Poster Research: King Jack Poster Analysis (1)

Institutional Information:

King Jack is a coming of age film that follows a young boy named Jack as he struggles with bullies, summer school and a sick aunt, however everything changes after he is forced to look after his younger cousin who comes to visit for the weekend. The film was directed and written by Felix Thompson and stats actors such as Charlie Plummer, Cory Nichols and Christian Madsen. This film's certificate is 15. This film was released June 10th 2016 in the USA. King Jack was nominated for the Best American Independent Feature Film award at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2016 and has also won awards at the Independent Spirit Awards as well as the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016.

Main Image:

The film poster for King Jack contains one main image, this is a medium shot of the protagonist Jack looking directly into the camera and in turn directly at the audience viewing the poster. This poster also conforms to the rule of thirds as the centralised image of the protagonist will be the first thing the audience sees, this also shows the audience that the plot will be centred around him. In the background of the poster there are two of the protagonists friends behind him on either side, this gives the audience the impression that friendships and relationships will be a key theme throughout the film and that the protagonist replies in these two characters. 

Mis En Scene:

In terms of mis en scene, the protagonist is presented as a middle class teenager, this can be seen through the casual clothes he is wearing and the bike he is riding. The inclusion of the bike also presents the protagonist as adventurous, this is reinforced by the mud on his face and the fact that he is standing up on the pedals of his bike in the image. These elements of the poster tell the audience immediately that the film follows a young boy, therefore its clear to the audience that the genre of the film will be coming of age. From the background of the image we can see the film will be set it a rural area as we can see an open road surrounded by trees. The green trees behind them connotes growth which corresponds to typical conventions of the coming of age genre. 

Typography and Graphology:

The title of the feature film 'King Jack' is one of the first elements of the poster that draws your attention. The handwritten font also links to the theme of youth, it also looks as if someone has repeatedly scribbled the words which could connote the character has made mistakes and is trying to correct them, a stereotypical plot convention within the coming of age genre. This title also links to the overlaying image of the crown on the protagonists head, this suggests a theme of royalty and imagination, another characteristic of the youth. This is further reinforced by the second crown added to the title above the 'i'. The use of white font makes the title and tagline stand out from the image behind, the colour also has connotations of youth and innocence thus conforming to the coming of age genre. The institutional information is displayed in a small clear font at the bottom of the poster, this is made smaller to take up less room as this isn't information that would catch the audiences attention or make the film more appealing at a glance. The quote 'brings an assured sense of perspective to the rite-of-passage movie' and 'exceptionally powerful', as well as the star rating beneath is presented in large clear font making it easily visible to the viewer. They have chosen burgundy for the colour of the font to make it stand out from the light blue background, the colour also links to the colour of the shirt the protagonist is wearing. The designer has also used a similar method when choosing the colour font to display their film festival awards in, the light blue stands out significantly from the green background without taking the immediate attention away from the white title. 

Conventions to genre and media type:

The film poster successfully includes all the necessary information usually displayed such as the protagonist being in the foreground, the background of the poster reflecting the setting of the film, the film title large and easy to read, the institutional information at the bottom of the poster in a smaller print, the tagline for the film displayed. However, one typical convention that isn't displayed on the poster is the release date of the film, this is an unsuccessful element of the poster as this is critical information the audience needs in order to sell tickets and generate a profit. The layout of this poster is also traditional as the structure is stereotypically conventional with the quote and rating at the top of the poster, the image and title in the centre of the page and the credits and institutional information at the bottom of the page. The quote 'brings an assured sense of perspective to the rite-of-passage movie' immediately attracts anyone who enjoys films within the coming of age genre. 

Lighting:

The film poster uses high key lighting to create a happy and peaceful tone, this also links to the theme of youthfulness and the idea of having no responsibilities. This juxtaposes the synopsis and main plot of the film which follows a young boy through a number of difficulties he faces. Therefore the high key lighting could be used to imply in the end he does overcome his issues through the support from his friends and family.

How does this link the film narrative?

This poster links to the narrative well. The green trees in the background link to the key theme of personal growth and self discovery prominent within the plot of the feature film. The poster also successfully presents the protagonist and the other characters behind him as young through the use of the bikes, casual clothes and mud, cuts and bruises on his face. The whole film takes place over a weekend, this can be seen through the use of the sunset in the background as it is representation of time. The theme of friendship is key within the film, this is presented through the placement of the three characters on the poster. By placing the two supporting characters, his cousin and his friend/love interest behind him either side, this gives the impression that the protagonist is reliant on these relationships to aid him in overcoming the issues he faces. The consent referencing to the theme of royalty reflects the plot as the protagonist begins the film as naive and by the end of the film he becomes more confident and self assured. By giving Jack the title of a king, it presents him as being a strong authoritative figure who in the end is in control.