First impressions
Tomorrow When the War Began is based on the first book in a best-selling series that is well known in Australia.
What does the film's title suggest to you? Do you notice anything unusual about the title? How does the title convey a sense of a 'sequence' or series?
Australian audiences will already be familiar with the characters and the stories and will have certain expectations of the film. In other countries, the film's poster and trailer will need to establish themes and characters to help audiences know what to expect when they go to see the film.
Take a look at this poster for the film (click the image to enlarge). What first impressions do you get about the characters and the story?
When we analyse film posters, we should look closely at exactly what we see, as well as considering what the image makes us think and feel. Remember, the film poster has been carefully designed to help give viewers a sense of the characters and story from just a single glance at the image.
- Make a list of all the things the poster denotes – what it actually shows. List the different elements of the image: the use of colour, light and dark and the text and font used.
- Look again at the features you have observed in the poster and try to explain what thoughts, feelings and ideas each element of the image creates for you – that is, the ideas the poster connotes. List your ideas. Think about where you might have seen images like this before and what associations they have for you.
- Now, using these ideas, explain what 'genre' or type of film you think this will be. Action? Science fiction? Thriller? Drama? 'Buddy' movie? War movie? Teen romance? Something different…? Remember that films can mix several different genres together.
