DVD Poster Analysis

Shutter Island 

This is a poster of Shutter Island, a film by Martin Scorsese. The poster shows famous actor Leonardo Di Caprio (star of the titanic and Romeo and Juliet) holding a lighted match. Below him is a small island surrounded by dark blue water. This water could represent captivity and imprisonment, showing the audience that the characters in the film are trapped with no hope of escape. The flame the Leonardo is holding could be there to represent that he is the flame of hope and he will provide light of the other characters. Furthermore Leonardo’s name is shown in bold, white letters and is placed directly above the title of the film. This is to show the audience that he stars in it so Leonardo fans will want to consume the film. Also it shows that he the antagonist of the film, meaning that he is one of the main characters. the colour of this font is white, white is often related to innocence and purity. this could be to portray Leonardo as an innocent and feeble character. 

Placed directly underneath is the title of the film 'Shutter Island' in capital, bright red letters. this stands out most from the poster and is used to attract potential audiences. furthermore red is usually associated with love, danger and anger, this shows the viewer that there is danger and even murder used in the film. the bright red stands out amongst the dark blue background, this is so it is easier to spot and is one of the first things the viewer spots. likewise, the word 'October' is also shown in bright, bold red letters. again this is so the viewer will see it and be informed that the film is released October, however they do not know when so they will have to wait and see, this then keeps the viewer interested and engaged in the film more. 

The dark monotone colours used makes the poster seem sinister and eerie. this is so it can convey to its viewers that the production includes danger and is possibly a thriller or horror genre. furthermore the viewer can see rain, rain is usually used to promote a sad mood or some form of a storm. in this poster the rain is used to promote a storm which, again gives the viewer a hint of danger and makes the poster more mysterious. however the first thing the viewer spots is Leonardo holding the flame. however only one side of his face is showing clearly. this could be because the dark shadows on his face shows he has a dark side and possibly a hidden secret. his facial expression is rather anxious and worried yet and the same time looks like he is searching for something, this matches this then creates enigmas in the audiences minds such as "Who is this character?". moreover the line "Someone is missing" plants many enigmas into the viewers mind such as "Who is missing?" and "What happened to them?" and also connects to Leonardo's facial expression as he seems to be looking for something, or someone.