So Harry Potter 5 is almost upon us, and not that I have any particular Potter fetish (Rikke does though), but I can’t help but be disappointed by the ever more crappy posters being put out for these movies.
What in the hell is that? It’s a photo collage; that’s what it is. And it sucks!
Now this, on the other hand, is a poster. This poster, from the hands of Mr. Struzan himself, looks the way John Williams’ score sounds, and that is a good thing!
What is going on in the heads of these marketing people? Well I guess maybe they have better data than me, but really? Photo collages? The same thing happened to the new Star Wars trilogy as well as the DVD releases, all of which contain horrible photo collages with lightsaber lense flares and what have you.
All those stunning posters, and they have some hack apply lenseflares in Photoshop.
Man.
PS: Yes, you’re right, I should do a feature on the best posters ever created by mortal hands.
There’s a definite cartoon-y element in the second poster which probably reflects more upon the fun nature of the first film. But as we all know, they got darker and darker as he got older.
Oh and they could’ve just spoiled a major plot element in the first one =P
PS: I prefer the name ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ to Sorcerer’s Stone
A little thing called money I suspect. Struzan isn’t cheap I guess.
The “data” propably shows that a painted poster doesn’t attract an audience measurably more so than a photo collage.
Editability perhaps. Although with modern tools that shouldn’t be a problem. (Let’s buzzom up this ‘ere teenage girl…)
Perhaps the studios just believe that it’s photographic material that makes up the actual movie, why not have it on the poster as well as to not have any unnescecary ‘confusion’?
Movie posters has generally gone the way of the dodo. Except they’re not extict….at the current state they should be though. Exeption exist yes. Not enough.
I agree.
It’s really all related to star of the movie being promoted over what the movie’s about. Posters use to be awesome paintings or design work…now it’s just Tom Cruise in profile.
See, when I was a little younger (ok, ok, even now) there have been some movie posters I’d happily have collected..
Primarily designs such as the first Potter movie, episodes 4 through 6 of star-wars.. posters where a huge amount of effort has gone in, often involving hand drawn or certainly imagery such as photos that have had a lot of additional hand drawn elements added.
Posters like the Transformers movie and the one above are just, well, boring as all bloody hell.
I remember spending some time going through prints of older original movie posters and noticing how much more effort and how much better they seemed than the current sterile crap we’re now faced with.
“PS: Yes, you’re right, I should do a feature on the best posters ever created by mortal hands.”
YES!
Agreed on all counts, btw. It’s like the marketing departments started using photoshop and are all “OMG, look at this! Lens flare FTW!!!” >_>
I dunno, I don’t really see anything in your definition of “poster”, other than “well trimmed head/bodyshots of all major characters arranged in size order according to their importance to the film, with some semblance of composition”. I guess (and here’s the zinger) that the original Star Wars posters were just like this too.
So I can see why you like the style, but I’m struggling to see the magic in this instance. Technical skill, yes, but creative expression? Not much. I’d even go as far as saying the “photo collage” has some superiority, through purity/simplicity of focus and greater expression of the tone of the film. I can see that it’s hardly a stunning example of that, though (the bubble addition of Voldemort seems like a design by committee addition that wasn’t in the original poster, and that the designer didn’t really want to add).
I anti-love Hairy Pothead. Most boring crap series/books whatever – ever created. “Lemme make a boring book about a boy who wants to be a powerful wizard…” Zz fucking Z! a book about that CAN’T be interesting by itself. I mean, a book about a “common” “boy fantasy/daydream o_O. I don’t understand why it has caught on so much =/ Guess there’s a definite lack of quality children’s fantasy books/whatever.
GAY!
Yes, because stories about boyhood fantasies have never been done successfully (discounting such trash as Peter Pan, Narnia, Akira, E.T., Star Wars, T2, Back to the Future, most things by Pixar and so on and so forth).
I have to agree, the second poster does kinda show the characters roll… their expressions show so much more than the poster on top.
What did the posters after part one look like?
Well, they do bear a striking resemblance to this. Gonna say that one sucks too?
These Photocollage sucks that’s right. However as these story found already their big fan community and they won’t challenge the promotion poster. In the end the story itself counts.
[quote comment=“138251”]Yes, because stories about boyhood fantasies have never been done successfully (discounting such trash as Peter Pan, Narnia, Akira, E.T., Star Wars, T2, Back to the Future, most things by Pixar and so on and so forth).[/quote]
Of course, it was too hasrhly put by me (working nightshift, and hating it) but Akira, Star Wars, T2, contain more elements than just a basic boyhood phantasy IMHO. Not just: let me make a book about “a boy who wants to become a powerful wizard”. At least Star Wars is about many more things as such as good vs evil etc. etc.
The poster does look awful, that’s for sure.
Well, I’ll give you that Akira, T2 and Back to the Future (which is more teen than child) are more complex than as such. But…
Harry Potter is about good vs. evil… About family, friends, rebellion, the dark side and so on and so forth.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care if you’re for or against Harry Potter (I like it, but my affection stops there); but it isn’t the most successful series of children’s books in the history of ever, for nothing :)
And it really needs to be read and watched with a child’s eyes.
True, HP is also about growing up etc. and probably more. It just never really caught my fancy. But I can understand how especially children could get interested in it. More or less like you also said.
Oh well, just got home from watching Transformers in our less-than-optimal cinema here in Frederishavn =)