Spider-Man

Oh how I love Spider-Man. My love for Spider-Man is as vast as the oceans. Haha Just kidding, but I really do love Spider-Man. I enjoyed the first run of movies but I’m pretty sure this new reboot is going to be way better. Spiderman is supposed be more witty and sarcastic than Toby Maguire’s version. I think Andrew Garfield will be more suited to the role.

The new and old posters are very similar. But, I like the old one better. The whole half black half red thing aside I don’t think it is necessary for words on the image. The Spider-Man logo is so iconic it isn’t necessary. Putting words make is almost insulting to the audience’s intelligence. It is important not to be awkwardly obvious, it is insulting. Other than the words both are similar in style, though the newer one (the one on the left) if more vibrant and lit from the front.

In the case of the new poster the words are not even clear. They are ill placed. The highlight on the words makes them even harder to read than does the thin small font. I really can’t believe no one thought that was a bad idea. It is so obvious. You can’t even read it. The 2012 is probably the only acceptable text.

Though the font and style of the words are atrocious I will see this movie. Mostly because I still love Spider-Man regardless of what silly things people do to his logo. 

Paris, Je'taime

This is an interesting poster because it really isn’t a photo. It is more of an emblem or logo. The image is created with a million little Eiffel Towers in the shape of a heart. It like the weathered look of the paper, it’s different. The border created by the words all around is really intriguing. The reds with the pink under tones are very nice.

The border on this poster is a great idea. Borders in my opinion are generally better off broken but when the poster is mainly text and a very strong well developed graphic element a border may actually be a good idea. Making the border words breaks the border up so it isn’t too harsh. A solid border would be way less effective and distracting from the overall message and feel of the heart element. Even though this poster is in French I think its simplicity and subtle complexity can speak to everyone. Images surpass language barriers.

I would see this movie just out of curiosity. I want to know if it is as visually stunning and creative as the poster.

The Help

Haven’t seen this movie, though I heard it was good. Plus, it has Emma Stone, so that’s a step in the right direction.

This is a nice poster, and not because it uses my favorite complimentary color scheme. I also love how the title is so large. Most posters keep the title more in the middle range. It is nice to see one that is obviously prominent and a picture that supports. Another thing I really like about the text is how the “the” is enclosed between the “H” and “L”. It is compact and clever. I love it great idea. The yellow monochromatic background is a good setting, subtle, and emphasizes the title.

The best part of this is probably the way the character is positioned. Although they are staged they almost don’t look staged and each stance tells us something about the characters. Their positioning and head levels also create a nice curved implied line that helps your eye travel around the page. Their dress colors even flow well with the image. The attention to color is much appreciated in my eyes. I love it.

The tagline “change begins with a whisper” is perfect. It tells us just a bit more about the movie and emphasizes the title and positioning of the characters. This poster is subtly genius and I love it. Perfect. Absolutely great. I really hope the movie is a well done and fantastic as this poster.

Wall-e

Pixar can do no wrong. Except with Cars, that was a mistake. But that is beside this point. Wall-e has a sweet poster. It is so cute, so pretty, and interesting. The Wall-e character is adorable. His raised waving and hand and wide eyes looking at the viewer are captivating. What is amazing about this is the expression depicted in a little robot. This robot is made of junk, yet it is still adorable. Good job Pixar. Other than their excellent character development the color scheme is perfect. It is a complimentary color scheme consisting of Blue and Orange and since Wall-e is a little orange the emphasis is on him. Excellent. The giant edge of the planet that can be seen in the background is also a wonderful element. It keeps your eye drawn in a circle and thus keeping it focused within the poster, and frame.

The way the title is written is also great. The font is very mechanical. The dot between the “wall” and the “e” gives even more of a techy feel. The name itself wall-e is cute and the red around the “e” was a nice touch. The word and image work well together and really give you a feel for the movie.

I haven’t seen it all the way through, but the part I did watch was adorable, entertaining and visually stunning.

Even though Wall-e is adorable and pretty great it doesn’t look likely he is anywhere near as awesome as this dynamic robot duo J

Singin' in the Rain

 I really like the font for these posters. I actually like that the designers used a text effect (that swooshy wavy motion the words make). With this particular poster it’s cute and very fitting to the movie and rest of the poster. I would say most of the time you are better off using a different style font rather than a shaping of the word effect but in this particular case, it was a good idea. It goes with the dancing singing story line.

Another good thing about these is the movement. Energy leaks from every pore, just like the rain J 

Energy exudes from their faces and body language. Gene Kelly holding onto the light post singing is drawing the viewer in and involving then in his experience with the body language. The yellow slicker poster does the same. Both are eye catching because of the positive emotions they make people feel. Just like the song and dance numbers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ

These posters have more to offer than just energy, good design. I will be hanging this on my wall!

March of the Penguins

Adorable. There are so many wonderful things about this poster. This poster, unlike lost in translation, does a good job of giving more information in the title and tagline

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Making this poster good was very important. It is not the normal type of movie you would see in a theater so making the poster this awesome was a good move.

The implied lines of the image are beautiful. They really lead your eye around the image and back the other way again. It is even more perfect that the penguins are looking at one another and their bodies create a nice curve around the image. So perfect.

One thing this poster does that normally doesn’t work that well is the bolded letters. Normally it is not recommended to bold some letters and not others it generally creates disconnect. But this is a way to do it and do it well. By stacking the title and making sure March and Penguins are bolded and on top of one another connects them ad makes them flow and stand out. All the words in all caps also help this flow better. It also works because of the length of the title and being able to have two bold words and two not.

This poster can’t get more perfect. I would hang this on my wall and I would see this, because of the poster. 

Lost in Translation

This is ok. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t great. It doesn’t tell me much but it doesn’t deter me. This poster relies too heavily on the fact that Bill Murray is in the movie. Of course that is a good selling point but the viewer needs to be given a little bit more than just an actor and a five words. In this case the words are redundant even. Lost in translation is the title and the words read, “Everyone wants to be found.”  It is saying the same thing twice. Together they are redundant. The title and phrase if on the same poster should tell you two things or at least one should expound upon the other.

The content of the photo, although not bad is vague. Yes you don’t want to be too specific but this is too vague and does not entice my imagination.

The one good thing about this poster is Bill Murray and his expression. They way he looks directly into the audiences eyes, is perfect. He demands your attention and draws you into the story. It is probably the only thing that makes you wonder. I can’t help but wondering what he is thinking and why he is feeling this  way.

So good job Bill Murray he saved the poster. 

Identity

This was a neat idea. Props for being super creative. It is perfect for the title and I’m going to go watch the trailer and make sure it has the right feel for the movie. But if the movie is kinda creepy and definitely suspenseful, or maybe even a horror movie we have a winner. Standby.

Ok I watched the trailer. Yup, they got the feel right. It looks creepy as hell. Idk if it was actually a good movie or not but I’m a little scarred. Ok… maybe more than a little, but I might be a wimp in that regard J.

Back to the poster it’s a lovely dark black and red handprint. Nice, how else to people find killers besides with fingerprints. That is basically what they look for first. Nice thing to reference. Subtly morphing the fingers into people makes it even better. Referencing Identities of at least four people maybe five because the middle of the hand looks like it could be a face too. The finger people. Nice making them look like corpses. They look like they are either hanging, or ghostly walking. Either way the mystery is what makes that work. If you could tell right away it wouldn’t be nearly as intriguing. Since it is a mystery thriller it also makes the “mysterious” looking “people” perfect for the movie.

Red. Nice touch, always a subtle nice way to set the thriller mood. Makes you think of blood. Blood on a handprint is even better. This poster works so well with the title. It gives you such a good feel for the movie. You know exactly what you are getting into without actually knowing. Perfect. I love the suggestions it give the viewers mind.

My only issue with this is that I would not have put it on a white background. It’s to clean. Maybe white with smudges something to break the white space. Or maybe even a hazy gray background. That probably would have worked better. The second thing I might suggest is blurring the edges of the hand just a bit. It is a murder related story so make it a bit messier, a bit more frantic. That would push it over the top from great to awesome and completely memorable.

Overall a Identity has a great poster. Yes, it has maybe one or two areas in which it could improve on but overall the feel and message are perfect. That being said I probably won’t see it. Not because the poster isn’t good but because I’m might possibly be a bit of a wuss as I mentioned earlier ;) 

Iron Man/Captain America

Although the Iron Man and Captain America have the same feel, which is good since they are an Avengers movie with both characters in it that looks amazing scheduled to release in 2012. Both posters have a feel of power and intense determination. The similarities come with the feel and emotions present in the posters and movies themselves.

The iron man poster is wonderful. It has a fabulous glow around the whole thing that mimics the glow from his chest and source of power. With the rest of him darks reds and grays and purples the yellow orange glow stands out perfectly. The glow is also mimicked in the Title as well making it noticeable too. Your eye is really drawn to his glowing eyes and glowing chest. Perfect since that is what them movie is about, the man behind the mask as well as the source of his power. There is also so much movement. His stance and with his knee brought up he looks like he is coming for you, or someone.

The same movement, strength, and glow is also depicted in the Captain America Poster. His strong stance and firm placement as well as the bits of things flowing in the background give the illusion he just slammed his shield into the ground. The silver glow present in this one is reflected in the words and shield. This poster is strong and intense. This stance show gives the feel of a great burden as well as an incredible will to succeed.

Another similarity between the two other than feel how each character breaks there frame.  A very good use of design is having characters break frame. It gives the characters presence in your world and vision. It makes it more relatable and striking for the viewer. By breaking the frame it makes them seem more lifelike and helps create more visual interest and lead your eye around the page. This is a trick commonly used by artists.

In addition to the impressive posters the movies are also stunning and exciting.

I loved both movies as much as if not more than the posters. Most characters are well developed, interesting, relatable, and entertaining. The storylines are stunning, intriguing, and emotional. 

The Artist

Who knew black and white could be so appealing.  This is so beautiful and so simple. I love it. I don’t know the movie but I want to see it now, and I hope it is as wonderful as the poster.

The angle their gazes create is perfect. His downturned head and her upturned face create an excellent diagonal line that crosses the page and draws your eyes around the page.  Their shoulders mimic the angle and so does the line where their bodies cut off.  The light highlights their face and helps them stand out from the dark background subtly. This makes it intriguing and sort of seductive.

The font choice is perfect. It is artistic and simple. The red “the” is a nice subtle touch of color. This is so simple and so nice. The passion in their eyes is mimicked in the layout, lighting and font. This whole poster is wonderful and romantic.

Shawshank Redemption/Crash

I’m so glad this poster is amazing because this might just be my favorite movie ever. Although it was a long one it was so interesting and emotional. It had such a captivating story and throughout the whole nearly 3 hours I was enthralled. This poster never ceases to appeal to me. I don’t want to look away from it. I will buy this and put it on my wall.

Although the man is facing away from the camera there is so much emotion in this picture. This angle is made dynamic because of the way it is lit and the back view is not an awkward angle, unlike the old Footloose poster. Even though we can’t see his face his body positioning expresses freedom and relief, and the rain storm in the glowing light is cleansing. The relief in this photo is catching. It is very indicative of the movie. The joy at the end and the emotion within the story are projected in this poster. The font and location of the title is simple and perfect for the image. It doesn’t take away and only adds. The caption at the top spikes interest and directs the images emotion. This image just shows how important body language is and demonstrates that sometimes, if done right, you don’t need a face to express emotion.

This image for the movie Crash reminds me and seems to reference the Shawshank photo.  I think the correlation exists in the projected emotion. Both are incredibly emotional, though I believe they are completely different. While Shawshank is relief and joy based crash looks riddled with pain and frustration. Both make you feel something and both are dramatically lit. Crash is lit from behind the head so you can see the agony in the man’s face, but Shawshank is lit from the back side eliminating his face, but getting across the same intense level of emotion. Both posters also have a tagline that I feel sums up the general feel and content of the movie. Both posters are set up very similarly and have a very similar use of emotion and may to evoke it.

One unique thing about the Crash poster is the way the names of the actors are listed. It is great. It is interesting; the names are positioned artistically so your eye is drawn to them. You want to read them but they are not distracting to the overall message and emotion. It is a wonderful poster.

I love both of these posters. They are art. Their style and ability to capture and evoke an emotion from the viewer is so far without comparison. I love the contrast in types of emotion when they are compared. In my opinion the Shawshank poster is just a smidge better. It gets across the same amount of emotion as the Crash poster but without a face. That is more difficult to do, and makes the image more interesting. 

THOR

Thor has a multitude of posters. Some of them good, some bad, some with good foundations, and some that are questionable. The coloring and composition of the photos are excellent. The colors are dark, rich and metallic. They have a warriors feel and look.

 The above is by far the best poster. The dark silver and metal and the subtle red vibrant cape work so well together. Though the cape is red it does not take away from the rest of the photo. This is most likely due to the light resting on the front of Thor. The angles at which the cape lies and hammer hangs complement each other and emphasize Thor’s straight strong image. Now while this one is fantastic and I would totally hang this on my wall, the one bellow has some issues.

Though the image is striking because it is all in red and head on, there are problems. The image is good. The intense determined look makes it so you can’t look away. But, the red is too intense. This vivid red haze is obnoxious and unsettling. It should be lighter so the gray and metallic show through, a light haze instead of drenched in red.  That would be more stunning. I also really dislike the words down the center of the photo on his face. It is uncomfortable, distracting, hard to read, and the font is bad. I especially hate the word “’GOD” on his nose. I would have much preferred to have the words going down the side of the photo vertical or horizontal. Either would have been better than this. Unfortunately whoever came up with this must have thought it was a good idea because they made a series in the same composition.

 The only one of these that looks acceptable is the one with Natalie Portman. If the words were shifted to the viewers left it actually would be good. The use of her profile was a good idea. It makes the words less intrusive. The other two just look silly. The words cover their face and cheapen the photos. Not someone’s best idea, especially for a campaign.

The font for the title is perfect. I especially like the way the R is. It really balances the word and adds some interest to the title. On the other hand the font used for the face words is bad. It is silly, cheap, doesn’t suit the photo in mood or message and over all just lessens the impact of the image.

Though I don’t have many good things to say about the posters I loved this movie. Unlike the awkward posters the movie was stunning, enthralling and exciting. I loved it! It is officially one of my favorites. This sort of movie is right up my alley and I love Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman so I might be biased J I recommend it to all.

City Lights

What a cute poster. I have not seen this but the poster makes me want to go find it watch it and hang this poster on my wall. It is well designed, fun and happy! The colors like the breakfast at tiffany’s poster are primary, but work really well. The font is very indicative of the time period and suited to the film. This poster also uses the rule of thirds, just as the last one did. Bu this one uses it horizontally and in opposite. The words for this one are in the smaller third. But because of their size, it works. One of the nice things about the word City Lights is that they extended the Y and G off the page. It is always nice to break barriers. The silhouette image of Charlie Chaplin mimics the black behind the words and ties it together. The image has a ton of leading lines. The lines the buildings create down the middle, the lines from the lights. The lines lead into the city and then the lines that create the vertical buildings lead your eye to the words. Leading lines are beautiful! Especially when they are implied! There are not many of those in this little masterpiece but the lines are nice nonetheless. Again don’t know much about the movie, but it its Charlie Chaplin, so it’s probably pretty awesome J

Dark Water

This is a very vertical poster. And by vertical I mean the imagery.  Most poster are more horizontal based so this is particularly attractive and interesting. And look at that creepy woman….. paired with that dark font you know this is some sort of thriller or possible horror movie. It also uses the rule of thirds, one third to the left with the woman in the door, two thirds with the words. If it were half and half your eye would not know where to go and it would have no movement in the image. The artists of this do a good job integrating the 1/3^rd and the 2/3^rd the vertical white lines reflected from the door and the water. The image works really well with the words and the title. As I mentioned the font matches the feel well and implies the proper context but the image also mimics the words. Dark water. Hey, looks what’s in the picture, dark water. And to make it more creepy that woman in the doorway, her gaze that is directly at the camera and the viewer  makes it more creepy.  The lines in this image are fantastic and this is one of the best divisions in a poster I have seen. The division between word and image is fluid and inventive. I have not seen the movie but by sources tell me the movie is pretty mediocre and doesn’t live up to the poster. I also watched the trailer and it look ok but when the threat is dark colored water……. That doesn’t seem horribly scary or terrifying. The trailer lacks what the poster has.

Children of Men

This is a wonderful, intriguing, chilling poster.  The font is lovely. The breaks in it reference the biohazard font and the smudges imply a problem or mess, something apocalyptic. The four red statements tell you all you need to know about the movie and the layout and style just enhance the gravity of the implications and the feeling of the poster and the movie. The expression on Clive Owen’s face as he looks through the class is one of worry and concern as well as resolve.  The lines from the broken class are what lead you eye to the words. Your initial gaze goes toward Clive Owen’s face and the expression in his eyes.  Generally eyes in any image are where your eyes go first. It is what people recognize as human, it is what they connect to first because your eyes truly are the window to your soul. The broken glass, referencing a broken dream, society, or hope, has beautiful lines that take your eye away from him and too the words and the title. It explains his expression and the font the words weight, meaning and understanding. Yes, font does have that power. Imagine those words written in the stupid curly font everyone likes to use. (If you ever want to be taken seriously don’t use that font. Most professionals will not appreciate it.) If it was written in that font you would be confused and the movie be given the wrong mood.  Mood is incredibly important especially in a poster where all you have is a moment to capture a person’s attention and only a moment longer their interest.

This is a great poster for its mood and its incredibly appropriate font. In the visual world font is possibly the most important element in an image with words. Be aware of it. It can make or break a mood or a purpose. 

Winnie the Pooh

This Winnie the Pooh poster is fantastic. It uses white space perfectly. It is primarily image and it works wonderfully. One of the reasons this is possible is because the characters are so iconic. Everyone recognizes the characters and so words are not necessary. By dividing the page into 1/3 white and 2/3rs white the rule of thirds is used and creates visual interest and by making the image of the characters small in comparison to the honey river it emphasize them and their journey. Their gaze looking up creates a line and makes them smaller. The way they are dressed and positioned lends itself to an adventure. . Pooh at the helm of the honey bucket references many explorers going off into the unknown. I have not seems the movie but it seems an adventure is evident.

The white space (space not dominated by image, so this includes the honey) it what creates most of the feel. It is slightly over whelming, but not necessarily in a negative way. It draws you in, but also makes you wonder what is contained outside the poster. The space creates so much intrigue and a definite feel and excited mood to the poster. 

Angles are important in this image, the tilt of the jar, the gaze of the characters. All the characters are looking and the angles are pointing up. It makes you wonder what they are looking at. They look so small but strong.  The poster makes you wonder what they are looking at the coloring give you a fun feel.

I had no intentions of seeing this movie, but the poster is so well done and so intriguing that now I think I will.