Development of Film Posters

Movie posters have been used for a long time to promote upcoming movies and attract an audience. They are generally the first form of advertisement used for a film, and usually contain only basic information, displayed through images and strap-lines. As the film industry has evolved, the development of posters has followed, making it an easy task to identify how film posters have become modernised over the past few decades.

Early stages of Film Industry- The 1920's: 

Film Posters in the 1920's were very simple, and relied on hand-drawn images to identify the film. These types of posters were very expensive to film companies, and could not be widely distributed as a result of this. 

The 1930's: 

In the 1930s, the main characters of the films were starting to be featured on the front of film posters, marking the rise of celebrity fame through film. Bolder text was also used, compared to the small comedic type text used in the 20's. 

The Mid-War era- 1940's: 


Characters become a prominent figure on posters, and the name of production companies start to become more visible, as they grow in reputation. 

Post-War era- 1950's: 


More 'mysterious' forms of posters is identifiable. Production companies slowly start to produce posters that do not feature characters or images, to create a mysterious atmosphere and tempt people to view the film.

1970's: 


Photography becomes a regular feature on film posters. 

1990's:



We start to see posters shift towards the more modern poster type, with a central main image, a strap line, and the names of the main characters featured. 

Modern Posters: 


Posters become essential to the promotion of films, and we see an improvement to the basic posters of the 90's.