Film poster analysis

Film Poster Analysis

The title suggests that the number 7 is an important number within the film and that it has something to do with the two main characters depicted on the front. The main image is of two men who seem to be very focused.  I think it is multi-layered as the images of the characters are overlapping.  The questions raised from the main image is who are these two men and what connection do they have to each other and to the number 7. The main actors are both illuminated by light and partly obscured by shadow.  Both of their faces are half light and half dark which suggest good and bad or maybe there are two sides of these characters.  Brad Pitt looks very tense and focused with his eyes looking straight at you.  Morgan Freeman looks very calm, calculated and has no emotion on his face.  They seem to be opposites of each other which also link to light and dark. The Iconography on this poster is the title which is red which usually symbolises blood.  This feature is quite prominent in psychological thrillers.  I think the poster suggests that this film is more than one genre as it says “A nerve-jangling thriller with a gut wrenching climax!” This claim is put forward from a film magazine which suggests that this film is thought highly of. It also suggests the film is a psychological thriller/horror. I think this film offers visceral pleasures as it is clear people are going to be killed.  I think the target audience is predominantly male (60% male-40%female) but and is aimed at people aged 25- 40.  I believe this because the two main characters are male but Brad Pitt attracts female attention and because Morgan Freeman who is older appeals to the older generation. The film stars are Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman who are both household names and are showcased by the poster. Their names are at the top of the poster because it will be the first thing you see and they only showcase good well known actors. I believe when you see big names in the film industry it makes you want to see the film more as you know that they are very good at what they do. The movies tagline “Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.” This suggests that this film may have something to do with religion as it says sins which usually mean you have done something against a religion/god.  The seven ways to die suggests that each sin has a way of death that occurs when that sin is committed. I think this film has two very well known actors in Brad and Morgan Freeman who aren’t usually associated with psychological thriller films which I think is a unique selling point of this film.  Something that sets it apart from other films is that there are only two main characters as in other films of the same genre there is usually a group of people.  This is because when you have a group, they are all usually linked to each other and the intellectual puzzle is how these people are linked but with only two main characters this is much harder to do.