The Crucible Movie Poster Project
Objectives: The Crucible, the play by Arthur Miller, is currently being made into an updated feature film. The movie will
premiere at several film festivals next fall, but the marketing team still has not settled on a movie poster design. They
know they want images that are eye-catching and interesting, and that are connected to the themes in the story somehow.
The film company needs to sell tickets and get people to see the film while also staying “true” to the book. Right now they
cannot decide on an appropriate image as the centerpiece for the poster, and they need your help. They also know that
additional text is needed on the poster to get their ideas across.
Task: After gathering quotes to determine central themes while reading the novel The Crucible, students will design their
own posters to advertise the movie version of the story.
Major parts of the assignment:
_____1.) Analysis of movie posters
_____2.) Partner work in class
_____3.) Movie poster
_____4.) Typed, printed rationale, Works Cited
_____5.) Project defense (presentation) & peer feedback
_____6.) Reflection/evaluation sheet
Procedure: In pairs, you will determine three thematic concepts found in The Crucible (lies and deceit,
respect/reputation, compassion and forgiveness, good vs. evil, the supernatural, justice, religion, jealousy) and you will
develop those 3 concepts into theme statements. You will then need to decide which quotes (evidence) from the text to
incorporate on your movie poster and how you will represent these themes to your audience visually. Before creating your
movie poster, you will need to take a close look at details surrounding the themes. We will also examine the effectiveness
of posters to influence and impact your target audience: your peers. Think about the following: What will entice your
target audience to see your film more? This will allow you to fully understand how to present your poster to a target
audience successfully. You will need to include the names of at least 3 actors and actresses on your poster, and you will
need to defend every decision you make, so choose wisely.
1. Movie poster: PowerPoint slide:
A) Movie Poster- This E-poster should contain an image from a copyright-friendly site (or your own
photography). Image and text should take up the entire slide. Your poster should contain at least 3 direct quotes
from the novel (1 quote per thematic concept/theme) to symbolize the central ideas you found in the novel and
hope to portray in the movie.
2. Written defense – You will write a rationale (no fewer than 3 pages, double-spaced, MLA format) which is an
explanation of your reasons for choosing the items on your poster. In other words, justify and analyze your decisions by
answering the following:
 Why did you choose the 3 thematic concepts and overall themes? What do those concepts say about
human nature?
 Of all of the possible quotes from the play, why did you choose to incorporate those three on the poster?
How does each quote relate to one of the three themes you chose? What impact should they have on the
audience? (Make sure you include citations and appropriate commentary in your rationale.)
 Why did you choose the visual? The colors? What did you want your audience to notice first? Why?
 You listed at least 4 actors and actresses on your poster that would play certain roles in the movie.
Discuss at least 4 in your rationale. Which character role would he/she play, and why is he/she perfect for
that role? Think about how these characters tie into your themes. Be selective. Cite the play.
3. Works Cited page, and Photo Attribution Log: Students must include a Works Cited page and a Photo Attribution
Log (for any photos taken from copyright- friendly sites).
4. Project Defense (Presentation): Each pair will present the poster to the class to receive feedback/reactions from peers.
While your classmates are presenting, you will be asked to judge the quality of their work.
5. Reflections/Evaluations: Each person will fill out a reflection/ evaluation sheet on the last day of the project.
Remember to reflect not only on the process as a whole, but also on your target audiences’ reactions to your
poster. What would you have done differently? What went well?