Topic: Inept film posters

[olliebean]

Surprised they didn't think of adding a bit of blur.

A nice bit of lens flare would have gone down a treat, as well.

[Thomas]

Apparently this is the final poster for Man of Steel.


That is fucking embarrassing.

It looks like he's taken the photo himself using his phone.

[eluc55]

I love how unimpressed he looks in that photo. Almost miffed - like his wife's sent him down to the shop during the footy.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I quite like it. Almost looks like it's moving if you scroll up and down. It's certainly not as bad as this

[eluc55]

To be honest I'm so hyped for Man of Steel now, they could have a poster of my mum's bare tits and I'd still run to the cinema with gay abandon.

[Famous Mortimer]

It looks like they hired Zack Morris off of Saved By The Bell to be Superman, as well.

[Replies From View]

To be honest I'm so hyped for Man of Steel now, they could have a poster of my mum's bare tits and I'd still run to the cinema with gay abandon.

That isn't what makes a gay.  Start again.

[El Unicornio, mang]

This isn't the right thread for this, but just to show that good modern film posters are possible

[Catalogue Trousers]

Unfortunately, that just makes me think of this:

[Jumble Cashback]

I like how the first 'the' saps any possible urgency from the subtitle.

[mcbpete]

This isn't the right thread for this, but just to show that good modern film posters are possible

Yeah that pretty good but utterly ruined by the cheap overlay of the film's title/logo - a complete clash stylistically.

[spock rogers]

First, here's the original pic of Melissa McCarthy from new comedy The Heat:


Now, here's the poster:


What the fucking fuck?!

[lazarou]

What is happening with any of that. The face, the ridiculously long RPG thing, those... legs?

[phantom_power]

The end of the RPG doesn't even stick out in the right place

[Bored of Canada]

Concerns have been raised today about the US covers of 'The Sapphires'.



'The Sapphires' was a film released last year, based on a true story about a group of Aboriginal women who started a soul band, they face immense racial prejudice and eventually go to Vietnam to sing for the US troops. It features a great little local cast but I'm sure the leads wouldn't be recognised anywhere outside of Australia[1]. I saw it last year at the cinema and it was a relatively light yet heartwarming film with some good music.  What it does have, was Chris O'Dowd, in a supporting role playing their pathetic alchoholic manager, and he really elevates the film and gives it a much needed edge.

Thing is, the whole film deals with the point that these women were forced to overcome prejudice, they overcame racism to make their mark. And the new cover ironically does the exact thing which they struggle against in the film. In that they watermarked them in the background and stuck Chris O'Dowd front and centre in the poster. The leads of the film look like wispy blue farts coming out of his arse in the background. With lens flare stuck in too for good measure.



Now, I understand the point behind that. People in the US don't know these Aboriginal women, and Chris O'Dowd's pretty big there now.
I remember thinking just how fantastic it was for the filmmakers to have him in it, as it gave the film marketability internationally.
But the poster literally kind of undermines the point of the film, and actually comes across as kind of offensive in that context...But it will also make them more successful.

Then again, I honestly think them making the most amount of money's the best thing, as it insures that everyone involved can get another opportunity to make a film. Then again the actual people the film is based on are very upset about it too, and I don't really think they give a shit about making the extra American dollars at this point, it was already a big success domestically and internationally for an Australian film, and they seemed like they more cared about getting their story told, as people previously didn't give a shit about a band of Aboriginal singers.

http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/news/local-news/332049/the-sapphires-slam-sexist-racist-cover-of-aussie-film.htm
 

1.	Though the English apparently love our soap-operas, so you may recognise Deborah Mailman from The Secret Life Of Us.

[BritishHobo]

Fucking hell, that is one of the stupidest design decisions I've seen in a long while. I'd hate to be the people who thought was a good idea.

Looking at it, I'd assume it was just one of a selection of those 'character posters' they sometimes do for children's films - putting O'Dowd front and centre is bad enough, but whose fucking idea was it to give him sole credit on the cover?

[Bored of Canada]

Fucking hell, that is one of the stupidest design decisions I've seen in a long while. I'd hate to be the people who thought was a good idea.

Looking at it, I'd assume it was just one of a selection of those 'character posters' they sometimes do for children's films - putting O'Dowd front and centre is bad enough, but whose fucking idea was it to give him sole credit on the cover?

I mean, it makes sense though. In England and America, you're not going to recognise a group of Australian actors in some Australian film about Australia, it'll probably be a flippin' musical and shit. But if Bridesmaids/IT Crowd/Girls' very own Chris O'Dowd is in it, well, hey! Maybe it could be interesting. It elevates it in international audiences mind as a funny Chris O'Dowd film that potentially has him cracking jokes and singing James Brown songs. Maybe he'll do the splits in it and tear open his ballbag, then, like, has to finish off the set whilst singing in a comically high key. That'd be a hilarious set-piece in this imaginary film that the poster presents.

He's not the main character by any means, his presence is definitely felt throughout but it'd be the equivalent of marketing Bridesmaids in England by sticking him up front and centre and hiding Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and the rest of the top billed cast behind him, perhaps presented as tiny little statuettes on a multi-tiered wedding cake in the background.  Chris O'Dowd stands up front, hanging some handcuffs off his finger whilst holding his finger on his other hand over his lips, shushing the viewer cheekily.

Because, who in England would have known those ladies prior to Bridesmaids?
 

[Nuclear Optimism]

Also turning them blue makes it harder to immediately tell that they're black.

[Nuclear Optimism]

The Canyons is going to go down in history as one of the most difficult and fucked up shoots in a long time. One of the American mags had a set report that makes Cleopatra or Apocalypse Now look like chicken feed. So it's probably not surprising that the poster's cack:



Completely gratuitous big crystal of lens flare too. Meanwhile, it's been a long time since Nicolas Cage was in a good poster:



That trail of dark smoke looks like it was added using the Window Paint spray-can tool, and the title is like 15-year old Word Art. Awful. Next, we've got a total mess:



Not convincing enough to be a group shot, not imaginative enough to be a nice collage of actors. Just bad cut-outs. Buy an average person a copy of Photoshop and they could do better after one day of getting used to it. "In theaters and on-demand".

[Nuclear Optimism]

Urgh! And if you think that's bad, have a look at the full version:



Talk about throwing the kitchen sink at it!

This one is better because at least it doesn't even try to look like a coherent scene:

[Famous Mortimer]

Not convincing enough to be a group shot, not imaginative enough to be a nice collage of actors. Just bad cut-outs. Buy an average person a copy of Photoshop and they could do better after one day of getting used to it. "In theaters and on-demand".

Now, I understand with a low budget film, not all the actors are going to be on set at the same time. Fair enough. But if you're going to do a poster, why not have all your actors take a few photos where they're all doing the same pose, or look roughly like they're in the same place at the same time?

[Bored of Canada]

Now, I understand with a low budget film, not all the actors are going to be on set at the same time. Fair enough. But if you're going to do a poster, why not have all your actors take a few photos where they're all doing the same pose, or look roughly like they're in the same place at the same time?

They literally look like cardboard cutouts. Where are you finding these Nuclear Optimism? I don't recall film posters being as rubbish as the ones you post? Do certain countries just have shit graphic designers, or are you the one person who sees the truth in the land of the blind?

Seriously. You're opening my eyes. I only glance at posters generally, if they've always been as bad as this, then I've not noticed it till you pointed it out.

It's very rare I see a poster/cover I like. The last one I did was fancy was the original one for Field in England.
Here we generally get some very nice ones. The main DVD chain store over here sometimes even commissions artists to design their own and sells them instead.
Got this sweet arse'd minimalist In Bruges blu-ray out of that.


And got a good friend this one for her birthday, I think[1]:


 

1.	I mean, I think it was her birthday. Though we have fallen out of touch as of late.[1]  1.  THANKS FOR FLIPPIN' REMINDING ME. Christ. You big jerk.

[gout_pony]

Japanese poster for Peter Jackson's Braindead:



Inept in the sense of providing an accurate depiction of the character of Nurse Mctavish:

[Gavin M]

The unconvincing collage of people of bad enough, but what really grates is how the list is laid out.  Why would all the lines ending in '..... Job' start in a different position to the rest of it?  Surely they could have done something?  Also, possibly the least alluring picture of Aubrey in existence.

[clingfilm portent]

Inept in the sense of providing an accurate depiction of the character of Nurse Mctavish

But brilliant in every other way. Thanks for sharing it!

[El Unicornio, mang]

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/LAST-VEGAS-Poster.jpg

I get the impression that those heads are all taken from stills from other movies the actors have been in, pasted onto the bodies of models.

[kidsick5000]

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/LAST-VEGAS-Poster.jpg

I get the impression that those heads are all taken from stills from other movies the actors have been in, pasted onto the bodies of models.

As composites go, it one of the better ones. In fact, it might be a genuine group shout just overly-photoshopped.
But what struck me first was Douglas, DeNiro, Freeman and Trigger?

[Default to the negative]

It's a pity that the Red Letter Media guys didn't refer to the posters when they were picking apart Sandler, because they really help to illustrate their point about how the budgets for his films aren't reflected in the end product.

[small_world]

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/LAST-VEGAS-Poster.jpg

I get the impression that those heads are all taken from stills from other movies the actors have been in, pasted onto the bodies of models.

If DeNiro is in that, why is he not on the poster?

[SteveDave]

This might've been mentioned before but Marvel appear to have a formula for their posters now