Poster Analysis - 'A Church of Cards' - Amy Sharp

A Church of Cards

Conventions:

• The text of the title is larger than all other text.
• main image - kept away from majority of the text.
• The secondary image reveals the plot/setting/scenario of/in the short film.
• block of credits.

Narrative:

It is clearly shown in the poster a competition related to poker or another casino game is the basic plot of the film, this is due to the set up in the lower half of the main image. The use of separating the image into individual sections for each actor with varying facial expressions portrays the idea of a competition. They are not placed together taking away the possibility of a team, along with the facial expressions showing that characters persona. The title 'A Church of Cards' is only initially significant through the word 'cards' due to the assumed casino setting, the idea of a 'Church' is religious therefore could be a possible hint to that being a part of the narrative although through the poster that is not confirmed.

Representation:

Each character has their own representation through being sectioned on the poster. None of the characters look at the camera but at each other showing the competition and suspicion that is shown in these types of games. All four men are in suits showing a formal theme, the woman looks to be smartly dressed but not in a seductive matter, which is less common in casino based films, showing her almost as an equal to the male characters - she is just as serious. 

Genre:

The genre isn't specifically clear in the poster, however it has aspects of a thriller through the dark background and separation.

Audience:

From the age of the characters - 40 to 50 years old - the target audience would be around that age or just younger 35-50years old. This is also due to the narrative of the short film, the poker seen would be more familiar with this age group.

Media Language:

In this film poster nothing is revealed to an extent, we are given little to process in terms of the films narrative/intentions. The camera work and editing of the poster is used to create a divide between the characters, each having their own frame and own personality showing off their differences. The only link made is the eye contact, even though there is no eye line match between the characters it is clear they are all aware of one another through the way they have been placed: the two males at either end are looking inward towards the other characters, and the other three are looking in different directions - each character has someone looking at them. The editing shown with the poker set up bring the context into the facial expressions along with the title 'A church of Cards' the link is clear. The lighting is low key however each character has a spotlight to highlight their facial expressions, the black background with white text contrasts and emphasises not only the title but the framing also. The title itself becomes almost unrelated, there is no obvious reason for the typography, along with what I mentioned earlier about the meaning of the title.