Movie posters are possibly the most vital aspect of what makes us want to go and watch a film. We look at a poster and think "Wow! That looks interesting!" or "What is that poster supposed to be advertising exactly?". Posters used to be an art form in their own way. Unfortunately, the 21st century has so far not seen the same quality. Hand-painted designs were common from the beginning of cinema up until the late 1980s - The Star Wars trilogy is a good example of the beautifully hand-crafted designs that once dominated our multiplexes. Nowadays things are obviously more modern, we have computer graphics which means people don't have to spend hours slaving on a poster. However, this means work can get sloppy and you can tell when a poster has been knocked out in an hour before someone's lunch break. The artistic approach to movie posters appears to be making a comeback; the most recent example of this is some of
the posters from Stoker. Yes, photography is still used in them but there are delicate drawings included which are really interesting - who knows what the film will be like. Here's some poster cliches that are beginning to bore some of us now, or have lost their effectiveness but will never be given up...