Posters for Audiences

Part of your GCSE exam will focus on knowing how posters work and how they appeal to their different audiences.

To help us understand this I have taken some film posters from around the world and placed them next to their English equivalents. As you look through these, have a think about why the marketing companies have changed the advertising style for each country:

Saw VI

Hong Kong:

England:


Romancing the Stone



Poland:


England:

Mad Max 2: Road Warrior

Ghana:

England:

Lord of the Rings

Spain:

England:

Ice Age 3

Korea:

England:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

USA:

England:

District 9

Poland:

England:

Activity 1:

Choose at least 4 films from the selection above. Write 1-2 paragraphs for each of them explaining what differences the foreign poster has with the English one and why you think the advertisers have done this.

***BONUS POINTS*** if you can look at each of the foreign posters and tell me what other films these posters make the film being advertised look like (eg. The Polish District 9 poster makes it look like a certain Christian Bale movie involving robots and explosions and the USA Harry Potter poster makes it look like a certain vampire-based teen favorite... you know the one I'm talking about... with the pasty guy looking moody and the girl that keeps biting her lip.)

Activity 2

Find a poster for your favorite action film and create a radial analysis explaining how this poster appeals to the audience for this genre.