12 August 2013

Poster Analysis: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013)



In distinct comparison with the various posters released for the film's predecessor - which were overly clean and photoshopped and so had an uninspired, somewhat cheap, Direct-to-DVD feel - the studio behind 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' have this time wisely chosen designers who could give the film an air of class about it. So, here we have the teaser poster for the November release, and it is wonderfully finished in a style of a canvas painting, with Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen shown stood, bow in hand, upon a large rock with the clouds drifting in the sky behind her. The poster is simply an excellent design with several symbolic and religious undertones. For example, Katniss's steadfast position paints her, literally, as a brave, independent woman - which the rule of thirds (and her position in the very left third) dictating that the vast space she is looking into contains some sort of threat or danger to her safety. However she is stood upon a mountain, it seems, and is on top of the world which can either be a positive thing or a negative one as she climbed a great height but once at the top she can swiftly come down whether or not at her own accord.

The religious connotations are obvious with the shape of the clouds that are positioned immediately behind her. They are depicted as looking like long sharp wings emanating from Katniss's back to suggest she is of angelic tendencies - pure, innocent or perhaps working in the name of peace (as her bow is not raised but rather held in a relaxed position, suggesting her reluctance to fight when not necessary). They could also be a reference to the series logo, the Mockingjay Pin that is an iconic image, and if so it highly similar to the IMAX poster for last years 'The Dark Knight Rises' which had Batman stood in a similar position seemingly atop the world with the clouds opening up to reveal light - which in the poster was in the shape of the famous Bat logo. The colour scheme is a very vibrant series of colours, evocative of classical paintings, with parts of the image that would otherwise simply be white taking on various hints of colour, while a old style filter has been applied to add to the retro-painted poster look that the designers are going for. At the top of the poster two lines of text, 'The Sun Persists In Rising, So I Make Myself Stand', act as a tagline not only for the film but the character of Katniss, from whom the words must originate and reflect her struggle in the film. This is a very iconic and artistic design that will definitely be a source of inspiration when designing the posters for my film.