Blog #1

American Sniper Movie Poster

           There are three different movie posters for American Sniper and the three of them succeed in communicating the main idea on the film. The three of them aren’t very different from each other but each of them portrays a different aspect from the movie.

            The first poster consists of the main character, interpreted by Bradley Cooper, in the middle of the poster. He is the only one in it, which gives us the idea that he is going to be one of the main characters in the movie. Another aspect that jumps out from the poster is that in front of him, there is an American flag. This gives us the idea that the movie is going to be about America or related to the United States. Finally, the title “American Sniper” and the tagline “The most lethal sniper in U.S. history” give us the idea that the main character is going to portray an American Sniper. All of these ideas are actually true. Bradley Cooper, or Chris in the movie, is actually the main character of the story, he is a Navy Seal sniper and the movie is about how he served his country. Therefore, the poster accurately communicates the main idea of the film and doesn’t give any misleading information about it. Some of the aspects that make the poster persuasive are the actors’ names, in this case, Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. They‘re both wide known actors and this gives the movie credibility (ethos) because of the fact that the other movies they have been in have been good and people would expect this movie to be good too. We can also see that the producer is Clint Eastwood which also adds to the credibility of the movie. Another factor that gives the movie credibility is that it is based on a best-selling autobiography by the real sniper, Chris Kyle. The fact that Bradley Cooper is the main character could also give emotion (pathos) to the people who have liked some of his previous films. The font gives the idea that it is going to be more of a serious film. The desaturated colors give us a more somber or serious mood (Giannetti) and the white backgrounds also make us focus on the character in the big picture. The American flag can also be pathos because americans will want to go see one of the biggest stories in American military history but it is also logos since it lets us know that part of the movie is going to take place in the U.S. Finally, the advanced military suit on Bradley Cooper gives you the factual information (logos) that it’s a contemporary story and the “Coming soon” tag lets you know that it is going to be released in the near future and will build anticipation in the viewers.

            The second movie poster is almost the same but in this one you get a better look at Bradley Cooper in his military uniform. The American flag isn’t there anymore which gives the movie more of an action-themed movie genre than an autobiography adaptation movie. In this poster you also see Bradley in a more humbling position, with his head bowed down. This gives a more respectul image of him in the movie, rather than a violent or challenging image of him. This is also accurate since he is a very humble man in the movie despite the big name he made for himself throughout his military work. Furthermore, it also adds to the emotion of the movie, giving another way to feel about it. The rest of the aspects of the poster are pretty much the same as the first one.

            Finally, the third poster gives a whole new image to the movie. Most of the aspects are the same as the previous two, however, in this poster the big picture includes, not only Bradley Cooper, but also Sienna Miller. You can see both of them embracing each other, which gives you the idea that she is his love interest in the movie. This is also accurate since Sienna Miller portrays Bradley Cooper’s wife in the movie and their relationship is an important part of the movie’s storyline. This new picture makes the movie more appealing to a whole new group of viewers since it gives a more romantic image of the movie. This will be more appealing to a group of people that enjoys romantic movies more than action ones.

            In conclusion, the three posters succed to give an accurate idea of what the movie is going to be about without any misleadings. It achieves to engage the viewers with its visual aspects and the tagline, credibility with the actors and producer in it, and factual information with enough details in the poster. The success is clearly seen in the box-office records for American Sniper. Very well made movie posters for an amazing movie nominated for six Oscars.