Poster Creation

As part of my advanced portfolio, I created a film poster for my psychological thriller “STATIC”. The aim of this poster was to visually represent the themes of the film while also following professional film marketing conventions.

The first step in my process was planning the main concept. I decided that the central image should focus on the main character using their phone in a dark environment. This idea was chosen because the narrative of my film revolves around technology and psychological tension. I wanted the phone to act as the primary source of light, as this would create a strong visual contrast and highlight the character’s facial expression.

To create the image, I photographed my model in a low-light setting. I turned off the main lights and used only the phone screen to illuminate the face. This created shadows around the character, reinforcing the themes of isolation and fear. I ensured the character’s expression was serious and slightly distressed, which reflects the emotional tone of the trailer.

After taking the image, I edited it digitally using Canva. I reduced the brightness and increased the contrast to achieve a darker, more cinematic look. I also slightly adjusted the colour tones to create a cold, blue tint, which is commonly associated with thriller genres. This helped to maintain consistency with the visual style of my trailer.

For the layout, I followed typical poster conventions. I placed the tagline “Some messages aren’t meant to be seen” at the top of the poster to create intrigue and engage the audience. The main image was positioned centrally, as this draws attention to the character. The film title “STATIC” was placed at the bottom in a bold font, making it stand out clearly.

I also added a glitch-style effect to the title to reflect the technological theme of the film. This links directly to the narrative and helps create a sense of disruption. The use of minimal colours (black, white and dark tones) ensures the poster looks professional and aligns with the genre.

In terms of media theory, I applied Roland Barthes’ theory of semiotics. The phone acts as a signifier of danger and surveillance rather than just a normal object. This allows the audience to interpret deeper meanings within the poster.

Overall, I believe my poster successfully communicates the genre, themes and tone of my film. It also maintains strong cross-media consistency with my trailer, as both use similar lighting, colour schemes and narrative elements. This creates a cohesive and professional promotion package.