ABC Foundation Diploma- film
Movie poster design
Task 1: research of eight directors
Ingmar Bergman:
Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film stage and television. He was born on 14th July 1918 and was a son of a priest. He directed over sixty films and documentaries for cinematic release and for television. He wrote and directed over one hundred and seventy plays; the actors he worked most with are Harriet Anderson, liv Ullmann, Gunnar Bjornstrand
and many more. Most of his films are bleak, deep and they were set in la
ndscapes of Sweden
his films covered the subjects death, betrayal, illness, faith, betrayal and insanity. Bergmans film career began in 1944 when he wrote the screenplay for Torment/ Frenzy. It is then when created famous films such as “The seventh, seal, Wild strawberries, Fanny and Alexander and Persona”.
Federico Felleni:
Federico Fellini was an Italian director and script writer born on January 20th, 1920 and unfortunately died in October 31, 1933. His films were visionary and highly surrealistic they were mos
t known for their distinctive style that blends fantasy and baroque images. Felleni was considered one of the most influential film makers of the 20th centaury. In 1950 Fellini co-produced and co-directed with Alberto Lattuada luci del Varietta his first feature film. His most famous films are 81/2, La dolce vita Guiletta Degli spirti and I Vitelloni.
Stanley Kubrick:
Stanley Kubrick an American film Director was born in New York
July 26, 1928 and died in March 7 1999. Kubrick had poor grades however was really intelligent and in 1940 his father sent him to California to stay with his uncle so that a change of scenery would give him a better academic. Kubrick lived in England for most of his life, his films were interesting because his films were slow and methodical in the several of genres he worked in science fiction, horror, period piece and war films. His films were enigmatic, creative and his later films began to have surrealism and expressionism the films that bought the most success were his war films. This started with the film Paths of glory, his other famous films are A clockwork orange, 2001 A space odyssey, The shinning and the Full metal Jacket.
Francis Ford Copolla:
Francis Ford Copolla was born 1n 1939 in Detroit, USA his family were really creative and had a high status. His father was a composer, musician and his mother was an actress. Francis graduated with a degree in Drama, he is known and the most innovative and influential director in Hollywood. His fame began in 1972 with the release of the film The God father this film was made in the gangster genre and immediately earned fame as it was something different and unique and is loved today and watched by the contemporary audience. Successfully Copolla created the God Father 2 sequel the film won best picture along with many other highly know awards. His other famous film was apocalypse now which revolves around the period of the Vietnam War.
Jaques Tati:
Jaques Tati was born in France in 9th October 1907 and died in 5 November 1982. Tati was known as one of the greatest movie directors even with only six feature films. Tati had an interesting career as a professional Rugby player and as a mime in French hall music. His film genres are comedy and most of his films present him as the main character called Mr Hulot. His films are unique have a certain flare to them. His most famous films are les vacanaces des Mr Hulot, play time, mon oncle and jour de fete. All these films cover the situation in mr Hulots Daily life where he encounters with many new things and it shows how he adapts to these different events.
Charles Chaplin:
Charlie Chaplin was born in April 16, 1889 and died in December 25, 1977. He was the most popular and successful star in the early days of the star. Charlie Chaplin was successful in many ways because he is most known for his acting in the silent films such as the tramp and the kid. The genres of his films were visual comedy, slapstick and mime. Charlie Chaplin influenced many stars and has successfully been able to win the hearts of many people through his vibrant and creative personality. His signature style was the little hat, walking stick and his moustache. Later on he started directing his own films many where he starred in himself these films were A countess from Hong Kong, The Chaplin Revue,A king in new york, limelight and many more.
Quentin Tarantino:
Quentin Tarantino a film director, producer and screen writer was born in January, 1922 march 23.
In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent film maker most of his films are non linear and contain violence. His work distinctly couples graphic violence with extensive, narrative-like dialogue. His films require audiences to listen attentively to exchanges while giving them the luxury to simply sit back and absorb dazzling audio and visual theatrics.
His movies are generally characterized by stylistic influences from grind house, Kungfu, and films. Tarantino also frequently collaborates with his friend and fellow filmmaker Robert Rodriguez . His most famous films are Pulp Fiction, Reservoir dogs and Kill Bill vol 1 and 2.
Alfred Hitchcock:
Alfred Hitchcock, was a British director and producer he was born in August 13, 1899 and died in April 29, 1980. Hitchcock is one of the greatest directors of all times because his films were known for their unique plots and he was a master in creating suspense and tension. Most of his films are highly entertaining because they contain characters you can relate with and their emotions. Most of Hitchcock’s films contain camera shots that show different angles and perspectives so that the audience can get a real feel of what is happening in the story and give them many different feelings. Hitchcock’s most famous films are psycho, rear window, North by Northwest, the birds and many more.
Task 2:
The director I have chosen is Alfred Hitchcock this is because his films are highly enjoyed by a different group of audience. His films are entertaining as well as cinematic; most of his films are thriller and mystery because Hitchcock’s film contains plots that are twisted and complex. However these plots keep the audience entertained because they keep the audience in tense and suspense and makes them watch on. Hitchcock’s films contain outstanding shows the use of his shots and angles represent the characters feelings and personality this makes the audience more engaged and intrigued.
The film I have chosen to recreate a poster for is North by Northwest which covers the genre mystery, thriller and romance .A famous film Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The reason why I I have chosen this film is because this film is full of suspense and mystery. This is one of the genres that is most enjoyed by the contemporary audience because its builds up tension and makes you more interested to watch on and find out what happens. Also the title of the film represents the confused absurd plot in the film which gives the audience a clue about the storyline However the poster is not as appealing and does not tell you much about the film. The poster itself is not attractive and does not grab the audience attention because of the layout and the images used.
I want to create a poster that is appealing and aesthetically pleasing this is because I want to persuade the audience to watch this film through the design and creativity in the poster. The poster should be full of bright colours the images should present the main characters and show of their personality this is because the actors play a huge part in grabbing the audience’s attention to make them watch the film.
The film categories are thriller, mystery and suspense this film include many plot devices and elements of typical Hitchcock films. The themes covered in the film are mistaken identity for the innocent, ordinary wrong man hero, false pretence and the survival of the 20th centaury in America in the cold war.
North by Nothwest synopsis:
Middle-aged Madison Avenue advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent by a gang of spies. He gets involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the government whilst being helped by a beautiful blonde.
New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane.
Task 2:
The director I have chosen is Alfred Hitchcock this is because his films are highly enjoyed by a different group of audience. His films are entertaining as well as cinematic; most of his films are thriller and mystery because Hitchcock’s film contains plots that are twisted and complex. However these plots keep the audience entertained because they keep the audience in tense and suspense and makes them watch on. Hitchcock’s films contain outstanding shows the use of his shots and angles represent the characters feelings and personality this makes the audience more engaged and intrigued.
The film I have chosen to recreate a poster for is North by Northwest which covers the genre mystery, thriller and romance .A famous film Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The reason why I I have chosen this film is because this film is full of suspense and mystery. This is one of the genres that is most enjoyed by the contemporary audience because its builds up tension and makes you more interested to watch on and find out what happens. Also the title of the film represents the confused absurd plot in the film which gives the audience a clue about the storyline However the poster is not as appealing and does not tell you much about the film. The poster itself is not attractive and does not grab the audience attention because of the layout and the images used.
I want to create a poster that is appealing and aesthetically pleasing this is because I want to persuade the audience to watch this film through the design and creativity in the poster. The poster should be full of bright colours the images should present the main characters and show of their personality this is because the actors play a huge part in grabbing the audience’s attention to make them watch the film.
The film categories are thriller, mystery and suspense this film include many plot devices and elements of typical Hitchcock films. The themes covered in the film are mistaken identity for the innocent, ordinary wrong man hero, false pretence and the survival of the 20th centaury in America in the cold war.
North by Nothwest synopsis:
Middle-aged Madison Avenue advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent by a gang of spies. He gets involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the government whilst being helped by a beautiful blonde.
New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane.
Task 3:Noth by North West Plot
Roger Thornhill, a twice-divorced advertising executive (Cary Grant ), is mistaken for “George Kaplan” when he summons a hotel bellhop who is paging Kaplan, and is kidnapped by Valerian (Adam Williams) and Licht (Robert Ellenstein). The two take him to the house of Lester Townsend on Long Island. There he is interrogated by a man he assumes to be Townsend, but who is actually foreign spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason). Thornhill repeatedly denies he is Kaplan, but Vandamm refuses to believe his men picked up the wrong man. He orders his right-hand man Leonard (Martin Landau) to get rid of him.
Thornhill is forced to drink bourbon in an attempt to stage a fatal road accident. However, he pushes one thug out of the car and drives off. After a perilous drive, he is arrested for drunk driving. He is unable to get the police, the judge, or even his mother (Jessie Royce Landis) to believe what happened to him, especially when a woman at Townsend’s residence says he got drunk at her dinner party; she also remarks that Lester Townsend is a United Nations diplomat.
Thornhill and his mother go to Kaplan’s hotel room, but cannot find anyone there who has seen him. While in the room, Thornhill answers the phone; it is one of Vandamm’s henchmen. Narrowly avoiding recapture, Thornhill takes a taxi to the General Assembly building of the United Nations, where Townsend is due to deliver a speech. Thornhill meets Townsend face to face and is surprised to find that the diplomat is not the man who interrogated him, and Townsend expresses surprise that anybody else has been living in his house. Before they can talk any more, Valerian throws a knife, striking Townsend in the back. He falls forward, dead, into Thornhill’s arms. Without thinking, Thornhill removes the knife, making it appear to onlookers that he is the killer. He flees.
Thornhill (Grant) on the run, attempting to travel incognito. Knowing that Kaplan has a reservation at a Chicago hotel the next day, Thornhill sneaks onto the 20th Century Limited. On board, he meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), who hides Thornhill from policemen searching the train. She asks about his personalized matchbooks with the initials ROT; he says the O stands for nothing. They flirt, but are interrupted by police officers boarding the train. Unbeknownst to Thornhill, Eve is working with Vandamm and Leonard, who are in another compartment. Upon arriving in Chicago, Thornhill borrows a porter’s uniform and carries Eve’s luggage through the crowd, eluding police. Eve (who is revealed to be Vandamm’s lover) lies to Thornhill, telling him she has arranged a meeting with Kaplan. She gives him directions to the place.
Thornhill (Grant) stopping a truck while being attacked by the crop-duster plane Thornhill travels by bus to an isolated crossroads, with flat countryside all around and only scarce traffic. Another man is dropped off at the bus stop, but turns out to be unconnected to Thornhill; the man leaves on a bus after observing that a nearby biplane is “dusting crops where there ain’t no crops.” Moments later, the plane turns toward Thornhill. To his terror, it dives at him, passing him at an altitude of only a few feet, forcing him to throw himself to the ground; immediately after that, someone on the plane opens fire on Thornhill with an automatic weapon, just missing him. This process is repeated several times. Thornhill flees to the cover of a cornfield, but the plane dusts it with pesticide, forcing him out. Desperate, Thornhill steps in front of a speeding gasoline tank truck, making it stop. The plane crashes into the tank truck and explodes. When passing drivers stop to see what is going on, Thornhill steals a pickup truck and drives back to Chicago.
Thornhill returns to the hotel, where he is surprised to learn that Kaplan had already checked out when Eve claimed to have spoken to him. Suspicious, he goes to Eve’s room to question her. She lets him get cleaned up as she leaves. From the impression of a message written on a notepad, Thornhill learns her destination: an art auction. There, he finds Vandamm, Leonard, and Eve. Vandamm purchases a pre-Columbian Tarascan statue and departs. Thornhill tries to follow, only to find all exits covered by Vandamm’s men. He escapes from them by placing nonsensical bids, making such a nuisance of himself that the police have to be called to remove him.
Thornhill tries to remain safely in police custody and identifies himself as a wanted fugitive, but the officers are ordered to take him to Midway Airport instead of a police station. He meets the Professor (Leo G. Carroll), an American spymaster who is after Vandamm. The Professor reveals that George Kaplan does not exist: he was invented to distract Vandamm from the real government agent — Eve, who was already in a relationship with Vandamm when alerted by the Professor to Vandamm’s espionage activity. As Eve’s life is now in danger, Thornhill agrees to help the Professor in order to protect her.
They fly to Rapid City, South Dakota, where Thornhill (now pretending to be Kaplan) meets Eve and Vandamm in a crowded cafeteria at the base of Mount Rushmore. He offers to let Vandamm leave the country in exchange for Eve, but is turned down. When he tries to keep her from leaving, Eve shoots Thornhill and flees. He is taken away in an ambulance. At a secluded spot, however, he emerges unharmed, having been shot with blanks. To his dismay, he learns that, having proven her loyalty and made herself a fugitive, Eve will accompany Vandamm out of the country that night. To keep him from interfering further, Thornhill is locked in a hospital room.
Thornhill manages to escape and goes to Vandamm’s mountainside home, slipping inside undetected. He learns that the Tarascan statue contains secrets on microfilm. While Eve is out of the room, Leonard fires the gun she used at Vandamm, demonstrating how the shooting was faked. Vandamm decides to throw Eve out of the airplane when they are flying over water. Thornhill manages to warn her by writing a note inside one of his ROT matchbooks and dropping it where she can find it.
On the way to the airplane, Eve grabs the statue and joins Thornhill. Leonard and Valerian chase them across the top of the Mount Rushmore monument. Valerian lunges at the pair, but falls to his death. Eve slips and clings desperately to the steep mountainside. Thornhill grabs her hand, while precariously holding on with his other hand. Leonard appears and treads on his hand. They are saved when the Professor has a police marksman shoot Leonard, who falls to his death, and Vandamm is arrested.
The scene transitions from Thornhill pulling Eve up to safety on Mount Rushmore to him pulling her, now his wife, onto an upper bunk on a train. The final shot shows their train speeding into a tunnel.
North By Nothwest original poster
Advantages:
Bold and bright yellow colour is used for the background which will attract the audience and will stand out for them, shows the main character clearly because that is the main image in the poster.
Shows the facial expression clearly on the characters face this tells us about the situation the character is in and his feelings towards it. The colour of the title compliments the background colour the title is also well designed because it shows a compass an image that refers to the title as well as the events in the story. The poster also clearly shows the names of the main actors and presents quotes that represent the storyline, genre and the themes. Also it includes the name of the director this plays a huge part in attracting the audience’s attention and into watching the film.
Disadvantages:
Not appealing as not enough enough colours are used the colours are really simple and bland, the poster is not attractive as it does not present good images that represent the film. The poster does not deliver any message to the audience about the plot or the characters personality. Some of the images are not small and are not clear enough for the audience to see and identify. For example the picture of the actress is not clear and appealing enough, as the main character her image should be bigger and attractive because that is the traditional way the actress is presented and portrayed in a poster. The layout and the shape of the poster is confusing and plain as it doesn’t show any creativity. I believe the poster should be more unique and should look more detailed as it will give the audience a better idea on the plot and characters. The title is also very small and It isn’t appealing and eye catching enough for the audience. The title is also plain and simple as it doesn’t make the film look interesting or persuasive.
Ways in which I will improve the poster:
I will improve this poster by:
- Modernizing it
- Incorporating ideas from other effective poster designs
Task 4: Current movie poster designs
The quote shows us that these characters will be going through a series of obstacles and it also shows us his life maybe in danger. This makes the audience want to watch and find out.
The main character is clearly shown, the whole poster focuses on him as he is the main character and the film revolves round him.
The wand on his hand symbolises him and it shows it’s important and it shows the role this character plays.
The colours used in the poster look magical however shows a bit of darkness and mystery.
The title is written as the logo this because it’s the 7th sequel and it is easily recognised and identified by the audience.
Faces have been merged with the background landscape this shows that the characters link with the location shown in the background
Quotes show the themes the film will cover and it shows the situations these characters may encounter with.
Title and the slogan show what the film will be about.
Names of two famous actors shown attracts the audience.
Eyes are looking directly at you makes you identify with characters more.
My poster design ideas
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