Ghost Rider movie poster contest...this is why posters today suck.

[enyawd72]

Sony has a contest to create the movie poster for the upcoming Ghost Rider sequel, which I was super excited to enter until I read the rules.

I had to put away my paint brushes...you can't enter hand drawn or painted art!

They tell you to be as creative as you like, then restrict you to using required fonts and likenesses in the proper ratios and percentages, and creating a photoshop composite from a selection of crappy pre-approved clip art.

So much for creativity.

[johnmiic]

So they're trying to save money on advertiesing, eh?

[Brazoo]

Crowd sourcing - one more thing killing the graphic industry.

[Brazoo]

NO!SPEC | To educate the public about speculative (spec) work

[Meule]

Sony has a contest to create the movie poster for the upcoming Ghost Rider sequel, which I was super excited to enter until I read the rules.

I had to put away my paint brushes...you can't enter hand drawn or painted art!

They tell you to be as creative as you like, then restrict you to using required fonts and likenesses in the proper ratios and percentages, and creating a photoshop composite from a selection of crappy pre-approved clip art.

So much for creativity.

Best movie posters were the hand drawn and painted posters from back in the day. I wish they'd bring those back

[samurainoir]

Between photoshop and the fact that actor's have say in size, billing and placement of their likeness on the posters, it's a real shame that they can't do old school illustrated posters anymore.

You have guys like Bernie Wrightson working on designs that will never be seen outside of a making of book or dvd bonus feature... imagine what a kickass job he'd do on a movie poster for Ghost Rider?

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I suspect the limits for the contest are to protect the company from claims of copyright infringement. "No way! The movie bike is TOTALLY like the one I submitted on my poster!"

Don C.

[enyawd72]

Hmmmm....

I suspect the limits for the contest are to protect the company from claims of copyright infringement. "No way! The movie bike is TOTALLY like the one I submitted on my poster!"

Don C.

Could be...although they could still just provide you with reference material for the bike and say you can do whatever you like as long as you keep to the official design.

[enyawd72]

Between photoshop and the fact that actor's have say in size, billing and placement of their likeness on the posters, it's a real shame that they can't do old school illustrated posters anymore.

You have guys like Bernie Wrightson working on designs that will never be seen outside of a making of book or dvd bonus feature... imagine what a kickass job he'd do on a movie poster for Ghost Rider?

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsccqpdmkc1qhpx4lo1_500.jpg

http://images.comicbookresources.com/c2f/ghostrider.gif

So, so true...Drew Struzan was very much looking forward to doing the entire Harry Potter series, but the studio opted for the old floating heads after the first film, so he put his designs in his new book I believe.

[Brazoo]

If you talk to the poster designers you'll find that it's the studios pushing for the actors faces to be HUGE on the posters - the actor's faces are used for brand recognition in the marketing.

For example, DVD's originally often re-used the movie poster artwork (why create new art?) What they found was that cropping pics of the actors and blowing them up huge resulted in more sales.

For example:

This:

on DVD became this: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/uploa...barian-dvd.jpg


This:

on DVD became this:


This:

on DVD became this:


Here's a blog on how Saul Bass' posters got mangled on DVD:
Saul Bass’ movie posters: then and now

[Figuremod73]

I was just thinking the other day while looking at DVD's how the covers seemed uninspired. I know why now. Yet another creative thing down the drain...

[Brazoo]

The 7 Romantic Comedy Movie Poster Clichés:

Cliché #1: Back-To-Back | The 7 Romantic Comedy Movie Poster Clichés | Features | Empire

[StrangeVisitor]

If you talk to the poster designers you'll find that it's the studios pushing for the actors faces to be HUGE on the posters - the actor's faces are used for brand recognition in the marketing.

For example, DVD's originally often re-used the movie poster artwork (why create new art?) What they found was that cropping pics of the actors and blowing them up huge resulted in more sales.

While I don't doubt what you say, I find it odd that studios think dvd buyers in the mid-1990s or later would be so familiar with John Belushi or Yul Brynner , since their heyday was about twenty years before?

I was just thinking the other day while looking at DVD's how the covers seemed uninspired. I know why now. Yet another creative thing down the drain...

My favorite example of a great movie poster (unused) vs final crappy dvd cover:



vs



Ghost Rider won't be the first Marvel movie to go this uninspired route, they have all been nearly the same design.

[kingdom warrior]

If you talk to the poster designers you'll find that it's the studios pushing for the actors faces to be HUGE on the posters - the actor's faces are used for brand recognition in the marketing.

For example, DVD's originally often re-used the movie poster artwork (why create new art?) What they found was that cropping pics of the actors and blowing them up huge resulted in more sales.

For example:

This: http://horrornews.net/wp-content/upl...n-poster-1.jpg

on DVD became this: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/uploa...barian-dvd.jpg


This: http://ca.movieposter.com/posters/ar.../MPW-54897.jpg

on DVD became this: http://www.timemachinetoys.com/dieca...alHouseDVD.JPG


This: http://media.tumblr.com/Q3vCFPeTTgqv...TjMFo1_500.jpg

on DVD became this: http://images.bizrate.com/resize?sq=450&uid=6822535


Here's a blog on how Saul Bass' posters got mangled on DVD:
Saul Bass’ movie posters: then and now

I despise computer generated art......always have, always will no secret with me. BUT these posters were designed at the time to be displayed on Buses,Trains,along highways on Billboards. so blown up, these poster design work.

They were never intended to be on DVD's reducing the artwork down the detail in the artwork is lost and it will blend with the hundred of other DVD's that are battling for your attention.
So re-designing it to be simple and eye catching is more what they're after.....

[Brazoo]

While I don't doubt what you say, I find it odd that studios think dvd buyers in the mid-1990s or later would be so familiar with John Belushi or Yul Brynner , since their heyday was about twenty years before?



My favorite example of a great movie poster (unused) vs final crappy dvd cover:

http://posterwire.com/wp-content/images/the_warriors.jpg

vs

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/the-warriors-dvd.jpg

Ghost Rider won't be the first Marvel movie to go this uninspired route, they have all been nearly the same design.

Young people weren't the only ones buying DVDs though - "boomers" bought DVDs like crazy - and they'd recognize those actors for sure.

Awesome poster example, by the way - and sad.