Poster Analysis: Harry Potter and the goblet of fire

The poster I am analysing is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which is the fourth film of a franchise. The film is about a boy named Harry who is selected to take part in a dangerous multi-wizardry school competition even though he is underage. The target audience for Harry Potter was originally young boys but by the time this film came out the target audience was all ages as families of all ages except the very young went to see the film. This was the first Harry Potter film that had the age restriction of 12 whereas the other films are PG. This is shown on the poster by the darkly coloured background as it gives the impression of violence and danger. As it is similar to a background you would see on a horror film poster as it is dark and intimidating. However the other colours used in the costumes show that this is not the case as they are brightly coloured when stereotypically they would also be dark in colour.  

The image on the poster is posed as the image has not been taken from a clip from the film but they are still in character. This is shown by the way the characters are standing as it is structured so that Harry is seen as the main character and that the others are following him, by putting the other characters behind him. The contestants of the competition in the film are shown on the poster in the background; this shows that they have an important part in the film as they are who Harry is trying defeat. Also the three main characters Harry, Ron and Hermione are also shown as they are the well-loved characters in the film. Most of the characters are looking stern and determined which could give the impression that they are determined to succeed in the task that they are undertaking. However Ron face shows that he is scared and worried of what is happening, so that the different characters show the different emotions that are shown in the film. Also Ron’s face makes the audience worry about the characters as you worry that they are in danger. The audience acres about the characters as they have built a relationship with the characters which is different to posters about one off films.

The costumes that the characters are wearing are shown in the film as they are what the contestants are competing in. As they are in robs which are different colours to show the different schools and teams they are representing  and warm sporty type clothing which shows that they taking part in different challenges. Whereas Ron and Hermione  are not wearing this type of clothing instead they are wearing more contemporary clothes to go with the time eerie of the film.  As they are wearing jeans and a t-shirt it gives the impression that they are not taking part but they are supporting Harry to win the tournament. They are shown as being one team whereas the other contestants are shown to be on their own.

The wands shown in the poster show that they have a magical power which tells the audience that the film is fantasy and includes magic which connotes the genre of the film. The wands give the impression that they are ready to fight as the wands are in their hands facing down or pointing upwards so that they can cast a spell straight away to defend themselves. Harry’s wand is different as there is a bright light at the end of the wand which tells us that the wand is being used and also makes Harry stand out amongst the other characters. Ron and Hermione are again different as Ron has a wand whereas Hermione doesn’t this can show the different roles they play in helping Harry. As Ron is shown to be the one that helps fight in battles, as he has his wand ready to defend him, this could be because he is a male and they are represented as being more violent. Whereas Hermione is shown to be the brains of the three of them, as she helps by working out tactics and potions that may help them. As women are represented as being more smart than males which is why she is not shown with a wand as she is meant to be not as strong as the men.  

The background of the poster is dark as they have used dark blues, black and grey’s to create the background which gives the impression that the film is dark and that Harry is in danger. This is also shown by the foggy atmosphere which also makes the poster seem dark. It also gives the impression that not everything is what it seems as the audience cannot see the cause of the danger and that the true villain is not who or what you may think it is. The storm gives the impression that there is going to be a fight and that they are all in danger as the storm is portraying the battle the characters are going to undertake. The white part of the background which is behind Harry could represent hope. As it makes Harry stand out so it could give the impression that he is the person who is going to be the hero.

The font Harry Potter is larger than the other text including the name of the film as it the brand they want to see as they have watched the films before the sequel. The font design is stereotypical to Harry Potter films as it has been used on the other posters and in the films. They have done this so that the text is consistent throughout all products and so it is seen as its own brand as there is a franchise of different films about Harry Potter. The title and billing block is at the bottom of the poster which is stereotypical of a film poster but the text has been squashed into a small part of the poster at the bottom so that it fits in with the design. The date at the bottom of the poster says ‘the adventure continues November 18’ which also shows that the film is a sequel this is not stereotypical as normally only the date is shown. The colour used for the text was white so that it stood out against the black background as the text is small compared to other posters so that it fits in to gap at the bottom of the poster. Text at the top of the poster ‘everything is about to change,’ this sub-line gives extra information about the film. As the storyline of the film is that Harry Potter is about him growing up and not being so innocent as he loses someone to death. So he has to grow up to be part of the completion and to deal with loss of a friend.

I think that the poster is effective as it makes you want to see the film as the audience wants to see the next adventure of Harry Potter. Also the sub- heading “everything is about to change” is intriguing for the audience as they want to know what is about to change so people want to see the film to find out. Also the new characters which are shown on the trailer are also effective as it the audience wonders who they are and how it will effect harry. Also because Harry is a franchise this also makes people want to see the film so by having a picture of the character and the title is effective as people will associate the films quickly.