Today, I looked into film poster's. As I have to make my own film poster for my trailer, I researched what goes into a film poster.

I looked at this website, which looks at the 7 main elements to a great movie poster.

1. Attention

Here I learned about AIDA the four step formula - Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
The first step and most important for designers is attention - grabbing the attention of passers-by and encouraging them to look. This doesn't have to be achieved with provocative pictures or flashy graphics, although given their advantage at grabbing attention, its no surprise Hollywood uses them en masse. By using the film's characters or a major plot point, designers can establish some level of plot while still gaining the attention of anyone that views the poster.

An example of this is The Hangover posters, none are particularly beautiful nor are they real iconic designs, but they're very effective at getting people to look. The flashy gradient background, head and shoulders character pictures, (which can improve response rate), and bright lighting make it difficult to not stare at these posters.

2. Icongraphy

The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the film without resorting to flat out saying what it's about. They use imagery, whether a close-up of a character or a item that's a major plot point, or a simple graphic, to establish the film's plot. Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create intreated at once.

The Jennifer's Body poster is a classic example of this, though one that borrows quite heavily from TV show True Blood. It uses tactics honed in on by advertisers over the decades - sex appeal, contrast and spacing - to grab your attention. At the same time, it also gives a glimpse into what the film is about. This allows it to market to casual observers and horror fans at once, all thought imagery.

3. Interest

When using icons and more abstract imagery doesn't work with your film - say for example, its a serious drama or a thriller that can't be explained with iconography - using an image that provides viewers with an idea of the story is a great idea. Many of the best modern film posters use pictures that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, creating tension and a major incentive. The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation, the person looking at the poster needs to see the film and find out what happens.
The Inception poster uses this strategy - it puts viewers in the middle of a scene from the film that can only be explained by seeing what occurs before and after it. As a result, the curiosity created by the poster translates into on-the-spot ticket sales. This type of design strategy tends to work best with films that cover unrealistic, fantasy-type events, particularly those that deal with the supernatural or psychological. Since it's hard to offer insight for this type of story using icons and simple colours, a still from the film can work wonders.

4. Appeal

With film studios cranking out comic book adaptations at a rapid pace, it's the original comic book fans that end up last in the marketing line. Studios can rely on them to see their new releases regardless of its review coverage or promotional materials, since chances are fairly strong they're already aware of it. Great film posters, particularly those for adaptations, use this dual appeal to enhance their advertising.
Look at the Inglourious Basterds poster, it's made by one of the world's most celebrated and well-known film directors, Quentin Tarantino, yet it barely states his involvement on its promotional poster. The reason is that Tarantio fans are probably already aware of the films itself -it'd spend spend several years in production before finally being released - while newer fans are less interested in its history. Compare this type of promotional poster to the marketing materials used for films that draw appeal from the involvement of a certain actor. Since fans' ties with actors are generally weaker than this with directors or producers, their names usually appear in large print to grab attention. The stronger the audience's bond, the less important it becomes to highlight features that appeal to current fans.

5. Style

Whether you're marketing an art film or a blockbuster, style matters. Some of the most memorable film posters out there have used bold, unique artistic styles to their advantage. What separates these posters from their ineffective art-for-art's-sake rivals is that they're consistent with style, in both the movies promotional materials and throughout the film itself.

The poster for Watchmen is a classic example of this technique succeeding. Since it uses an instantly recognisable comic book style. It grabs the attention of fans of the book. It's accurate too, using the same type of stylised imagery as the film itself. This consistency means that it isn't just a great theatre-based marketing tool, but a recognisable image for DVD and other releases.

6. Lasting Appeal

Here's the danger in getting too 'arty' and delicate with your film poster: it's eventually, after release and theatre shows, going to be shrunk to a fraction of its original size for the DVD release. While a growing number of films now use different designs for their DVD cover than their in-theater promo posters, most of the classics and high-budget blockbusters still use the same poster for both.

This means that your imagery, your titles, and your major points of interest need to be just as visible on a small DVD case as they are on a giant movie poster.

The Jurassic Park poster above really gets this feature, using imagery that's just as visible and clear when it's small as when its gargantuan. For your poster to work for the long-term, it needs to have scalable, clear and lasting design appeal.

7. Recongnisgability

From time to time, the entire box office seems to be made up of sequels. There's a good reason for it too - some of the most finically dependable films are sequels to successful franchises. From films that dominated both the commercial world and the awards scene to purely commercial releases, few films can guarantee studios income like a good sequel. Thats why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas and instantly recognisable imagery throughout it.
The Godfather and the two sequels in the franchise are a great example - all three use the same style and design, using the critical and commercial success of the previous films in the franchise to draw in would-be viewers.

Then using this website I looked at the top ten tips of grabbing attention.

Top Ten Tips When Designing a Poster or Keyart For Your Movie

1. The poster is NOT a piece of art…
well of course it is art, and I love movie posters, they adorn my walls. But I suspect they never began life as artwork that would be traded many years later and thought of as ‘art’ for the home of geeks like me. They began life as a way to catch the eye and tempt the mind. I know we all love some classic movie posters, but they were designed to sell tickets, not look cool in our office or bedrooms. Don’t design a poster for your homee. Design a poster to sell tickets.
2. Make the title BIG…your poser should convey the title and genre in a glance. Most posters I see for indie films have small, difficult to read titles. Don’t use fonts or colours that stop the title from popping out, make it readable in a glance.
3. Haunted…right now you may well be haunted by two things – first is that terrible title you held onto through script development, shooting and the edit. If the title is wrong, change it. And second, you didn’t get enough great stills from the set, so you have little or nothing to build on. This may mean you need to get your cast back for a studio shoot where you can really control the environment and focus on stills. This is a very good idea. Poster here is for a friends horror film that was retitled in post from ‘The Hollow’ to ‘Don’t Let Him In’ and the art was designed by the sales agent. Consider the simple, bold combination of artwork and title. It’s flying off shelves in ASDA.
4. Follow the conventions…movie posters have a form, a specific ‘balance’. You know a movie poster when you see one right? If you move away from this layout, you are risking looking like you are not a ‘real’ movie, or that you are selling something else, maybe a novel or album. Break the conventions at your peril. Remember, this is not art, this is sales – your movie is a can of beans on a shelf and when was the last time you got worked up about the design for a can of beans?
5. Don’t feature your actors like they are movie stars…
unless they are REALLY movie stars, or somehow evoke the very essence of your story (or if you have given it real thought and done a photoshoot). I have seen to many posters with five actors faces, imitating a Hollywoood film (where they have five megastars) but on this poster, none of the actors I recognise No-one cares who is in your film unless they are recognisable. Remember, this is sales. Don’t agree to actors on the poster in contracts too.
6. Be bold…go for a single, strong, clear genre image that somehow conveys the central idea, conflict or problem – it does NOT need to feature your actors or locations verbatim, just evoke a sense of what your story is. But it must be well executed.
Avoid too many colours…most posters work best when drawn from a few colours, creating a bold and eye catching image. The poster must first catch the eye, then intrigue the mind. This is why the guerrilla filmmakers handbooks were bright yellow and green and had a bomb on the cover.
8. Know your genre…you’d be amazed how many people simply don’t know the genre of their film, or more often, they know but become afraid of committing to what the genre will mean when it comes to their poster. How often have I heard, ‘it’s not just a horror, it’s an amazing drama too…’ and you end up with neither drama nor horror and your film gets passed over.
9. Keep your PSD files layered…while your final files may be huge, don’t be tempted to ‘flatten’ them in Photoshop, keep them multi layered so other people can work on your artwork later – maybe replace the title for a different language version for instance.
10 Hire an expert…seriously, if you are going to get professional crew and actors, get a professional film poster designer. You may be surprised at how much they charge and you will more than likely be delighted with their ideas based on industry knowledge and practice, AND the fact that they are NOT emotionally connected to the work like you may be.

I know from experience that most people have no time to look at your poster – consider how many sales messages your brain is bombarded with in any given moment. Messaging and branding is everywhere, and it’s also usually created by experts too. And most terrifyingly, you and your film are in direct competition for that headspace.

Here’s how it normally works…

Glance – somehow your poster is seen by a person. Their action? Either it’s not noticed / ignored / phased out… or it’s noticed. I don’t have a scientific number but consider only 1 in a 1,000 people even notice it. I made that number up, it may be much much worse.
IF they acknowledge it’s existence – people then ‘see it’, but may pass immediately, or linger for a moment and consider.
If they show ANY interest – that linger may turn into a second or two of further investigation (who is in it? Etc), or they may pass…
Finally, if they do show interest, it may log it in the brain – most of the time this will not happen, but ideally a person will remember the poster and film. They may even pick up that DVD, click on a link, by a theatre ticket.

If they do engage, they will have passed through all the above hoops first – and remember, you are in direct competition with thousands of other messages and images EVERY day. This is why posters are big and campaigns run in all media – think the sides of buses and the visibility that offers.

That’s why it’s essential to have a killer image for your movie.

Here is a slideshare I found of film poster conventions

Film posters power point from tcasman

P & A: POSTERS AS PART OF AN INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGN

The key elements of Prints and Advertising (P&A) that a distributor must consider at this stage are:
The quantity and production of release prints and trailers:
Specialised films will often be released with fewer than 10 prints into key independent cinemas, with these prints subsequently 'toured' over a 6-month period to all parts of the UK. On the other hand, commercial mainstream films will often open on over 200 prints, simultaneously screening in all major UK towns and cities.

Press materials, clips reels, images, press previews, screener tapes:
For the majority of releases, favourable press response is a key factor in developing the profile and desirability of a film. Distributors consider both the quality and breadth of coverage, and this is often inscribed into the nature and scale of a press campaign.

The design and printing of posters and other promotional artwork:
The cinema poster - in the UK this means the standard 30" x 40" 'quad' format - is still the cornerstone of theatrical release campaigns. Numerous recent examples indicate that the poster design is highly effective in 'packaging' the key attributes of a film for potential audiences. Distributors will also consider other poster campaigns, ranging from Underground advertising to billboards.

Advertising campaign - locations, ad size and frequency:
Advertising in magazines, national and local newspapers works in tandem with press editorial coverage to raise awareness of a release. Press advertising campaign for specialised films will judiciously select publications and spaces close to relevant editorial. For mainstream films, scale and high visibility is the key. The cost of print advertising in the UK is comparatively high, and is seen as making distribution in the UK a riskier business than in most other countries. In order to extend the reach of advertising and develop more effective communication with audiences at low cost, distributors are looking increasingly to 'viral marketing' - different forms of electronic word-of-mouth via the internet, email and mobile phones.

Press campaign / contracting a PR agency:
Many independent distributors in particular do not have press departments, and will consequently hire a press agency to run a pre-release campaign. This is especially the case if the distributor brings over key talent for press interviews to support the release.

Arranging visit by talent from the film:
The use of talent - usually the director and/or lead actors - wins significant editorial coverage to support a release. The volume of coverage can far outweigh the cost of talent visits.

Other preview screenings:
A distributor will consider the use of advance public screenings to create word-of-mouth and advance 'buzz' around a film.

Source: BFI Screenonline

WHAT IS THE AIM OF A FILM POSTER?

Film posters are used to engage audience interest.

Film posters use a high ratio of photography to text to arouse audience visual interest – they are marketing media forms that have to create an initial impact to ensure audiences take a secondary look and to create a hook. This can either mean a striking central image, creative use of colour, size and style of font or tagline. Due to the nature of the sites of exhibition of film posters, this impact has to be immediate e.g. waiting at a bus stop or turning the corner as a pedestrian, looking up to see a billboard. There are various types of film posters that are used specifically with this in mind – the teaser poster will have limited textual information while a character poster looks to communicate with a knowing target audience who are familiar with the film. Larger, framed film posters e.g. outside cinemas will have additional text at the bottom of the poster to encourage more convergent links.

Convergent links on a film poster that engage audience interest include the film website address – here it is hoped the link will encourage a potential audience to find out more about the film by exploring rich media. Twitter and Facebook links will encourage interactivity and hopefully for the film, file sharing and viral marketing. This references the personal relationships aspect of the uses and gratifications theory. Some posters also use escapism or diversion as a way of attempting to offer entertainment values– this can be an actor or character in a certain pose, or a manipulated action screenshot.

Use of house style is often evident in film posters – the font and colour palette will appear as the same across a range of marketing platforms while the central image will be promoted in a range of media. Variations in typography will also attract audience interest. Pull quotes are important to legitimise a film and many film posters include reviews from carefully chosen publications that reflect the interests of their target audience. Finally, synergy can be a factor in arousing audience interest with linking wherever possible to other successful work but also selling the production values of a film by including the production company, and/or distributor’s logo.

You should link points with audiences and marketing techniques

You should show understanding of film posters as print media

You should demonstrate clear understanding of how film posters form part of a marketing campaign.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF FILM POSTERS?

A dramatic tagline, also used in other media as part of the campaign

A high ratio of photography to text (more images) – one main image with 3-4 inset images of other objects and visual iconography

Textual information along the bottom of the poster crediting the director, producer, production company, distributor, leading actors

Information on the release date of the film

HOW IS A FILM POSTER IMPORTANT AS PART OF AN INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN?

Film trailers are high impact and the most dynamic part of any film marketing campaign – they allow audiences to sample the audio-visual representations in a film. The idea of audio-visual media in a film trailer selling audio-visual media is crucial as this cannot be achieved in print media marketing communications like film posters or magazine and newspaper adverts. In terms of key appeals, audiences can experience narrative action, be teased by narrative enigmas, introduced to characters, identify star marketing and develop an idea of narrative.

They are also important in terms of generating initial interest and talkability via teaser trailers, often shown in cinemas a few months before the film’s release but also using theatrical trailers to sustain that interest closer to, and during the cinematic release. Film trailers can also be exploited on a number of platforms by the distributor – this includes high production value trailers played in high ratings television spots, continued cinematic exhibition and also online. Research indicates YouTube is the most successful site for film trailers as part of an integrated marketing campaign in generating audience interest and appeal in a film. Trailers that are played in cinemas often link to the following film in terms of having a similar target audience by belonging to the same, or similar genre and having similar representations.

The fact that the BBFC are concerned enough about the high impact of trailers to sometimes award a different certificate to the film is enough to explain in part their importance. Trailers can also link to other convergent marketing platforms in the campaign with the ability to embed URL website links but also interactive Twitter hashtags and Facebook links – audiences like developing knowledge of a film using digital platforms which can be evidenced as a form of viral marketing via file sharing. A film trailer can be integrated and evidence the house style of a campaign but also have its own stand alone unique selling points such as common use of narrative voice over and high impact non-diegetic music. These are features other media in a film marketing campaign cannot offer with these conventions often creating an emotive response and offering entertainment values.

Source: MediaEdu (adapted)

ANALYSING FILM POSTERS

FILM POSTER CAMPAIGN CASE STUDY

Source: Film Education

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Film. com: The Art House: A New Column Dedicated to Movie Posters, Art and Design

Analysis of Film Education Thor posters

BFI Vintage posters: Ealing and the art of the film poster
How to Analyse a Film Poster

How To Design A Movie Poster – With An Example

Current film posters

Effective Poster Design (not specifically film posters)

Film Posters can be classified as printed media texts. They are targeted at specific audiences to build interest and market the Film product. This is one of the key roles of the financier or distributor: poster or billboard campaigns may be used alongside Online campaigns, EPKs, TV and Radio promotions, advertising in Newspapers & Magazines, Tie-ins/Merchandising, Film Trailers in Cinemas and Free Publicity (Reviews, Profiles, Word of mouth, Premieres & Certification) to sell the film. Audiences may also be targeted using their familiarity with the star or director of the film, and its genre. The concept of Genre Marketing is often one of the most successful ways of persuading audiences into cinemas.

TECHNICAL AND SYMBOLIC CODES

Technical and Symbolic codes need to be analysed to understand how posters create their appeal.
1. Photographic Codes (framing, lighting, focus, camera angle, juxtaposition, types of shot, effects) 2. Textual Codes (tagline,captions, titles, writing, typography, language e.g. pun, personification, alliteration
3. Symbolic Codes: Setting, Objects & props, background, colour, Indexical meanings. Main subjects – facial expression, eye contact, clothing, style, activity, pose, body lang., implied movement, status….
4. Design / Layout – use of space, graphic devices e.g. effects, shapes, use of colour and typography

ESSENTIAL ADDITIONAL POINTS TO LOOK FOR:

Genre – Does the film create appeal through audience understanding of generic conventions? WHAT ARE THOSE CONVENTIONS, HOW DOES THIS POSTER SUGGEST THEM? Look at the iconography, link with audiences’ expectations.
Narrative Enigmas – Does the poster create appeal through limiting understanding of narrative development or is it more obvious (action codes). What narrative structure is suggested or will its appeal be based largely on its stars (star marketing) and its visual appeal. Some typical narratives allow the film genre to be recognised.
Narrative Structure: Posters normally have an open narrative to tease the audience but does the poster suggest a classic three act structure? Can you map Todorov’s or Propp’s theories onto the text from the familiarity the poster has given you?
Narrative Themes – what narrative themes are developed in the poster if any?
Production Values – look at the credits and cast, what does it reveal about budget e.g. is it a major Hollywood studio production, a ‘British’ film or is it an Independent production?
Iconography / Intertextuality – what elements does the poster reveal?
Textual Signifiers e.g. production/distribution credits – what information do they provide?
Representation and Ideology – Does the poster reveal issues that you think may be worth mentioning in discussing how it creates its appeal?
Semiotic Analysis and Media Language should be used to identify and understanding visual signs and written language (e.g. signifier/signified, encoding/decoding, connotation/denotation, preferred meanings, anchorage…)
Target Audience and Demographics – identify the target audience in depth.
Niche / Mass Audiences: Will the poster be marketing the film to existing and new audiences e.g. Sci Fi films have been said to have the largest amount of existing audiences that will go and see the latest Sci Fi film, regardless of content.
Unique Selling Point (USP) or Emotional Selling Point (ESP) – how do you think this film is being sold to its audience?
Audiences’ Expectations of Narrative Structure – what sort of characters, type of storyline, action, themes etc.. would you expect to see in the film? How are the producers trying to create a sense of danger or disruption?
Stars and Directors – how will they engage the audiences’ interest?

What kind of posters can you get?

The Teaser Poster - Contains basic information to whet your appetite. Often does not indicate much about the plot, but may have a picture of the stars, and the name of the film.
The Main Poster - Contains information about the production personnel, the stars and the distributors.
Video/DVD Release Poster - Comes out when the film is released on DVD/video and often has all of the above plus short, one line reviews from relevant publications. (Many go these aspects are relevant to newspaper adverts too)
Character Poster - Features the main character

Remember posters could be a combination of two types of these posters.

I then looked at what film education had to say on posters: