Hana Salem 10 SP

Year 10: Assignment 2, Cross Media Study

Interstellar film trailer and poster
This essay will compare two different types of media platforms, a theatrical poster and a
film trailer of the film Interstellar produced by institution Paramount Pictures and
Warner Bros.. The A list stars are Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica
Chastain and Michael Caine. The films financial budget was $ 165 million and received a
grossing of $ 657 million. Each of the two has its own typical codes and conventions; the
impact and effectiveness of the two promotional methods will be compared and
contrasted. This essay will also explore how they appeal to their target audience and
create a sense of a media campaign across the two different media platforms.
The film poster and the film trailer are both advertising tools used to market the film and
sell the film to the target audience. They are used to build up expectation and generate
interest. Film poster is a core element of any film promotion. The conventions found in
both the poster and trailer highlights the genre of the film. The poster contains number
of messages about the film, through text and imagery. However, the trailer conveys the
ambience and excitement of the film through moving image, sound and music. The
trailer highlights the selling points of the film and contains short clips that convey
elements of the narrative.
Both the poster and trailer point out Warner Bros and Paramount Pictures which are
giant production companies that joined together with an independent film company
which is Legendary, to raise high expectations and high quality standards that the target
audience anticipate.
Using Graham Burtons theory about classifying audiences by their social and media
grouping, the media grouping of Interstellar target audiences are sci-fi film fans. The
target audience is aimed for a demographic group of people with any religion, ethnicity,
gender, nationality and class, specifically for people aged thirteen and above. The target
audience also consists of psychographic group that might share the same hobbies,
interests and personality. Using the theory of Blumler and Katz, the target audiences
watch the film for escapism and entertainment which is successfully promoted with the
use of the two media platforms.
For example, the poster and the trailer reach the target audience in different ways. The
poster is displayed in the cinema, newspapers, placed on magazines, pasted on bill
boards, and sometimes on the side of buses. However, film trailers are shown in
cinemas, on television and on the internet. This might suggest that trailers are not
widely accessible. However, their effect is huge on the viewers.

Hana Salem 10 SP
The Interstellar poster works in conjunction with the trailer rather than being an effective
promotional tool just by itself. This poster of Interstellar is a theatrical poster because it
contains information about the production personnel, the stars, and the distributors. This
film poster strongly indicates the films genre which is science fiction. The genre is
created and illustrated within the poster by the colour scheme, main image, the title and
the director.
The title of Interstellar is the largest text on the poster dominating the page. Stellar
suggests star-like, possibly referencing McConaughey. The highlight on Stellar makes
the phrase stand out. Inter is in white (connoting light and purity) while stellar is in
black (connoting a sense of mystery, power and death) and is highlighted in white which
looks like a tail of comet, this is another genre clue. The use of colour is very effective
because the colours contrast.
The main image consists of Matthew McConaughey is the main character of the film; he
seems to be in the middle of nowhere which connotes he is isolated and lost. The poster
of Interstellar is successful in creating an adventurous cold theme with the use of
frosty chilly snowflakes scattered all over the poster. There is a general overall colour
scheme consisting of black, white and the mix of white and black in some parts of the
poster reveals some grayness in the background, which connotes unclearness, which is
relevant to the genre of the film. This connotes isolation, coldness and unpredictability.
The use of colour is always effective because the colours contrasted. The main character
appears in a space suit costume, which suggests that the setting is in outer space. The
characters facial expression reveals a rather challenging or frustrated look at his
surroundings, possibly to find his way (no mode of address). Moreover, the effect of the
main character being on the main image creates star appeal.
Also, the A list stars names are listed on top of the poster indicating equal billing.
However, the order of their names from left to right shows the order of the main
characters. Their names are placed at the top of the title because they are the key
selling points of the film. Using Richard Dyers star theory which suggests the importance
of having the stars names clearly on top of the poster as this appeals to the target
audience. As well as, the directors name printed on top of the title, this gives it
superiority. The addition of the directors name may draw in secondary audience as fans
that recognize the typical genre he directs such as Inception. The directors name is
included because the target audience will recognize him and are attracted to his film
because he directed a lot of well known films with high ratings.
Additionally, The end of earth will not be the end of us is the posters tagline; it creates
a memorable dramatic phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of the film with a

Hana Salem 10 SP
hint of the narrative. As referred to the end of earth, the audience would predict the
earth finale. This creates excitement as the audience would be looking forward to finding
out what it means.
The film credits are placed underneath the film title. It informs the audience who has
participated in the making of film. The distribution companies, production company, main
stars, title, co-stars, distribution companies logos, producer, web URL, writer, director
and technical info. This institutional information is produced in small print because it is
not a unique selling point of the film.
Working in conjunction with the poster campaign the film trailer is a very powerful
promotional tool because it gives the audience a wider perspective of the plotline and
relationship between characters. The trailer exploits the key codes and conventions
including cinematography, editing, mise en scene and sound. In addition to these the
audience experience the actors performances and have a greater understanding of
characterisations.
Throughout the film trailer, the hero, Cooper, is represented through the use of lighting,
camera movement and framing, and his facial expressions to be a serious, determined,
intelligent, responsible and confident character. This reinforces the stereotypical
representations of the genre of science fiction, similarly to the poster. The use of miseen-scene represents the idea that setting, props and costume signify technical
expansion, as they are icons for the typical sci-fi genre of the film (iconography of the
mise-en-scene).
Moreover, the music used throughout the trailer is Evey Reborn composed by Dario
Marianelli, the choice of music helps establish the mood of the film and the drama of the
trailer. There are various types of voice-over used, it is used to help the audience further
understand the film and to complement the tone of the film. The non-diegetic sounds are
used more frequently throughout the trailer than the diegetic sounds; this creates
excitement and empathies the mood of the film. Overall the trailer utilised sound
effectively to get its message across. Music, speech, voice-over and sound effects are
clearly present in the trailer, they all join together to create an exciting taste of the film.
The combination of sound and moving images is a rather effective way of attracting the
target audience to see the film.
Furthermore, the trailer consists of a variety of high-key lighting, for example, when
the light emitted from the fire in the blurry background, which reflects the characters
emotion and makes her stand out with the narrator voice-over of Michael Caine Not as
individuals which can attract secondary audience as Michael is a well-known actor.

Hana Salem 10 SP
However, the low-key lighting such as the close-up shot of the main characters face
reveals his expression which proposes that he is doubtful and worried when he looks at
the window while standing in a dark room. The colour used in the intertitles in the trailer
tells the audience that the film is from Christopher Nolan and the reference to Director
of Inception and The Dark Knight Trilogy, the production company is using the directors
association with two other successful films as a selling point for this film, this would
attract secondary audiences. Although, this technique can also be used in posters to
refer to other successful movies, it was not used in this poster despite used in the films
trailer. The title (appears at the end of the trailer) and intertitles are in white with a black
background which connotes emptiness and denotes space, its colour palette contrasts
which make the title stand out so therefore makes it memorable.
In conclusion, both the film poster and trailer work in synergy. As promotional tools,
they work well at different times, locations and target similar audiences. The film
posters catches the audiences attention by giving out limited and basic information
about the film in one image; this builds some excitement, curiosity and encourages the
audience to see the film. Meanwhile, a film trailer allows the audience to see short clips
of the film; this would have greater appeal to the target audience as it gives a clearer
idea of genre, setting and plotline. By using moving images the trailer has a higher
chance of catching the audiences attention as the impression stays longer with the
audience than the poster, which is why I think it is more effective.