The title ’12 years a slave’ is in the centre of the page. The fact that it is in the centre of the page suggests that it is integral to the story/message within the film. The number ‘12’is in gold text which contrasts with the picture and also the word ‘slave’. This is due to gold having connotations of wealth and royalty which juxtaposes the word slave which has connotations of poverty and a poor quality of life. Despite this difference, the font is all in an old-fashioned style font to reflect the setting and scene of the film and what time in history it is referring to. The main image on a poster will usually contain the main characters of a film. An audience could guess from this poster that the main characters is a slave purely from his clothing and his race in relation to the context of the title. Also, his facial expression and the way that he is captured on the poster shows that he is running away from something he is scared of. This could be seen as him running away from slavery and could also link in with the statement below saying that it’s a true story. This could also work as an enigma code as it requires the audience to watch the film in order to find out the exact reason why he is running and what he is running from.
In having the main actor’s names as well as the directors it encourages audiences who enjoy the films that the celebrities have starred in/been directed by before. Despite most of the cast and director being fairly un-well-known it could still encourage a few extra people to see the film if they are aware of the actors and director. Also, including that this film is a true story it makes the audience feel that they want to go and see the film as it feels more realistic. This allows audiences to empathise with characters and this may encourage more people to go and see the film if they feel they can connect with the characters on an emotional level.
Skylar Brady 