I will break you up into groups of three and assign you posters to analyze. Here are the links to the IMDb pages for each group's movie:
Group 1: The Social Network
Group 2: New Moon
Group 3: The Dark Knight
Group 4: Inception
Group 5: The Help
Group 6: Taken
Group 7: Cloverfield
You will be using the movie poster that first appears in the upper left of the IMDb page as the poster you are analyzing. Click the image to see it in more detail, and briefly read the summary of the movie to get an idea of what kind of film the poster is promoting. If any of you have seen the film from the poster, share your thoughts on the movie and be sure to think about the genre and tone of the overall film when you analyze the poster.
You will then:
1) Explore all the suggested websites (see Resources page) and examine how to analyze a movie poster. Think about how the videos show examples of how one might analyze a poster, and look at some of the terminology that people would use to analyze something visual.
2) Discuss how the poster utilizes different elements to create an overall impression of the movie. Is it effective? How could the poster be improved? The questions on the 'Analyzing Movie Poster' worksheet (see below) will guide your discussion of the poster.
3) Print and fill out the attached worksheet in Google Docs (one filled in worksheet for each group to turn in):
4) Briefly present your findings to the class in a short, 5 minute maximum presentation. Summarize your responses to the worksheet and include if you think the movie poster was successful in capturing the essence of the movie. The presentation is informal. I would like each group member to speak but you are being evaluated on your ability to 'read' the key elements and explain how they contribute to the poster.
5) If you have any questions, just ask :-) Have fun!
(Image courtesy of movieposter.com)