1. Forrest Gump (1997)
Plot summary (taken from IMDB): Forrest, Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low IQ but good intentions. He is running through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His 'mama' teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, starts a ping-pong craze, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone.
This film poster features a convention of romantic comedy film posters; a park bench. Considering he is sitting by himself, this poster does convey part of the plot which is that he spends alot of the film alone. However, by looking at this poster it is impossible to tell that this is a romantic comedy. There's no female on the poster and the man is not making any sort of romantic gesture which could convey that he's in love. Elements of comedy are not particularly clear either. The poster is vague but this can be a good or bad thing. It can be good because it reveals very little about the storyline so the audience would wonder what happens in the film but it can also be bad because there is a lack of an insight into the film which may not be very enticing for an audience.
2. Amelie (2001)
Film summary (taken from IMDB): Amélie is a story about a girl named Amélie whose childhood was suppressed by her Father's mistaken concerns of a heart defect. With these concerns Amélie gets hardly any real life contact with other people. This leads Amélie to resort to her own fantastical world and dreams of love and beauty. She later on becomes a young woman and moves to the central part of Paris as a waitress. After finding a lost treasure belonging to the former occupant of her apartment, she decides to return it to him. After seeing his reaction and his new found perspective - she decides to devote her life to the people around her. Such as, her father who is obsessed with his garden-gnome, a failed writer, a hypochondriac, a man who stalks his ex girlfriends, the "ghost", a suppressed young soul, the love of her life and a man whose bones are as brittle as glass. But after consuming herself with these escapades - she finds out that she is disregarding her own life and damaging her quest for love. Amélie then discovers she must become more aggressive and take a hold of her life and capture the beauty of love she has always dreamed of.
Similarly to Forrest Gump, it is hard to tell that this film is a romantic comedy. However, from first impressions I think it looks like a fantasy film which is one of its genres. This particular poster for this film is enticing because it mentions the amount of awards it's won as well as a positive review. The actress on the poster is wearing red clothing with red lipstick. The colour red gives connotations of love, danger and anger so I'm assuming in this situation it is conveying love. The slogan of the film, 'She'll change your life' is also open to interpretation as an audience. The audience would not know what this means but due to the large amount of red the actress is wearing it is likely to convey romance. However, the contrasting green background could make an audience assume otherwise. The colour green has connotations of sickness so this could convey that this woman will change the audience's life for the worst. The actress also engages eye contact with the camera lense, creating a connection between her and the audience which is captivating. The mystery of this film poster is likely to attract an audience, especially with its positive review and the acknowledgement of the film's awards.
I feel that although these films have been successful, they do not convey elements of romantic comedy enough so I have researched a few more recent romantic comedies on IMDB:
3. This Means War (2012)
Film summary (taken from IMDB): Two CIA agents, Tuck and Frank who are also best friends, have been benched because someone's after them. Tuck is divorced with a son whom he's not close to and Frank is a ladies man. Tuck decides to try and find someone so he places his profile on a dating website. Lauren, a woman also looking for a guy sees tuck's profile and goes with him. She later bumps into Frank and he hits on her and she goes out with him. she's intrigued by both of them. When they learn that they're dating the same girl, they agree to let her choose. But both can't help but use their skills to keep tabs on her and each other. And also sabotage each others dates with her.
Similarly to our film, the poster clearly conveys that there is one character pursuing two different love interests. This is clearly shown by the actress being placed in the middle and the two male romantic interests on either side of her. This therefore clearly shows that this film fits into the romance genre. Once again, the comedy genre isn't clear. The slogan, 'spy against spy', conveys that the two men either side of her are spies who are fighting for this woman. Furthermore, this is also conveyed through the use of props; both men are holding guns aimed at each other. The use of the actors' eye contact engages the audience so they feel drawn to the film. The red font also conveys the romance aspect of this film as red has connotations of romance. The white font also effectively contrasts with the black and white image used in the background as well as the other red writing. The actresses' clothing also clearly shows that she is the woman these two men are pursuing because she is dressed in a tight, revealing dress making her attractive to the audience.
4. Wanderlust
Film summary (taken from IMDB): Rattled by sudden unemployment, a Manhattan couple surveys alternative living options, ultimately deciding to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love rules.
Unlike the previous film posters I have analysed, this poster conveys elements of the comedy genre. The actors' confused facial expressions can be seen as humorous, they are not serious or just happy like the other film posters. This poster also clearly conveys the romance genre because it features a man and a woman standing close together and holding hands. The way they are standing in front of an overgrown sunflower field makes the audience wonder why they are there, especially considering they are wearing formal clothing that you would perhaps expect people to wear in an office job. This would draw the audience in because of the mystery behind this poster; they would want to know what is going on. The film poster has a very summery theme to it with the yellow fonts, the blue sky, the green grass and the sunflowers so this film suits its release date; just before Spring 2012. An audience may also be attracted to this because this film is actually released in winter and it is unlikely that they would of seen a sunny day in a while; it's escapism for them.
All these film posters feature some sort of credits at the bottom. They usually feature the film's production company, the directors, the actors/actresses, the film's release date and it's BBFC rating. These are all in a much smaller font so it doesn't disract the audience from the main focus of the poster. This would also encourage the audience to move closer to the poster and read more. Film posters need to be eye-catching and captivating as well as informative of the film's genre and storyline. Awards and positive reviews can be included as further enticements after the film has had some views.
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