Monsters - Poster Analysis

The British low budget film 'Monster', directed by Gareth Edwards, has a film poster which reveals many themes and messages through the micro elements that are applied. These poster conventions are very important for successfully promoting the film and appealing to appropriate audiences.

The title, Monsters, is very large and is emphasised near the top of the screen. The sharp, sans serif font is common of Thrillers and Sci-Fi's, and is dented at the top of each letter. These slight breaks in the font look like scratches, possibly caused by the monsters. The poster tries to convey many key points within the narrative, such as the opening sentence which introduces the world they live in, where the monsters are now 'residents'. This suggests devastation, as they have taken over the planet, as shown by the destructive imagery.

The setting is full of smoke and broken props such as a helicopter on the ground. The dark, cloudy colours reinforce the theme of an apocalyptic world, where there is also a billboard showing that the two characters are in an "infected zone". This danger imposed on the man and lady generates excitement for spectators, as we question how they will escape from this horrible situation. Things have become so dire that the man is wearing a prop of a gas mask in order to protect him, but this also generates enigma as to why the woman isn't following his actions, as she instead holds hers in her hand.

This poster includes many conventional Sci-Fi elements, such as flying vehicles and explosion effects. This will meet the needs of current Science Fiction fans, as well as attracting new ones with the exciting imagery and fonts used in the poster.

Common in feature film posters, 'Monster' comes with a tag line which captures the meaning of the film. "Now, it's our turn to adapt" is a thrilling tag line which summarises the exciting narrative which is unconventional of a Sci-Fi taking place on our own planet, as it is now as if humans are the anomaly surrounded by many of these monsters. This tag line, along with billing block and large title, are conventional elements of feature length film posters which aim to attract fans of the particular genre it portrays.