Pursuit of Happyness Movie Poster Arguement

The Pursuit of Happyness Movie Poster Arugment

Movie posters play a vital role in the success of a film. They serve as an advertisement for the movie and an attention getter. Movie posters contain images and words to prelude the plot of the movie. The visual component of the poster is usually the main focus point to grab the viewer's attention and introduce the theme of the movie. Movie posters appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos. The Pursuit of Happyness movie poster is an example of this.

The main focus point of the Pursuit of Happyness' movie poster is Will Smith holding the hand of a little boy smiling whose head is resting on his shoulder. The central focus of the movie is that anything is possible and to not give up on your dreams. Will Smith has to overcome poverty and his problems while taking care of his son. He is essentially on the pursuit of happiness. This plot is portrayed in the movie poster well because it is clear that Will Smith is a single father who has to go to work everyday because of the briefcase in hand and his son in another. In the beginning of the movie the main character Will Smith is struggling to support himself and his son. Throughout the movie his drive and motivation push him to work hard and succeed. On the movie poster the sunlight gleaming through the clasped hands of Will Smith and his son shows that things are getting better for them and that the sun will shine again soon. The sunlight radiates off of their faces creating a glow around them. The facial expressions of the two characters express happiness. Will Smith is looking down on the son with a smile that displays love and he is proud of his son and he is looking forward to their future. The sons emotion displays a sense of comfort and safety that his dad gives him. He looks like there is a sense of relief and excitement. This part of the movie poster appeals to pathos because of the emotion that the characters bring.

The ethos appeal of the poster is Will Smith’s name at the header of the poster. This is ethos because Will Smith has been in a lot of movies and is a very successful actor. People will go to this movie strictly because of the reputation of Will Smith and the movies he has starred in.

The logos appeal of the poster is the small print of the words “inspired by a true story”. Logically people like to watch and listen to real life events that have taken place. This can also appeal to ethos because the audience can be empathetic toward the story. The audience might feel more compelled to go see the movie because it is based on a true story and something that has actually happened.

I believe the movie poster was well designed and skillfully introduced the plot of the movie. The two main characters on the poster thoughtfully portray the theme of the movie and their adversity. The artist utilized the space well and skillfully places the title and Will Smith’s name. The poster grabs viewer’s attention and leaves them wanting more without revealing too much of the plot. The poster allows you to use your imagination and create your own idea of the story. The poster depicts that you can overcome struggles and adversity and that the sun will shine again. It gives off the message of following your dreams and that hard work will pay off. In the movie Will Smith turns to his son and says “Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” This movie poster did a great job of portraying the moral of the story and attracting attention to the film.