Submarine - Portrait Film Poster (Film 4)

Submarine - Portrait Film Poster (Film 4)

NARRATIVE - PLOT SUMMARY:

Oliver struggles with being popular in school but when a dark - haired beauty takes interest in him, he's determined to become the best boyfriend in the world. Meanwhile, his parents' already rocky relationship is threatened when his mother's ex - boyfriend moves in next door. Oliver makes some unusual plans to ensure that his parents stay together and that Jordana still likes him.

PRODUCT CONTEXT:

• IMDB classify the film’s genre as a comedy/drama/romance. It is also a literary adaptation of a contemporary novel
• Director Richard Ayoade uses colour symbolism to help characterise his cast. Each of the main characters has a colour which can be seen in their clothes and possessions. Oliver is blue, Jordana is red, Jill is yellow, Lloyd is brown and Graham is black. As Oliver gets to know Jordana more and more red sneaks into his palette
• The film was made by Warp Films, an independent British film company, who have a reputation for involvement in innovative films
• Film 4 is a founding partner of the Warp X digital studio, the company develops and co - finances film productions and is known for working with the most innovative talent in the U.K
• Film 4 invested development money in the film. However, the film is one of last projects invested in by the UK Film Council who devoted New Cinema Fund money to Submarine. Additional funding reflecting the regional aspect of Submarine came from The W

ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAIT FILM POSTER:

• The Submarine film poster draws specific attention to its eye - catching title, controversially split over three lines into three different colours. This is an extremely different approach as with most titles you would try to avoid having to split up a word, sacrificing formatting decisions for the logistical fact you want the text to be readable, however the Submarine poster has actually embraced this, essentially turning their title into more of a spectacle with a lot of subtext
• The three primary colours are each very different and contrasting. Essentially, the higher the contrast and divergence the more likely it is that something will pop of the page and grab someone's attention. This is also an example of how the producers have tried to keep brand continuity. The differing colours perhaps also represent the different feeling running through a teens mind at an extremely stressful and overwhelming time in their life and how emotions can flip from one to the another in a split second, just like yellow to red
• Again, the primary yellow and red colours run throughout with the review being in red, the most visually heavy colour, to emphasize the positive comments
• Another aspect to this poster is the blue wash which covers approximately a third of the page. This has obvious connotations to the title and the idea of being submerged, drowning in feelings you feel like you can’t stay above the surface of. As well as connoting a deeper subtext, the blue wash breaks up the page and continues the fluent colour scheme through the entirety of the poster. In addition to this, by choosing a different darker colour the production blurb stands out against the bottom of the image
• Furthermore, the inclusion of the film review and five star rating at the very top of the poster, again in the bold stand out red colour, gives this indie film a well needed reference to its outstanding critical praise reassuring a new audience of the films overall quality and why they should watch it
• The photograph used as the main feature is the image focus and embodies the main protagonist Oliver and his constant gormless, worried and shocked expression that he carries with him throughout the film; it is a personality defining portrait. The image is also photoshopped to be isolated and desaturated reinforcing his feelings of detachment, nausea and being completely overwhelmed by the struggles of teenage life. His expression also makes him look vulnerable, naïve and consequently likeable introducing him as a good genuine character who we will probably find ourselves rooting for
• As well as this, above the production blurb we can read the directors name capitalized and in bright yellow which is a vital convention of any film poster. A more optional feature is the list of starring actors which this poster has chosen not to include because it’s produced by a British independent film company, Warp Films, where many of the actors are pretty much unknown by the masses and this film is acting as a star vehicle to get them recognised