Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Poster Deconstruction
Main/Key
Image

The
Tagline
for the
film

Main
Character
s

Colour
Schem
e:
Dark
to
show a
darker
film
Mise-En-Scene
Code or
Convention
Setting

Credit
Block

Title
of the
Detail (Description & what
itStudios
means)
film
associated
with the
film

There is no clear location in this poster but what we do

see is that the setting is a black background with a light
at the back showing the smoke. Although we dont know
for sure, we can gather that this is interior. The fact that
we dont know where they are creates a sense of mystery.
Furthermore the white light is located behind the
protagonist. Harry Potter which would emphasize the
characters importance in the plot making him stand out
from the rest of the characters. The use of black and
white could suggest that although they might be in dark
Release
times there is hope (White light) and it may suggest that

Date

the protagonist brings them hope.

Props

Non-Verbal
Communication

The only props seen in this poster is the iconic wand

which is so often associated with Harry Potter films, which
reminds the audience the world of wizardry that they live
in. The wand symbolises magic, which plays a major part
in the film plot. The connotations of the wand includes a
sense of mystery and wonder so this would excite their
audiences.

First of all we see that all of the characters In the poster

are staring right towards the camera, looking straight into
peoples eyes. This is a confident and serious stare
creating a sense of a darker plot and a serious tone to the
film. Starting from the left, the first 2 characters have
their arms crossed suggesting they are building up a
barrier in front of them, suggesting possible confrontation
from an enemy and they are defending/shielding
themselves from it. The third character has her arms by
her side but she is placed at the back and can be seen a
little, suggests her bravery however shows that she isnt
that much of an important character, but a minor one.
The fourth character is known to be the main protagonist
and we can tell by the way is positioned centred on the
poster and the rest of the characters are surrounding him.
He is the only character that has his whole body facing
towards the poster so the audience would focus on him
more than any other character. The fifth character is
standing by her side and is the only one who look out into
the distance creating a sense of curiosity and reflective
thinking. The sixth character also has his arms folded
which can also suggest he is very guarded and feels a
sense of threat which suggest possible plots for the film.
Finally the seventh character has her arms by her side
which suggests her confidence and her ready for the
battle to come.

Costume/Makeup

Five out of the seven characters in the poster wears a

school uniform creating an idea of their age and gives a
bit of context that the film is going to be set in a school
setting. It represents their youth and that they are also
still children which creates a contrast with such dark
colours surrounding them. It also creates the sense of
vulnerability with these characters as they might not be
prepared for whats to come, and as children they
shouldnt be facing dark times to which the poster
suggests. The main protagonist to the film doesnt wear a
uniform but he wears a t-shirt, a jacket and trousers
which suggests that mentally, he has a more adult
characteristic and seems to be stronger than the other
characters but it also suggests he has more of an active
role in the film. He also wears his iconic glasses, which is
the thing that people associate with Harry Potter. The
next character to not wear a uniform is the secondary
character, Hermione. Fans of the film would already know
who Hermione is and she is represented to be the typical
school girl who gets good grades and is very clever, so
the fact that she isnt wearing a school uniform in this
poster suggests a rebellious side to her in contrast to the
previous films. As Harry and Hermione dont wear
uniforms this shows that they have matures a lot more
than the other characters and their body language also
represents that they are ready for the battle ahead. And
finally none of the characters seems to be wearing makeup which shows the natural beauty and it also shows that
the characters dont really care about the way they look,
but they care more for the situation that they are facing.

Colour
Firstly the main protagonist is wearing a red shirt. Red is
the colour of fire and is associate with energy, strength
and power portraying him as the strong character who is
about to face a lot of battles. The next most visual piece
of colour is Hermiones grey jumper with colourful stripes
including the colours green, red and blue. This would
suggest that in the film she is going to be facing many
emotions throughout the adventure they are about to

enter. The rest of the characters are all wearing a dark

colour uniform which could be wither black or a dark grey.
Dark colours are usually associated with death, mystery
and power so this could relate to that they might face
death or it could even suggest that there are secrets that
the characters might keep. The characters are also
wearing a red and gold tie. The colour red is associated
with energy, danger and determination while gold is
associates with strength and endurance. This represents
that they will need these skills to succeed in the war that
they are facing.

Image

Language

The main image being used is of all the characters

standing in a solid position instead of them moving. They
are standing in an arc and are all proportioned in a good
scale and distance from the camera. The key image in the
poster focuses on the main protagonist, Harry Potter. This
is done by positioning him in the centre of the characters
while the secondary characters surround him. This means
the audience will look at him before any of the
characters. Next there is no background image in the
poster as the will create more of an emphasis on the
characters themselves suggesting they are more central
to the plot than the actual setting. There is no depth of
field in the poster because the image is edited so all of
the characters are in focus, rather than just one of them.
Next, there is a digital manipulation with each character
on the poster, as each character was edited into the
poster instead of one picture being taken as a group. This
is because they are able to create more detail on each
characters, as this cannot be done easily with a group
photo. Finally there is low-key lighting used which
emphasis on the dark atmosphere that the film might
hold. It is also used to focus on the characters upper body
rather than the lower body as it isnt as important.

There is a formal register used in the tag line which says,

The Rebellion Begins. This is used as a statement and a
warning against the antagonists of the film to show that
they are serious and they will rebel against them. This
statement also shows a move exciting side to it as they
are rebelling which creates anticipation for the audiences
as this is the beginning of something that maybe has not

been seen before in the Harry Potter films.

Typography

The Tag line of the film is anchored to the image as it is in

relation to what these characters are going to face. The
font of it is stretched so it fills the width of the poster. This
is done to emphasize on the importance of the rebellion.
When it comes to the title, there is a specialist typerface
which is used throughout the Harry potter series and is
instantly recognised by the audiences and the public
which increases the anticipation for the film. Finally Serif
typerface is used on the tagline to make it stand out more
compare to the other text on the poster.

Layout

Firstly the tagline is placed at the very top of the poster

where there is no other text surrounding it. This is done
because the audiences are most likely to see it first so it
highlights the theme and the atmosphere of the film
itself. The credit block is presented at the bottom of the
page because it is the least appealing part of a poster
that the audience usually dont take much notice to. The
official website for the film it placed at the bottom of the
poster which helps promote the film more as it give the
audiences a chance to explore it more in depth online.
The release date is placed at the bottom of the page as
well however in contrast to eh credit block it is much
bigger text, a bold text and in the colour white because
this is important for the audiences to see so they know
when the film is released and as it stands out it is more
memorable to them. The title of the film is placed above
the credit block and has the biggest font size out of all of
the text presented on the poster. This is so the audiences
would be able to see that the film is called, even from a
long distance and that will make the film, more
memorable. The house style of the poster is the title of
the film as it is used throughout the whole Harry Potter
franchise, including the opening credits. The ratio of
space between the image and the tagline is done so the
tagline doesnt overlap the image because both are
equally as important to the poster.