Similarities between the trailer, poster and magazine front cover of a movie

By Alice Webster

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes Poster

Sherlock Holmes Magazine Front Cover

Film Poster…

∞ This film poster firstly shows the costume and period of the film. Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are clearly visible as they are important characters, and also iconic actors. Costumes are shown obviously, these can be a visual representation of the time that the film is set, and being conveyed by the poster.

∞ The positon of the characters shows the personalities of the characters, presenting Sherlock Holmes with a mischievous and intriguing smile while John Watson is shown as a respectable Englishman. The physical body posture of the characters are also quite formal, stern and this can also be linked with the time and genre of the film.

∞ The colour palette for the poster shows a dirty-looking teal, with aspects of cold blue. These cold and unclean colours and textures can represent the setting of the film, London, which is a common setting used in period drama films.

Film Magazine

▪ On this magazine front cover there is a similarity between this and the poster. The main similarity is that the main character, Sherlock Holmes, is shown in the centre, with the same costume, and a comparable posture to the one on the poster.

▪ The colours used on the magazine front cover are different compared to those of the poster. The blues make the magazine cover more cool, and almost more mysterious. There is also a few hints of mist which surround the main character, which can be linked to the film and where it is set.

▪ The differences are that there are less characters shown than those on the poster, and there is less visual conventions of the actual film itself. This can be done on purpose, specifically because that the magazine would want the audience to be curious about the front cover as this is a good selling-point due to the outcome; the audience buying the magazine.

Film Trailer

▪ This trailer for “Sherlock Holmes” is quite different from the representations of the film on the poster and magazine front cover. The trailer introduces the actual narrative of the film, instead of specifically choosing the characters within it.

▪ The poster conveys the two main characters of the film itself, whereas the trailer introduces most characters which are in the film, and show how they contribute.

▪ The magazine only focuses on the main selling-point; the main actor of the film itself. This is not what the trailer does, even though Robert Downey Jr. has a lot of screen time, he is still not the only visual within the trailer itself.