1. Attention – jump out from the wall.
If there’s one simple sales formula that everyone in a performance-based position should know, it’s . The four-step formula – attention, interest, desire, and action – has been used as the basis of thousands of successful movie advertising campaigns.
The first step, and the one most important for designers, is attention – grabbing the attention of passers-by and encouraging them to look.
The film poster can be different it can vary from character photos to a logo to just a film title. All that the film poster needs to do is to grab attention.
The hangover uses the poster range of character profiles with a quote from the film. This shows the audience the comedy of the film and some of the plot.
2. Iconography – showing without telling.
They use imagery, whether a close-up of a character or item that’s a major plot point, or a simple graphic, to establish the film’s plot. Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create interest at once.
The Jennifer's body poster is quite close to image from True Blood as the film is about a vampire parody. The poster can grab attention from True Blood audiences which would increase the films audience range.
It uses tactics honed in on by advertisers over the decades – sex appeal, contrast, and spacing – to grab your attention.
At the same time, it also gives a glimpse into what the film is about. This allows it to market to casual observers and horror fans at once, all through imagery.
3. Interest – create an incentive to see the film.
Some films use simple imagery to give away some type of storyline. The Inception poster below, shows viewers part of a scene. Leonardo looks alone and lost. This means that the story could have a twist which will create audience suspense.
4. Appeal – create desire with fans and non-fans alike.
Look at the Inglourious Basterds poster above. It’s made by one of the world’s most celebrated and well-known film directors,yet it barely states his involvement on its promotional poster. Another example but a good example of putting fans first is film posters like Dark Knight by just using the Dark Knight Logo.
5. Style – a look that’s consistent with the film.
Whether you’re marketing an art film or a blockbuster, style matters. Some of the most memorable film posters out there have used bold, unique artistic styles to their advantage.
What separates these posters from their ineffective art-for-art’s-sake rivals is that they’re consistent with style, in both the movie’s promotional materials and throughout the film itself.
The poster for Watchmen above is a classic example of this technique succeeding. Since it uses an instantly recognizable comic book style, it grabs the attention of fans of the book.
It’s accurate too, using the same type of stylized imagery as the film itself. This consistency means that it isn’t just a great theater-based marketing tool, but a recognizable image for DVD and other releases.
6. Lasting Appeal – a look that suits other formats.
Here’s the danger in getting too ‘arty’ and delicate with your film poster: it’s eventually, after release and theater shows, going to be shrunk to a fraction of its original size for the DVD release.
While a growing number of films now use different designs for their DVD cover than their in-theater promo posters, most of the classics and high-budget blockbusters still use the same poster for both.
Jurassic Park do this as they use the poster and DVD cover for the same image. In my opinion this also works on another level of suspense for audiences as the image doesn't give much away.
7. Recognizability – if it’s a sequel, make it obvious.
From time to time, the entire box office seems to be made up of sequels.
There’s a good reason for it too – some of the most financially dependable films are sequels to successful franchises.
From films that dominated both the commercial world and the awards scene to purely commercial releases, few films can guarantee studios income like a good sequel.
That’s why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas and instantly recognizable imagery throughout it.
The Godfather and the two sequels in the franchise are a great example – all three use the same style and design, using the critical and commercial success of the previous films in the franchise to draw in would-be viewers.
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