Sample poster analysis, GCSE media studies

1. Grease Poster Analysis
The poster for Grease is a DVD release poster and portrays the genre of the film as a
romcom musical through its use ofimages of people dancing and showing the main
characters in close situations.
The colours of the poster are bright and sunny
looking denoting that the movie will be a
happy upbeat film. The use of a sky image
beneath the logo is echoed by a blue and
white background in the main image
suggesting sunny days. This together with the
smiling headshots underlines the idea that this
is going to be a fun and light hearted film.
The main characters are given equal billing –
suggesting that they are of equal importance
which is echoed in the use of two head shots
of them at the top of the poster. There is also
a large image of them touching/dancing in the
middle of the poster again suggesting they are
of equal importance.
The USP is the setting, although this film is
released in the late „70‟s the images clearly
show 1950‟s dress so the setting is the 1950‟s
The layout is of a central picture of the two
main characters, emphasising their importance. The remainder of the images are laid out
around the edges like a film strip or cartoon and are a mixture of character images and
further shots with the two main characters as the focus. The layout suggests that there will
be many different scenes and locations and that the action will be moving swiftly.
The layout and images also suggest that the narrative will show the main characters coming
together in numerous locations along with their respective groups of friends. The images of
the friends show clearly that they belong to different groups, each wearing their own
“uniforms” to symbolise they are in groups. The narrative will also include dancing as an
important feature as a number of the images show both the main characters and their
groups in dance poses.
The connotation of this sequence of images is that the romance will blossom between the
main members of the two groups. There is no indication that the romance will run smoothly
although the happy feel of the poster suggests that there will be a happy ending.
The uniform of black leather jackets for the boys and pink satin jackets for the girls, together
with the head shots suggests a stereotypical bad boy & nice girl romance. Although the
large central image suggests a stereotypical sexy girl dressed in figure hugging black with
red high heels so hints that there could be a transformation during the film.

2. The text on this poster is minimal with a banner showing that this is a special edition and the
actors names for just the main couple. The name of the movie is displayed as a stylised
logo where the text is within a car shape and two letters have been placed to become
wheels. The logo is large, showing the importance of the name and the logo, which may
later be used for merchandising.
The target audience for this film will be young women from teenagers to mid-twenties. The
poster makes small attempts to appeal to men by the single image of with a car in and the
car in the logo, ultimately a musical love story will appeal to women.