Lights, Camera, “Action!”

economic hardships of the time (“History of Movie Posters “).

1940s As the 1940s rolled around, there were some major developments that changed advertising for movies, which is unsurprising considering the state of the world at the time. With World War II going on, many different film studios aimed, particularly in America, to create a feeling of patriotism among its viewers to encourage enlistment and more support in the home front. This led to an excessive amount of war movies. While the film industry didn’t lose as much business as others, budgets were still cut and fewer movies were made due to the advent of television. As for design, illustrations of characters came to the forefront as the most noticeable feature while the usual full-scene depictions from earlier posters disappeared (“History of Movie Posters “).

1950s As soldiers returned from the battlefield, it only made sense that they wouldn’t want to be reminded of their time in the war. Because of this, sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy became the most popular genres in the theaters. To try and bring back viewers they lost due to TV, film studios had to become even more innovative, introducing inventions like wider screens and the creation of 3D, the latter of which was a veritable failure in this era. Posters took to a more conceptual concept around this time as well, trying to convey content and themes of the movie without characters and with a further emphasis on typography (“History of Movie Posters “).

1960s The ‘60s were a busy time on many fronts, especially within the United States, and film is no exception. Here we see the rise of the teen idol and the beach movie genre became more and more popular alongside the action genre, with the original James Bond movies leading this rise. Surprisingly, especially in comparison to modern-day values, censorship guidelines were still lacking and so adult-oriented films were frequently produced in the open as well. Illustration in posters was still used, but we see a further emphasis on type and a more conscious push to make the designs fit the content of the movie better (“History of Movie Posters “).

1970s Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: it was in the ‘70s that Star Wars and Star Trek took the movie world by storm. Along with other movies like the Godfather, Rocky, and Alien, we begin to see the classics we all know and love (except me, because I could never get into Star Wars, my bad). Photography began to be introduced at this time but illustration was still majorly preferred. Those that did use photography featured a layout where the photo took up the frame while typography became an afterthought. Trends also began to move really quickly from here on out (Fun fact: people began to collect posters around this time as well!) (“History of Movie Posters “).

1980s Nothing can stop the march of time and nothing can stop technology from developing. New special effects came onto the scene and therefore changed how designers approached poster design, specifically what images they chose to display. Not only this, but new posters with alternative layouts had to be made as the video rental market grew and needed an in-store display for their movie selections. It’s in the ‘80s that we see a layout that starts to resemble what we see today: large photographic backgrounds and more balance between that image and type (“History of Movie Posters “).

1990s Similar to the ‘80s, as technology advanced, poster design changed to reflect it. With computerized effects, posters began to feature more fantastical creatures and lands. There isn’t much to say specifically in terms of actual design for this era, however; the overall layout tended to be a photographic background with slogans at the top and actor names above the film title, which was put at the bottom of the frame. (“History of Movie Posters “)

2000-2010s

Design didn’t shift too much between these two decades aside from the introduction of better effects and photography. Layouts are similar to that of the ‘80s and ‘90s, with image and typography improvements. Minimalism began to become popular at the end of the 2000s and into the 2010s however, and layouts tended to be more imbalanced. (“History of Movie Posters “)

Yay, you made it through that terrible list! Now just one more and we’ll jump into looking at all the pretty posters. Most posters have a few elements that appear across all genres in many easilyidentifiable aspects. Most, if not all posters include one or more of the following elements: titles, actor(s), director(s), the release date, slogans, reviewer quotes or critiques, eye-catching colors, large and dynamic typography, and visually interesting graphics. Okay, no more lists for the time being– onto the posters!

(The Fatal Ring, Episode 16, The Double Disguise, 1917)

Lights, Camera, “Action!”

Action, as defined in terms of movies, is defined as “a genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that usually involve violence and physical feats” (“Action Film.”). Pretty open-ended, right? Considering there are so many types of action movies, from superhero movies to war films, just about any adventure-related movie can be categorized as ‘action’. Overall, though, an action film tends to feature a hero facing incredible odds, including life-threatening scenarios, a dangerous villain, or a pursuit in which the hero claims a victory (“Action Film.”). Action films really began to develop and gain popularity in the 1970s as stunts and special effects began to be used more theatrically in film; think Bruce Lee, for example (“Action Film.”).

Design-wise, I’ve found that whether from the decades of illustration or from the recent domination of photography, posters attempt to elicit a feeling of adrenaline when viewed (Fussell), though the ‘20s were slacking a little in this department in my own opinion. There is either some sort of action going on or some design element that inspires the idea of action when viewed. Even in the 1910s, as seen here in this poster of The Fatal Ring (1917, see page 10), you have a scene in which a conflict is taking place, with three men seemingly attacking a woman who has just fired her gun. At the time this may have elicited a need to save the woman in the poster, wanting to jump in to help her out, inspiring the audience to take some sort of action.

Even 20 years later posters manage to continue to create a rush of feeling as seen in the poster for Stagecoach from 1939. Movement is created as an illustration of a stagecoach crossing the frame at seemingly high speeds down a hill. Speed can get anyone’s blood pumping, and this perceived movement– added with the riders facing the opposite direction of the horses with guns drawn– leaves the viewer with the impression that a high-speed chase is taking place.

In recent years, I believe the aim for adrenaline is pushed back with the movement towards a more minimalist approach. There will always be posters that will keep action within frame in order to keep the viewer interested and excited for the movie though, such as in the poster for Baby Driver from 2017. Here you have all the action at the bottom of the poster in the form of a high-speed car chase, giving the

(Baby Driver, 2017)

viewer a glance into the crazy high stakes chases that happen in the movie. This feeling is further emphasized by the action lines surrounding the center red car, giving the impression that the car is racing forward and out of the frame just near the viewer while simultaneously tricking us into thinking that the car may reverse and swerve its way around the police behind it just at the last minute. But that is where the action stays, the rest of the desired rush of feeling perhaps stemming from the worry of seeing guns in the upper right-hand corner.

The posters that don’t rely on this evident action today, however, lean more on the tension that usually forms just before action is taken, or even the feelings that linger after an event has already taken place. Both versions of the 2013 poster for Pacific Rim play on these aspects. The first shows two of the main actors in front of a behemoth of a robot, giving the audience the sense that they’re about to board the machine (see opposite). This, paired with the light near the robot’s chest, hints at it powering up, while the sight of construction work going on behind everything brings a feeling of tension to the viewer just moments before an intense battle despite the fairly simple poster design. The second poster, meanwhile, shows the aftermath of a battle, and while there is some action in both the falling metal parts and rain, you get the tension that comes with knowing the battle isn’t over and there is more to come (see below). As mentioned earlier with the poster for Stagecoach, movement is a large part of action posters (Fussell). Oftentimes your eye has to follow the flow of battle when watching a movie, and the best way to experience this is for the eye to smoothly follow the action and not have to jump around the screen. Posters try to replicate this, both by having something that appears to be moving in the image and by allowing the eye to smoothly move across the frame. On the 2007 poster for Transformers, all of the characters are facing towards the right side of the poster, informing us that there is action happening off the frame, but paired with the embers caught in mid-flight, you are left with the impression that they may actually be rushing off into the fray just out of sight on the right side. The poster is also very centered, dragging the eye down the middle from one character to another straight to the title.

But movement has been used throughout poster history. In 1949, Sands of Iwo Jima featured movement by having the eye start in the upper right-hand corner and slowly move down the frame by linking one image to another. First, the flag raising, then the soldier running towards the title, then the two battle images, and finally to the couple in the lower left-hand corner. Meanwhile, a lot is happening in the main frame of the scene to keep the eye engaged: a soldier rushing at you from the battlefield, said battlefield being depicted

(Pacific Rim, 2013)

(Pacific Rim, 2013)

in a snapshot of a scene, the iconic flag raising on Mount Suribachi, and a reunited couple. This creates a fast-paced energy and gives the impression that the images are going to start moving in place and even jump out at the viewer.

The 1926 poster for The General continues this idea of something “jumping out of the frame” and creating movement. We see an illustration of the main actor being shot out of a cannon almost toward the viewer. In the lower right-hand corner, you can see a lot of commotion with soldiers rushing back and forth to get to the man on the cannonball. You also have a nice flow to the poster, where the man is unintentionally looking at the title, turning your attention to it. But the smoke and action lines attached to the cannon ball lead you to the rest of the poster.

By this point, you may have noticed a slight pattern in the design choices with some of these posters, specifically, that of the color choices: it’s the color red. Often seen as a color full of energy and passion, it’s no surprise that red is often used when designing action posters (Fussell). It tends to jump forward at the viewer, especially when paired with other colors. When placed next to or in front of another color, especially cooler ones like blues or green, red tends to stand out more and attract attention better. Though often used in type, red can

(Exploits of Elaine, 13th Episode 2 Parts The Devil Worshippers, 1914)

appear anywhere throughout the design to make the overall layout pop, and this is a design choice that has been happening since the 1910s as seen here.

(Planet of the Apes, 1968)

(Flying Tigers, 1942)

(The Dark Knight, 2008)

The last three posters prove to be great examples of red coming forward when compared with cooler colors. You will also see a lot of yellows and blues primarily in older action posters, interestingly enough. My best guess is that it was cheaper to print with primary colors than to try and mix them.

In terms of typography, as in the fonts and typefaces that are chosen for the poster, things get a bit more creative. While varying somewhat from poster to poster, the overall trend you tend to see are very large, bold fonts. In recent years we’ve seen thick sans serifs, both condensed like in the recent Batman poster and with wider kerning like in Avatar where the spacing between the letters is wider and very spaced out (the typeface in Avatar is Papyrus or at least a variant of it in case you were wondering why it looks familiar).

(Inception, 2010)