Lights, Camera, Action: A Photo Journal
A visual dissertation on the movie poster
Task
Design and develop a promotional poster for a fictional sci-fi movie.
Tools + Resources
Unsplash
Adobe Photoshop
Font: A Atmospheric by wep for DaFont
Font: A Atmospheric by wep for DaFont
Credit Block: Eric Renno for TipSquirrel.com
Purpose: Promotional poster for 'Pilots of the Universe,' a fictional sci-fi film directed by Ryan Coogler and written/produced by Jordan Peele
Technique
I began the process by putting pen to paper, completing ten roughs to determine layout and placement for the ads. Inspiration was gleaned from vintage sci-fi movie posters and films I watched with my dad as a kid. The photos were sourced from Unsplash and Pexels and manipulated using, layer masks, various blending modes, and opacity adjustments. I hoped to create a bit of nostalgia, so it was important each element appeared aged and that my font choice also mirrored the vintage aesthetic.
I really enjoy movie posters that crossfade multiple elements (similar to 1982's 'Blade Runner') and utilize ample white space (like 1979's 'Alien'), so I was happy to find a way to achieve elements of both styles through placement and non-destructive techniques like blending modes. The effect is quite simple to use and only requires a bit of experimentation with the various options available and opacity adjustments. If you're working with a dark background like I was, I recommend using the 'screen' and 'color dodge' modes. The screen mode removes the dark areas of your image, while color doge blends the bottom and top layers, combining multiple images in a simple and cohesive way.
"Movie Poster"
Illustrative Imaging
D. Thompson 2020
