So I think that going through and pointing out certain aspects of what makes a movie poster successful (based on genre of course) is a good step towards crafting my final case study. This will be the first of a few evaluations I do.
The first poster I will evaluate is the original poster for The Shawshank Redemption.
Overall, the poster is very beautiful, it shows the majority of the main characters, as well as one of the most iconic scenes in movie history (Arms spread after he escapes in the small river). However, the main issue I have with this is if you have never seen the movie, which was everyone when this poster first came out, you would have absolutely no idea what it was about. The only hint that it deals with cops and/or guards is the one police style hat worn by Officer Hadley on the far left side.
This poster actually contains a great amount of epic fantasy style layout to it. Honestly, compare it to the original Star Wars posters and they are fairly similar minus the typographical choices. It would also be confused with a horror film as the dark coloring, almost evil look on Andy's face, and the typography all resemble that of a horror film.
Now, let's compare it to a couple much more basic posters that I feel convey's what the movie is about in a much clearer fashion.
First off, minimal posters are always eye catching due to the use of negative space, which both of these use well. Also, both of these make it very clear in both image and text that the movie is about a prison break, and the poster on the left reinforces the quote by showing a Bible. Instantly you have attracted the viewers attention with the basic image, and within seconds revealed what the movie is about.
I find this one particularly interesting because the movie did not do well in theaters when it was released, however it is named as one of the top movies ever made today. IMDB still rates it #1 in its list of 100 movies you have to see before you die. Obviously, there was a major flaw in it's advertising, and I'm convinced that misinterpretation caused some of it.
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