Genre Signifiers - Posters

1. 1
The colours are extremely dull to imply that the film is going to be dark
in terms of plot. A blue tint is also used on the poster, the colour blue
usually represents sadness which shows that the film is most likely
going to be depressing. Even though the majority of the poster is very
dull and dark, the batman logo is highlighted in a bright red/orange (fire
colour) to show that even though in this movie of darkness and
depression. There is still hope, because bright colours represent
happiness.
The one and only character on the poster is Batman. He is standing in a very
dominating and confident position to imply that he is a character of power and
respect. He is also dressed in quite heavy armour it seems which shows that
he is involved in some sort of combat throughout the film.
The setting is not made evident, you just have to assume it’s somewhere
located in Gotham (the fictional city where the narrative is set). A tall building
dwarfs Batman in the background, this gives the impression that the film is
going to be set in some sort of city since you rarely find tall buildings like the one
in the poster outside of big cities.
Similar to the setting, the narrative isn't made obvious. It might be if you've seen
or heard about Batman before, but if not, all you really have to go on is the caption
found on the top of the poster. “Welcome to a world without rules”, this shows that
the film is going to contain a lot of carnage since a world without rules is going to be
a very hectic one.

2. The whole poster has a slight green/yellow tint to it, this could imply that the
film is going to be very grungy and dirty. There aren’t many bright colours
found on the poster expect for the hyper pink soap bar. The bright colour is used
to bring attention to people looking at the poster, the reason attention is brought
to that particular area is because that is where the title of the movie is found.
There are two characters on the poster. This implies that the majority of the
film is most likely going to be based around these two characters. Edward Norton is
located in the background of poster, whereas Brad Pitt is in the foreground. This could
possibly mean that Pitt is the more important character in the narrative. Also, since the
faces of both characters are easy to see since they are close up. You can really examine both
characters facial expressions, Norton seems to have a smirk on his face, meaning he is possibly
happy with himself or something. On the other hand Pitt, has a straight face showing that he
is a serious character.
It’s very easy to realise what the narrative is about. It’s in the title of the film… Fight Club.
The film is obviously going to be about a fight club, well, maybe part of the film is about
a fight club. But the actual poster literally doesn't give anything away about what the film is
going to be about.
There is one prop used on the poster, that being a soap bar with the words ‘Fight Club’ embossed on it.
This is a very random and weird prop used considering the title of the film is Fight Club. You would assume
there might be a possible weapon found on the poster like a baseball bat. But no, there is a bar of soap
which doesn't make much sense unless you've seen the film before.
2

3. 3
An orange filter is obviously used on this poster. This is used possibly to
show high temperatures, it could also be used to portray fire. Since the film
is set during the Vietnam War, both fire and heat could be possible options for
the use of an orange filter. This is because it is very warm in Vietnam and also
a lot of napalm (liquid fire bombs) was used in that war.
The title tells you a bit about what the film is possibly going to be about.
The title is trying to enforce the fact that the end of the world in right now.
This is understandable since the Vietnam War was truly horrible, for both
the US Army and the Viet Cong Soldiers. The US Army were being doped up
with drugs and the Viet Cong were being invaded and having fire dumped on them. You
can also assume the film is going to be about war because you can see a massive squad
of helicopters in the background of the poster. Helicopters are often used in warfare,
and it’s quite rare to see a squad as big as the one on the poster unless it’s a war.
A swamp covers the whole bottom half of the poster. This implies that the setting
of the film is going to be tropical since swamps are usually found in warmer locations.
The trees of the swamp are charred and have literally no leaves on them, this shows
that they have been burnt down, probably by napalm.