What's The Purpose of a Film Poster?

The sole purpose of a film poster is to advertise an upcoming film; through letting audiences know that a new film is due for release. A film poster provides a range of information on an upcoming film such as; the name of the film, the release date, the stars/actors and actresses who are in the film and the BBFC certification.  This information both attracts a viewer; through naming the stars who are popular and well known, as well as a catchy film title, and at the same time informs them of vital information they may want to know about the film such as the release date and the certification.

Film posters can target specific audiences; whether through one poster for a film aiming at a specific audience, or a range of posters which all vary in terms of images or clips from the film which work together to target different target audiences to bring them together to see the one film.

This is the film poster for Bride Wars (2009); starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. The purpose of this poster is to promote the film. Its title and image suggest that the film is a romantic comedy, as it shows two women baring wedding dresses and cake knifes on the romance side as we presume they are to wed as the title tells us they are brides.

Film posters can appear in a range of places. Such as on boards in streets and along motorways, train stations and bus stops, on the sides of buses, inside and outside cinemas, in magazines and on websites and many more places. These places are all eye catching for example when driving down a motorway and stuck in traffic you may draw eyes with a huge billboard with the poster of a new film advertised on the front.