On Perfecting Your Poster

If you intend to sell your film, your artwork is possibly the single most important creative decision you’ll make. Sure, there are plenty of other crucial creative decisions to be made — particularly if you’re trying to make a good movie! — but the simple truth is that people DO judge a book by its cover. And several rounds of people are going to have to judge yours before journey’s end.

Before the movie’s production has even begun, media sources will be far more likely to pick up your story if they dig your artwork. Similarly, distributors you hope to court may pass on your film or put it in their ‘has potential’ pile based solely on the first thing they see: your cover image. And, of course, each and every would-be audience member could dismiss you outright if they perceive your poster to be uninteresting, vague, off-putting, or amateur.

So with that in mind: Behold(!) the journey of a grassroots movie’s poster art from wishful thinking to distributed DVD cover — and beyond!

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