Mise-en-scene of a film poster

 

Film Poster Analysis for Pulp Fiction

I have chosen the film poster of Pulp Fiction to analyse and to look at how the mise-en-scene and camera angle/composition within the poster communicate concepts and connotations to the audience. The film poster of Pulp Fiction is a worn-out looking comic book cover design to it but also combined with an image of a gun in front of the woman (Uma Thurman) which could portray that the film has a prominent theme of violence. The title at the top of the poster is extremely bold and draws your eye to it as the words are yellow against a bright red background which stands out to the viewer. The letters are bold and capitalized which could suggest that this is not a light-hearted film but instead has more of a drama/crime genre. Below the title, it says ‘a Quentin Tarantino film’ which I believe is effective to put on the film poster as he is an extremely successful film director so by putting his name in bold on the poster, it will attract a large audience as he is so well known. The use of making this film poster look like a magazine cover links to ‘the Pulps’ which were cheap fiction magazines and the use of listing the actors' names in a bright yellow font draws your attention as it is placed against a black background. The cast list of this film is extremely well known which attracts people to want to go and see it as it includes famous actors such as John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson. This combined with the awards shown on the poster entices the audience as it is directly above the title of the film. 

The main focus of the film poster is a woman (Uma Thurman) dressed in all black and wearing red lipstick smoking a cigarette. Linking back to mise-en-scene, she is being portrayed as powerful as she has a gun placed in front of her but she is also lying on a bed which could suggest she is seductive and she is reading a book called Pulp Fiction. Uma Thurman’s facial expressions portray she is serious and she is looking directly into the camera. She is by herself in the poster suggesting she is independent and powerful making the audience want to find out more about her character. The use of the colour red as a background for the title complements the use of red in Uma Thurman's lipstick and her necklace. This could convey that there is an element of violence and danger in her personality but also a more seductive side to her. Uma Thurman's costume includes her wearing high heels which suggest a feminine side to her but also a sense of power and danger in her character. This combined with her dressed in all black emphasizes that idea and the fact she is the centre focus of the poster highlights her importance in the film. Directly in front of her is the gun which also links to the idea that she is dangerous as it is a weapon and it is another central focus of the poster conveying its importance in the film and the themes of violence present. Uma Thurman’s dark black hair combined with her black dress and black high-heels emphasizes her intimidating powerful persona. She is not showing a lot of emotion in her face suggesting she is sly and clever but also partly seductive due to her cleavage showing and the high-heels she is wearing. Themes of action and drama are suggested due to the gun placed in the lower centre of the poster which leaves connotations of violence, danger and death but also the way that the woman seems very relaxed about the gun being directly in front of her portrays her as a femme fatale. I believe that Uma Thurman posing on the bed sexualises her and is in a male gaze view due to her costume and an element of seductiveness portrayed by her character. 

The way that Uma Thurman has a serious facial expression conveys that she means business which is emphasized by her defined cheekbones and her pouting lips. Her hair is slick and her makeup is precise portaying she is a well-groomed woman. Uma Thurman is directly looking at the audience which entices the viewer and makes them want to know more about her character.

In the composition of the poster, there are closed blinds, a bed and a lampshade. However, the main focus to the viewer of the poster is the woman suggesting her dominance and power. The room is dark although the light is aimed at Uma Thurman’s face highlighting her facial expression. I believe that the way the blinds are closed suggests secrecy and mystery to the plot also combined with the gun adds a sense of danger and perhaps murder.