Poster Analysis

This is the poster of the ‘the woman in black’ which was released on the 10th February 2012. The poster follows the typical conventions of the horror genre. Mise-en-scene is used effectively within the poster, with the ‘woman’ dressed in black standing next to the prop of the cross being covered in smoke. The smoke connotes mystery and creates a sinister image, promoting the title ‘the woman in black’. The woman in the poster wearing black connotes death and a sinister circumstance. The costume used in the poster shows the protagonist in the center image wearing a Victorian style suit, this makes it clear to the audience that the film is in fact set in the Victorian era, common for ‘haunted house’ horror films. The suit that the protagonist is wearing signifies his heroic nature, as he is dressed in a white shirt signifying purity, the opposite of evil. The prop of an old house and a gravestone used on the poster are typical of the horror genre, showing an ‘old spooky house’ which is made obvious to the audience that is haunted by the ‘woman in black’ therefore the Mise-en scene is essential in promoting the film poster, as it helps the audience understand what the film is about. 

 The typography used in the poster is typical of the connotations of the horror genre. The typography is mainly in white contrasting with the black background images. The title of the film ‘The woman in black’ is in significantly larger text than the rest of the image making it the center point of the poster, attracting the eye of the audience. The title of the film is in a bright white colour with a hint of grey, this makes the title have a ‘moonshine’ effect, and this makes the title seem sinister as the moon is often used as a symbol of supernatural occurrences such as werewolves. 

The other typography on the poster is also in white and is used as a subtitle saying ‘FEAR HER CURSE’. This use of language of the poster presents a sense of fear and mystery to the audience, the language used is also very personal making the audience feels as if the poster is personally addressing them. The mode of address of the typography used is spooky this is connoted through the use of the word ‘her’ used to address ‘the woman in black’ showing a sense of mystery in her lack of identity. 

The Camerawork on the woman in black poster is a centre point image in a medium shot of the protagonist of the film. The medium shot shows the protagonists heroic nature and shows the costume of the protagonist-stating which era the film is set in. The shot is focused out on the image of the woman in black in the background. The woman is focused in the back of the shot which makes the camerawork have a mysterious effect. The Layout of the poster is quite ordered with the tree shaping around the protagonists head drawing the eye to the title. The centre point of the poster is the title which stands out in bold white writing.

 The colour scheme of the poster is black and white, symbolic of the title of the film ‘The woman in black’. The white and black title may connote good and fitting in with the conventions of the horror genre.