Everyday Art: The Movie Poster

What do I mean by 'Everyday Art'? The idea behind it is to bring people's attention to the art and trends in our culture that we may miss, as they have become background noise in our day-to-day lives. It will span from things so basic as fonts and logos, to things as complex as architecture.

So, let's get started shall we? This week's post is all about movie posters. I'll get started by showing you all my favourite movie poster.

And that's not because of the flat stomach, thank you very much.

We see them almost every day of our lives. Whether we're walking past a cinema, billboard or bus shelter, or even just browsing the internet; movie posters penetrate through our culture. If a big-budget movie is being released, you can expect a large chunk of that budget goes into marketing, and getting that poster in front of your eyes. Yet so often we just gloss over when we look at them. Taking a step back, we can see some of the wonderful art that has gone into movie posters, past and present.

These days there is far less focus on the physical marketing campaign for movies. Usually you'll see some kind of viral or online marketing campaign used to drum up some hype. Most people will see the trailer for a movie long before they ever see a poster. Although often, the poster is released as a brief teaser to just give people a taste of what's coming.

One thing that I really love in posters is when we just get an image that is associated with a series. It's like the creators of the movie are saying, "Yeah, we know you know what this represents, that's just how good we are. We don't even need to tell you the name of the movie." Here are a few examples:

While these are all well and good, they don't really tell us a whole lot (if anything) about the story. Before the recent growth of the internet and computers, people relied on posters a lot more. You couldn't simply go onto IMDb or Wikipedia and read a synopsis. Fewer people had televisions, so were less likely to see an advert there (if one was even made). The poster was intended to create the feel of the movie and give the person looking at it an idea of what they're in for. You'll get the idea when I post a few examples:

It's a big fish that eats people. Straightforward enough.

It's a woman. She's 50ft tall. Not too complicated.

Yeah, I think we get the idea.

For even more fun, let's compare the posters of a couple of remakes against their original counterpart!

Wow, a big ape.

Wow, a big ape that's kidnapped a woman and is climbing up buildings in New York and destroying planes! Sweet! (Yes, people in 1933 said "Sweet!". I swear.)

Wow, a house.

Wow, that's messed up! Wes Craven has some serious issues!

The remake of Wes Craven's classic debut "The Last House on the Left" actually brings me on to another big trend in movie posters. Trajan. For those who don't know, Trajan is a typeface, named after the Roman Emperor Trajan. I'm afraid that saying this might change how you look at movie posters, but it must be done. Trajan is everywhere. I mean it, everywhere. Do you recognise the font from the Last House on the Left poster? No?

What about now?

If you want to avoid going insane at all the Trajan, then stay well clear from the Horror aisle at your local video store.

And then there's the ever popular 'floating heads' poster.

On top of that, there's one man in particular who loves having his head floated around.

Morgan Freeman: Fearless of the float.

No discussion about movie posters can be complete without a mention to Drew Struzan. Many of the classic posters that stick in our head have been created by Struzan. He has a way of bringing an entire story to life in one single image. None more so than the Indiana Jones franchise. Struzan's poster work for Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are synonymous with the explorer/adventurer character we've all grown to love.

Some more of Struzan's work you might recognise:

Back to the Future I, II, and III


Star Wars Episode VI: Revenge of the Jedi


Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace


The Thing


Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone

I highly recommend you go onto his website and check out his portfolio. The man really is the master of the movie poster. Hey, if you have a spare $450,000.00 then why not buy the original Back to the Future poster!

So, the next time that you see a movie poster, take a second look and see if you recognise it. Perhaps it's a Struzan classic, perhaps it's a comedy with big bold red letters, or a horror with Trajan and some splatter brushes. Or, if you're really lucky, it'll have floating heads, Trajan, and Morgan Freeman all rolled up into one beautiful little ball.

Now that's just not acceptable.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on movie posters. What are your favourites? Any that stick in your mind from childhood? Also, tell me what you think about this feature. It's new, and I'd like to know if you all find it interesting.

Thanks very much for reading!

-Simon