Analysing ‘Elephant’ Film Poster

The quite enormous red elephant that’s across the poster and literally covers the whole poster is the first thing that we will see and recognise as an audience. We clearly think that the elephant is there due to the title ‘Elephant’ however when you look and think beyond the picture, we could clearly see that is a very big and red elephant and has more meaning. The size and the colour connote a big danger. Also, the film is titled ‘Elephant’ due to the phrase: ‘the big elephant in the room.’ This is a very big matter or subject which is always there, however, it’s purposely being ignored and acted as if doesn’t exist when it clearly does. The poster’s background is white and this represent purity and innocence, however the big dangerous issue which we clearly don’t want to accept, is damaging this purity and this is clearly shown on the poster.

A picture of two adolescents is right in the middle of the poster, in front of the elephant. A girl teenager is kissing a boy teenager’s cheek, who is clearly depressed and sad. This picture states a lot about the mise-en-scene. We can guess by looking at this picture that the movie will be about the teenagers and presumably the setting will be a high school or a college.

By looking at the poster we could tell that something big and dangerous that is chosen to be ignored is going to occur, presumably, at a surrounding with teenagers and is going to cause destruction as a result and therefore, a quite saddening and depressing consequence is going to occur. The fact that the small picture of the teenagers are in front of the elephant, may emphasise the outcome of the elephant that’s behind them.

Furthermore, the USP’s (unique selling points) of the movie is also shown on the poster. Although there are no stars, the director, Gus Van Sant is a USP as he directed the critically acclaimed and Oscar winning movie ‘Good Will Hunting’ starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The director’s name is quite big and bold and also it is in red; this emphasises the USP of the movie. Furthermore, the use of having ‘a film by’ clearly makes the reader wonder about this director/producer, as a director or a producer who is not famous and hasn’t accomplished a lot of successful movies, won’t get this line on a poster of a movie. The other USP of the movie are the awards which ‘Elephant’ won at the Cannes film festival: this is clearly shown at the very top of the poster. The awards for ‘best director’ and the Palme d’Or prize is quite clearly seen and is another USP of the movie.