Rubbersquare
Well-known member
of course, keeping only elements from the first act for "the sixth sense," you never would have been able to use "i see dead people."
Creating a movie poster
- Thread starter imageonepictures
- Start date
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
exactly. i've been working on one for a script in progress (cart before the horse, you could say) and it's a toughy. how to sell a mood through visuals (when nothing's been shot) is quite a challenge.
i'm a big fan of posters that can sell the feeling of the film, that you know what you'll be getting, but do it in a vague way you might not understand truly until you've seen the film. something that reveals more about the film once you've seen the film. though not a movie poster, the cover for stephen king's "pet sematary" had a small image of the dad carrying his son up to the sematary, but i didn't realize he was holding anything (let alone his son) until after i read the book. that realization was like a second shock.
though it doesn't reveal anything about the film, when i first noticed the dali image in the silence of the lambs poster i was like, wow!
the SOTL poster also does that vague thing where you don't know much about the story, but get the mood immediately. with the white face, orange eyes, moth over her mouth. just a striking image.
i'm trying to figure out a way of doing that for my stuff. something that's art, but stills "sells" a mood.
since the below images are very, very much temporary any input is appreciated.
here's one for "detox" - i didn't want to go for the typical syringe shot that seemed obvious. this is a stock shot that i heavily manipulated for one of the detoxing person's hallucinations.
this is also a stock shot that is again heavily manipulated. i wanted something that conveyed sex and sadness.
Last edited:
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
thanks for the comments. the punishment cabinet's image is a stock photo, not sure if it was digital or not. but it was HEAVILY manipulated.
oh, and as far as having something in the poster that may not be realised until after seeing the film, the logo treatment for "the punishment cabinet" intentionally becomes blurrier or fuzzy as it goes. not that anyone would probably get that even after watching the film, but i'm all about hiding stuff that only i get (or people go "OH!" if it's pointed out.)
oh, and as far as having something in the poster that may not be realised until after seeing the film, the logo treatment for "the punishment cabinet" intentionally becomes blurrier or fuzzy as it goes. not that anyone would probably get that even after watching the film, but i'm all about hiding stuff that only i get (or people go "OH!" if it's pointed out.)
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
here's the original...
basically have layers above the image to desaturate and adjust levels, then a layer with the white fade and above that a layer set to hard light with 50% neutral gray that i added the noise to so i could change it around.
then a made a copy of that, pasted it above the whole thing and set that to overlay to boost the contrast.
there are also some white gradients set to soft light and overlay to punch up the areas that were a bit too dark.
i would have liked to see the guy's face rather than the woman's since the story is centered around the male character, but, like i said, it's a temp solution.
basically have layers above the image to desaturate and adjust levels, then a layer with the white fade and above that a layer set to hard light with 50% neutral gray that i added the noise to so i could change it around.
then a made a copy of that, pasted it above the whole thing and set that to overlay to boost the contrast.
there are also some white gradients set to soft light and overlay to punch up the areas that were a bit too dark.
i would have liked to see the guy's face rather than the woman's since the story is centered around the male character, but, like i said, it's a temp solution.
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
the white fade was across the whole bottom. on the lower right is a white gradient set to overlay to make it less an even fade out.
hard light and overlay are options in the blending mode in the layers palette (or layer:layer style:blending options).
and yes, the white soft light is on the girl's back.
this was the inspiration for the poster, a still from "vinterkyss" -
loved the sad look of the couple in bed.
hard light and overlay are options in the blending mode in the layers palette (or layer:layer style:blending options).
and yes, the white soft light is on the girl's back.
this was the inspiration for the poster, a still from "vinterkyss" -
loved the sad look of the couple in bed.
Last edited:
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
sorry, must have missed the layer question. unless you have cs3 (which i don't) where i think you can add filters and such without actually permanently changing the layer, you are fairly limited to what you can do. level adjustment, hue, brightness, all those can be set to affect only the layer below and will reside as layers themselves. the grain was done on its own layer using the hard light blending option and filling with 50% gray (in the dialogue box). this shows up transparent (in RGB) and you can do things like add grain or lens flares and still be able to turn off that layer. It's a pretty big question and i'm nowhere near qualified to answer it. i wish i could.
oh, and the image i used for "the punishment cabinet" was stock that i bought already shot, so i had NO control over anything. it was best approximation i could find to the one from "vinterkyss" and, not having actual cast members to shoot, i was pretty limited. like i said, it's a temporary poster, just something to help promote the script. but, eventually, i may get my photographer friend to shoot something that i CAN control. that's why i'm fishing for input to see what i should do when/if we get to that stage. so far the comments have been great (and helpful!)
oh, and the image i used for "the punishment cabinet" was stock that i bought already shot, so i had NO control over anything. it was best approximation i could find to the one from "vinterkyss" and, not having actual cast members to shoot, i was pretty limited. like i said, it's a temporary poster, just something to help promote the script. but, eventually, i may get my photographer friend to shoot something that i CAN control. that's why i'm fishing for input to see what i should do when/if we get to that stage. so far the comments have been great (and helpful!)
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
i'm actually kinda bummed there was such a positive reaction... not much to change, that's kinda boring. heh.
about marketing a script, yeah, i work in advertising and realize the importance of image and marketing. we've already got a teaser trailer for "detox" - and a website and myspace page. doesn't hurt to get the word out there.
what about the "detox" poster? obviously the lesser discussed (and perhaps less impactful) of the two. the face pictured is that of the Watchman, a character that appears to be an hallucination in the film. i wanted to stay clear of the horror cliches like the grungy texture and away from drug-related imagery like syringes, etc. but it feels a bit bland, eh? again, this is for a script so i have no cast to shoot. any human element would need to be fairly anonymous (no faces). any thoughts?
about marketing a script, yeah, i work in advertising and realize the importance of image and marketing. we've already got a teaser trailer for "detox" - and a website and myspace page. doesn't hurt to get the word out there.
what about the "detox" poster? obviously the lesser discussed (and perhaps less impactful) of the two. the face pictured is that of the Watchman, a character that appears to be an hallucination in the film. i wanted to stay clear of the horror cliches like the grungy texture and away from drug-related imagery like syringes, etc. but it feels a bit bland, eh? again, this is for a script so i have no cast to shoot. any human element would need to be fairly anonymous (no faces). any thoughts?
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
no, that's what i want to hear, honest response.
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
ok, another stab at the "detox" poster. didn't go too far with it, wanted to get some input...
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
i stayed away from red & blood intentionally, though i did play around with making the tagline look like it was blood soaking into the fabric. maybe if i go this way and actually shoot the elements (this was all stock photos), i'll be able to play with the colors more. i'll keep noodling with this one over the next coupla days and see how it goes. thanks for the feedback. any other thoughts?
Rubbersquare
Well-known member
noodled a bit with color. i didn't explore the "bloodsoaked" letters in the tagline yet, gonna do some tests to see if i like the effect first. also, was thinking of some other tags. one is "Never trust a junkie." also, think it may be a bit light. anyway, here's the latest iteration...
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited:
Prodigi Pictures
Carbonite Member
a
Last edited: