Poster Analysis - Kill Bill

Poster Analysis -  Kill Bill

This is one of the posters of Kill Bill Vol1, directed by Quentin Tarantino.

The genre of the film is action and it’s communicated in various ways. It firstly caught my attention due to bright and contrasting colours; yellow, red, and black with connotation of warning. Also red colour has a connotation of blood and danger. In the background we can see blood which tells us there is a lot of violence and aggression in this movie. The main prop which has been used in the film is also used in the poster – samurai sword. It’s a weapon which reflects the genre.  The protagonist is standing on the right side of the poster. She’s wearing a black with yellow costume which matches with all the colours used in the poster. Her body language, unzipped tight top and the way she stands is really sexy and feminine. This has been used to attract the potential audience – men. As it’s an action movie, men will be the main audience as they like aggressive, full of violence movies.

The title of the film Kill Bill raises a question “Who’s Bill? And why does she wants to kill him?” it also gives us an idea that she’s seeking revenge. The title is in bold, big font and black colour, it stands out and it’s a focal point of the poster. The word ‘kill’ is cut with a sword which signifies that she’s planning to kill him with it and that it will be the main prop used.  They are two similar and rhyming words which are really catchy and they stay in viewer’s head. There is a contract created between two words; the word ‘Kill’ is a really strong word and ‘Bill’ is normal.

This poster advertises that it’s ‘The 4^th film by Quentin Tarantino’ which is the unique selling point. The fact that his name is mentioned and emphasised on the poster it tells us that he’s really important and it will attract the audience’s attention. As he’s well known, his fans will see his name on the poster and they’ll go to the cinema just to watch his new film. His films are characterised by non linear structure.

The tag line in this poster is “Revenge is a dish best served cold” which tells us that the most satisfying playback is the one that comes with planning, when your enemies are not expecting it. It’s written in red with connotations of blood and danger. It also sets the idea that this movie is about revenge and it clarifies the genre. By looking at the title ‘Kill Bill’ we know that he did something bad to her and she’s seeking revenge however, we don't know what he has done.

In this poster representation of women is portrayed as feminine. She’s wearing a yellow with black costume, it’s tight, her top is unzipped and she has long blonde hair, to attract the audience. Her facial expression is really calm in contrast with the blood in the background and a sword in her hand which makes the violence seem ironic. The fact that she’s holding a sword in her hand is representing her as powerful and dominant, it also breaks the stereotype of representation of women in today’s society.