Movie Poster Trends – When Hidden Faces are a Hit or Miss...

Do you know what Christopher Nolan’s action crime flick “The Dark Knight” starring Christian Bale, Peter Weir’s sci-fi drama “The Truman Show” starring Jim Carrey and Eli Roth’s “Cabin Fever” have in common? Their posters indicate that the movie you’re about to watch might be good…or it could be a dud – all because of its hidden face design.

That’s just one of 13 trends found among movie posters, on a list that I happened across while researching tips and tricks to help me narrow down concepts for my “ABYSS” poster. What these trends say about the films they represent, however, is just as (if not more) hilarious than the actual style being highlighted on this list.

Forgive me if I not only happen to like some of the movies showcased but also think that at least two of the trends offer up some possibilities worth considering when devising a plan for my own movie poster. I will be highlighting these findings, for your viewing pleasure, to find out if you agree or disagree with them. Before we embark on this design journey, however, know this:

• The poster mash-ups reflecting these trends are based on collages from the French blog Les Sibères Affiches de aka The Sibères Posters: Reconciliations unusual, original compilations, one of the most comprehensive online destinations ever dedicated to film cover art or one-sheets. The blogger, Christophe Courtois, compiles movie posters into a collage focusing on their similarities and then analyzes them – sometimes with humor, other times with a little deeper study. It’s a site that you have to see to believe.

• The titles and (maybe sarcastic) descriptions and/or observations of what each trend means in terms of the quality and/or content of the film are those of Para1 at Oh No They Didn't! (ONTD).

Now, Let's get this poster party started at one random spot on the list...

Movie Poster Trend #10 - Is That Your Face, Or Are the Drugs Kicking In?

You'll notice the attempt of originality here, even with the Dali (NSFW) rip-off. This means you'll have to tread carefully; it’s very likely that the filmmakers think they're brilliant and original, regardless of reality. – Para1/ONTD

In “The Hidden Face Posters,” Courtois says “there are many ways to show a face on a poster without resorting to traditional photography.” I happen to agree with him and could understand the use of this type of design for certain genres such as horror films as well as stories that are mysterious or suspensful in nature. I would not generally deem it appropriate for, say, comedies but you never know...it's all about the layout and what works for the film and whatever message the designer, producer and others behind the movie is trying to convey.

Although "ABYSS" does not fall into the horror or mystery/suspense/thriller categories, I do like the hidden face design -- particularly that of "The Next Three Days" (top row, next to "The Truman Show") starring Russell Crowe -- and think that a similar concept of still photos and collages of scenes from the film over a background made up of bus schedules might work.

I also wonder if the "White Noise" poster (third one in on the last row) concept could work, where I have a cloudy image of one of the scenes from the film placed inside a graphic of a wedding ring and/or video camera lens.

I'm also working on getting a trailer up for the movie -- maybe that would help you guys and gals share your two cents on what could possibly be some good concepts for my "ABYSS" poster. 

What do hidden faces on a movie poster say to YOU about the films they're representing?

Are YOU more likely to want to watch a movie that features a simple photograph, rather than one that incorporates a hidden face design?

Do certain types of designs make you hesitant to want to see a film? 

*Movie Poster Trend and Descriptions: Courtesy of Oh No They Didn’t! (ONTD)

*Movie Poster Compliation: Courtesy of Christophe Courtois at Les Sibères Affiches 

Comments

[Angela Brown]

I don't get to look at movie posters that often...mostly view trailers. I can't really say the poster has much impact on my consideration of the movie. If I like the trailer and the premise, I'm willingn to give it a try.

[Beverly]

Hello, Nicole! Lovely to meet you! And thanks so much for your comment.

Having never been in the movie business (you're making a movie?!?) I've never given it much thought and subsequently never given a poster more than a passing glance. If it's a movie I know about and want to see I will be happy at the reminder that it's coming out soon. If it's not, I tend to just walk by them. I honestly don't know what would make me stop and look at a movie based on just poster, but I'm sure there are at least a thousand marketing firms researching that questions and others. Sound lik you're on the right track in researching.

[Maurice Mitchell]

I never noticed this one before. I guess it says secrets to me and, good or not, it worked for Truman Show. We're on a roll. I'll have to do a post on movie posters next week to keep the conversation going Nicole!

[DEZMOND]

I generally don't like overly artsy movie posters, I loved them glamorous and fantasy looking, even epic. And I also love posters which emit warmth and positivity too!

[Kristen Dyrr]

I usually pay more attention to the trailers, although the trailers can throw you off as well. I've seen a few posters that threw me off, which is one of the reasons I don't pay attention to them. I just don't give myself preconceptions based on posters anymore. I also try not to have preconceptions from a trailer, but sometimes that's difficult when it's nothing like what you expected.

[Nicole]

Angela,
Sounds like a 1-2 punch for you, where subject matter is the main focus. Movie posters not being on your radar has me wondering if the studios would do better displaying them in new and unlikely places...if they put them in locations where people are likely to glance at them...(such as a bathroom stall perhaps? Just kidding...unless it works, lol), would they get more traction? The premise must be there for me too and I've sometimes found that a good trailer is the nudge that heightens my anticipation for one movie over another. "2 Guns," for example, made me shake my head in disappointment while the trailer for a movie coming out this month (the name escapes me, so I'm hoping to come across it again) made me go "I'm sooo there!" when I saw it earlier this week.

Beverly,
You showed me so much love during the A-to-Z Challenge that I had to return the favor :)
I've been in various stages of bring my short film, "ABYSS," to audiences, over the last 12 months or so and it's just coming to completion and being prepped to premiere sometime, somewhere, in some shape or form, soon. I like how you perceive movie posters as being a reminder for films that have already grabbed your attention through other forms of buzz. Your tendency to walk by the posters for movies you are not familiar with says to me that print marketing cannot be the sole promotional push for a film -- any film, but especially an independent film that does not have a whole publicity team behind it pushing the release.

Based on your comment and poster-viewing behavior, I'd reckon that the most beneficial thing for me to do in terms of getting my movie noticed by people who may not generally pay attention to unknown titles, would be putting equal, if not more, effort into other forms of media and let the poster just be the "dessert" in a large entree of promotional support material. Or maybe, condiments are a better analogy, in that, you know that the ketchup is there if you want to use it but you're more interested in the side dishes (buzz) that support the main dish...I think.

Maurice,
I like your train of thought on how the hidden face design could be perceived as a movie about secrets. That easily plays out in "The Dark Knight" since Batman has two identities and all, and his right-hand men at work and at home help him maintain those secrets. Although I haven't seen "The Truman Show," I've found people who are either fond of the movie itelf or at the very least, have a respect for elements that it does get right. I'll have to see which side of the coin I fall on, whenever I get around to checking it out.

Dezzy,
Your go-big-or-go-home taste in movie posters is probably what keeps the box office and filmmaking as a whole, surviving; in a sense that if it's supposed to all be about entertainment, it might as well be one big epic adventure! I agree...there's nothing like a feel-good poster to make you so warm and fuzzy inside that you expect the film to deliver the good vibes that the poster set you up to experience.

Kristen,
It's so true (and so annoying when that happens, right?) that even with the trailer and poster combo, viewers never really know what they're getting until they watch the whole movie, except in rare cases (like just about any Tyler Perry movie or lots of Rom Coms) where it couldn't be more obvious. While it's annoying when the marketing doesn't match-up to the real thing, I've found that this can sometimes be a good thing. Based on the trailer for "World War Z" starring Brad Pitt, I didn't have a lot of high hopes for that movie but still went to see it and I am glad I did because I enjoyed watching it. I do know a few folks who would have the complete opposite response about "Taken 2" though.

I'm going to have to try to take a page from your book and not make preconceptions about a movie based on watching the trailer. I do hope that they are somewhat close to what the movie is about though, because the trailer is sometimes one of the (or the only) reasons why I want to watch a movie -- particularly when I know nothing else about the film. The upcoming crime thriller "Prisoners" starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, is a prime example -- I only heard of the movie this week while reading a blog about it and was still on the fence about watching it...until I saw the trailer. Now, I want to see it...and I'm hoping it will be as gripping as it looks in the previews.