Black Swan (2010 - Film Poster analysis

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Mystery

Lead roles: Natalie Portman as 'Nina Sayer', Mila Kunis as 'Lily', and Vincent Cassel as 'Thomas Leroy'

Plot: A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.

Type of shot

A close up has been used to show her dark expression. This creates mystery as we don't fully know what to expect from her character except that we will see the demise of her sanity in the film.

Lighting

The right side of her face is in the light which symbolises the white swan. She is a very pure character and that is why she is a good portrayal of the white swan. The left hand side of her face, however, is darker, representing the black swan. This is also the side of her face with the crack running down it, suggesting that the cracks in her sanity only occured when she tried to be the black swan.

Use of colour

The black background has connotations of ominous mystery and from this we can tell that the film content will be hard-hitting and more than likely disturbing. The white feather on the light (right) side of her face, further emphasizes her character purity and connection with the white swan. Contrasted with the black background and shadows though, we can conclude that because of her pure character she cannot cope with the dark demands of being the 'black swan'.

Conventions I have noticed

• The main image is most dominant feature of the poster
• contains a quote praising the film 'An extradordinary intoxicating masterpeice'. Excessive use of syllables creates emphasis and also communicates the fact that this film is aimed at people educated in art (ballet) and also that it is not aimed at children.
• Main actors names are given. Advertising technique, showing off either a newcomer or someone that is well known for being a good actor/actress
• Film title
• other credentials e.g. editors, producers, writers etc and also studios it was filmed at/sponsorships
• Directors other works 'from the director of "the Wrestler" and "Requiem for a Dream". This is an advertising technique, as not everyone will know the director by name, but they are very likely to be familiar with the films he has produced. Persuasive technique.