Computer Art Class:

 Movie Poster Design Project


Introduction:

What is a poster?

A poster can be defined as a placard or bill, usually large and often incorporating photographs or illustrations, posted up for advertising or publicity or for decorative purposes. The functions of those which advertise include communication, selling and persuading. This does not preclude them being decorative. Indeed the first job of a poster is to attract the attention of the passerby and only once this is done can a message be delivered. A good poster  is one which is attention-grabbing, succinct, convincing and memorable.

To achieve these aims designers may use a large format and bold color, simple and minimal text and attractive illustrations which psychologically support and reinforce the written words. At the same time designers must consider the constraints imposed by the methods and places of display and competition from other posters whose messages may be as urgent and emphatic.

Poster design combines the fine and applied arts, incorporating painting, graphic design, collage, and photography. In countries where television is not a major advertising medium, the poster remains a transient yet effective means of reaching the widest audience on behalf of culture, commerce, and ideology.

Some main characteristics of good poster design etiquette include:

1. Arrange the image(s) and text without a lot of  “busy” clutter.

2. Arrange the design and lettering to attract the attention of passers-by.

3. Consider how effective it will look next to other movie posters.

4. Text and design should be large enough to be seen from a prescribed distance, usually 8-12 feet.

5. Use harmonious color combinations.

6. Design and text style must complement each other.

7. Use a modern up-to-date art style, unless you are deliberately trying to create a poster that is mimicking an older style.

8. The design should not detract from the impact of the words.

 

 

 

 

Assignment:

  I’m going to give you two directions in which you can choose to tackle this project. You choose which one you will want to tackle:  Assignment#1 or Assignment #2.  (So, choose only ONE to direct your creative energies on.)

 

You will need to REALLY study movie posters to see what all is included in the overall work and pay attention to where these text elements are located.  Your goal is to create a completely believable, but fictitious movie poster so you will have to imitate the style.

 

Once you have chosen which assignment you want to do, then PICK A GENRE:  Give considerable thought to the type of genre your movie will be. Will it be an action movie?  Or science fiction?  A horror movie will have completely different style of images and text than an action movie or one about romance.  Here’s a listing of film genres or styles to consider taking your project into:

  • Action (Disaster): Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces.

·        Adventure: Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through encounters with new "worlds."

·        Comedy: Stories whose central struggle causes hilarious results.

·        Coming-of-Age Drama: Stories whose central struggle is about the hero finding his or her place in the world.

·        Crime: Stories whose central struggle is about catching a criminal.

·        Detective Story/Courtroom Drama: Stories whose central struggle is to find out what really happened and thus to expose the truth.

·        Epic/Myth: Stories whose central struggle plays out in the midst of a clash of great forces or in the sweep of great historical change.

·        Fantasy: Stories which are animated, or whose central struggle plays out in two worlds - the "real" world and an imaginary world.

·        Gangster: Stories whose central struggle is between a criminal and society. A cautionary tale, rooted in a main character who commits crimes (This genre is often blended with Film Noir).

·        Horror: Stories whose central struggle focuses on escaping from and eventually defeating a Monster (either human or non-human).

·        Love (Romance): Stories whose central struggle is between two people who each want to win or keep the love of the other.

·        Science Fiction: Stories whose central struggle is generated from the technology and tools of a scientifically imaginable world.

·        Social Drama: Stories whose central struggle is between a Champion and a problem or injustice in society. Usually the Champion has a personal stake in the outcome of the struggle.

·        Thriller: Stories whose central struggle pits an innocent hero against a lethal enemy who is out to kill him or her.

·        The Black Comedy: A comedy that uses death and morbid doings as the root of its humor. Surfaces regularly. Most recent incarnations, Very Bad Things and Pulp Fiction.

Other Possible Genres include:

The Historical Drama
The Musical
The Western

 

RESOURCES:

Here are some resources for you to check out to get some ideas on layout from already existing movie posters:

http://www.onesheetdesign.com

http://movieposter.com/

http://allposters.com

 

I also have some actual movie posters for you to look at. Just ask me.

 

Film Genre Ideas:

http://www.createyourscreenplay.com/genrechart.htm

 

 

 

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

 

  • Dimensions of the Movie Poster is:  26” width x 40” length
  • Resolution: 100 dpi
  • You may use image sources from the internet to include into your movie poster that would otherwise be impossible to duplicate (for example, airplanes, forests, wild animals, etc.)  HOWEVER, ALL IMAGES OF PEOPLE MUST COME FROM YOUR OWN RESOURCES.  You may not incorporate images of famous people, stock images, or clip art.
  • ORIGINALITY - Since we’ve been doing some tutorials and you’ve been honing your skills, I do want to see clear evidence that you are learning to create your own effects rather than relying on simply copying and pasting.  90% or more of the poster design has to be of your own ORIGINAL creation.  At this point all of your layers must skillfully blend seamlessly together.
  • All pictures must be of high-quality, high resolution images.
  • You will save your work as a .PSD file ONLY.  Make sure you do NOT merge or flatten the layers down in the final version. Your final version will be saved into a folder marked “Movie Poster”. 

 

Include all of the following text elements into your movie poster (NOTE: All of the names of the people in the credits must be names of people within your circle of friends, family, etc.  You may not use names that belong to already famous people):

 

  • Movie title
  • Names of main actors/actresses (a maximum of four)
  • Fictitious Credits will include (you will need both the official titles listed below as well as names for these people responsible):
  • Name of the production company
  • Name of the producer
  • Costume Designer
  • Film Editor
  • Production Designer
  • Director of Photography
  • Executive Producer(s)
  • Producer
  • Screenplay
  • Director
  • Rating of the movie (Choices include: G, PG, PG-13, R…. sorry, no “X” or NC-17 movies allowed)
  • Dolby Stereo logo
  • Release Date (when will the movie be in theaters?)

 

You may also consider including:

·        A hook or tag-line on the poster (perhaps a famous quote or something you make up).

·        Quotes from made-up critic reviews.

 

 

Assignment Choice #1: Create a convincing movie poster for a completely fictitious movie that includes all the text elements required for a movie poster. The title of this movie will be (and you MUST use this title, no exceptions):  “Dark Frontier”

Stretch your imagination to think of all of the possibilities in which this title could imply.

A definition for “frontier”:

1 a : a border between two countries b obsolete : a stronghold on a frontier
2 a : a region that forms the margin of settled or developed territory b : the farthermost limits of knowledge or achievement in a particular subject c : a line of division between different or opposed things  d : a new field for exploitative or developmental activity

Use images that best convey the ideas behind this movie title.

Assignment Choice #2: Create a convincing movie poster for a movie adapted from *classic literature.  Like the first assignment, it will include all the text elements required for a movie poster.   Come up with new, hip title. For example, Shakespeare’s titles for his plays lacked the contemporary wit that we have grown accustomed to. Therefore, think of a more creative title for a modern rendition for the movie taken from a famous book or play.  Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” could instead be called “King of Destiny”, “Wicked Ladies”, or “Mac and Mac”.

 

*Having trouble remembering what some of the most famous works of literature are?  Then, check out a listing of literary classics on this web-site: http://www.literatureclassics.com/

 

 

 

Here’s an example of a fictitious movie poster:

black rain.jpeg

See how the text and the images follow the principles of good poster design mentioned earlier?  Notice how the credits are listed at the bottom?

 

And another……………

This was done by another person… again, it’s a fictitious movie poster.  Notice how the style of the text is designed to give the subject a western feel? See how the color of the text compliments colors used in the image?

 

 

 

This poster using the theme of "Dark Frontier" was created by senior student  Zach Pence in the 2007 Art class.  He chose a martial arts theme for his movie.