Questionnaire ...

In order to assess the film promotional package audience I have created a questionnaire, which can be accessed below;

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGFhSEpmZVE3bmFfWVlOT05nengtU2c6MA

HP and the Half Blood Prince Trailer Analysis ...

The movie trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince follows a formula used for the whole series of the Harry Potter films; a mix between the darker major themes and the light comical aspects of the 'coming of age' style humour. This trailer displays perhaps less of the comedy and more of the darker nature of this film. The music that has been adapted between each film has now developed a more melancholy tone. The score, as is typical in most major movie trailers, follows the cuts and provides emphasis to the narration, when important parts of speech are emphasised with a quick end to the music, for example when Dumbledore quotes, "This time I cannot hope to destroy it alone."

The establishing shot is of the cave that is central to the film's storyline, with the two main characters framed upon an outcrop of rock. The striking image provides a hook to the viewer and introduces the setting of the film.

The trailer then introduces the two main characters, followed by a montage of small clips from the movie; which shows in a brief flash the major themes throughout the film. This technique shows the audience what to expect without giving away huge amounts of the plot and creates a dramatic atmosphere.


The production company logo of Warner Brothers has been repeatedly, with each film in the series, adapted to fit the melancholy tone of the film. The difference can be seen below;

The original uses bright colouring, whereas the Harry Potter brand is transformed into the darker colour scheme, which fits into the tone of the rest of the film.

The narrative uses a composition of direct quotes from the film and a narrative enigma; an unknown speaker that explains key plot points from the movie and entices the audience into wanting to watch the film.

HP and the Half Blood Prince Magazine Cover Analysis ...

The August 2008 issue of Empire magazine featured the Half Blood Prince movie as its front cover. The image featured is taken directly from the movie itself, unlike the movie poster. They both, however, feature the film's main actor Daniel Radcliffe. Contrary to the poster the character appears a considerable amount more dishevelled in this picture, showing visible injuries and his famous round spectacles are broken. This could prove a slightly tenuous link to the image of Dumbledore in the poster, being that the glass has smashed and Dumbledore is lost (as he dies in the film).

This image features more colour also, but this is most probably down to the magazine linking the red masthead to the colour of the character's jacket. He appears wearied in expression, his face dirty and battered. This suggests to the audience that the film will feature violence and action.

The line "Bloody hell!" is used frequently throughout the Harry Potter series and provides instant audience recognition with the film series' fans. "Harry comes out fighting" is also suggestive of violence, which entices the reader into going to see the film through the promise of action. The medium close up used is typical of magazine front covers as it gives the audience a clear view of the characters facial expression, which hints at the movie genre and tone. The image is shot in a soft, bright light although the background is a contrasting dark blue. This means the image is more prominent.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Poster Analysis ...

The movie poster for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is atypical of the style often used within the Harry Potter empire. The blue/grey tint used to leech the image of colour evokes a more haunting and forbidding atmosphere contrary to the previous film's advertising, (as can be seen below), which hints at the film's darker storyline.

The abbreviation of "HP6" is also an unusual addition to the marketing of the Harry Potter franchise, as the iconic text used for the title has featured in full on every previous poster. This is more than likely down to the nature of the series; this being the sixth movie involving the same characters, the name is hardly needed at all to provide audience recognition. The main image is that of the film's principle character, Harry Potter. His expression is a mixture of shock and fear, seeming to create a feeling of unease in the viewer. The fact that his skin tone blends into the rain-washed background gives the impression he is trying to hide. Reflected in each of his glasses' lenses, which incidentally are another iconic symbol of the Harry Potter series, is the image of another main character, Professor Dumbledore, appearing windswept. This links to the atmospheric tumult around the main image.

A direct quote from the movie, "Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry" is used as the poster's tagline. This is indicative of the movie plot, something which this film need not be overly covert about, as the novels on which the movies are based are highly successful and the plot widely known. This is, however, slightly ambiguous; which perhaps would give those who had not read the book a hint of intrigue. The text used is universally held as the typical Harry Potter text, which provides a clear link between each film. The poster's billing block is relatively small, giving the whole graphology of the piece a cleaner, more striking appearance.

Shutter Island Trailer Analysis ...

Shutter Island Trailer Analysis ...

The Shutter Island movie trailer is a clear reflection of the horror/thriller genre. The conventions explored in the genre include quick cuts and montage edits to establish pace and suspense within the trailer's narrative.

The graphic captions used (as can be seen below) feature an 'ink blot' design scheme created to reflect the psychoanalytical technique of of finding a picture within it. This is a clear link to the theme of mental illness that the film explores. Other than the film title the only other billing block is of the director, Martin Scorsese's name. This is suggestive of his notoriety as a director and how this makes the need for further audience incentive techniques unnecessary.

There is an unearthly and disturbing tone to the score in the film. Using a link of high-pitched screeching in between the shots creates an atmosphere of unrest and horror. In addition to this the narrative relies on direct speech taken from the film, including conversations between the characters. This means that whilst the narrative seems enigmatic, it directly involves the audience in the action.

The range of shots relies of the differences in significant objects within the film. For example, close up shots are used on important objects such as the federal marshal badge and the actor's faces, displaying their emotions effectively to evoke similar reactions in the audience. Long shots are used to establish the location and provide a setting for the action.