Critical analysis of street fighter poster
This teaser film advert or poster is representing five things. A ‘hero’ character is being represented by the large image of a male on the screen. All the common conventions, typical of a hero.
Are there, i.e masculine good looks, clean shave, dressed in uniform with a futuristic United Nations badge etc. The possible ‘villain’ in the narrative is being represented in front of the screen, dressed in a uniform and wearing a cape. His stance suggests his need for power and his evil nature. The podium he is standing on represents the futuristic side of the movie.
The fighters in the background represent possible ‘blocker’ characters in the narrative, there to get in the way of the hero’s quest, or maybe assist the villain. The logo for the movie reads the words ‘street fighter’ and is written in sharp, jagged font, representing danger, fighting, aggression etc, which appears to be the theme of the film. The logo includes what looks like bolts of lightning protruding from the sides which go in the same direction as the light shining from the podium.Collectively, these five signs and the meanings behind them , suggests the genre of the movie is Sci-Fi action.The ideology behind this advert is our society’s belief that were not supposed to be fighting in the street and that the hero must fight the villain and stop him from taking of the world.
The hero is needed to protect and save the world, and restore law and order. This can be linked with audience and audience expectation, where the audience expect the hero to fight and win and save the world as a result. This idea is confirmed with the adverts slogan, ‘THE FIGHT BEGINS TO SAVE THE WORLD BEGINS MAY 19TH’, May 19th being the release date.The ‘action’ is represented by the fighters, logo and the hero and villain, which are oppositions. The ‘Sci-fi’ element is represented by the podium, but also to some extent the screen and side images.The film poster advert is taken from ‘Time Out’ magazine which is targeted at 18+.
The poster could also be found at bus stops, on billboards, cinemas etc. The advert includes advertising for the cinemas where the movie is showing, at the bottom of the page. Above this, is the name of the director, producer, cast etc. This is a USP (unique selling point). The logo is also a USP but the most important USP of all, and possibly the most mayor attraction, is the image of the main star himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme. He is a well known and recognised star, so audiences with a previous knowledge of his acting in other films, and also previous knowledge of the genre of this film (action Sci-fi) will be getting repeat pleasure from this film.
The main star’s facial expression is sexually attractive and shows determination. This raises enigmas about the movie and poses questions such as ‘will he succeed in saving the world and defeating the villain?’ As this is a teaser poster, it does not offer much of an answer, the only clue being that the image of the hero is much larger and superior than the villain, giving him power.The movie is generally targeted at 12+, but more specifically at people who like violence, action and Sci-fi.The poster features an example of media synergy, where two media products advertise and feed off each other. In this case, it is a single for the movie, which is featured in the movie, and is released three days after the movie shows in cinemas.
This is to boost promotion, and therefore profit.
