Movie posters remixed – When it comes to movie posters, Hollywood’s marketing machine leaves little room for creativity.
In theaters Friday: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The World’s End, You’re Next
New on Blu-ray: Amour, Epic
Pictured right: Fight Club by Billy Pyle.
When it comes to movie posters and cover art for DVDs and soundtracks, Hollywood’s massive marketing machine leaves little room for creativity. If a potential buyer can’t look at the image and immediately know who’s in the movie or what it is about, if they have think or engage at all with the image, studio executives will squawk. But that’s what the best art does. It stops us in our tracks, rearranges our heads, entertains us or informs us in a lasting way.
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While it’s a shame many Hollywood posters and cover art are not more creativethan slapping the faces of its stars together with a title font and background that give buyers some vague sense of the feel of the movie—quick shout-out to Criterion Collection, though, for their always inspired designs— thankfully, for years movie fans and artist have been creating their own posters and images of the favorites, both new and old. With the announcement of Batman appearing in Man of Steel sequel, creatives are already imagining what that movie’s poster should look like—see a gallery here.
What I love about fan art is that whether they are intricately detailed or boldly minimalist —taking one element of the film and using that to represent an entire story—they often capture the spirit of the movie far better than what the studio churned out for the lowest common denominator or plastered on the side of a bus. It’s a healthy case of the art consumer communicating with the original art creator and enriching the experience of being a fan for everyone. It’s a great remixing of culture. And when you see how passionate a fan artist is about a movie through his or her work, it can’t help but light something inside of you that screams, “Yes, me too!”
Other than perhaps Star Wars, or the films of Quentin Tarantino, the work of Wes Anderson seems to invite some of the most ardent fan-made images—in Austin, there was an entire festival dedicated to the director, who attended UT, and that website is rewarding trove of interesting fan designs. Right now, I’m enthralled by the Anderson work of Australia-based Conception Studios.
Of course, the Austin-based Mondo collective has taken fan art to the next level selling out of fresh prints and tees within hours of announcing their existence. And other artists veer away from a strict poster image concept and create all manner of works that represent films, like Alizee Lafon’s brilliant hipster kits. Now, the proliferation of animated gifs are opening new doors for the likes of Mr. Whaite and his stellar neon sign-inspired movie tributes—of which, the Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters images are my favorites.
No matter your aesthetic taste, if you’re looking for creative artwork for your living room wall or the wallpaper of your tablet, that is inspired by a favorite film, it can be found, and you’ll feel like a much bigger fan than ever for finding it.
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