Some interesting poster design

During my research I have found many movie posters I find to be interesting in design, colour and composition so I will post a few examples here.


I like the monochromatic approach to the colour treatment in this particular poster, I'm not so sold in the treatment of the text however, it could use a bit more work. A small example of the "Ensemble" approach from the blog I posted earlier.



In this poster I quite like the use of negative space at the top, having all of the action of the image taking place in the lower quarter of the image. This is a textbook example of the "Ensemble" style of poster.



I like the sense of mystery and foreboding that this poster presents. Only seeing the silhouette of the characters along with the tag line at the top makes us want to know what is going on. This poster would fall under the "Monochromatic" category.



The use of high contrast, the broken up image of the building on the island, the raging storm, and the mysterious lighting on the main actors face all lend themselves to the idea of mystery and intrigue quite well. This poster is an example of the "Solitary Hero" style.



There is always a sense of not knowing whats going on when presented with the image of a person not facing the camera. This factor, along with the point that he is standing in water in the middle of a city, and the tagline of "Your mind is the scene of the crime" all make us wonder what is truly happening here. I quite like the monochromatic approach to the colours which allows the title to actually stand out a little more. This poster is a cross between the "Monochromatic" and "Solitary Hero" type posters.

Cross Media Inspiration

Music is a common way for people to relax and unwind, or to rev up and party. Music of any type can also inspire and motivate, from upbeat music that we can exercise to, to calm melodic music we put in the background while doing work.

For me, music is such a powerful element to be inspired by, and different sounds evoke different feelings and can therefore inspire different things.

Lately I have found myself drawn to the music of Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Ros (pronounced Seega Rosh). I discovered this band after watching the movie 127 hours, where in the final stages of the movie, Sigur Ros's track "Festival" plays over the movie.

This is the full version of that song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWMDfJEkQDs

During the Dan O'Day workshop I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Dan himself really likes Sigur Ros's music and finds them very inspiring, and even played "Untitled 3" over the top of ones of his videos, a day in the life of an elderly couple. I found myself very touched by this video, not only because the subject matter was very poignant, but the beautiful music just added that something extra.

This is the music that played over that particular video, a track I find absolutely amazing. This one in particular has a very interesting video which I think you should watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cZGgtN42ns

This band has a very ethereal quality to their music, and I love to listen to their work while I edit and blog, it helps to clear my mind, focus my thoughts, and the sounds takes me to another place in my mind where creativity can just flow.

Movie Posters, the 5 main types.

OK for my third series I am developing a series of fictionalized movie posters. To this end I have been doing research on movie posters, and the trends involved in their design.
During my research I came across a very interesting blog post which describes (according to the author Matt Ward) 5 main types of movie posters and gives examples.

http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/03/11/30-incredible-epic-movie-posters-related-trends/

Halo: Reach

Some may say a strange place to find inspiration, but the muse may descend from any number of unusual places, even from the realm of video games.

Halo: Reach is an Xbox 360 game developed by Bungie Studios and was released in September 2010. Depicting the struggle of humanity and the United Nations Space Command against the ferocious onslaught of a highly religious and technologically advanced alliance of aliens known as the Covenant, Halo: Reach takes us on a journey through some exotic and beautiful locations on the quest to save a planet from complete annihilation.

What bigger inspiration for a visual artist is there than the visual work of other artists? Perhaps that depends on the individual artist and how they draw on inspiration, but for myself, visual engorgement is a primary source of creative stimulus.

The team at Bungie Studios have lovingly crafted a rich and detailed world on which to set their tale of humanity's struggle for survival. From grand vistas of wide open plains to the closed in narrow canyons, lush green forests to wild rocky coasts and everything in between, I find myself really wishing I could visit these places myself, if it wasnt for the unfortunate neccessity of trying to dodge alien weapons fire of course.

What I truly love about the scenery we see in the game is that while it at times seems fantastical, it always retains complete believability (insofar as a computer game can show)

A few screenshots I captured from inside the game itself, I plan on adding some more soon.










All images are the property of Bungie Studios, 2011
The dedicated team who created this game can be seen here

http://www.bungie.net/Inside/teamindex.aspx

Luminism

Luminism is the term used to describe an art style that formed as a result of the work being produced by the Hudson River School artists. Characterized by the use of what I would describe as pools of light and an overall glowing aura, art of this style was highly stylized, evoking qualities of Romanticism as well.

DRAFT

Albert Bierstadt

Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 – February 18, 1902) was a German born-American painter who was known for his beautiful and awe inspiring landscape painting work. Beirstadt was a member of the Hudson River School. (see my blog entry on the HRS for more information)

Albert Bierstadt


I chose to write about Bierstadt because his style of creating artwork, much like the other artists of the Hudson River School, was not neccessarily about absolute realism, but rather an idealised portrayal of nature intended to make an image more inspiring and grandiose.

During extensive travels in both Europe and the American West, Bierstadt was heavily inspired and drawn to the beauty of the natural landscape. Taking quick sketches and colour studies whilst on location, Bierstadt would later on, in the comfort of his studio, paint grand scenes on large canvases.

While painting, Bierstadt would emphasise certain natural elements of the scene, including the interplay of light and shadow, the vividness and hue of the colours, the formation of clouds and fog, and a glowing aura to the image overall (the main trait of Luminism, the name given to the art style created by Hudson River School artists). While doing this he would retain the other elements of the scene as he remembered them, such as the mountains, trees, rivers etc

I find this approach to image creation to be particularly interesting because it allows the artist to depict a realistic scene with a highly stylised approached that allows the viewer to bear witness to a scene that they would not have been able to see otherwise. Bearing much similarity to the way a photographer would take a portrait of a person, displaying the subject in their most ideal light, so Bierstadt wished to show the natural landscape at its very best.

Here are a few of Bierstadts artworks.


Storm in the Rocky Mountains (Mount Rosa) (1886)


Sierra Nevada (c. 1871–1873)


Looking Down Yosemite Valley (1865)

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Albert_Bierstadt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bierstadt

Hudson River School

The Hudson River School was an art movement (not really a school, but a collection of enthusiastic and driven landscape artists) that existed in the United States in the mid 19th century. Founded by artist Thomas Cole, the work produced by HRS artists followed the themes of discovery, exploration and settlement.

Quite often, the scenes painted by HRS artists do not depict actual locations like the work produced by other landscape artists. HRS artists would often travel to many various locations and record their sightings, and paint from both memory and imagination upon returning home.

I see this kind of work as an early version of photomanipulation, however instead of taking photographs and merging them later on using computers, these artists would draw upon their memories and their own imaginations to create these wonderful inspiring compositions based upon what they had seen and what they wished to see.


The following is a few examples of work done by various HRS members


View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, 1836
Thomas Cole (American, 1801–1848)
Oil on canvas


The Heart of the Andes, 1859
Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900)
Oil on canvas


The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak, 1863
Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830–1902)
Oil on canvas

References
(note to self, reference this properly)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_School
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm