Graphics

As part of the graphics element of the course I am required to produce a poster and business card supporting my film. The business card is a small contact card with details of the director and producer. The poster is an A4 advertisement consisting of key aspects of the film as a slight suggestion towards the films plot and storyline.

I am researching posters and graphics of the films I have included in my film as well as other poster ideas including Polish posters, minimalistic posters and mainstream Hollywood posters.

Polish posters ;



There is a very unique and peculiar style regarding the design of the Polish film posters. For example the poster above is regarding the Martin Scorsese 1980 film 'Raging Bull' from which the fighting scenes of the film are projected through the abstract graphic.

Another Polish poster which caught my eye, is the film poster for the 1999 David Fincher masterpiece 'Fight Club'. A large part of the film surrounds the character Tyler Durden who is pictured centrally on the poster, a reflection the characters personality and influence in the film.



Another Polish film poster which cleverly suggests the storyline and plot of the film is this poster below of the 1998 Coen Brothers lazy adventure 'The Big Lebowski'. If you have seen the film you can fully understand the colour choice and composition of the poster which implies drug taking and certain characters behaviours and how they are included in the film.



Hollywood Film posters;



Looking at Hollywood film posters which I feel reflect the majority of mainstream films, I think that there is a running theme amongst the style and composition of poster, especially when used as a commercial tool. Take for example this poster of the 2004 Wolfgang Petersen drama 'Troy' which is an adaptation of a historical event. What I think is particularly common with the general presentation of these mainstream blockbuster posters is the fact that they heavily suggest scenes from the film and identify key characters to the plot. In this poster we are shown Achilles and Hector who in the film have a honourable and skilled fight to the death.



Once again I have selected to look at 'The Hangover' which was a 2009 box-office success directed by Todd Phillips. In this poster there is again strong suggestions to scenes in the film as we are shown the main characters to the film. Revealing the identity of the cast and also implying areas of the plot it is subtly self explanatory which is fairly interesting in its own right.



Here is a final Hollywood film poster that I have chosen to look at in aid of my graphics for my film. This poster presents the 2007 success 'There Will Be Blood' directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The poster displays a fire to the left fuelled by oil which is once again a implication towards the storyline and setting of the film. Daniel Day Lewis is indicated in the upper right looking away from the destruction possibly purposely to hint the attitudes and personality of his character.

I feel looking at Hollywood posters has certainly left me wondering how I can use parts of my film to suggest plot, storyline and setting as well as identify the characters involved.

Minimalistic Film posters ;



This is a minimalistic film poster of the 2006 Michael Mann crime thriller 'Miami Vice' which is heavily based on the TV series of the same name which aired from 1984 - 1990. The design of the poster strongly suggests the use of cocaine which was a common theme included in both productions. The TV series acquired a more successful following and the colour choice included in the poster is strongly related to the vibrant 80's lifestyle. After first viewing I am very intrigued by the minimalistic idea of a poster as it's stylistic bluntness cuts straight to a key element of any film.



Here is another minimalistic poster of a well known film 'Jurassic Park' which is a 1993 classic directed by Steven Spielberg. Immediately the poster presents you with a hint towards the content of the film. However, I find it very interesting how the use of the water in the cup is taken out of context of the film and made to seem humorous because the scene in which it is used is made to seem terrifying and signify danger.



The use of the axe in the centre of this poster for the 1980 Stanley Kubrick horror 'The Shining' snatches the focal point to the composition and instantly connotes horror as well as thriller. I find that the black background works well in surrounding and supporting the axe as it seems to be almost motionless in the middle of the poster.



Of all of the minimalistic posters I researched on the Internet I took an immediate liking to this poster of the 2008 Jon Favreau superhero blockbuster 'Iron Man' which I find intimidating and suggestively evil. I'm not a particularly huge fan of film however the composition and design of this poster interests me more than most of the film. This is purely because of the design of the eyes which connect well with the viewpoint of the 'Iron Man' as well as present his supernatural ability.

Having looked at a number of different graphic designs for posters I am eager to begin drafting poster designs related to my film.

Here is an initial drawing of a supposed poster for my film. I initially sketched this reminding myself of what I had looked at in Hollywood posters. As you can see the composition reflects the camera shot of the entire film which I think is a good foundation to work upon, however I must remember that the poster has to be eye catching and abruptly intriguing to the observer.



The content is very restricted so I have progressed further including elements from the three films I had my sister watch (Inglourious Basterds, American History X and The Hurt Locker). Using just a select piece from each film is rather tough as the poster becomes far to congested, much like that of a Hollywood film poster as it reveals far to much information about the film.



The drawings are reproductions of elements of each of the films posters. The main problem as been making sure that my sister remains the central figure. Having tried a rather complicated way of producing a film poster I am now going to attempt a poster using a minimalistic technique to help me. I enjoyed looking at the minimalistic posters as I very much liked the way in which they slightly suggest the film without giving too much away.



Here is a photograph of what I believe will be my poster supporting my film. In making this photograph, I decided upon a title for my film; 'Innocence'. I believe this fits well to the setting and intergrity of the film. I decided to work on a black background much like the minimalistic 'Iron Man' poster which emphasises the eyes. In my case I have tried to stress the shock and innocence of my sister through two wide open eyes looking toward a television set facing away from the viewer. I feel I have achieved some success with this design as it loosely suggests the film without giving away to much information.