Although
the term "movie poster" is used liberally to describe advertising
material used in conjunction with the theatrical release of a motion
picture, the "movie poster" is really only one small part
of a much larger grouping known as "movie art." Movie art
includes "all" of the paper advertising materials that are
used by studios during a film’s campaign. These items come in a wide
variety of shapes and sizes and are printed on a number of different
printable materials. The size, shape and printable matter are all
determined by the intended use of the item.
Since
movie art is just one piece of a movie’s overall advertising campaign,
it can vary in innumerable ways. However, over its 100 years, the
motion picture industry has had some constants and these normally
fall into one of these categories:
| PAPER
ITEMS |
Most
of the movie art printed on paper is or was intended for use either
inside the theatre, in display cases around the community and/or
on billboards. Some of the items are also used as giveaways. Many
of these sizes are no longer used in the U.S. |
| CARD
STOCK ITEMS |
Over
the years, card stock items have been used in a variety of ways.
Because they were stronger, they could be used in areas where
paper products were not as durable. Unfortunately, most of these
items are no longer used in the U.S. |
| PRESS
AND PROMO MATERIALS |
Along
with advertising materials for display, movie studios release
a variety of press-related materials to theatres for their use
in promoting their films. Since each advertising campaign is different,
press materials can vary widely from film to film. Some of these
items are NEVER intended for the public while others are printed
exclusively as giveaways to the public. The latter items fall
into the "promo" category of movie art. |
| OTHER
|
There
are a variety of items that have grown popular over the years
and indicate a new direction for studio advertising. |
