknown. This is important as enigma and ambiguity are conventions of horror movies and are needed to create suspense in the movie. Then at the bottom it says ‘Final Destination’ in white. This is written at the bottom due to the fact that people maybe more attracted to the image than writing. Also it is written quite boldly in white to demonstrate the significance of it as it is the title of the movie. Right at the bottom it has the month of when the movie being released right at the bottom. It’s right at the bottom because the above features are more like to attract an audience.ie image and the title of the movie. However it’s still written in red. This usually represents alertness and danger. This is so that the time of when the movie was released is clearly shown to the audience and they can attract a big audience on the release date.