SHANK - CASE STUDY

This is the poster of the British movie ‘Shank’ released in 2010, the poster displays a wide-shot of the main characters at the bottom half the poster who appear to be running away from a large amount of gang members. The characters appear to be wearing attire which is stereotypically associated with the youth of London with some minor adjustments; such as the gloves on the character second from the left, and the sort of - make-shift body armour on the character in the middle. These adjustments suggest that the characters live in a harsh and violent environment, from which they need to wear protection and survive; this could hint to the fact that London has become a dangerous environment, as the gangs have taken over - this is the reason why the characters are running away from them. We can tell that the people they are running from are gang members as they are wearing stereotypical gang-member clothing, with dark toned clothes, hoods, bandanas, caps, chains, and hoodies. The dark toned clothes usually connote the feeling of fear, evil or power.

The slogan of the film is placed horizontally at the top of the film, stating “2015. The Gangs Have Taken Over.” This gives in to the idea that the gangs are the primary antagonists of the film, and that London in the year of 2015, has become a shadow of its former-self. (As the film was released in 2010, we can tell that this film is set in the future.) This also means that the six characters at the bottom of the poster - along with the dog, have to overcome the numerical odds against the gangs, to defeat them, and bring back the peace and order of London to how it originally was. This also means that the audience are more likely to root for the main characters - as they want to root for the underdogs who are intelligent and could tactically outsmart their opponents to make up for the number advantage.

Below the slogan are the reviews of critics, the actors and the title of the film. The reviews are needed for an independent film to convince people to watch it, as they do not have the funds to compete with mainstream films which have a significantly better budget to advertise the film. The title is presented in a distinct bold red colour, which helps it to stand out and instantly lets the audience know what the title of the film is. The silhouette of a character holding a knife, helps to create the letter ‘A’ - it highlights the idea of a ‘Shank’; which means “to stab someone.” The typography itself is entirely styled in a sans-serif font as it emphasises the modern and futuristic setting of the film in London 2015.

The lighting and colour scheme of the film appears to be very dark and subtle, linking to the idea that the film is set in a futuristic apocalyptic London, and connoting the dark and violent themes that could be present in the film. However, the fact that the sky is quite bright seems to indicate that the main characters on the front of the page could be the hope or heroes of the film, who are destined to rid London of the gangs and criminal activity.