Filmmakers use posters to introduce their film and advertise about it to the viewers and distributors. They take a space between graphic art and advertising but carry a clear commercial purpose. After all, the idea behind is to create a response from the viewer and promote a film.Needless to say, the “poster “is very important for the film as it is the first introduction to the audience. There are several elements in the poster made for a movie or film, such as the title, the message, the main cast and the background. When consumers were asked to comment on the importance of those elements, it is found that those posters that include close-ups are more appealing to the masses (Uchida 279). People prefer to watch the movie if they are able to understand what it is about from the poster and if the background of the poster carries a scene from the movie so that they get an idea of the storyline. Thus, the cast, title, and message are essential for any film poster. How the filmmakers use posters to introduce their film is very important. It is all about conveying the right message to the use of good graphics, colors, and text. When one looks at the poster of “Making a Murderer”, one gets immediately drawn by the text and the image. The movie is about Steven Avery, who was arrested in 1985 for sexual assault and served 18 years in prison. However, he was exonerated based on DNA evidence in 2003. The purpose of this essay is to analyzes the poster of the documentary “Making a Murderer” and how successful is the poster in reaching out to the masses and making its appeal. It is the images and colors used in the poster, plus the font’s size and style, the arrangement that helps capture the imaginations of people. If certain key issues addressed explicitly in design, it would be successful in stirring up important questions and strong feelings. The poster of “Making a Murderer” is divided into two parts, one is colored, and the other is black and white. The black and white image is a torn picture that is placed on top of another image which is colored. The alignment of the two images is perfect so that they make a complete human head. The black and white image carries the picture of a small child. One can see only half of his face and only his forehead, right eye, and striped shirt are visible as the picture is torn in half to reveal the colored image of a Steven Avery beneath. The striped shirt with white collars is typically worn by small boys and stands for his innocence. His eyes are done in soft blue to make them more appealing and connecting to the viewer. He seems to look straight at you as if asking something or challenging you. The other half of the poster is colored and shows the protagonist of the film itself. He is shot in color and carries a general expression on his face that reveals nothing. Only the left eye is visible that looks straight at you. It is not blue but seems like deep gray. His lips are pursed together in a thin line. His lower face is bearded. His neck is in shadows, and he seems to wear a dark shirt (Making a Murderer: what you need to know 2016). His eyebrow is arched and like the small boy, his eye is looking straight at the viewer, but, it is difficult to read his expression. He could be any regular guy you meet on the road, in the mall or a grocery store. The text used in the poster is bold, large and striking. Making a Murderer is written in thick black font and the making is underlined to signify as to how the innocent man was made into a murdered. The title and how the letters are displayed draw the attention of the viewer and force him to think as to how one can make a murderer out of a man. It leaves one wondering about the flaws and failures in the criminal justice system. The words “Making” are underlined to emphasize on how a murderer can be made out of an innocent. The colors used in the poster are pointillist that add to the technical virtuosity. There is a nice soft contrast between the grays and the colors in the poster that draw your attention (Making a Murderer: what you need to know 2016). The colored part uses shades of skin color while the gray part is made of white and black pixels in different variations and hues. Each pixel in the print carries a smaller pattern of dots, and this is done to create a dithered effect in the image. Overall, the design of the poster is simple but effective. Three elements attract the attention; one is the black and white part, next the colored part and lastly the text. They have bene aligned well with each other, taking a commanding position in the poster design. The black and white picture is torn at just the right angles so as to reveal the colored image below. The eyes of the young boy and the adult man are placed on the same line. They are both looking at you but carry a different expression. The faces are palced towards the right while the text is placed towards the left. As the poster is simple but effective, the observer takes a little time to follow and understand the message behind. It is interesting to analyze the rhetoric behind the poster for “Making a Murderer”, which doesn’t carry ethos. This is because there are no names on the poster of any notable person or individuals involved in the making of the movie. Thus, there is little to base the authority and credibility of the movie poster. This is because there is no source of any authority written or displayed on the poster. However, looking deeper at the rhetorical devices at play, one finds the elements of pathos and logic active. In order to establish pathos, the poster stimulates emotions and feeling by placing the picture of a child against an adult. The viewer of the poster is likely to believe that the movie was about an innocent child or how the innocence of a man has been attacked, turning him into a murderer. The title of the poster is emotionally loaded and carries clear words and implication. The viewer can derive direct conclusions from the title and get emotionally curious or charged. He feels curious to know about the small child and how he became a murderer, or how an adult has been made a murderer, although he is innocent as a child. The poster may evoke emotions of anger, curiosity, sadness, outrage, etc. The observer feels persuaded because of the emotional response created by the poster and wants to know more. The poster appeals to the concept of logos as the news about criminal justice system making mistakes are not uncommon. Shaky evidence and careless investigations have often left to the innocent getting victimized and jailed. The placement of the two images and a power underlined text offer denotative meanings. The attempt is successful in persuading people to believe something. The factual data included in the poster is the actual photo of Steven Avery. Perhaps the purpose behind is to elicit strong moral and emotional reactions from the public.
Thus, overall, the poster of “Making a Murderer”, uses the modes of emotion and logic to create a cohesive appeal. The elements of pathos and logos contribute to the success of the poster’s message and make it an effective design. One look at the poster and the onlooker immediately comes to know that the movie is about a murdered who has been wronged. The picture of the child adds a sense of innocence to the man. As a result, one gets curious to know more about the man and how the faulty justice system can make mistakes and sentence an innocent. As charges for murder are serious, the poster adds to the gravity of the crime and the mistakes made. Hundreds and thousands have seen the documentary on the story of Steven Avery that is already provoking discussions and debates on how investigations are carried and how police collect evidence. The documentary is made of courtroom videos, interrogation footage, news and reports and hours of interviews. The poster design is the most appropriate for the subject and is able to create just the right impact that is needed.
Works Cited
"Making a Murderer: what you need to know." TMJ4. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
Uchida, Kazunori, et al. "Making Compelling Movie Posters using Statistical Science and an Eye Mark Recorder." Journal of Business Case Studies (Online) 7.6 (2011): 63. Web
