What makes a good Poster ?

Vokes

Nah, I don't mean the ideal boards user posting on the Film forum but rather - Film Posters.

I actually decided to start this thread (and hopefully a discussion) after seeing the new Dark Knight 'Why so serious?' poster over on the other thread (kudos to the Sad Professor). And I was thinking it's a pretty effective poster for the most part as it has done something interesting with some iconic images - the Batman symbol and some Joker makeup. It's certainly whetted my appetite for the upcoming film.

So what, in your opinion, makes for a good Poster? How important is the imagery? Probably pretty important for sc-fi and superhero flicks I guess but maybe not so much for other genres?

On the flip-side, what about a poster can turn you off a film ? Maybe statements like "From the One of Ten Writers of Epic Movie..." ? Or various A-List names plastered all over detracting from everything else?




One of my favourite films of the past 10 years is Gattaca (which for those who haven't seen it, it's a near-future scifi drama flick concerning eugenics).

Here's one of its posters:



I always like this particular poster because it had an image of a spiral staircase that looks like a double helix, which of course neatly ties in with the story. Pretty cool, huh.



So...what are my fellow boardsies' thoughts on Movie Posters? Any interesting ones you want to share? Or maybe even some bad examples you reckon?

I hope this doesn't turn into a 'List of Favourite Posters'-type thread, but instead a discussion of them - I detest lists (as do the Mods )

Dont be at yourself

Understated is definitely the way to go. Too many action films just show the lead in a manly pose in front of an explosion, meh.

mike65

Its indefinable, but you know a good one when you see one and a bad too.

I like ones which concentrate on an iconic image such as Dirty Harry its a crude piece of art but gets the point across. Another Example

Mike.

I like posters that catch the eye and that don't give away much about the film.

I personally like this one

Wacker

SofaKing wrote: »

I always like this particular poster because it had an image of a spiral staircase that looks like a double helix, which of course neatly ties in with the story. Pretty cool, huh.

That double-helix thing really is cool; I doubt I'd have spotted it if I hadn't been told. I'm fairly sure that at no point in the film do Vincent and Irene leg it down the stairs as depicted though. Look at me pick those nits, eh? (Did I just coin a phrase?)


This is one of my favourite movie posters:

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MG/193672~Star-Wars-Episode-I-The-Phantom-Menace-Posters.jpg

Shame about the film. The marketing campaign was incredible though; this first tantalizing tast probably got the fan-boys drooling with anticipation. It is brialliantly understated - it would so easy for the poster to highlight a double-ended lightsaber, droid armies, explosions, etc. Instead they used a simple image of anakin, with a reminder of his dark destiny. Vey slick.

Driver 8

This poster is just....cool

niall2j

Wacker wrote: »

That double-helix thing really is cool; I doubt I'd have spotted it if I hadn't been told. I'm fairly sure that at no point in the film do Vincent and Irene leg it down the stairs as depicted though. Look at me pick those nits, eh? (Did I just coin a phrase?)


This is one of my favourite movie posters:

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MG/193672~Star-Wars-Episode-I-The-Phantom-Menace-Posters.jpg

Shame about the film. The marketing campaign was incredible though; this first tantalizing tast probably got the fan-boys drooling with anticipation. It is brialliantly understated - it would so easy for the poster to highlight a double-ended lightsaber, droid armies, explosions, etc. Instead they used a simple image of anakin, with a reminder of his dark destiny. Vey slick.

The moment I saw this thread I thought of the same poster. Fantastically understated imo.

Galvasean

still love the original Jurassic Park one, just the logo.
Simple, but got people curious.

Tusky

As someone has already said, its indescribable. I have these on my wall.

http://images.art.com/images/-/Nosferatu---Movie-Score-Poster-C10080076.jpeg

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/19/EVILDEADREPR.JPG

Like these (even if the first isnt a good film)

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/p/images/pathfinder-poster-0.jpg

http://www.popartuk.com/g/l/lgfp1416+a-long-time-ago-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away-star-wars-poster.jpg

http://www.canmag.com/images/front/movies20062/pansposter.jpg

http://www.publispain.com/posters/american_psycho.jpg

mike65

Posters are a pretty good way of judging the perceived quailties and ambitions of the people who made the film - take this flick about an alien going nutzoid in a spaceship and this one. The former is subtle and intriguing, the latter says "buckets of blood, yay!"

Mike.

Goodshape

mike65 wrote: »

take this flick about an alien going nutzoid in a spaceship

Good call. Fantastic poster.


Tim Burton's 1989 Batman poster was great too. With a logo that identifiable you don't need anything else. Definitely wets the apatite.

And they basically re-hashed it for Superman Returns. Also to great effect.

Pigman II

Wacker wrote: »

This is one of my favourite movie posters:

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MG/193672~Star-Wars-Episode-I-The-Phantom-Menace-Posters.jpg

Really? I thought that one was fairly tacky. Like a good idea badly executed.

Actually if you watch Ep2 theres a shot of Anakins shadow that is a much better version of what you see in that poster. Better still it was achieved purely by chance.
http://homepage.mac.com/dtrull/pix/aotc/shadows.jpg

The Batman 89 one is one of my favourites tho. You look at it and think "why have they cut off the edges like that?!?

Vokes

Some great examples there - Alien and Episode I.

Deleted User wrote: »

I like posters that catch the eye and that don't give away much about the film.

Absolutely. The Cloverfield poster is probably a good recent example of that.

http://www.fasthack.com/images/weblog/2007/08/cloverfield-teaser-poster.jpg

It's certainly caught the eye of a friend of mine recently when passing through the cinema and got him talking about it. No big-names necessary on the poster. Merely a famous landmark with a little twist.



Also came across an interesting little story about the Batman Returns teaser poster.

In 1992, Tim Burton was set to release his sequel to his smash 1989 film Batman. Like most summer blockbuster films, Warner Bros. released a teaser poster for Batman Returns several months in advance. The initial advance poster featured a close crop of a black and white image of the Batman logo “ears” with the word “RETURNS” underneath. The iconic look was interesting to say the least, and surprisingly artistic for a big budget studio film poster. Just one problem: movie theater owners absolutely hated the Batman Returns teaser poster design — and made this clear to the higher ups inside Warner Bros. marketing and exhibitor relations. Faster than you can say “Holy Revision Batman!” a replacement teaser poster with a more conventional version of the Batman logo filled theater lobbies everywhere.

versus

Have to say, I actually prefer that original teaser poster that was pulled (the one they used on the right was just a little too samey as the '89 original). Very understated and keeping the focus on the Bat rather than on the villians. Think I might buy it

Pigman II

Your link isn't working. I think this is the one you're talking about?
http://www.moviepostershop.com/images/movieposter/366528.1020.A.jpg

Have to agree with the theatre owners on this one.

Vokes

Ooops. Yes, thats the one. You don't like it at all, or just prefer the classic batman logo?

Pigman II

No I don't like it at all. It's like if you made a new Star Wars movie and did a poster of Darth Vaders eye socket or something. The batman logo is too iconic to just be zoomed in on like that.

I think the logo poster is good. Would have been great if they took out that "The Bat The Cat etc" nonsense too.

Tusky

Not a fan of that one Sofa. Looks a bit ameatur or something ? The posters for Batman Begins were great though.

http://www.markshields.com/images/batman-begins-teaser-poster.jpg

TerrorFirmer

I love this poster, though when I say love, it's more of a fascination with the way it captured casual indifference to atrocity.

Art_Wolf

I love this poster for Ruby

qz

I like simple posters, something that isn't trying to make the film absolutely obvious to you. But then again subtlety can fail drastically:

Hypnotoad

Pigman II

Tusky

Creature

Some good ones;

Wacker

I know I'm neither a mod nor the originator of this thread, but I suspect a lock is in the pipeline if this just descends into people just posting their favourite posters without discussion.

mike65

This is a chin-stroking poster-thread, not a ****-fest!

Mike.

Creature

Oh I'm sorry Wacker did I offend your sensibilities? I could make up some waffle about how the striking imagery and depth of vision captures my imagination if you want?

Wacker

Creature wrote: »

Oh I'm sorry Wacker did I offend your sensibilities? I could make up some waffle about how the striking imagery and depth of vision captures my imagination if you want?

It not my sensibilities you need to worry about. I would be merely concerned that this thread would get locked. The mods around here don't take kindly to lists without discussion.

ixoy

Wacker wrote: »

It not my sensibilities you need to worry about. I would be merely concerned that this thread would get locked. The mods around here don't take kindly to lists without discussion.

Correct - prefer the bit of discussion we got on the first page of thread than just posting images.

Creature

Well to answer the OP I'd say there's no established design or layout that makes a good poster. I'd say the success of a good poster is very much due to how well the image ties in with the film's tone or theme.

faceman

I have to say i probably dont appreciate the posters to the same degree than some people do but I have always admired the Jaws poster as pictured above and the Exorcist poster (the shot of Fr Merrin standing outside the house) And the original pic for Alien was cool

Cokehead Mother

For me, a good poster:

Employs bold use of colour and irony
Has a hotty in it
Has an enticing tagline
Gives a good idea of the sort of film it's advertising

Here's an example: