Oscars Movie Poster Series #1: Beasts of the Southern Wild

As part of my ancillary task, I have to design a movie poster to accompany my short film. Whilst I'm still deciding on a specific genre of my film, I thought it would be pertinent to look at previously existing media texts in order to gauge the codes and conventions of film posters', understanding what makes a poster successful. Therefore, where better to look at than the posters for all nine nominated best picture films at this years academy awards, all of which had posters and high marketing budgets that attracted audiences around the globe to watch. To begin the series is Sundance hit, Beasts of the Southern Wild:

This poster will undoubtedly end up being one of my favorite's in this series. The poster is subtly ambiguous, making the viewer ask 'Who is this figure? What is she running to/from?' When a viewer is asking these questions, then it's safe to assume that you've drawn the viewer in, wanting to find  out more. I like the bold color palette, a mixture of dramatic colors that gives the poster an emotional depth. The streamers connote joy and happiness, giving the viewer a sense of feel-good, that the film will put them in a good mood- sounds simplistic, but it's important when enticing a market. At the centerpiece of the image is the girl, shrouded in darkness, a silhouette; again, this reinforces the idea of mystery and uncertainty. The title doesn't seem to have any correlation to image itself, which again creates a sense of mystery, drawing the soon-to-be customer in. Also, the use of positive quotes from respected publications such as the New York Times creates a sense of hype around a film, making the viewer respect the film a bit more- especially given the low-budget this particular film had. Overall, I love this poster; the mystery, the uplifting image and the ambiguity, coupled with the high praise making me want to watch this movie...