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Explore how codes and conventions are used to construct meaning in the theatrical poster for the horror film Midsummer (2019)
Why do producers even make unconventional films in the first place? Directors may feel that audiences have become bored with the conventions of horror film, and seek to offer them something different. This is for purely financial reasons, as it allows the producer to potentially target new audiences. This conforms to Steve Neale's genre theory. Films must strike a balance between repetition and difference.
- Codes and conventions
- Layout and design
- Composition
- Images/photographs - camera shot type, angle, focus
- Font size, type of font (e.g. serif/sans serif), colour
- Mise-en-scène – colour, lighting, location, costume/dress, hair/make-up
- Graphics, logos etc.
- Language – slogan/tagline and copy
- Anchorage of images and text
- Elements of narrative
Analysis
Below is largely unedited analysis submitted by U block, answering the above question:
- The main image is a close-up shot of a woman crying, which is a conventional hermeneutic code of the horror genre as it creates tension for the audience and makes them ask questions. This is anchored by the tagline "let the festivities begin", which further builds tension as the binary opposition between the innocuous phrase compared to the distressing image makes it more sinister.
- Text displays the lexis 'let the festivities begin' a seemingly non-threatening and positive phrase, this is anchored through the bright and cheerful colour scheme and warm high-key lighting. However the facial expression the woman makes her look distraught and in pain, providing binary-opposition and making the overall tone of the poster sinister. This sinister mode of address directly asks the audience a number of hermeneutic questions, and may appeal to audiences who are not even fans of the horror genre
- The representation of women --> the woman on the poster is hegemonically attractive, and arguably this is a stereotypical representation of women as often women are portrayed as very emotional, which is reflected through the MES of her tears. However the expression on her face surpasses just unnecessary emotion, and it comes across as one of extreme trauma. It is not just a 'dainty' tear rolling down the side of her face as we see in most depictions of women crying, but instead her mouth is open and pulled down, her eyes are scrunched and tearful and her brows are furrowed, implying extreme emotion. This is a highly unconventional representation of women.
- Contradictory - Colours used are not the stereotypical colours of a horror film (blacks, dark blues, reds etc.), but the image of the crying girl tells the audience that something is wrong in the image/film - the bright colours cannot hide her fear. A clear binary opposition between the symbolically happy blue background, and the symbolically miserable crying woman. Once more, this functions as a proairetic code, suggesting violence and bloodshed ahead
- The white serif font implies a sense of purity, goodness and sophistication. This reinforces that this film is in stark juxtaposition to pre-existing films within the horror genre, and may appeal to an older more sophisticated horror audience
- The poster is immediately unconventional due to its colour palette choice. It's lack thereof conventional horror poster elements such as black or red.
- Simple, elegant design frames half of star Florence Pugh’s face in warm, saturated tones, drawing out the yellow flowers in her hair against the bright, marine-blue background
- Relatable choice of actor allows target younger audience to identify with her, thus heightening the tension and the horror
- imagery of flowers positioned at the top of the poster is a common symbol of life forming a binary opposition of the horror genre that typically feature death
- - generic convention of the close up imagery of the woman’s facial expression of crying, she is distressed and conventionally and hegemonically attractive - vulnerable young woman
- The mise-en-scene of the bright, primary colours is unconventional to the horror genre as it connotes peace and tranquillity, as well as summer time. This is anchored by the Title of the film being a play on the word midsummer.
- The colourful, brightly lit image and aesthetic of the piece stands in stark binary opposition to the dark and dreary conventional horror poster. This reinforces to the viewer that the contents of this film will catch them off guard.
- The A24 logo may resonate with the producer's niche fandom (Henry Jenkins), with the studio having been known to produce and distribute unique indie/ lower budget horror films to great success in past.
- Where many horror movie posters typically use darker themed lighting and color scheming in order to convey horror, this poster is atypical and uses high-key lighting with a vibrant colour scheme, combined with the distressed facial expression of the woman creates a binary opposition which intrigues audiences that have been used to the conventional tropes that within the horror genre.
- the lexis of the slogan "let the festivities begin" is ominous and has connotations of fear - a convention of the genre - and the layout of the slogan in the centre of the poster with large line gaps can be read as it is written, which adds to the ominous feeling of the lexis
- The film poster is unconventional which is portrayed through the colour pallet used. Conventionally, horror films are set during the night; The film poster background is bright blue, therefore establishing that the film is set during the day.
- The layout and design is simple and not overcrowded, it is a close up shot that fills the frame and then text running down the centre of the image with the name of the film in larger font at the bottom
- - midsommar - intertextual reference to midsummer's day commonly celebrated in Austria suggests what the setting is to the audience
- MES - Vignette around the image, going from a dark colour surrounding the edges to a slight warm light outlining Florence Pugh. The light, coupled with the wreath headband has religious connotations (mainly Pagan religions), which are often tropes of horror films.
- a hermeneutic code is used in the hegemonically attractive woman crying, which reminds us of of the damsel in distress, a common convention of the horror genre. the symbolic code used in the costume of the flower crown she is wearing adds to this, giving her a hyper feminine image
- exis - ‘Let the festivities begin’ similar to the common phrase ‘Let the games begin’ - suggests to the audience that there is a competition of who stays alive - elements of narrative and a generic convention of horror