What are some Classic Examples of Film Posters? How Have Posters Developed Over Time? By Myles McCaulskey

Film Posters have been part of Films since the 20^th Century and their growth and influence has changed gradually over time. First here are some Classic Examples of Films from the 20^th Century and the film posters that accompanied the Film:

King Kong: The 1933 Production by Merian C. Cooper and Ernst B Schoedsack

Casablanca: 1942 Production by Michael Curtiz & Film Poster Editor Bill Gold

 Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Arc: 1981 Directed by Steven Spielberg and Produced by George Lucas & Film Poster Editor Richard Amsel  

Dr. No:  1962 Production by Terrence Young & Film Poster Editor Mitchell Hooks

 Sound of Music: 1965 Production by Robert Wise & Film Poster Editor Howard Terpning

 (Blade Runner) – 1982 Ridley Scott Production & Film Poster Editor John Alvin

As you can see from these posters all are illustrations of the main actor/actress or object in the film, giving the audience a sense of awareness of who’s in the film. Originally and prior to the 1990’s, film posters were mainly illustrations instead of today’s posters which use photographs and CGI effects on the main characters illustrated on the film poster. The old film posters were less likely to have photographs as they had maintained the traditions of the early 1900’s where posters were small illustrations and for cinema use only. This was also because the same images seen in the film poster appear in the Film Exhibitors press book and are also seen on websites, DVD’s and most importantly VHS Packaging as this was the biggest form of film distribution after cinema release in the 20^th Century.

The Birth of Film Posters began as outside placards listing the programme of short films to be shown inside the hall or movie theater, as an act of cinema/film promotion. However, by the early 1900s, they began to feature illustrations of a scene from each individual film or an array of overlaid images from several scenes. This began the basis of the common Film Poster. Other movie posters have used artistic interpretations of a scene or even the theme of the film, represented in a wide variety of artistic styles. E.g. Roy Linchestein’s Pop Art Technique etc.

 Why were Film Posters Created?

Originally, film posters were produced for the exclusive use by the theatres exhibiting the film the poster was created for, and the copies of the posters were required to be returned to the distributor after the film left the theatre. In the United States, film posters were usually returned to a nation-wide operation called the National Screen Service (NSS)  which printed and distributed most of the film posters for the studios between 1940 and 1984. As an economy measure, the NSS regularly recycled posters that were returned, sending them back out to be used again at another theatre. During this time, a film could stay in circulation for several years, and so many old film posters were badly worn before being retired into storage at an NSS warehouse. Those posters which were not returned were often thrown away by the theatre owner, but some film posters found their way into the hands of collectors.


Beginning in the 1980s, the American film studios began taking over direct production and distribution of their posters from the National Screen Service and the process of making and distributing film posters became decentralised in that country. This saw the decline of the NSS and the new ways that production companies make their film stand out from the rest of the audience, making their USP or unique selling point their film poster to attract larger audiences.


Types of Film Posters and How They Have Changed:


Lobby Cards:


Lobby cards were the first set of film cars seen and in general were smaller and hand held as they were usually 11" × 14" cm. The Lobby Card Film Posters, typically issued in sets of eight, each featuring a different scene from the film. In unusual circumstances, some releases were promoted with larger 12 cards sequences or smaller sets of 6 cards. Films released by major production companies experiencing financial difficulties sometimes had no accompanying "lobby set" at all. Perhaps one of the most notable examples of this scenario would be Michael Mann's cult classic Manhunter (1986), for which no USA lobby card set was ever printed.

Teaser Poster:
A teaser poster or advance poster is an early promotional film poster, containing a basic image or design without revealing too much information such as the plot, theme, and characters. The purpose is to incite awareness and generate hype or hysteria for the film. A tagline may be included. There are some instances when teaser posters are issued long in advance before the film goes into production, although they are issued during the film development. An example of this is the 2010 Production of Harry Potter Series of the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 in which a teaser was released as an act of encouragement for people to go and see the film at the Box Office. These have become more popular as the new wave of contemporary film posters have grown in today’s society. 

Character Posters:
For a Sequel or Prequel Films there may be a various set of character film posters featuring an individual character from the film. Usually it contains the name of the actor/actress, with or without the name of the character played. It may also include a tagline that reflects the quality of the character. This once again can be seen in the 2010 production of Harry Potter and the 2009 Production of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen which use this type of Film poster to regain audiences from the first film. 

Motion Posters:
These types of film posters mark the new age of film posters in contemporary society as this is the most recent type of poster in which the poster is animated. This is aided with the use of CGI effects and sometimes holographics in order to illustrate to the audience the genre of the film as seen in the 2010 Production of Tron Legacy which used high tech motion picture to link to the fact that it is part of the Sci-Fi Genre. Motion posters have been helped thanks to the wave of media viral sharing and the introduction of YouTube in 2006, which has changed media and distribution globally. 

Film Posters have changed drastically throughout time from the origins of their deployment in the NSS and Lobby Cards to the age of motion posters in contemporary society. Moreover, the text on film posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. E.g. “I Robot” and “Will Smith.” In many circumstances, a film poster may also tag line, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, etc e.g. “On Man Saw It Coming...” This has been a common trait in both old style film posters and today’s new contemporary film posters as both show relations in these Technical codes. 


Here are an example of Film Posters from contemporary Society:

2010 Production of Avatar

2011 Production of The Green Hornet

2010 Production of Karate Kid

2010 Production of Takers

As you can see there is a distinct difference between Historical Film Posters and Contemporary Film Poster e.g. Photography etc. However, as technology has improved, the use of photography has become a main feature of film posters as post 1990’s the use of photography and not animation of illustration has been seen for the main character on film posters. As society develops and technology continues to improve, the next step in film posters is immanent.