Sherlock Holmes poster deconstruction

I deconstructed the character Posters of Sherlock Holmes to find the denotations and the connotations that are in each of the posters so that I can gain an idea from these and use it into my own poster e.g. why they are looking and standing the way they are and what meaning it holds in creating their character, and what I will be able to gain and use in my own production.

Each of the posters suggest that - 
- It is a new film about an old subject
- The faces of the each of the characters are well lit.
-The background of each poster suggests that the film is action packed, busy with lots pictures behind the character.
-The a heavy metallic font style has been used on each characters poster to stand out, makes the film and poster look a bit Gothic as well as looking similar to a type writer keys and letter stamps.
-The font also gives the film a heavy, dark mood that gives the feeling that this is a crime thriller and will mostly be set during the night.
-The stars of the film have been fore grounded in the poster by being in the centre, well-lit High Key lighting, in colour compared to the background.
- Each character is in an eye line match with the audience, which help the audience would relate to the characters as well as include them into the film.
-The Posters also use good promotional tools since they have the actors name at the top of each poster, for the audiences to recognize them from previous films.
-Also most of the actors that the characters are playing in this film are already what the audience associate their character types to be e.g.
RDJ - Mostly associated with Action/Comedy films, eye candy for viewers, the important role in the film, comedic, intelligent, a bit weird at times.
Jude Law - Mostly the main Actor, eye candy for the audience, mostly a player or womaniser, also a serious role.
Rachel McAdams - The bimbo, Bitchy, beautiful and eye candy for the viewers.
Mark Strong - plays the villain or a dark character, the opposing role, has a powerful position, scary, terrifying, a controlling position.

 Holmes Poster -
- The way his hairstyle is gives the audience the impression that his not bothered of how he looks
- Unshaven appearance shows he is confident of the appearance he is giving the audience
- The style and layers of clothing on him shows that he is quite busy; the coat gives the impression that he is always out and the dark colours give a mysterious look to him as if he has something to hide.
- His stance could suggest that his not an open person because of his hands being in his pocket, his Upright stance could suggest that he is better than the rest, confidence in himself.

Watson Poster - 
- His moustache shows that he cares about his looks since it is perfectly shaved, sort of shows that he has an element of education 
- The Hat could suggest that has a high class attitude, standard etc.  But a bit quirky as well
- His three piece suit, white shirt and navy tie tell the audience of his high profession in society, his strong personality, comes from an upper class family because of the suit being nicely fitted suggests that he could afford it to be tailor made
- His stance, one hand holding a cane and very open body language shows that he is a very confident person and the bag suggests that he is readily equipped for anything and all emergencies.
- Facial Expression, lifted chin could mean that he has a sort of funny, flirty yet serious look all at once.
- The way he is looking at the camera gives the impression that he is looking down at the audience and this is sort of backed up by his stance and appearance as well.

Adler Poster - 
- Her hairstyle suggests that she is very stylish and wants it to represent herself
- Her clothes look to be expensive because of the silk material and the fact that they are well fitted and the colour which is not too bight or in your face but a nice elegant pink which relates to her personality - quite bright personality
- Her stance and both her hands seemingly hitching up her skirt; one shoulder slightly forward gives the audience the impression that she is ladylike but also a rebel because of her look. Her stance also sort of screams look at me, available and flirty behaviour.
- Her facial expression as well looks to have a sly, sneaky kind of look; it gives the impression that she is proud of herself because of the flirty smile and direct eye contact with the audience.

Blackwood Poster -
- His hairstyle and eyebrows look to have an evil Dracula look as well as the Gothic appearance and the fact that it is gelled back.
- His layer of clothes sort of mimic Sherlock Holmes a bit with the layered appearance, but he looks to have a more darker look to them like he has something to hide, his evil and mysterious also the darker colours suggest that we are not supposed to see him or notice him
- His stance: both hands held closed across his body suggest that he a very mysterious, dark person and seems to be looking down at people
- His facial expression means business, very serious, confident and has an evil vibe to it; he also seems to be concentrating on something has a secret objective in his mind
- The way he is looking at the camera directly at the audience gives the impression that he is coming for them and everyone else, to get them.

EDIT 02/03/2012
Each of these posters had given me valuable information on how to create a film poster for my own production, while deconstructing each of the posters I was able to identify what aspects of the posters made each character and their poster unique and fascinating to look at as well as give the audience an insight in what to expect from the character, their role in the film and their behaviour as a stereotypical villain or hero of the time even though Guy Ritchie has Sherlock Holmes ravel in the dark arts just like in the original Sherlock Holmes books. This deconstruction also helped with defining my own magazine front cover, since now I knew what I had to do in order to create a defining character who is strong, bold and fully built and present it to my audience in a professional manner as well as capture their attention through the use of the colours that I would use in my own production. As well challenge the conventions of how a hero or villain needs to be presented when presented to audience in a poster or a magazine front cover.