Poster Analysis 2 - Beauty and the Beast

The purpose of a film poster is to show the target audience what the films is modelled on, who the film is made by and what is the film actually about which is the main foundation that posters are based on, to show the audience a demonstration on what the film will be. A film poster is used to promote the film in a subtle way that does not reveal too much about the plot of the film. They are used to create a hook for the audience to have a desire to see the film. The poster I am analysing is the 2017 Beauty and the Beast poster.

Posters are split into thirds, usually on teaser posters; this rule isn’t followed as there is only minimal information included, such as a title and release date and sometimes the cast or director names. On the classic poster however, they are usually put in these thirds with the top third being the cast names, director names or a tagline, the middle third is known for having a picture  and the bottom third would have the title and other credits or sometimes a tagline.

On this teaser poster, all of the text is based in the bottom third; the production company, title and release date. These are all essential; for the promotion of the film and generating interest, especially with having the Disney logo easily noticeable on the poster. This is due to the fact that Disney films always succeed in the box office. The title would also help as this remake will create high expectations for the audience as Disney’s animated original is one of their most popular films to date. The text itself is a gold serif font, it is all the same font with the exception of the Disney logo. On some of the letters, there are flares and flourishes used on the ends of the letters such as the B’s, E’s and T’s; this style of writing is significant as it mimics the writing style of classic fairy-tale books from the 1700’s. The colour of the text is gold that blends into white, looking as if the text has somewhat frosted; linking to the winter setting of the film.

The remainder of the poster is consumed with the image of a rose in a glass jar. For audiences who have seen or are familiar with Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast, they will know that this is a significant aspect of the film as it is what counts down the time the beast has to find true love to break his curse. As this is so important, it is essential that it is easily identifiable, so high key lighting is used on the rose. Using this as the focal point helps to create excitement for the audience when they see the poster and it doesn’t revel too much about the plot, all audiences could assume would be that it has a similar plot to the original. This close up shows extreme attention to detail in the jar that the rose is kept in. on the jar it looks as if it has frosted due to the colour, linking it to the cold winter setting of the film, it also looks as if the frosting is leaves, linking to the nature themes of traditional fairy tales. In the background of the poster, there is an open window with snow pouring through, once again linking to the setting. In the distance through the window, there is a turret from a castle which is presumably the Beast’s.

The colours used on the teaser poster are predominantly grey, white and blue. These colours connote coldness and gloominess as they are dull dark tones. There are also two colours that stand out among this on the rose; red and green. The red connotes love and passion (which is relevant as the Beast and Belle fall in love), the green also links to peace and nature and it a generally calm happy colour, setting a positive feel for the majority of the film. The fact that these colours stand out helps to make the rose a focal point of the poster.

Overall I would say that the teaser poster is extremely effective in grasping the interest of the audience and creating a buzz about the film, which ideally, is the purpose of the teaser poster.

The classic poster has much more information on it in comparison to the teaser poster. It is also set into the thirds, like most posters, in the top third there is the cast list. This features well-known actors and actresses such as Emma Watson (a well-known actress from the Harry Potter franchise), Josh Gad (a popular star known for his work in Disney’s Frozen) and Ewan McGregor, Ian Mckellen and Emma Thompson who are all critically acclaimed actors. This would set extremely high expectations for the film as there are several skilled actors among the cast who audiences will already be familiar with. As there is such a long list of well-known cast names, the text is rather small, this could also be so it does not distract from the main image. The colour of the text is gold, just like the text on the teaser poster.

In the middle third of the poster, there is the main image, which in fact consumes the majority of the poster. It is a wide shot of the Beast and Belle dancing.  The photo is mostly dark but there is a light shining to the centre of the photo, onto the characters, this reveals a silhouette of the beast where you cannot see much detail of him, but you can see Emma Watson as Belle much clearer. Audiences will be able to see Belles dress but not in its entirety, only the top of the skirt is visible, but they can see that it is yellow and mirrors the dress from the original. This photo is ideal for the classic poster as it replicates the iconic ballroom scene in the original animated version, which many will be familiar with.

In the bottom third there are the title, credits and release date. The title is still the same as in the teaser poster with the colour fading from gold to the frosted white. The production cast is below the title with the names of the cast, crew and production members, this is in a thin font which doesn’t stand out much which helps to not distract from the key information on the poster. At the bottom there are the logos of production and distribution companies such as Disney, IMAX and Real-D and 3D. This helps the audience know where to watch it and what accessibility there will be for the movie, for example, as it is shown in IMAX it will be in an immersive, high quality experience. The age rating is also shown in the corner, allowing audiences to know that it is suitable for all ages and will be like any other Disney princess film. The release date is also at the bottom, much larger than all of the production credits; this helps it to be seen quicker and easier, allowing audiences to remember when the film will be released. The date itself is also much more specific that in the teaser poster (which only said the month and year) as it has an actual date rather than a vague one.

The colours used on the poster are black, white, gold and yellow; the gold and yellow are very significant colours in the film as they are a part of Belle’s dress, as pointed out in the poster, but the gold also helps to show the Beast’s lavish nature and luxury in his castle.

I would say that this poster is extremely effective in its promotion for the film; it features all of the necessary aspects that would draw in an audience and remind them about the film and its franchise.