Textual Analysis of Film Poster - Fisk Tank.

FISHTANK
Director – Andrea Arnold
Distributed by – IFC films
Synopsis: Everything changes for 15yr old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.

Starring - Michael Fassbender, Harry Treadaway, Kierston Wareing, Jason Maza, Katie Jarvis, Jack Gordon, Charlotte Collins, Brooke Hobby, Chelsea Chase



The poster for the film Fish Tank is very unique and skilfully adapts a range of hidden techniques to expose to the audience the films qualities and features such as the genre, characters and narrative.
The title ‘Fish Tank’ is a clever metaphor, playing on the contemplation of looking out to the other side but cannot get there or escape, which links into the film and the girl’s circumstances. Furthermore which relates to the image of her looking out of a window, as if she cannot reach it. The simple eyelevel shot from the camera work of the girl connects to the realistic theme and highlights her expression more. Her positioning to me gives out the emotion of loneliness. Her expression is serious and she seems to be preoccupied and isolated. Her character is shown to be a very stereotypical working class girl who from just her appearance you can estimate her background and characteristics. For example, the gold hoop earrings and the slight greasy hair. I think her wearing black clothing is a symbol of her unhappiness, and as the shot doesn’t show her full body and the clothing isn’t in any way revealing, there are no sexual connotations to it which reveals more about her character.
The location which the poster shows isn’t exposed clearly, but I would guess it is a council block of flats, due to the graffiti and grimy settings. The wall is ripped, there’s food smeared across it and the graffiti of the pink heart uncovers a few details. For example it may inform the audience more of her age and be evidential that there’s a good chance she’s rebellious.
The tagline ‘Live, love and give as good as you get’ is a very strong willed and powerful sentence, giving the audience an insight to the nature of the film. All the writing within the poster is made up of pink and blue text, this could indicate the film is aimed at both genders. There is a few alliterations used in the poster, for example “powerful and poignant” and “live and love”, which makes the poster even more vivid.
There are references of feedback from Total Film, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Independent and more. There are no tabloid newspapers, only broadsheets. This indicates a specific audience - well educated middle class - and although a small readership it shows us the film’s target audience. It also specifies the awards the film has won, both British and European awards, which to film literate people, will be very impressive.




Fish Tank also has another poster used to advertise their film. This poster is different to an extent to the first one. The image of the same girl is very contrasting, as it reveals more of her body (with some of her stomach exposed) as a medium shot, which is obviously airbrushed, which doesn‘t seem to match with the social realism theme. She has more makeup on and is wearing a hoody, which emphasises the stereotypical character she is labelled as and seems to gives her more attitude and status. But as it is a low angled shot, I would say she looks a lot more vulnerable here. The location is a lot more obvious here, as you can see the urban city landscape in the background. The posters image is set up in complete contrast to the first poster. In this one it seems as if she has left her past behind and has escaped from it into the big wide world - as if she has escaped the fish tank.