Exemplar Response Assignment 2 Section A

Analyse the following start to the Film Poster and Trailer Analysis.

Click on the images for an enlarged shot

Does it hit the assessment criteria?

If so, why?



How could it be improved?

ANNOTATED POSTER







ANNOTATED ESSAY

ESSAY WITHOUT ANNOTATIONS

‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’

This assignment will explore a teaser poster, designed to build initial interest and publicity, and the trailer for the 1970s cult classic “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”. Any film promotion aims to provide a representation of the film’s nature and somehow persuade the target audience that it will fulfil their needs and desires. Both Film Posters and Trailers provide an opportunity for distributors to market their production to maximise profit and ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ did so exceptionally well.

The USP of the film, according to the poster, is the actor Jack Nicholson, an A list Hollywood star. The focal point designed to immediately gain attention is the sole use of colour, a red padlock, which the actor’s eyes are being drawn towards.

The poster is heavily reliant on visual effects and language is kept to a minimum to avoid complexity to the viewer. However, the actor’s name is prioritised above the film’s name to entice the audience to take note of the film, reinforcing the USP. The haphazard, block capital font could signify the disjointed nature of the characters’ lives. The prominent and clear title is easy for the audience to recognise and is a subtle metaphor for the context of the film due to the connotations of the word ‘Cuckoo’.

The images offer many connotations as to the genre of the film. Firstly, the low angle shot of the actor promotes a notion of dominance, power and control from him. In addition to this, the pose suggests a laid back, carefree attitude, potentially seeking escapism from something. However, the vacant gaze and enigmatic smile suggests a certain madness to reinforce the film’s theme.

The actor is wearing a dark, tight hat associated with criminals again providing a clue about his role and could also suggest the character is shrouded in darkness or hiding something about his persona. Ingeniously, a lack of direct address creates intrigue as the viewer’s eyes are moved from the USP (Nicholson’s image) to the red padlock to assess its symbolism. The broken padlock could symbolise a broken character or his need to break out and escape from somewhere. The fact that the padlock is looped around the film’s title could suggest that he is trapped or caught.

The background solely relies on a barbed wire fence which holds connotations of violence, captivity and barriers holding things back and the sole actor could suggest he is being held captive.

The poster is almost entirely in black and white which holds connotations of depression and a dull life. The white background also can symbolise clinical, sterile environments which could represent the setting for the novel, in an institution. The high key lighting on his face could be symbolic of hope and purity within the actor. However, the red padlock could be symbolic of danger lying in wait for the focal actor. The institutional information, such as the logo, is relatively small which suggests it is not a USP of the film.