Poster analysis 4 - The Awakening

The poster consists of a long shot of the main actress, standing outside some sort of 

institution- presumably a school or hospital with mist in the background. The foreground presents a long shot and the background an extreme long shot. This is known as a deep shot. The extreme long shot allows us to see that the setting is indeed isolated. These are usual conventions found in horror movies and in the posters advertising them, proving that the use of mist is effective and proven successful in adding tension. Trees are either side of her and appear to be bending or growing towards her- implying that she has some sort of pull on nature or a supernatural power. However she could feel as if she is being crowded by the trees, that they are closing in on her and almost trapping her. She is clutching her coat around her, as the weather is obviously cold. The pulling of her coat around her also suggests a need to protect herself and keep herself safe from danger. Her ankles/bottom of legs are not covered by anything, which suggests that she ran outside in a hurry. The reasons for hurriedly running outside are unknown to the audience which allows them to speculate as to why she has done this. One of the explanations may be that she saw someone or something and went to investigate it.

The leaves on the floor to most would suggest the season autumn is present. If you delve further into what they could represent, it would be possible to suggest that the dark, dry and dead leaves are foreshadowing a death or dark event. The leaves and woman's coat are both black and both surrounding her, this could be implying that darkness or evil is surrounding her and engulfing her, that she is one of the last to not be tainted by evil. Another perspective of the woman may be that she is hiding behind her coat or evil and trying to solve the mystery the audience presume is part of the movie's storyline.

In the close up of the woman’s face, her eyes are looking up and towards the camera, with her head bent forward slightly. Her cheek bones are high or the make-up has given this effect and gives her a spooky look. As the movie is set after the war, the costume and hair are styled this way- which for modern day audiences would add to the novelty and unfamiliarity- Which in turn would lead the audience to be interested, as they would be are afraid of what they don’t know. Her make-up appears to be natural, however she looks extremely pale skinned- this could be a result of lack of sun, feeling ill or feeling ill as a result of seeing something supernatural. The pale skin creates more of a scary feel and effect, it is common within the sub-genre of supernatural movies.

The image seems to have a 'bubble' or 'fish eye' type lens, suggesting that she is being watched or filmed- adding to the sense of mystery and allows the audience to ponder whether evil is lurking near by. The text almost frames the image and therefore makes it clear and easy to glance at, not having to squint or go closer to see what the text or image says is definitely positive in a movie poster.

The tagline beneath the films name reads ‘sometimes dead does not mean gone’ which confirms the idea that the movie is supernatural. It anchors the meaning of the image- that what you see is 'not always what it seems'. In addition it adds tension and lures in the audience to want to know more about the film and eventually watch it.

The movies title 'The Awakening', supports the idea that there is a mystery or secret that the woman will discover. Thus 'waking' those around her and perhaps herself about the mysterious happenings in the institution. Most of the text on the poster is coloured white, making it stand out against the dark background and seem more crisp and clear. It can also be compared to factual information which is 'black and white' one thing or the other, implying that 'The Awakening' will be true or factual. The white text contrasts with the tagline, as it is coloured in a greyish tone, which adds to the theory that there is a mystery and you need to look for further or deeper meanings in your everyday life.

The tagline really made me step back and think about the poster and what I would want in my poster. I aim to have a similar tagline that will be poignant and bold, yet make people stop and think about it, what it could mean or represent- as it is a great way to get the inquisitive audience interested in a movie.