They are often what you first see when you step foot in a movie theater, but do they arrest your attention anymore? Probably not, because, let’s face it: Movie posters have lost their mystique. These days, they are about as subtle as an eager young actor’s headshot.
What happened to the days of beautifully illustrated, enticingly mysterious artwork in film marketing? Now, in the era of Photoshop, marketing executives seem to be slapping together whatever publicity stills they can find and calling the finished product a movie poster.
Although we are moving into the digital age, I still appreciate physical reality. Take the tactile attributes of books, for instance. The smell and weight of the paper, the distinct style and feel of the typeface. Those are essential elements of the reading experience that people take for granted.
What is exciting about those elements is the fact that they can be appreciated as art outside of books as well. The same could be said for the elements of movie posters years ago. However, posters now have an overly symbiotic relationship with the films they are advertising. They no longer stand as works of art unto themselves. That’s not to say that all contemporary film posters are unappealing. But most lack imagination, originality and handmade authenticity.
This column is the first in a series of essays about promotional artwork, but rest assured, I am not going to bash posters in every one. Right now, I am merely building suspense by presenting the antithesis of what I am about to discuss — what makes a great poster.
The first example of a great poster that springs to mind is 1975’s “Jaws.” It summarizes the film with one simple, unsettling image — a shark ascending upon an unsuspecting swimmer. That image embodies a hallmark of early Spielberg films — danger lurking beneath a sunny, innocent surface.
A poster like this provokes more thought than recent posters precisely because of its artful craftsmanship. I don’t know about you, but I don’t pay as much attention to quick glam shots of actors, which is what makes up half of the posters currently in theaters.
I’ll leave you with a recently released poster that is sadly not in theaters — a poster for the upcoming film, “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
Designed in the vein of an old World War II movie poster, this is a dazzlingly retro piece of art. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it will not be used in the film’s marketing campaign. Are marketing execs afraid of old-fashioned artwork? When I see a poster like this, I’m not afraid, but rather excited. And I’m reminded of that old cliché — they don’t make them like they used to.
Stay tuned in the weeks to come as I will count down my favorite movie posters of all time.
Note: That awesome illustration at the top of the page is the work of good friend and Film Yap reader Ian Boley. And that handsome devil in the drawing is yours truly. This illustration will accompany all of my future movie poster essays.