500 days of summer poster analysis

Released - 2nd September 2009

Institution - Fox Searchlight Pictures

Directed by - Marc Webb

The 500 days of summer poster shows the indication of a romance/comedy genre (making the more known hybrid of a rom-com.) 

• The main feature of this film poster is the collage of all the different images of the character 'Summer', with some being made to look like a sunshine. There is an interpretation that there is around 500 pictures linking to the title off ;500 days of summer' This gives the impression of something quite arty and original, which relates to the film as it is not a typical romance, and has a sense of being quite personal to it. The vast amount of pictures of Summer implies Tom's perhaps obsession with her, and just by looking at the film poster we are already getting the sense of maybe 'she means more to him, than he does to her'

• The actor's names appear in an uncharacteristically small font on the top of the poster, and this implies that the director is not trying to use big name stars to try and sell his film. This again re-iterates the overall 'anti-Hollywood' feel of the film as a whole. 

• The colour scheme is fairly neutral, except for the sunshine in the middle that is yellow. Yellow has connotations of light and warmth, which could represent Tom and Summer's relationship (in it's good days anyway), informing the audience that this is a romance film. Yellow is also the most difficult colour for the eye to take in, and is thought to enhance feeling of emotional distress. This could represent love and it's many complexities. 

• The tagline for the film 'This is not a love story. This is a story about love.' runs across the bottom of the poster. The font looks almost handwritten, which again gives the poster a more personal and casual touch. It also implies that the film's creators seem to have a point that they want to put across. This film is not completely shallow, it has a message, which relates to short films as they often have an objective, rather than just a storyline too. 

• The body language of Tom instantly suggests that he is more of an introverted person, as his stance isn't very open, and he almost looks like slightly childlike. This could represent his naivety and the fact that he has a perhaps childish perception of what love is (definitely in comparison to Summer). He is also drawing, which implies that he is quite a creative character, which we find to be true in the film, as we learn that it is his dream to become an architect.

• The photographs of Summer show a wide variety of facial expressions, which portrays the wide range of emotions that are portrayed throughout the film. This suggests that Tom and Summer's relationship isn't necessarily going to be an easy ride, but more of a roller-coaster - the audience should expect a lot of ups and downs.

The Narrative:

  The film poster is very bright and initiative which can reflect on the narrative itself. The genre is clear it is romance due to the images of two people showing their close bond in a relationship. The impression I get from the character is that he is down to earth and enjoys journalism due to the book he is constantly holding writing down ideas and everyday occurrences.

The layout:

The different layering on this poster indicates the layering of their relationship in the narrative. The first layering would be the small images in the collage form which takes up the majority of the poster. This highlights the different events emerging into their relationship showing confusion or a close bond between the two main characters. Then the text is layered on top as if it is labelling the meaning of the images as well as stating the name of the film. This shows the close connection between the text and image