Mise en scene: the overall mise en scene conveys the typical look of a horror film poster from the

dark and depressing colours used, to the setting of a haunted house in the background. The use of the house leaves the audience wondering what activities may occur in the house. The conventions used in this film poster enable audiences to easily recognize this film as a horror. 'Genre is a set of expectations' Neale The tagline, placed at the top of the poster, informs the audience that the maker of two well-known horror films is the same producer of this new film. By doing this, readers will be further encouraged to go and watch the film as they will have built high expectations of the film in hope that it will match the level of standard that the two mentioned are off. It also creates a good image for the production company who has previous films of the same genre that have been successful and well received. Credits are a common convention of film posters as they give credit to the film producers, distributors and other companies that have been involved in the production of the film. A list of the actors and actresses in the film is also included as part of the 'credits'. Credits must be included as part of a legal requirement, given recognition to these companies as well as meeting law standards in the film industry. Company logos have been included showing what licensing and production companies have been used for the film, in this case the logo of momentum pictures has been included. It also adds a level of professionalism as the majority of film posters have company logos.

The title of the film is written across the main image of the young child in a white font. The almost faded effect of the typography relates back to the genre of horror. The typography fits in the genre, as it looks old, fragile and scary. The white colour contrasts well against the dark, gloomy colours used in the background, typical colours we would associate horror films with. The positioning of the title also draws the readers attention to it straight away. The selling line placed beneath the main title adds tension to the film as it leaves the audience questioning what is meant by it. The use of the colour green contrasts with the overall colour scheme and this could be due to the fact that it goes against the impression that has been created by the overall poster; it isn't the house to be afraid of.

Main image: The image shows a young boy in the forefront. Young children are typically used in horror films to evoke fear in the audience as the children stereotypically turn possessed or hold supernatural powers. Although the boy has direct address with the audience, his eyes look like they have been scribbled out suggesting that something bad has happened to him. This gives the audience an insight into what the narrative of the film may be about and adds tension as we are left questioning why are his eyes like that. The positioning of the character in the middle suggests the narrative is to revolve around his life, as he appears to be the films protagonist. The background image is of we would presume a haunted house where the strange and spooky activities may occur in the film. The lighting of the background is typical of a horror film, using dark and gloomy colours to connote fear and alarm. The faded black edges of the poster are also a typical feature we would expect from horror films as it makes the poster look dark and suspicious. The quote included is a critics opinion on the film having watched it before general release. By including a quote, it suggests that the film has been successful as it received a good review by an audience who watched the film before general release. The use of the words scary and sheer terror relate back to the genre of film and has been purposely written in a larger font to stand out from the poster. Thus it gives viewers an expectation of the film to be scary and frightening before they have even watched it.

Website: has been included to encourage people to go onto to website to find out more about the film and when it will be out. Method of cross media marketing and also makes people feel involved as part of an online community relating to the uses and gratification theory

The 5* rating has been included as it gives a good image to the film for being successful and is a way of encouraging people to go out to watch the film. The rating gives the reader a high expectation of the film.

The tagline has been written in a serif font in capital to appeal to its target audience. It is advertising that the writer of the film is the same best selling author of 2 successful films that have been put in bold to stand out from the tagline and catch the readers attention. If people are made aware that the film has been written by an author who wrote 2 other films of similar genre that proved to be successful when turned into a movie, then they will be more encouraged to go watch the film when released as they will have created an expectation of the film due to this fact. In essence, the tagline in this poster acts as the selling line that helps promote and advertise the film to the general public. The positioning of the selling line at the top left side of the poster makes its importance to the poster apparent. The names of the actor and actress who act as the main image of the poster are listed above the title of the film, as they are well known actors of this genre of film and the target audience will know of. This is a common feature in film posters of this genre as the relationship between the male and female character is the films focal point. The title has been placed on the left column of the rule of thirds beneath the head of the female character. Placing it beneath the woman may suggest that she is the lucky one. The positioning of the title differs from other film poster I have seen as the title usually is written at the top or middle of the poster. The use of the colour white relates to the genre of romance as it conveys purity and innocence, whilst contrasting well against the skin tone of the male. The serif font used may appeal to a slightly older audience of women, as they are stereotypically the target audience of romantic films. It also creates a serious tone to the film.

The main image is of a close up of the two main characters from the film in a romantic embrace, which looks like a scene from the film itself. The image conveys the emotions between the two characters and thus makes clear of the genre of film it aims to be romance. The couple appears very affectionate as they look at one another. It appears that the male figure is looking down onto the woman whilst she looks down onto him, suggesting that he is in control as he holds her head in a romantic way. The exposure of the males bicep muscle further indicates his strength and control as he holds her in a firm but gently way. The woman emerges as a gentle and innocent female who looks like she is in love with the male character. The male gaze concept can also be applied to this image as the man is gazing at the woman. Women will also look at this image and be envious of this female as she holds a romantic embrace with an attractive man. The bright lighting emerging from background relates to the genre of romance, connoting happiness and love. The use of light colours also conveys purity and affection. The release date of the film is positioned beneath the film credits in a larger white font to catch the readers eye to make them aware of the date that they can go watch the film in cinemas. The overall layout follows the rule of thirds and in this poster; everything except the main image has been positioned from the left hand column. Credits: placed at the bottom of the poster, which is typical of film posters. The credits have been included as part of a legal requirement that gives recognition to the production and distribution companies that have been involved in the creation of the film. Company logos have also been included to give recognition to these particular companies, in this case Warner Bros has been mentioned. Having credits on a film poster add an element of professionalism to the film and therefore is a typical convention of most film posters. The website address for the film has also been included to encourage people to go online to find out more about the film and to aid the creation of an online community. (Uses and Gratification theory - 1974)

The title of the film is placed beneath the main image. The spooky typography used relates to genre of horror and supernatural. The use of red connotes danger and contrasts well against the black background, catching the readers eye. The title evokes the reader to be alarmed as it conveys the genre of supernatural and horror effectively. The small size of the title may be because of the greater importance of the image for the poster. The blurred effect of the typography relates to the genre of horror as it makes the title look ghostly and scary.
As a sequel film, part of the Paranormal Activity films, people will be able to recognize the poster to be one of their films because of the similar conventions used and the use of continuity through things such as the type of main image and the typography. This poster is dissimilar to the previous two posters, as it does not include any credits or information. This could be due to the type of film poster, presuming this is teaser poster that was released several months before any news on the general release date was out. However, it may just be that the film company did not feel it was important or relevant in this case to include the credits. This is the similar case in the other sequels of the Paranormal Activity films. Therefore it will have been continuity decision not to the include credit information. However, it does include the company logo positioned on the bottom right hand corner of the poster, adding the element of professionalism to the poster. Although a release date has not been stated, the poster mentions the film to be coming soon in a white bold font that catches the readers eye. The coming soon adds excitement for people wanting to watch the film and as part of the Paranormal Activity sequel; the anticipation will be much greater than if it were to be a new film.

Unlike the other 2 film posters I have looked at, this poster uses a film critics opinion of the film as their main tagline to encourage people to go and watch the film. By using a critics opinion, describing the film as the most anticipated horror event of the year the poster will have built high expectations for the audience as they will now anticipate the film to be the best horror film they will have watched all year and meet their entertainment needs Uses and Gratification theory (1974). The placing of the tagline at the top of the poster in a white colour contrasting with the black background will catch the readers eye. It also acts as a sign of warning people as it informs them of how scary the film will be. This helps create a sense of excitement amongst people wanting to see the film. The colour scheme of dark blue, red, white and black are all relate to the genre of film, as they are typical colours associated with horror and supernatural. This allows people to recognize the film as a horror. In comparison to the previous poster I analyzed, both of the horror genre, the main image used in this poster appears to be a clip from the actual movie itself giving the audience a sneak insight into what they should expect. No clear characters are shown expect a young child and a dog, leaving us questioning who the protagonists are in the film and what the narrative will revolve around. The aerial shot looks as it is from CCTV footage and because of its nature, it can also be classified as a master shot as it shows everything in the bedroom. The opened door creates suspense as the young child and dog both are looking at the door, as if they can hear or see something. The blue tint of the image creates a spooky and supernatural feel, relating back to the title of the film Paranormal Activity 2. Unlike the previous poster, the image does not take up the whole poster and the use of the black makes the genre of horror very clear to the audience.

The website address has been included on this poster encouraging people to go onto the website to find out news and information about the film. The production company is using cross media convergence to advertise and promote the film whilst building an online community of people excited to see the second film of the sequel. (Link to the Uses and Gratification theory)