As the oldest way to promote movies, movie posters came out almost immediately after the birth of movies. Over the past hundred years, the size of posters has changed, and the design style of posters has kept pace with the times, but its function of promoting movies has never changed. Even in the face of the impact of director interviews, star promotion, etc., the simplest and most direct way of publicizing movie posters is still the most effective.
In addition to the basic function of promoting movies, the film elements and design concepts presented by a poster between the inches also reflect the imprint of multiple eras such as popular aesthetics, political forms and commercial trends. Therefore, the art history of movie posters is also the history of the development of film shooting technology, commercial design style, and film marketing industry.
The large-scale actor close-up on the poster hints at the formation of the star system; the arrangement of poster elements reveals the changes in the public's concept of race, gender and class; the attitude of different cultures and different generations to sex can also be glimpsed from the poster. A well-designed movie poster can not only allow the audience to buy tickets to enter the theater, but also reveal the secrets of the movie or become the symbol of the movie.
In The History of CinemaTic Poster Art, author Ian Haydn Smith has collected nearly 600 classic movie posters since 1892, telling the stories behind them. This article selects the "Citizen Kane", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", three (group) films of the Bond series, and the series of posters of Chaplin, Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, which are more familiar to Chinese readers, to share the charm of movie posters with readers.
History of Film Poster Art, by Ian Haydn Smith, translated by Du Ying, Shuangyou Culture 丨China Pictorial Publishing House, December 2020.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</h1>
These are the posters used when the first official Disney movie was released. In order to attract a wide range of audiences, the designs vary in shades. The film was so successful that subsequent advertising campaigns focused only on attracting the main audience.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated film to be released on a large scale. At the end of the 1930s, audiences were accustomed to watching various forms of cartoons. They are usually a short supporting film to a main story, or part of a Saturday children's show. It's a strange practice for adult viewers to spend money to watch a full-length cartoon. Disney completed very few animations during the film's three-year production cycle. In addition, the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs also brought serious financial risks. The original budget was $250,000, but the actual expenditure was six times more than it. However, "Disney's Stupidity" became famous overnight and inspired MGM to release the fantasy film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released again in 1944 and seven more times in the next 50 years, making Disney the premier film studio in Hollywood.
Long before the successful premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney launched a campaign to harness the film's strengths and expand Disney's influence. In fact, the movement set the stage for the production of Disney films for the next 50 years, until John Alvin designed the vibrant "House of mice"—he artistically created a series of successful animated films released in the 1990s. In an era when movies are often released, it's easy to recognize the charm of movies, but it's not easy to attract audiences who have only seen live-action movies.
The publicity for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs focused primarily on its uniqueness, calling it a "miracle in the movie." The film's association with early popular shorts suggests that this was something audiences used to love to watch. In addition, the film emphasizes the use of color, which was still in its infancy in mainstream films at that time. Finally, the film makes the audience happy – dedicating itself to a period of escapist artistic enjoyment.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Citizen Kane</h1>
This poster does not show the radical experimental nature of wells cinema. Kane's position on the poster hints at his power, while the image at his feet suggests that this is a traditional melodrama.
In this Italian poster, the letters are like a swarm of bees, not so much hovering over Kane's face as they are coming together to create it. This means that Kane created his world—a history written according to his wishes.
In this German poster, the prints construct a complete city. Contrary to the Italian poster, this shows that Kane has the ability to create the world, but the world can become bigger than him.
The posters when the film was re-released in 1956 were much more profound than the company's promotional campaign in 1941. Here, Kane is not a giant, and the origins of his legacy are complex, like the K on his face.
The Polish poster cleverly exploits Kane's mid-career desire to enter politics. His campaign poster was adapted to appear in the background, and the title of the film was designed to resemble a sticker casually pasted on a poster.
In a general sense, Citizen Kane (1941) is the greatest film of all time. It was the debut of theatre and radio prodigy Orson Wells, and before it was released, all sorts of speculation and publicity hinted at the film's unusualness. Later, news spread about the film's subject, and businessman, politician, and publisher William Randolph Hearst used all his abilities to try to ruin the film.
Citizen Kane chronicles the early life of Charles Foster Kane, who gained power and then fell. It's a story of power and arrogance. However, the story behind the filmmaking is as compelling as the story itself, with Orson Wells at its core. In the era when producers ruled Hollywood, stars had to rely on their own efforts to appear in the spotlight, and the first time they became directors, they made themselves the protagonists, which became the focus of all publicity. The name of Orson Wells can be seen on every poster, which was almost unimaginable at the time. No one since Chaplin has been able to dominate a work so completely. But Wells spent years and his influence among companies such as Quiston, Essener, Muche and First Nations Films to create a specific screen image that audiences could recognize at a glance on any poster. Wells had just arrived in Hollywood and seemed to be looking forward to star status and everything that came with it.
Herman Mankiewicz's co-written play with Wells drew on a variety of resources, with an explicit reference to Hearst's life and his love affair with silent film star Marion Davis, angering the media mogul. Hearst's efforts may have lowered the box office, but Citizen Kane remained one of the most gorgeous films of the year.
Almost all of the English posters used to promote the film eschewed any details related to the film's theme, emphasizing only wells' presence. The most common marketing phrase is "great", plus "everyone is talking about it". Others, by contrast, have opted for a more imaginative approach to promoting the film. Some posters emphasize Kane's primary profession as a journalist, while others emphasize his thirst for power. The poster that was subsequently reissued also adopted a more creative strategy. For example, the work reissued in 1956 could easily be used in Wells's 1962 adaptation of Franz Kafka's Trial (1925).
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > definition of Bond</h1>
Valley of Thunder (1967): This work takes full advantage of the vast backdrop created by Ken Adam, especially the villain's lair, and highlights a series of aerial movements in the film.
The poster for The Queen's Secret Envoy (1969) was focused on reassuring the audience that they could expect the same from the new Bondrazabe. The film's main action scenes once again dominate.
Diamond Forever (1971) Connery's return prompted a shift in his image, less fanatical than Bond's previous poster designs. There is only one picture in the poster, and there is no superposition of action scenes.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974): This is the overloaded Bond. When Moore played Super Spy for the second time, the number of small equipment increased, and his behavior became more unscrupulous. This is reflected in McGinnis's crowded design.
Thunderbolt (1965): McGinnis and McCarthy's designs laid the key elements of the Bond collection. This look was so successful that it remained largely unchanged until the 1980s.
Casino Royale (1967): McGinnis's use of color was bold, but the design chose a minimalist approach.
The James Bond series of films dominated the film market in the 1960s. Although the scale of each production has been expanded, the main charm elements remain the same. Of course, film publicity successfully combines charm, danger, action, and excitement. Dr. Noor (1962), the first work in the Bond series designed by Mitchell Hooks, hints at the irony of the spy, which is clearly different from the way villains are presented. Women, on the other hand, are Bond's playthings. In the posters for Russian Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964), sex and action were equally valued. With the advent of the fourth installment in the series, Thunderbolt (1965), Robert McGinnis and Frank McCarthy were appointed Bond's image designers, and Bond's prototype began to take shape.
In the late 1950s, McGinnis became known for designing pulp fiction covers, especially for the American publisher Dell, whose work was highly sought after. His specialty is the representation of women, emphasizing the attitude and sexiness of women. He was responsible for shaping Audrey Hepburn's image in the Tiffany's Breakfast campaign (1961) and later designing posters for the science fiction film Space Ino-Bavarina (1968), redefining Jane Fonda's screen image.
McGinnis's work Thunderbolt emphasizes Bond's enviable sensuality and action forms. It's worth noting that the film is more dynamic than previous series films. Thunder Valley (1967) followed suit, with Sean Connery so closely associated with the character that in the poster, his name is just as striking as Bond's. When Connery first left the series, his successor, George Lazabe, was just one name on the cast list. However, the main elements remain. Connery's poster for Returning To Diamond Forever (1971) was a minimalist design style, after all, and the audience knew what was going to happen. When Roger Moore played 007, the design of the poster appeared even more confusing. McGinnis did not leave the Bond series of films until the mid-1970s.
Pixar director Brad Bird has always loved McGinnis's designs. In 2004, he commissioned the 78-year-old McGinnis to draw on Bond's experience to promote the spy thieves cartoon "The Incredibles" (2004). It was simply the perfect collaboration.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > world superstar Chaplin</h1>
The Gold Rush (1925, 1973): The portrait in the poster can be understood as Chaplin's world turned upside down. The bear is the only direct link to the film. The tramp is key, and the scenario setting is secondary.
The Great Dictator (1940, 1968): This 1960s poster cleverly uses a blank face —except for the dictator's beard, alluding to Chaplin and Hitler. A star is a person who shapes an image.
In Search of a Son (1921): This fresh and moving work was released for Chaplin's debut feature film, with Chaplin guarding Jackie Coogan. The background includes some details that imply that their world has no property.
Charles Chaplin may not have been the first film star, but he knew how to portray easily recognizable public characters, making him the most recognized screen image in the history of cinema. He had this awareness on the stage in London, so it didn't take long to master the method of attracting moviegoers. Chaplin was hired by the New York Film Company during his second U.S. tour. He first worked for Mark Sennett at The East Films, then to The Emsenah Films, then to Muche Films, and later to First National Films. Eventually, he founded United States with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Beckford, and Griffith, which gave him the freedom to create art in the film.
Chaplin's first film was Making a Living (1914). Despite the praise, he didn't like the experience. In his second appearance, he chose his own outfit, including loose pants, a tight jacket, a hat that was too small for him, and large shoes. The film was Mabel's Strange Predicament (1914). Although the audience saw the homeless man's costume for the first time in Venice Kids Racing, this time, the shape has been further developed. Chaplin gradually developed his unique image characteristics in "The Tramp" (1915) and "The Bank" (1915), especially his optimistic attitude towards a happy life and his frank acceptance of the reality of his failure to achieve a happy life, which left a deep impression on the audience. As a result, Chaplin soon became the most popular actor in the Sennett Company.
The Quest for a Son (1921) was Chaplin's first feature film as an actor and director. His goal was to make a film that balanced comedy and drama. Ten days before filming began, his son died, and he decided to add more tragic elements to his work, which coincided with the ideas of the swarming audience. The film was the second best at the U.S. box office after The Four Horsemen Apocalypse (1921) and was released in more than fifty countries with great success. After that, Chaplin continued to play the role of a tramp in shorts until the Modern Age (1936). Since then, his image has resonated between different cultures and eras, and is seen as a representative of hard work.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the essence of Spielberg</h1>
Saving Private Ryan :(1998) Is arguably the most effective silhouette design in Spielberg's films, portraying an American soldier as an ordinary person.
Jurassic Park (1993): As one of the first blockbusters to fully exploit the potential of CGI technology, the poster's cleverness lies in its refusal to reveal any information.
Artificial Intelligence (2001): This is one of the classic hallmarks in Spielberg's movie posters. The film ponders the question of whether a sentient creature can be designed to have more humanity than its creator.
Schindler's List (1993): Georgia Young's design is chosen, and Spielberg abandons Saul Bass's more austere design. This simple gesture covers the names of the dead, hinting at the humanity that remains in the context of the Holocaust.
Captain Hook (1991): The film's main poster shows the adult Pan played by Robin Williams and the elderly nemesis played by Dustin Hoffman. The poster is a typical suspense ad by Alvin and Spielberg, hinting at a revisionist rewrite of Barry's fable.
Empire of the Sun (1987): John Alvin places a boy holding a toy airplane with a real plane crash in one frame, suggesting that Spielberg's film adaptation is close to Ballard's original coming-of-age novel. This is a war film presented from the perspective of childhood.
Since the release of Jaws in the summer of 1975, the campaign behind Steven Spielberg's films has been fine-tuned to ensure it has reached audiences to the maximum. From summer blockbusters to more serious plays, his films are often defined as a concept and distilled into their essence, through which poster designs are a success.
Following Jaws, in the poster for 1977's Contact of the Third Kind, a bright light appears at the end of a straight road, suggesting that something supernatural has appeared on the road, and the film's intentions are unknown. A simple concept also propelled John Alvin to create the main poster work for E.T. Aliens, which tells the story of human-alien contact. This time, the connection between the alien and the little boy cemented the bond of friendship.
Alvin was one of Spielberg's most prominent collaborators in the 1980s. His poster features the role of Ubi Goldberg in The Purple (1985) and Richard Dreyfus holding Holly Hunt's silhouette in Forever (1989). It was Alvin's poster for Empire of the Sun (1987) that hinted at the future direction of many of Spielberg's films. A boy ran up a hill with his toy airplane, and a fighter jet fell from the sky, burning in the reddish-yellow sun. This image defines the narrative of Empire of the Sun. Alvin's design for Captain Hook (1991) is simpler, allowing the audience to see only the villain's hook-like prosthesis.
Two years later, viewers noticed the movie Jurassic Park (1993) through the logo design on the poster. In an equally minimalist way, Artificial Intelligence (2001) created the first two letters of the title with the outline of a boy. In the poster design for Schindler's List (1993), names and numbers are everywhere, but the contact between adult and child hands designed by Georgia Young is the key to the film's humanity. Similarly, in the poster for Saving Private Ryan, a soldier appears on the mountainside, and the audience sees the story of one person and the silhouette of millions of World War II veterans.
So a movie about a dinosaur theme park and a movie detailing the evils of humans seem to be very different, but they also have something in common.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Christopher Nolan</h1>
Fragments of Memory (2000): The poster makes use of the concept of memory, and the fact that the images are not focused suggests that what people see is never accurate. The design of the title highlights this lack of clarity.
Inception (2010): As Nolan and his films grew in popularity, movie stars, no matter how famous, came after his imagination. This poster looks like M. C. Escher directed a mission impossible film.
Interstellar (2014): The world Nolan created is the real charm of this space trip. The vertical light that appears in other posters of the film can also be seen in this poster, and the light passes horizontally from the back of the title.
Deadly Magic (2006): Spiral hypnotic light hints at the magical world of the magician, played by Christian Bell and Hugh Jackman, and the competition, deception, and tragedy in it.
Dunkirk (2017) is similar to the Inception poster, with the key background and the lonely back reminiscent of a poster for the Steven Spielberg movie.
The elasticity of time, the unreliability of memory, and the degree of near-chaos are all reflected in Christopher Nolan's film narrative. As a filmmaker, he has a large budget at his disposal to produce intelligent mainstream entertainment, and he occupies a unique place in contemporary Hollywood cinema. In addition, he is known for overseeing various aspects of the film, including the film's promotional activities. This is evident in the film's promotional work and Nolan's meticulous consideration of the themes explored in each film.
The poster for Fragments of Memory (2000) is typical of Nolan style. The image is deceptive and employs the Droster effect. The Layers photographs of Guy Pierce and Kelly Anne Moss are layered together to perfectly sum up the interestingness of the film's narrative. The poster work for Deadly Magic (2006) depicts a battle between two Victorian magicians, with Christian Bell and Hugh Jackman facing each other, spiraling hypnotic light both behind and in front of them, indicating that everything one sees is not credible. A beam of light dominated the poster for Interstellar (2014), and the title replaced rocket. There are two characters on the pedestal, reminiscent of the wondrous feeling that Spielberg directed In Contact of the Third Kind.
Another poster for Interstellar features a visual theme that runs through many of Nolan's films. Matthew McConaughey, dressed in a spacesuit, walks in an Arctic alien landscape where the sky is inverted. This echoes the mindset-changing city in Inception (2010), where the only rules are constructed by imaginary people. The poster for Dunkirk (2017) also uses visual metaphors to show a world in disarray, where a lone soldier faces the destruction of a warship in the real battles of World War II.
The Batman: The Dark Knight trilogy is also full of chaos. The poster for Batman: The Mystery of the Shadow (2005) hints at the true projection of Bruce Wayne's other self as his fears, while Batman: The Dark Knight (2008) and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) go a step further, depicting the corruption and depravity of a city.
Source: Beijing News Book Review Weekly