The posters above are all from true documentary productions. Abducted in Plain Sight shows a seemingly happy hug but, because of the title it suggests that the man kidnapped the girl. We can assume the girl has disappeared because of her eyes are covered by black marker. This makes the viewer feel as if they are seeing a picture someone had displayed in their home. The red makes the viewer feel uneasy as it signifies danger, the smile from happy has become creepy and twisted. The tagline provides parents with further fear as no parent would wish to have their child kidnapped.
Making a Murderer has a ripped mugshot image almost as if behind the killer there was once a child. There is a difference in quality which makes you wonder if the documentary will be about the killer's childhood instead of their current situation. The title put in the top left further implies this. There is the difference in filters as well. The black and white signifying the past and sepia signifying a not-so-distant present. The blue eyes are emphasized, which seems to be common in the true crime genre. There are no taglines, but I think they aren't needed as the images speak louder than words.
Amanda Knox is relatively different from the other posters but is unsettling, nonetheless. We have a close-up of a woman's face, presumably Amanda's. There is a light shining on her face almost as if someone had just opened an otherwise pitch-black room. The tagline "Either I'm a psychopath in sheep's clothing or I am you" instils unease within the reader.
The Ted Bundy Tapes. The first thing that catches your eyes is the divide between the 2 images. Although very similar, one reveals a chilling smile while the other shows a neutral face that denotes an average person. Both these images are in black and white. The tagline suggests that the show is somewhat of a diary for Ted Bundy. The blue eyes are once again emphasized. On the left, you see images of a potential victim, presumably a getaway car, chains tied around someone's legs, a body picture of Ted, and some clothes. With knowledge from prior analysis, we can deduce this was the work of Bundy. The images were given a sepia tone and arranged in film tape; this shows these images are part of the story that'll be told.
In Detainment we see mugshots from 2 children. Based on the tagline "...were detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering two-year-old James Bulger." we can assume that these boys are murderers. Their blue eyes are prominent, at this point I'm convinced all killers have blue eyes. Which might be a convention of the genre. Under the title, which divides the mugshots from a newspaper article, we see the words "FIND THESE TWO BOYS". This makes you wonder if they went missing. Where are they now? In prison? Planning their next murder? These are enigma codes.
Narcos is somewhat different compared to the other posters as it doesn't focus on murders. The poster shows a white powder, resembling smoke, being thrown at the character. This has a stone face. Overall, not much can be examined from this poster.
Mood Board
For my mock-up I'm going to split 2 images of Tracy, similar to "Making a Murderer"'s poster.
• Tag line - Australia's Vampire Murderer/The Truth Behind One of Australia's Most
Horrific Crimes
• Colors - Reds, Grays, Blacks, Light Browns
• Typography - ALL CAPITALS, Sans Serif
• Main image - Tracy - Recent/Old Picture
• Backgrounds - River Bank, Australia Landscape, Mugshot
• Filters - B&W, Sepia, Old Filters, Grainy
My mock-up has changed regarding my initial ideas. I have instead created a poster with Tracey's mugshot, as the main image; the tagline has been adjusted, a mix between the two tag lines; and the background has been changed to a picture of her victim and evidence from the crime scene.
