Year 12 - Media Studies

The above image is the promotional poster for the feature film “Hitman,” which was released in 2008. I chose the image to analyse due to its striking nature and interesting use of colours and lighting.

One of the foremost interesting techniques used in the above media text is the colour; the poster consists primarily of black and grey, however the text and tie stand out as dark red. This creates a deathly feeling, as it is almost reminiscent of a gun and the bloodshed that follows. The reasoning behind the colour choice becomes clear when the plot unfolds however, as “Hitman” (and furthermore the games that the movie is based on) focus on the life of a contract killer, born as a test-tube child, trained to kill rather than think, lacking even a name and referred to simply as “Agent 47”. In the poster (and consequently throughout the film) Agent 47’s nature is simple, subtle and yet very stylised. The black suit and gloves meld with the black background of the image to create a sense of professionalism and refinement about him.

Another technique used to compliment the colour of the piece is the lighting. The lighting is low-key, and could be considering back/top lighting, due to the source of light being seemingly to the above and slightly behind the protagonist. This creates a rather sinister feeling about the piece, as almost all of his facial features are completely hidden, yet both eyes can be clearly seen glowering towards the camera. This creates a sense of hatred or anger, and the subject of death is punctuated by the lighting on the pistols, which seems to promote them and make them seem rather attractive.

The guns also seem to serve a secondary purpose, because when looking closely it appears that the image connotes the well known symbol of a skull and crossbones. This one again highlights the controversial subject of death and murder.

In regards to the mise-en-scene; while the setting is unclear, the facial expression of Agent 47 connotes anger, rage and a lack of guilt.

Overall I would regard this as a highly effective media piece, it is stylised and sharp, but is able to connote clear messages, even without the use of text.