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Clara Schroeder
Apr 2, 2020

Film Poster


For my inspiration, whilst researching the Haiku I became intrigued by the national treasure status of the temple bell ‘Bonsho’ (Igawa, Kubota, & Toguchi, 2010). Temple Kencho-ji is part of the 5 great temples of Japan and holds one of the few remaining original Japanese temple bells, cast in 1253 (Department of Commerce tourism Kamakura, 2020). During WW2 around 95% of temple bells were sacrificed and melted down for scraps and ammunition, this resulted in a devastating cultural loss (Kazuyoshi, 2013). The title I chose for this poster ‘The Toll Of War’ reflects literal and cultural sacrifice Japan suffered during WW2. Though the number of bells has since been restored, this devastation of cultural treasures has sparked the ‘World Peace Bell Association’, a global peace movement to raise awareness for the preservation of national treasures during war time (United Nations, 2020).

After choosing my idea I began sourcing inspiration images, temple Kencho-ji, the Kencho-ji Bonsho bell and the dragon which is depicted on the ceiling of the main temple hall (Department of Commerce tourism Kamakura, 2020). I then created drawings using Illustrator to emulate these designs which would act as signifiers in my main poster. 

My use of an RGB analogous colour palette within the poster creates a sense of rhythm. The red to black hues of the dragon are juxtaposed against the serene blue to green landscape in the background. By using an interplay of analogous colours for the design of the dragon a sense of movement is created (Dabner & Swann, 2014). The use of red on the dragon's scales acts as a signifier and creates a sense of warfare and terror, while the brighter value allows for a more energetic feel and the darker values signify power (Chapman, 2010).

I made sure to use the organisational principles of typography (contrast, repetition, proximity and alignment) to create a coherent design (Amaral, 2020). This is shown in the bold, black title text which is in proximity to the director's name. The black text contrasts the light background and is aligned with the focal point of the poster, the dragon's face and bell, to guide the viewer's eye (Dabner & Swann, 2014).

Semiotics are a very important aspect of this poster as they reflect the storyline of the film.

  • The signifier of the bell is glowing and melting in the dragon's mouth to signify the loss and sacrifice of cultural significant objects. 

  • The dragon is the national symbol of Japan who signifies that Japan is at war. 

  • The glowing temple signifies treasure and sacredness. 

For compositional elements and hierarchy within my poster I used the rule of thirds (Dabner & Swann, 2014). This concept establishes a sense of harmony and purpose in the positioning of design elements which guides the viewer's eye to each important aspect within the poster. Upon closer inspection of the grid layout you will see that the dragon sits diagonally across the top right and bottom left intersection. The title sits on the top left intersection and the temple aligns at the bottom right. 

Overall this poster has been highly challenging to create. I found it difficult to balance each required element with one another and create a cohesive design which incorporated the layers of meaning I wanted to convey. I have worked hard to create a final design I am happy with which reflects the hours of work poured into this project.






 

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