A Movie Poster Analysis

A Movie Poster Analysis: 12 Years a Slave


12 years a slave.jpg
  1. The picture shows the main character, Solomon Northup, of the film 12 Years a Slave. His face expresses seriousness and courage as though he is willing to fight in order to protect what he loves—his freedom. He seems determined to do whatever it takes to remain a free man. The left side of the poster has light, and Solomon is well-dressed. On the right side, however, the darkness of a room can be seen. The mood is tense since the character seems to show defiance when it comes to protecting his rights. There are no captions.
  2. The creator wants to intrigue viewers and make them watch the film in order to find out whether Solomon will be able to escape slavery and be set free or remain slaved. The message the author is trying to communicate is that a determined man can achieve what he wants.
  3. The intended audience is for the general public—whoever is interested in learning about the life of a slave during a time when the United States allowed slavery. The films wants to exhibit the injustices that were made before the Civil War by showing innocent African Americans forced to give up their life as free people to obey a reckless master. The ad wants its audience to believe that when there is no fairness, people have to stand out for their rights.
  4. The visual elements that grab the attention of the viewer are the vivid flames from the lit candles and the white roses that lie after Solomon. The flames symbolize his passion for liberty and the white flowers represent faith and safety. There seems to be hope that a free life can be attained. And then, there is the darkness that divided the poster—symbolizing isolation and slavery. Nevertheless, the most important element is Solomon’s determined face to defend what is already his.
  5. The persuasive strategies that are used to reach the viewer include a combination of pathos and logos. The character’s face is sad, which makes the audience feel sympathy for Solomon. Therefore, it is logical that his fight for his freedom is justified. Because of the white flowers, the creator appeals to the people’s sense of hope to have a better life even when the odds seem to be against them.
  6. There are no words besides the title of the historical film, but the poster has fancy-looking letters and the number “12” is red, which give it a tense sense.
  7. The determined face, the white flowers, the powerful flames, and the fancy clothes are shown in the poster as well as a dark room. A slogan is missing, and maybe adding one would create more suspense because it would tell more about what the movie will be really about.

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