Scream 4 Poster

This poster shows clear conventions of horror whilst advertising the film. The many conventions used are the iconography of the mask, which shows us the main character and shows clearly that this film is another sequel to the scream films. This is a successful clear advertisement that a new scream is coming soon. The colours used on the poster are also clear conventions of a horror. The colour scheme is typically red, white and black and this is used to connotate fear. The black shows evil and the accompanying red is dark which adds to the connotation of this. The white is used as a contrast to the black and due to this the film title is clearly visible underneath the mask. Also, as the mask is white on a background, it shows a contrast and makes the mask bolder on the background. The fact that the bottom of the mask is a knife is also visible due to the background even though it is at the bottom of the mask. The tagline used 'new decade, new rules' shows that this film is different to the other scream films to try and entice a new audience as well as the old. It shows that there may be a new surprise in store and to expect something different from the other scream films. This is done to try and draw in a new audience. Finally, the opening date is located underneath the title in bold red letters to clearly advertise it. Your eye scans down the poster so when you see the title, the opening date is instantly seen. This is done so the audience know when it is playing, and so many people will go and watch the film. The whole poster is successful because it is simple but effective. It is obvious what the film is and who will be involved within it. The essential information is there such as the opening date and the three pieces of text used are the most essential so nothing else is needed. This is what makes the poster successful as the audience have everything they need from it.