Ancillary Task

1. ANCILLARY TASK (FILM
POSTER) - RESEARCH
A2 Media Studies

2. SHIFTY - 2008
The main image consists of two
males dressed in jeans and a
hoodie. They are sat down
slightly slouched, which
connotes that they are lazy or
perhaps careless. This allows the
audience to make assumptions
about the two men in the poster.
This character is very apparent
in social realist films.
The use of the elongated ‘I’
separates the two men,
suggesting that they may have
an argument or even problems
from the past. It may also be
suggesting a split in
personality, which could be the
cause of their disputes.
The tag line ’24 hours to
deal yourself out’ suggests
a theme of danger and
may leave the audience
wondering what situation
the protagonists are in/got
themselves in.
The choice of colours is also
interesting, as yellow and
black together normally have
the connotations of danger.
This suggests that the film
may include violence.
At the top of the poster are two positive quotes
from film critics, this may encourage people to
watch the film. As well as the two quotes, there are
also star ratings, both giving the film four out of
five stars suggesting that the film is worth
watching. This is all written in black, so it stands
out against the yellow background making it more
eye-catching.
The poster as a whole is
very simplistic, this
minimal writing or
images. This suggests
that it may be aiming to
attract an older
audience, instead of a
younger one who may
be more attracted to
bright images and text.
This goes against what I want for my film poster. I want mine to appeal to a
younger audience and will do this by using more than one image, having exciting
typology and catchy slogans.

3. FISH TANK - 2009
The main image consists one female,
who we can guess by this is the
central protagonist. The fact that
there is only one character, who is
looking out the window, suggests
loneliness and maybe isolation of this
character from others.
The font is written in capital letters
which creates a bold feel, maybe
suggesting a controversial subject
area.
The minimalistic
background helps draw
attention to the main
character,. However, a
small detail of unpainted
walls may suggest financial
problems for the girl, or
her family.The choice of colours is also
minimal, like the background. The
colour pink often has
connotations of femininity, and
this is the colour showing through
the background maybe
suggesting she is finding it her to
accept herself.
At the top of the poster there are two quotes from
film critics, both giving the film four out of five stars.
This suggests to us that the film is of a good quality
and worth watching. The quotes are both in French,
the first one says ‘Our Favourite’ and the second one
says ‘funny, shattering and deep, an exceptional
film’. Both these quotes are written in white to stand
out from the grey, dull background.
Just like the first poster, as a whole it is
very simplistic, with minimal writing or
images. This again suggests that it may
be aiming to attract an older audience,
instead of a younger one who may be
more attracted to bright images and
text.

4. WHAT HAVE I LEARNT…
From researching into these two different film posters, I have learnt
that posters normally include a quote and star rating from one or two
critics, which mostly appears at the very top of the poster. I have also
learnt that most posters try and keep the attention on the main
image, by using subtle fonts and colours else where and that the
main image in nearly always centred. The choice of font is also very
important as it can tell a potential viewer a lot about the film before
they read into it more.