Movie posters have gotten worse over time

Posted Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 5:20 PM Central
Last updated Friday, January 10, 2014 at 11:21 AM Central

by John Couture

OK, I'm pretty sure that I (or Tim) have written about this phenomenon in the past, but I've literally just spent the last hour searching our site for it to no avail. That says something about our news database and some impending changes that will be forthcoming, but the issue is still relevant today, perhaps even more so.

Posters used to be a work of art that true artists would create over months, but thanks to the proliferation of graphics software programs like PhotoShop, everyone thinks they can be an artist. I'm sorry sir, but you are no Drew Struzan.

The fact there are a great many of you who don't even know who Drew Struzan saddens me greatly. He is an artist and his artwork has graced the posters for some of the greatest films ever made. Think all of the classic Star Wars posters and if you're still scratching your head, click here.

As the video below points out, studios have gotten lazy and/or cut back the budget for their marketing materials and the iconic movie poster has suffered as a result. While sure, the marketing for films has changed drastically over the last couple of decades and the old "poster in the lobby" being the sole image that moviegoers see before the film comes out is long gone, but that doesn't mean that you have to throw out the baby with the bath water.

Check out the video below and let us know if you agree. Also, if you happen to remember a similar story that we ran about the similarity of movie posters, please let us know and maybe there will be a little reward for your diligent work.

Winner, Winner

Big thanks to Stephen for helping me ease my mind. He totally found the story I was looking for. It's this one about that French guy who made similar comparisons. Wow, thanks man, I knew I had seen something like this before, but I just couldn't find it.