Interview with Film Projectionist 29/7/14

To further my research into film posters, I talked with Robin Smitten, who works as the projectionist at the Theatre in Chipping Norton and has a keen interest in film posters. Prior to meeting him, I established some key points I wanted to discuss with him:

1.     In what ways are film posters led by symbols? (e.g. Major actor or actress)

2.     Which film genres would require narrative elements displayed in film posters?

3.     How do you arrange and balance the imagery in a film poster?

4.     Is there a specific layout for film posters? (E.g. Position of Title and Credits)

5.     How would change of tone and colour affect the mood of the poster?

6.     Is the logo required to stand out from the rest of the poster to attract attention?

Notes on Robin Smitten’s Comments

·      Poster should consist of three things:

1.     Title

2.     Plot

3.     Mood

·      Some posters will only be seen at a glance. E.g. Poster on moving bus.

·      Most modern film posters are led by images of Actors and Actresses’ faces. Well-known stars attract attention of passers-byes.

·      More established films, such as James Bond, are led by icons. Such as Bond character and ‘007’ icon.

·      Ideas for Final Designs – ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’. Use ‘9’ as icon.

·      Colour tone and shading can affect mode of poster. E.g. Dark toning for last ‘Harry Potter’ emphasises dark tone of film.

·      Posters reused for DVD covers. Perhaps loses feel of film poster.