Textual Analysis- Film Poster: Fight Club

This poster for fight club manages to take themes and plot points directly from the film and communicate them subtly to the audience. The most notable aspect of the poster is the minimalist approach. The image consists only of the Narrator and Tyler Durden, with the names of the actors and director as well as a title. No company label or relation can be seen on this cover. This is done as a reference to the characters hatred of mainstream ideology and influence of major cooperations. As a result the poster goes against conventions in order to reflect this rebellious nature of the film. The title is placed at an unusual angle and size, dark and gritty colours are used, the characters are roughed up and bloody, and the surface of the poster appears to be scratched up and worn. This acts in complete contrast to the typical ideas of the shiny and high production value posters that are often released with films that show the companies that made the film.

Upon deep analysis of the poster, the audience can extract some key details from the film as a result. The positioning of the poster indicates the major reveal at the end of the film with the character's shared identities. This is shown from the framing of the poster. A close up shot of the two has been used where normally one head would usually feature. This shows how both characters are competing for the same headspace in the way that they do in the film. The injuries of the characters are shown on the same area of the face. Tyler is put in the foreground of the poster in order to show how he is the dominant personality meanwhile the Narrator is place to the back in the shadows.

To conclude, this poster is able to establish the tone for the film and explore different themes that are featured within the film. The use of framing, lighting, injuries and soap all depict major components of the film. It raises questions that the audience will need to see the film in order to answer. People who are aware of Fight Club's story will appreciate the way that certain areas of the poster are chosen specifically to hint at a major plot development. The overall visual style and minimalism show the themes of rebellion and going against social norms. We can also see that the poster is targeting an older audience from the gritty and non-censored appearance.