1. THE HELP VS. PROMETHEUS
By Lydia, Beth and Georgia

3. • What is the genre and premise of your film? What in the poster
supports a viewers understanding the genre and premise even if
they knew nothing about the film?
• The Help: Comedy-drama because of the yellow that suggests humour and
happiness. The viewers would have an idea about the film because of the characters
costumes. The segregation of the women because of their skin colour suggests
drama.
• Prometheus: Sci-Fi-Action because of the dark colour and the key art suggests an
alien-like scenario. The audience find that it has a mysterious edge to the film and
want to watch it, almost like the unknown and the audience asks questions, such as
where is the ray of light going and who is the character on the poster.

4. • What characters if any are featured on the poster? What does
the way they are represented on the poster say about the
character and/or the actor?
• The Help: The lady on the far right suggests a haughty character who is superior and
upper-class because she is white, a typical characteristic of white people in the early
1960s. The lady in the middle looks torn between the two arguments, suggesting she
is a kind and fair character. The lady on the far left looks like she has a slight attitude
and resentment towards the white people, whereas her colleague on her right seems
sympathetic and concerned, which could suggest her helpful character. The two
maids look as if they are gossiping about the two white women, giving the audience
a clear idea of the films storyline.
• Prometheus: The explorer who is approaching the large statue suggests a warrior
and hero, suggesting that the actor will be of a famous nature to depict the valiant
character. The statue is above the human, this implies to the audience that the
statue is a villain of some sort and has power over the human as it is of a higher
position.

5. • What can you tell about the tone or mood of the film from the
poster? Think about lighting, composition of the items in the
poster, and the font of any writing.
• The Help: The poster is bright which establishes an energetic and positive mood, this
corresponds with the title „The Help‟ and could suggest a happy ending. The modern
font also creates a light hearted tone.
• Prometheus: The poster is very dark which suggests horror and negativity, however
with the knowledge that it is a Sci-Fi-Action, this means it could suggest the unknown
and a sense of mystery and enigma. The small glimmer of light coming from the
middle of the poster could represent there being hope and optimism within the film.

6. • How does the tagline add to the poster and intrigue viewers?
• The Help: “Change begins with a whisper” – this tag line has potential to intrigue the
viewers. The fact that it is talking about change in regard to black people could draw
in a mass audience as this is a hugely discussed issue. It says how it begins (with a
whisper) which could also provoke the audience to want to know how the story
develops and ends.
• Prometheus: “The search for our beginning could lead to our end” – this could entice
the audience as it is rather cryptic and implicit and so automatically the viewers want
to watch it in order to understand it. As it is talking about humans, this also provokes
further interest since everyone can relate to it.

7. • Is the title large or small? Are any actor/actress names in a
larger font? What does this say about the main appeal of the
film?
• The Help: The title of The Help is large which makes it significant. If you know the
context of the film then viewers will be aware that it is about black people and the
change they have seen over time which is the main appeal of the film; how they got
freedom.
• Prometheus: The title of Prometheus is quite small especially in comparison to the
main art of the poster which your attention is generally drawn to. This could be to
provoke a sense of mystery with the unclear picture so that people then look at the
title and are more likely to remember it. The main appeal of the film could be its
mystery or it could be because it is about humans which people will generally find
interesting.

8. • Thinking about the terms from the web resource “Basic Strategies in Reading
Photographs”, apply these terms to your movie poster. Talk about at least one term from
each of the three main sections (general, visual elements, composition) on that
website, and apply it to your poster. http://www.nuovo.com/southern-images/analyses.html
• The Help
• General: Direct approach – The poster confronts the scene in a straight-forward manner, without using
unusual angles or distortion. This suggests that confrontation is going to be a key element to the storyline as
the black people wish for freedom from the white people.
• Visual elements: Focus – The characters appear clearest in the poster, comparing to the background of the
image that consists of trees that is very faint coloured yellow. This suggests that the poster wants the
characters to be the main emphasis.
• Composition: Balance – The distribution of the characters in the poster are distributed evenly as there are two
characters on each side suggesting that both sets of characters are good friends. An audience enjoy watching
friends gossip so this draws them in.
• Prometheus
• General: Documentary photography – The posters main purpose is to present a place, person and event, the
poster does this efficiently as the enigmas of where the character is, who the character is and what is going
on intrigues the audience making them want to watch the film.
• Visual elements: Space – The poster seems shallow as the statue looks powerful coming towards the
character, matching its evil-like demeanour. However the characters depth as they look towards the statue
suggests the unknown as they look far away compared to the approaching statue.
• Composition: Contrast – The is a strong visual difference between the ray of light and the dark background.
This suggests hope in what seems like a suspenseful story.

9. • What in your opinion in the main hook or USP in the poster that
would encourage people to see this film? How is the hook
highlighted in the poster?
• The Help: We believe that the unique selling point of The Help is the ability to relate
to the characters, whether they are white or black and how this would encourage the
audience not only to have an opinion on the segregation between white and black
people but also the idea of a happy ending that all audiences enjoy. The hook is
highlighted in the poster by separating the white and black women and also by the
use of the joyful colour yellow.
• Prometheus: We believe that the unique selling point of Promethus is that the poster
gives little away about the film. The audience are aware of the stereotypical hero and
villain that are displayed and they are also enthralled by the mysterious nature of the
tag line: “The search for our beginning could lead to our end” . This highlights the
genre of the film, and also uses the collective pronoun „our‟ to allow the audience to
relate to what will happen in the film as it applies to everyone.