Textual Analysis- Film Poster: Birdman

This image does a great job of intriguing audiences before they go and see the film. People who are unfamiliar with the story that Birdman is telling will not be able to make sense of the poster. In order to achieve a good amount of audience interest, the poster features the leading man, Michael Keaton, in the foreground of the poster. The big cast theme within the film is continued as the lower centre of the poster features the top cast members. This encourages those who are maybe unfamiliar with the film to watch the film because they are fans of the big cast. This list of cast members is featured above the title, which is not common in posters but it manages to draw the attention of the audience to this key selling point.

The poster features an artists rendition of Michael Keaton with the character of Birdman on his head. The title of the film may suggest that this is a superhero film. The typical basis for a superhero film would show the character in his superhero suit with action around him/her. This poster takes the opposite approach by keeping a very minimalist approach with Michael Keaton in a brown suit. This approach highlights some of the satirical elements to the film surrounding the comic book industry. Birdman is instead placed in the background compared to Keaton. The miniature Birdman is placed on Keatons head in order to show how the character is a burden to him and is always weighing on his mind. This is a massive part of the story as Michael Keaton's character is struggling to succeed within his acting career after his run of playing a superhero has caused him to become washed up. The identity of Birdman is something that always plays on his mind and is burdened by the personality of the character throughout the film, which explains why Birdman is perched on his head.

To conclude, the poster for Birdman is purposely kept simplistic but layered in it's meaning. It manages to get past the hurdle of those expecting a low quality superhero film from initially reading the title. The poster focuses on its star power by putting them front and centre which helps to grant some faith of the audience, while increasing the expected quality of the film. People can see that this is a film that focuses on drama and satirical elements of the superhero industry. The overall result is a very simple yet informative poster that will grab audience attention in anticipation for a good film.