The Return of the Movie Poster Art

The Return of the Movie Poster Art:
A Comparison of Hollywood Poster Design and its Contemporary Opposing Force
Twan Zijlstra
VU University Amsterdam
Jan den Haenstraat 36-III
Faculty of Arts
1055 WG Amsterdam
Comparative Arts and Media Studies
Tel.: 06-41636920
Elective: Design History
Student number: 2536114
Alice Twemlow
E-mail address: [email protected];
[email protected]
December 17, 2015
Introduction
We live in an age of artistic and creative fluidity. In an almost Marxist way, by facilitating people’s urge
to create and share their work, technological advances have slowly but steadily been breaking down
the hierarchy that used to dominate creative practice as well as its valuation. With professional tools
for visual content creation such as cameras and advanced computer software available and affordable,
it is easier than ever to engage in artistic and professional design practice. Moreover, specialized social
sharing platforms such as FLICKR and DEVIANTART allow for semi-professionals, or even just enthusiasts, to
gain recognition and even stardom within the ever-growing underground scene of digital artists,
designers and photographers. As a result, the moment the professional elite stops being innovative and
passionate about their work, there are many non-professional designers waiting out there ready to fill
the gap. According to Matthew Chojnacki, freelance writer on film and music history, this is what
underground artists and designers have been doing with the movie poster.1
The movie poster today is not the
respected and widely exposed artistic medium it
was when Saul Bass, celebrated movie poster and
title sequence designer, designed his iconic poster
(Img. 1) for VERTIGO in the late 50s. With the
internet and television taking the dominant role in
film promotion today, the exposition of the movie
poster has been reduced to cinema walls and
windows, more informative than compelling. In
his time, Saul Bass was accompanied by other
important designers such as Bob Peak and Drew
Struzan, but their contemporary counterparts
gather little attention. However, this development
has not been left unanswered, as shown by the
proliferation of alternative movie posters in recent
years. These posters are most often digitally
created and distributed through the artists’
personal websites and sharing platforms such as
DEVIANTART, shaping an alternative movie poster
Image 1 Poster VERTIGO (1958).
scene gaining increasing recognition.
1
Chojnacki 2013, back cover.
2
© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
In Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground (2013), Chojnacki presents reimagined,
unofficial movie posters by over 100 artists from across the globe. In his introduction, Chojnacki
describes this collection as the answer to the sudden collapse of the movie poster as an artistic
medium, in the mid-90s.2 He puts it as follows:
Instead of using paint brushes to create inventive works of art, they were instead
using them to remove blemishes and wrinkles from celebrity headshots. The
poster was reduced to simply communicating who was in the film, instead of
conveying the bigger picture –the spirit of the film. (Chojnacki 2013, p. 4.)
What started as the sharing of fan art, matured into a contemporary movement that is slowly
starting to gain recognition in the worlds of art and design.3 Such a development demands to be put
in historical perspective and this essay aims to take the first step in that direction, using Chojnacki’s
collection as a starting point. In order to critically analyze and contextualize his evaluation of the
underground movie poster, the central research question of this essay will be as follows: how does
the design of contemporary, alternative movie posters depicting Hollywood Classics, relate to their
official, historical counterparts and their development over the past four decades?
Image 2 Cover Posters: A Concise History (1972)
2
3
Image 3 Cover Posters: A Global History (2015)
Ibidem, pp. 4-5.
Ibidem.
3
© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
This essay’s outlines
Among the numerous publications dealing with the history of the poster, are those written by art
historian John Barnicoat and professor in design history Elizabeth E. Guffey. As evidenced by these
book’s covers alone, they present different approaches towards the topic; Posters: A Concise History
(1972) by Barnicoat treats the poster predominantly as an art form, emphasizing its interrelations
with painting and explaining its development with reference to the Art Movements of the early
twentieth century (Img. 2), whereas Guffey’s treatise, Posters: A Global History (2015, Img. 3),
introduces itself as “a tale of posters as things, of material forms with which we spend our lives”.4
These two approaches represent the dichotomy in the world of movie poster design today, as will
follow from the comparison that is central to this essay. In addition to the histories of the poster by
Guffey and Barnicoat, works by design historians Patrick Cramsie and Stephan J. Eskilson on the
history of graphic design will provide background information when called for, as well as.
Then, the comparison will follow between a range of movie classic’s original posters and their
alternatives as collected in Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art From the Underground. Alongside this
comparison, an analysis of the development of the movie poster since the 1950s will further
contextualize the alternative movie poster movement. Stylistic and technological changes that
affected poster design over the last decennia, will be pointed out, as well as some of the most
influential poster designers as described in Art of the Modern Movie Poster: International Postwar
Style and Design (2008) by American film critic Dave Kehr among other works, with special attention
to Saul Bass and his influence on today’s alternative movie poster.
Poster history: the commercial versus the artistic
The poster as a means of communication is generally understood to have come of age during the
second half of the nineteenth century.5 Spurred by industrialization and the opportunities of mass
production that came with it, notably the perfection of lithography techniques, the poster quickly
developed to become a common sight in public space in the western world. It proved to be an
effective vehicle for promoting industrial products (Img. 4), services (Img. 5) and cultural events,
(Img. 6) as well as ideas (Img. 7).
4
5
Guffey 2015, p. 7.
Barnicoat 1972, p. 7, Eskilson 2007, p. 74.
4
© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
Image 4 Drooko (1898) Image 5 Gispen (1927).
Image 6 Jules Chéret (1869).
Image 7 Fritz Erler (1917)
While the poster today is commonly thought of as a tool for advertising, its early days were strongly
influenced by the arts.6 John Barnicoat described the early poster’s role as “translating the visual art
movements of the twentieth century into consumer media”, indicating strong ties to the visual arts in
terms of style.7 This connection came rather naturally, since the technology for poster production,
lithography, had long been used for the purpose of reproducing visual artworks, as Barnicoat
continues to explain.8 In fact, as he points out, early poster designers reestablished lithography as a
creative medium. On the contrary, when focusing on a poster’s purpose in public space rather than
on its aesthetics, as Elizabeth E. Guffey does, even back in the late nineteenth century, posters
appear to be at the heart of capitalism. As Guffey puts it, the poster at the time “was not just a
communicator but also a seller; it was so well established that it was hard to imagine selling goods
any other way”.9 However different these definitions may sound, they are not necessarily conflicting.
As Guffey acknowledges, mainly due to the introduction of illustration and color to the poster, it
became a platform for artistic expressions as much as it already was a tool of commerce.10
In the late nineteenth century, the poster played a big part in defining the characteristics of
Art Nouveau as it emerged in Europe, according to Patrick Cramsie.11 He also explains how, during
this period, the distribution and public display of posters professionalized. This resulted in streets of
major cities such as Paris, transforming into what Guffey calls a “gallery of the streets”.12 As it
appears, it was no longer the question whether posters belonged to the artists or the advertisers;
these worlds conjoined in the form of the poster, and it became one of the primary influences in
both fields.
6
Barnicoat 1972, p. 7.
Ibidem.
8
Ibidem.
9
Guffey 2015, p. 42.
10
Ibidem, p. 43.
11
Cramsie 2010, p. 149.
12
Guffey 2015, p. 2.
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
Posters and Cinema
Even though posters might be considered instances of graphic design, it was only during the first half
of the twentieth century, that graphic design became an independent profession, labeled as such,
and that posters began to be claimed as part of a graphic designer’s remit, rather than an artist’s
oeuvre. As a result, poster design became closely related to the design of music album covers and
magazines, as noted by Stephen Eskilson, leading to an increased attention to typography in the
designs.13 And this period brought about more changes to the poster, both in terms of purpose and
style.14
Notable in the context of the movie poster, is the fact that Barnicoat points out the
introduction of “camera devices, such as close-up, the zoom and the effect of a panning shot” into
poster design, resulting from the growing dominance of the screen as a means of perceiving the
world.15 Remarkably, this exchange between the poster and cinema worked both ways, as Guffey
describes in a once again more commercial approach; according to Guffey, the poster played a big
part in the success of Hollywood overseas.16 As she notes, the movie poster in particular brought a
sense of optimism in the war-torn European streets, notably in Italy. On the contrary, the golden
days of the American film industry were over past 1945, as pointed out by Dave Kehr in his collective
work: Art of the Modern Movie Poster.17 This range of developments, as it seems, left the American
movie poster at a crossroad between art, business, anticipation and obsoleteness.
By the time World War II was over, as the golden years of Hollywood began to decline, so too
did the heyday of movie posters. 18 The studios cut their budgets for promotional campaigns,
resulting in a shift from high quality lithograph printing to the new but lesser technique of offset
printing. In addition, poster designers started to rely increasingly on photomontage at the expense of
hand painted artwork or the art of lithography, focusing on actors rather than the story they were
representing. Remarkably, the decisive development towards the photomontage as the new
standard, the lesser movie poster according to Chojnacki, is the same development that elevated the
crowd to launch a counter movement: digital design by means of computer applications such as
Photoshop.
13
Eskilson 2007, pp. 347-348.
Barnicoat 1972, pp. 110-120.
15
Ibidem, pp. 130-131.
16
Guffey 2015, pp. 99-100.
17
Sarowitz and Kehr 2008, p. 8.
18
Ibidem.
14
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
Post-War Hollywood and the Impact of Saul Bass
The movie posters of the 1960s were still dominated by hand painted artwork, as evidenced by the
range of examples below. Although, even then, there would be no mistake about the star presence in
such movie posters. Famous actors such as Audrey Hepburn, Omar Shariff and Clint Eastwoord are all
effectively recognizable from the illustrations, and their written names would often equal the film
title in size and presence (Img. 9-11). However, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Image 8 Poster EXODUS,
Image 9 Poster BREAKFAST AT
Image 10 Poster LAWRENCE
Image 11 Poster THE GOOD,
Saul Bass (1960)
TIFFANY’S (1961)
OF ARABIA (1962)
THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)
A notable individual who established a distinctive style in movie poster design is Saul Bass, arguably
the most celebrated American movie poster artist of all time. This graphic and film designer, active
between 1954 and 1995, designed a range of iconic movie posters that share a minimalistic, brightly
colored and somewhat abstract style.19 Past his famous VERTIGO-design (Img 1), he continued his
successful career with posters such as the one for EXODUS (Img. 8), which stands out from its
contemporaries. According to Eskilson, Saul Bass professionalized the movie poster single-handedly,
and proofed how good design could add to the success of a film.20 Most remarkably, Bass was an
autodidact, as noted by film historian Jan-Christopher Horak who wrote a thorough work on the
designer’s career.21 And while his signature style was rather unique in his time, his posters have
become a wealth of inspiration to today’s underground scene, as will become clear below. Saul Bass
worked directly for the film industry, but his attitude may been similar to that of those who design
alternative film movie posters today.
19
Sarowitz and Kehr 2008, p. 440.
Eskilson 2007, p. 320.
21
Horak 2014, p. 33.
20
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
Recent Years’ Transformation and the Alternative Movie Poster
The influence of Saul Bass can be seen all throughout the 1970s, when the overall chaotic poster
design made way for a more sophisticated, clean visual language. In the series of examples from the
1970s below (Img. 12-15), a clear shift is visible away from the multi-colored and detailed, and
towards a more iconic style. All-black backgrounds became increasingly popular, and photography
was slowly starting to challenge the handwork. Furthermore, branding seemingly became more
important, and the imagery on the posters of both THE GODFATHER (1972) and JAWS (1975) has indeed
appeared on many t-shirts and other merchandise even since.
Image 12 Poster THE
GODFATHER
(1972)
Image 13 Poster JAWS
Image 14 Poster ONE FLEW
Image 15 Poster THE DEER
(1975)
OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
HUNTER (1978)
The original theatrical poster for STAR WARS (1977) was created by Tom Jung (Img. 16), a designer
known for his hand-painted movie posters, who worked on famous titles such as GONE WITH THE WIND
(1967) and PAPILLON (1973) before. Amongst a few other designers, he managed to uphold the hand
painting tradition well into the photography era. The poster stands in contrast to the alternative
design by Old Red Jalopy (Img. 17). More fan art than movie poster, it is hard to imagine this piece
being used for actual advertising of the movie it represents; for one, the film title is nowhere to be
found. Furthermore, as it makes clear reference to the kind of posters that are used for boxing
matches, emphasizing the upcoming battle between two main characters, the protagonist of the film
is entirely absent. The poster can be considered to represent a minor movement within the
underground movie poster scene, which focuses less on the advertising purpose of movie posters.
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
Image 16 Poster STAR WARS (1977).
Image 17 Alternative Poster by Old Red Jalopy.
Hand painted movie posters became even more of a rarity from 80s onwards. Kehr speaks of a
supposedly last generation of such illustrated works.22 The tradition was maintained most
prominently by older film franchises such as the JAMES BOND-series and George Lucas’ STAR WARS and
INDIANA JONES, as the examples below illustrate (Img. 18-21). Drew Struzan, who created the poster
for INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984), introduced a distinct style of illustrated posters that
can be described as a collage of the main characters. As will be shown later on, this style may well
outlive the hand painted form it originated in.
Image 18 Poster THE SHINING
Image 19 Poster
(1980)
OCTOPUSSY
22
(1983)
Image 20 Poster THE
TERMINATOR
(1984)
Image 21 Poster I.J. AND THE
TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)
Sarowitz and Kehr 2008, p. 48.
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
A classic action movie from the late 80s, DIE HARD (1988) can be considered to have heralded the
downfall of the movie poster as Chojnacki described it.23 Basically, the poster is no more than a single
headshot with added text to clarify the movie’s content (Img. 22). The image itself seems to
communicate only the movies’ genre, by means of the gun Bruce Willis is holding. If compared to the
poster for THE TERMINATOR (1984), it leaves one wonder if the only difference between the two movies
is their actors and their preference for sunglasses, maybe the nature of their intentions (Img. 20).
That even an action movie contains meaning that is worth communicating is proven by Derek
Chatwood’s alternative (Img. 23) to the DIE HARD poster. While using a similar color scheme in an
equally simple image, Chatwood’s cartoon-like style and attention to detail express very well the
fragile yet survivalist nature of the protagonist.
Image 22 Poster DIE HARD (1988).
Image 23 Alternative Poster by Derek Chatwood (2013).
The Movie Poster Apocalypse
In the 90s, according to Chojnacki, “[t]he film industry’s intention for movie posters lost its way,
seemingly becoming an afterthought”.24 The cheap looking Photoshop-creations that he argues
inspired the counter movement, composed from either stills or studio photography, are well
represented in the examples below (Img. 24-27). Most strikingly, the JAMES BOND-series abandoned its
tradition of creatively illustrated posters and presented a poster that hardly sets it apart from any
23
24
Chojnacki 2013, pp. 4-5.
Chojnacki 2013, p. 4.
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
other action movie at the time. Furthermore, white space had become taboo, resulting in what some
might consider overfull, bombastic designs. However, every period has its exceptions.
Image 24 Poster SHAWSHANK
Image 25 Poster GOLDENEYE
Image 26 Poster GOOD
REDEMPTION (1994)
(1995)
WILL HUNTING
(1997)
Image 27 Poster THE MATRIX
(1999)
The original movie poster for AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) stands out against its contemporaries as there is
no montage of images involved (Img. 28). It consists of a pure work of photography with minimalistic
textual additions, not representing any of the starring actors of the film. Its alternative by Peter
Strain reintroduces the lead actor, but in such a stylistic way that the overall design stands out as
much as the original (Img. 29). It was created using a combination of hand painting and digital
editing, although the final result is more reminiscent the work of Saul Bass.
Image 28 Poster AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999).
Image 29 Alternative Poster by Peter Strain (2013).
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
It is open to debate, but it could be argued that the movie poster made amends heading into the
new millennium. While only a handful of movies stuck with the tradition of the illustrated movie
poster, the rebuked photomontages have become increasingly distinctive and subtle, as the range of
examples below show (Img. 30-33). Some have reinterpreted the character collage illustrations of
Drew Struzan, like the poster for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001), whereas
other movie characters, such as the ones from CASINO ROYALE (2006) and THE DARK KNIGHT (2008), are
presented in a more natural context than the 90s counterparts in their copy-paste assemblages.
Image 30 Poster THE LORD
OF THE RINGS
(2001).
Image 31 Poster CASINO
Image 32 Poster THE DARK
Image 33 Poster INGLORIOUS
ROYALE (2006).
KNIGHT (2008).
BASTERDS (2009).
The original movie poster for INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009)
is another example that bears a certain resemblance to
the iconic illustrations by Drew Struzan (Img. 33). The
protagonist is surrounded by other important characters
of the plot, both allies and villains, and their size and
arrangement communicates a certain hierarchy. The
alternative poster by Matt Chase (Img. 34) uses a same
color scheme, but otherwise the two posters have very
little in common. Chase’s interpretation of the movie is
another example of the strong influence of Saul Bass on
the contemporary underground scene.
Image 34 Alternative Poster by Matt Chase (2013).
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© Twan Zijlstra, 2015
Conclusion
In light of the ongoing trend in Hollywood to rely on mostly uninspired photo material, there is little
reason to assume that the alternative movie poster scene is just a temporary phenomenon.
Therefore, this essay should be considered a first exploration of the rise of alternative movie posters
in relation to their official counterparts.
As follows from the analysis in this essay, both the official and alternative works build upon
traditions of the past, but they are clearly divided in their focus. Official American movie posters are
mostly character oriented and, while photography based, they do often resemble the rich hand
painted illustrations of artists such as Tom Jung and Drew Struzan. However, due to the use of photo
material, they often lack a poster artist’s personal signature. On the other hand, the underground
scene is dominated by Saul Bass-inspired work, evidenced by countless examples such as the
alternative design for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) by Mark Welser (Img. 35), leaning on simple
color schemes and iconic imagery. These works have more in common with the kind of designs that
appear on book covers, translating a single, fundamental aspect of a movie’s plot into an image. Bass’
influence on this scene, and the fact that he was an autodidact who is said to have been responsible
for the rise of artistic movie poster design, suggest that he may have been the first alternative movie
poster designer. With Hollywood completely abandoning his visual style, it is no surprise that his
following sought refuge on the world wide web.
One could challenge the notion of the studio’s
poster being truly more commercial than its underground
alternative. However, the commercial significance of the
movie poster at large has diminished in the internet age,
replaced by websites, banners and trailers. In
acknowledgement of this new advertising strategy, the
truly artistic movie poster may be better off if it remains
underground, where it continues to inspire the
reimagining of our all-time favorites.
Image 35 Alternative Poster by Mark Welser.
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Bibliography
Barnicoat, John, Posters: A Concise History, London (1985) Thames and Hudson.
Chojnacki, Matthew, Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground, Atglen, PA
(2013) Schiffer.
Cramsie, Patrick, The Story of Graphic Design, New York, NY (2010) Abrams.
Eskilson, Stephen J., Graphic Design: A New History, New Haven, CT (2007) Yale University Press.
Guffey, Elizabeth E., Posters: A Global History, London (2015) Reaktion Books Ltd.
Horak, Jan-Christopher, Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design, Lexington (2014) University Press of
Kentucky.
Kehr, Dave, Art of the Modern Movie Poster: International Postwar Style and Design, Zürich
(2008) Edition Olms.
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