Ancillary product research: poster analysis (3)

Film information 

The Back-up Plan is a romantic comedy film that stars Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin and it was released May 2010. The rom-com was directed by Alan Poul and produced by CBS Films and Escape Artists; with a budget of $35,000,000, the film made a gross profit of $37,481,242 by 16/07/10. The film is based around a woman, who conceives twins through artificial insemination, only to meet the man of her dreams on the very same day. It runs for 104 minutes. 

Image

The main image of this poster is a mid shot of two people, a male and female, in the foreground of the poster - we can assume that these are the main characters in the film as they are the only two people present on the main image; this is indicated by the pose they are standing in on the front cover, they are at the same level and are not standing behind each other or in front of each other and this suggests they both hold equal importance within the film. The female is looking directly at the camera, creating direct address to the audience to engage them and allow them to form a relationship with the character, it also shows her independence as she isn't engaging with the male; the male is looking towards the female, and as this is a romantic comedy, it may signify that he is looking  at her lovingly - this feeling is not replicated as the female is looking away. This could represent that the feelings aren't equal between the two characters. The stance that the male has taken in the image suggests that he is confident, although this can be contradicted as folded arm often connote someone is trying to protect themselves by creating a barrier.

This poster uses the rule of thirds to break up the main image, as the two characters are located on the furthest left and furthest right, with the title in the middle. It draws the audiences eye across the page so that they came into contact with tall of the information that is provided. The use of the rule of thirds in this scenario  reflects that there may be some divide in the relationship, as they aren't stood close which is a stereotypical convention of romance films. The majority of the text is acting as a wall between the two characters representing an issue in their relationship. 

Jennifer Lopez is holding a pair of baby shoes behind her back, which links with the tagline that suggests that she wants to have a baby 'Have a baby.' However she is hiding them behind her back, which connotes that she is a keeping a secret from the male character, potentially something to do with pregnancy. 

Mise en scene

The colour combination that is used in this party is whit, black and pink all of which are very recognisable and stereotypical colours of the romance genre; particularly the pink as this creates the idea of romance and so will immediately form the genre for the audience which will determine their interest in the film. Pink is also associated with femininity, which would suggest to the audience that the film focuses more around the female than the male. The white background adds emphasis to the rest of the text and images that are present. The subtle use of grey for the credits at the bottom of the poster means that they don't detract attention away from the main image which delivers the most important information about the film. 

The female character is wearing a tight dress with her make up and hair done, while the male is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which is very casual. This contrast in what they are wearing represents the different lifestyles that the both lead, but it also suggests that the characters follow gender stereotypes e.g women being viewed as sex symbols as she is wearing a figure hugging dress. 

The only prop that is used in the main image is the pair of baby shoes that Jennifer Lopez is hiding behind her back, which signifies that the film focuses on the relationship rather than materialistic objects. 

Lighting

This poster uses high key lighting on the two characters, as this creates a natural feel to the image which relates to the romance genre. There aren't any shadows present in the picture so doesn't reflect any elements of darkness or tension. The bright light featured in the poster is also present in the white background behind the main image; the white is a very light colour and allows the focus image to be the centre of attention, making those colours stand out. 

There is a slight decrease in high key lighting at the bottom of the poster where the white darkens a little - this may represent foreshadowing of a negative event in the relationship. 

Typography 

The typography of the majority of text is written in sans serif font and the text alternates between black and pink; both stereotypical colours from the schema of the romance genre. This font crates a bold text, making it stand out on the poster. The location of the title down the centre of the page represents a barrier between the two characters, and therefore shows the importance of the title; this also forces the audience to read the surrounding information around the title. The black and pink connote masculine and feminine colours which represents the two main characters in the film, also reflecting the genre of the film. The clean look of the typography used can also be seen as being quite strong and stable, something that may be a reflection of the male protagonist in the film.

At the top of the poster the cast system includes the name of an A-list celebrity, Jennifer Lopez, which is written in a capitalised black san serif font; the central location of the name encourages the audience to read the information, and the inclusion of this name may widen the demographic because fans of previous films Jennifer Lopez has starred in will be encouraged to watch this film. 

Tagline 

The tagline used in The Back-up Plan is 'Fall in love*. Get married. Have a baby. *not necessarily in that order'. The have a baby and get married are switched over with a sketched pink arrow. Traditionally tag lines are located above or below the title, and this tagline is located above the title conforming to the conventions of film posters. The tagline is used to make the audience ask questions about the film, and in this case the tagline has been used in a comical way that reflects the genre of the film; it gives the audience a clue into the narrative of the film and suggests that the stereotypical order of love as written in the tagline isn't followed in this situation. The sketched arrows are in pink, so would suggest that it is the female who is changing the 'order of love'.

How does this relate to the film narrative?

The films narrative is based around a woman, who conceives twins through artificial insemination, only to meet the man of her dreams on the very same day. This poster relates to the narrative of the film because it features the two main characters as the main image; the male is the woman who gets pregnant and the male is the person she meets having just conceived her twins. The tagline reflects this narrative with the sketched arrows showing a change in the 'original plan'. The audience can assume that the location of the title, shown vertically in the centre of the poster, is the representation of a barrier between the two characters, signifying a problem in the relationship, potentially the pregnancy. The high key lighting represents the rom com genre as it presents a light hearted tone to the film.