Dumb and Dumber Codes and Conventions

Codes:

From the film title 'Dumb and Dumber" we as the audience can expect this film to offer a quite humorous aspect to it. This is because we connote being dumb with having a large lack of knowledge or common sense, therefore when a 'dumb' person is confronted with a seemingly simple task/social situation, they make botched job of it. This is humorous to see as fictional films tend to go overboard with characters qualities, so if a title is named after that quality, it is going to be very over accentuated, therefore the situations and events that occur will be the kind you would never see in reality. This is humorous to the audience because we as humans like to see difficulty in with other people performing seemingly menial tasks. This makes us feel superior to the person struggling, which causes the feeling of humour. Other events that give us the feeling of superiority over someone is witnessing events/emotions such as embarrassment, fear and physical pain, all of which are conventions of comedy movies such as this one.

Conventions:

At the beginning of this opening sequence for the film 'Dumb and Dumber', we see the very famous actor Jim Carey (mainly staring in comedy films) in the back seat of a cab then struggling to get to the front of the cab whilst Dancehall genre music plays (an up-tempo style of dance music). These two features are conventional of each other as well as a comedy film due to the fact that they are in contrast - the music itself isn't humorous, but because it was paired with that scene (Jims character struggling to get to the front seat of a vehicle - a menial task) it made the upbeat tempo and lively dance style to it more exaggerated therefore making it quite funny to the audience because they are in such contest.

Later on in the scene we see the second character in the film introduced, straight away we see the comedy side of his character due to the fact that he is dressed in a funny costume, and then walking towards a car that is decorated in the same way as him. This is conventional to a comedy film because seeing the character in this costume is very random and has not linked up to the plot yet; the audience simply links it to the title Dumb and Dumber therefore seeing the character as just being rather dumb. Also, the car he is driving is decorated as a dog...this is also a very random feature to the film and if this was something seen even in reality, it would be seen as comical because it is very unexpected and weird.

Harry Potter Poster advertisement

Posters are extremely popular and are always the way to go when it comes to advertising. The thing with poster advertising is you only have to pay for the making of the poster and that it is - you can then put these posters up almost any where you would like, however, permission may be needed at times. This enables you to put posters up in areas where you may find the type of consumer you are targeting your film at e.g. if the film is about regular people in a regular common working like, posters may be put up around Primark or in shop windows of local town shops etc.

Also, here in this poster the visual orientation clearly denotes the main character in the fact that they are the largest person in the poster and they are at the front of the rest of the people. This connotes that he will be the main protagonist as they are often the leaders of others and guide them to safety - Harry (person with the main focus in the poster) looks determined whilst others behind him look slightly wary and uncertain. Harry being portrayed as the protagonist is also supported by the fact that he is holding something bright which we associate with innocence and an angelic nature, and it is also the colour blue which is also a much more pure colour and is associated with clarity e.g. water, sky etc. The object he is holding also shows him as being the protagonist as he is in possession of something so good and pure.

The fact that Harry is being portrayed as this so clearly in the image means that the consumer can glance at this poster and already have a good idea of what the story will be - a main character leading 2/4 other main character to safety, and the plot containing some soft of magical element due to the fact that the main person in the image is holding some sort of good, holy, and unidentified object (this however, also creates some mystery to the story so it notices the audience with some knowledge of the main plot, but not the actual story...they then need to know more)…   

Harry Potter Bus advertsing

Bus advertising is also another very effective way of getting the word out for films. This is because buses travel through many different locations and often stop at several bus stops, therefore those walking by and those getting on the bus will notice the advertised film along the side of the bus and take notice of it, as in most cases, it will be the most interesting and entertaining thing to see at that moment in time. While pricey, this method of film promoting will pay off as buses pass many people as they travel to their destinations and have several people a day getting on a and off of buses.

With this particular film 'banner' on the side of the bus on the image above, it is very noticeable due to the fact that we have the very recognisable characters in picture, and the main character at the front - many people will recognise harry potter due to its raging popularity, therefore fans will notice it straight away. Also, the vibrant blue light contrasts the black (very expected of a harry potter poster as these are seen as its a house colour - they have always been advertised with these specific colours) on the poster as well as the red of the bus - they clash therefore it is catches the eye. 

Harry Potter Bust Stop Advertising

Advertising at public bus stops is another really effective way of promoting films because bus stops are used by thousands of people daily, therefore won't go unnoticed. Also, waiting around for buses can often become quite boring, so placing an advertising (a poster) here would mean that people would not only glance at the poster, but in fact view it in detail, take in the visual beauty and read whatever text may be on the poster - meaning that they will gain a much better understanding of the film without any of the plot being given away. This would then intrigue the reader, making them curios to find out more (which is also why the posters can remain quite simple - not give away too much of the content away as to then unintentionally release the entire story line) - they are then hooked and may end up purchasing the film or go to it's screening at the cinema.

Harry Potter - Billboard Advertising

Advertising is an effective way of promoting films because it gets it out in the open for the public (the people who make the profit) to see.

Harry Potter is a widely known film and book all around the world and has remained successful throughout its book releases, film production and post-film production - it is still a very beloved film today and will continue to be for years to come. The fact that Harry Potter has such a hybrid of genres and sub genres (fantasy, action, adventure, science fiction, romance...) makes it perfect for most consumers to enjoy, which is why mass advertising was very necessary as is with all profited and successful films. It is important to maintain interested from the consumers even when they are waiting a year or two for the next film/book/episode. That is where advertisements come in:

Here is a billboard advertising the 7th part of Harry Potter. Immediately we recognise this as being a Harry Potter advertisement due to its typical house colours - very dark with greys blues, with that contrast of colours. We recognised these house colours due to the films raging popularity and numerous films produced - it is a known film, name and picture.

Also, we have the very conventional contrast of colours to represent the good and evil more clearly on the dark advertisement as the characters are submerged in the background. With green we usually associate negativity, jealousy and evil, where as orange is a much more vibrant colour and this connotes positive things such as sunshine, light (also something associated with good, angelic almost) and so on. This means the consumer doesn't need to take the time to look at the picture in order to see the two sides and main antagonist and protagonist in the film, they can simply assume it from first glance. 

Advertising this film and style 'banner' on this billboard is an effective way of grabbing the attention of the public because it is large therefore it is firstly noticeable in size. Also, the visual orientation can remain quite simple because the audience can already suspect what it is at first glance due to the films house colours and typography of Harry Potter (HP) - it is always in the same font/style. This then means that money isn't wasted on making a complex design for the advert therefore money can go towards more advertising/promoting.