WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)

How can conventions of an action film be seen in this poster?
By simply looking at one of many film posters it is clear that this film contains a high level of action throughout.
One of the many ways in which the poster shows this is through explosions in the background which is a convention of an action film. This has connotations that danger lurks the surroundings of the soldiers meaning they have to be careful when walking on the battle zone.
The camera uses a medium shot when producing this poster; this allows consumers to clearly identify the emotion of the protagonist. His emotions connotes he is scared but also that he is determined which links into another convention, this being a quest or mission waiting to be completed in this case the mission seems to be fight for survival and to keep his men safe and out of as much harm as possible against the enemies. In addition the camera shot shows he is a soldier through his costume. The last convention used in this poster is the use of weapons; this is also an example of mise en scene.  The characters look to be holding very large and harmful guns showing that harm or death is contained within this film.
This poster also uses an establishing shot allowing consumers to see the whole environment and get a sense of the risk that creeps around them.
Finally when you first look at this the main image that stands out is the picture of Mel Gibson. Mel is an American actor and is very well known across the world therefore by making him be the main focus it will show consumers that the film he features in will be an action film due to the fact he is known for his involvement in that specific genre, furthermore from the audiences past experiences they may think Mel Gibson is an outstanding actor and will bring a successful film into the cinemas.